Stories of the Prophets | Episode (12) | The story of Jacob and Joseph, peace be upon them

0:00 Stories of the Prophets... Stories of the Prophets, peace be upon them.

0:25 The story of Ya'qub (Jacob), peace be upon him.

0:29 In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

0:34 All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds.

0:37 And may peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad,

0:40 and upon all his family and Companions.

0:44 To proceed:

0:47 In the blessed land of Palestine,

0:49 lived Ibrahim (Abraham), the intimate friend of Allah, peace be upon him.

0:53 There, he was given the glad tidings of Ishaq (Isaac), peace be upon him;

0:56 and to Ishaq was born Ya'qub, peace be upon him;

1:00 and to Ya'qub was born Yusuf (Joseph), peace be upon him—

1:04 a blessed lineage, one following the other.

1:08 The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:

1:12 "The noble son of the noble, son of the noble, son of the noble:

1:16 Yusuf, son of Ya'qub, son of Ishaq, son of Ibrahim,"

1:21 peace be upon them all.

1:23 Ya'qub, peace be upon him, grew up in the household of prophethood,

1:28 drinking deeply from the springs of divine revelation and wisdom,

1:32 which prepared him to follow the path of his father and grandfather.

1:36 For Ya'qub, peace be upon him, was indeed one of the prophets.

1:41 All the historical traditions recounted about the prophet Ya'qub

1:45 clearly indicate that he was steadfast upon the religion of his father Ibrahim, peace be upon him.

1:51 As the Noble Qur'an informs us,

1:54 Ya'qub was a man of beneficial knowledge, righteous deeds,

1:59 strength in worship, profound insight,

2:03 and patient endurance through the decrees of Allah Almighty.

2:07 Allah Almighty named him in the Qur'an 'Isra'il',

2:11 which means 'the servant of Allah'.

2:14 During his youth, a dispute arose between Ya'qub and his older brother, 'Iys (Esau).

2:22 So Ya'qub's mother instructed him to travel to her brother, Laban,

2:27 in the town of Haran in northern Levant,

2:31 and to stay with him for a period of time.

2:34 Ya'qub complied with his mother's instruction and went to his maternal uncle,

2:38 residing with him for a long period,

2:41 during which he tended his uncle's sheep.

2:44 His uncle had two daughters:

2:46 the elder was named Leah,

2:49 and the younger was named Rachel.

2:52 Rachel was the fairer and more beautiful of the two.

2:56 So Ya'qub asked his uncle for the hand of the younger daughter, Rachel, in marriage.

3:00 The uncle agreed,

3:03 on the condition that Ya'qub tend his flock for seven years.

3:06 Ya'qub accepted this condition.

3:09 When the designated period had elapsed, he requested the marriage from his uncle,

3:15 who agreed and promptly concluded the marriage.

3:18 He prepared a wedding feast and invited the people.

3:22 But when Ya'qub entered upon his bride,

3:25 he discovered that she was not Rachel, whom he had requested,

3:28 but rather her elder sister, Leah.

3:31 He said to his uncle:

3:34 "This is not whom I sought!

3:37 I only proposed to Rachel."

3:40 His uncle replied: "It is not our custom

3:43 to marry off the younger daughter before the elder.

3:46 If you desire her sister as well,

3:49 then work for another seven years,

3:52 and I shall give her sister to you in marriage."

3:55 So he worked for another seven years,

3:58 and then married Rachel,

4:01 taking her as a co-wife alongside her sister.

4:04 This was permissible according to their religious law,

4:07 though it was later abrogated in the law of the Torah.

4:10 Ya'qub was blessed through his first wife

4:14 with a number of sons,

4:17 while Rachel had not borne him any children.

4:20 Then Rachel supplicated Allah Almighty,

4:23 asking Him to grant her a son through Ya'qub.

4:26 Allah heard her plea

4:29 and answered her supplication.

4:32 She conceived through the Prophet of Allah, Ya'qub,

4:35 and gave birth to a noble,

4:38 goodly, and handsome boy,

4:41 whom she named Yusuf.

4:44 After him, she gave birth to his full brother, Binyamin (Benjamin).

4:47 All of this took place while they were residing in the land of Haran.

4:50 Ya'qub, peace be upon him, stayed on

4:53 for another six years,

4:56 bringing the total duration of his stay to twenty years.

4:59 Allah blessed him with abundant goodness,

5:02 until his wealth and offspring multiplied greatly.

5:06 Then Allah Almighty revealed to Ya'qub, peace be upon him,

5:09 to return to the land of his father and his people.

5:12 He proposed this to his family,

5:15 and they readily and obediently agreed.

5:18 He packed his belongings, gathered his wealth and family,

5:21 and set out returning to his homeland in Palestine.

5:25 Ya'qub then passed by Jerusalem,

5:28 encamping just outside the town,

5:31 and purchased a tract of land there for one hundred ewes.

5:34 He pitched his tent there,

5:37 and Allah Almighty commanded him to build a house of worship in that place—

5:40 which is Bayt al-Maqdis (the Holy House) today,

5:43 later renovated by the Prophet of Allah, Sulayman (Solomon), peace be upon him.

5:47 Thus, Ya'qub, peace be upon him,

5:50 was the first to build Bayt al-Maqdis,

5:53 just as his grandfather Ibrahim and his uncle

5:56 Isma'il (Ishmael), peace be upon them both,

5:59 were the ones who built the Sacred House of Allah in Makkah.

6:02 The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was asked

6:05 about the first mosque established on earth.

6:08 He replied: "The Sacred Mosque (al-Masjid al-Haram)."

6:11 He was asked: "Then which one?"

6:14 He replied: "The Furthest Mosque (al-Masjid al-Aqsa)."

6:17 He was asked: "How much time was there between them?"

6:20 He replied: "Forty years."

6:23 Ya'qub returned to his father,

6:27 Ishaq, peace be upon him,

6:30 who rejoiced over him with immense joy.

6:33 Shortly thereafter, Ishaq passed away.

6:36 Ya'qub then resided in Palestine

6:39 for many years,

6:42 the most significant events of which we shall recount

6:45 in the story of his son Yusuf, peace be upon him,

6:48 if Allah wills.

6:51 All types of food

6:55 were lawful for the Children of Israel—

6:58 who are the descendants of Ya'qub, peace be upon him—

7:01 except what Ya'qub made unlawful for himself,

7:04 without any prohibition from Allah Almighty.

7:07 For he, peace be upon him,

7:10 had been afflicted with sciatica,

7:13 so he vowed that if Allah Almighty cured him of it,

7:16 he would surely forbid himself the foods dearest to him.

7:19 The dearest things to him

7:22 were camel meat and camel milk,

7:25 so he forbade them to himself,

7:28 and his sons followed him in doing so.

7:31 Allah Almighty said:

7:34 “All food was lawful unto the Children of Israel, save that which Israel forbade himself, (in days) before the Torah was revealed. Say: Produce the Torah and read it (unto us) if ye are truthful.” (3:93)

7:37 “All food was lawful unto the Children of Israel, save that which Israel forbade himself, (in days) before the Torah was revealed. Say: Produce the Torah and read it (unto us) if ye are truthful.” (3:93)

7:40 "except what Israel made unlawful for himself

7:43 “All food was lawful unto the Children of Israel, save that which Israel forbade himself, (in days) before the Torah was revealed. Say: Produce the Torah and read it (unto us) if ye are truthful.” (3:93)

7:46 “All food was lawful unto the Children of Israel, save that which Israel forbade himself, (in days) before the Torah was revealed. Say: Produce the Torah and read it (unto us) if ye are truthful.” (3:93)

7:49 before the Torah was revealed...

7:52 “All food was lawful unto the Children of Israel, save that which Israel forbade himself, (in days) before the Torah was revealed. Say: Produce the Torah and read it (unto us) if ye are truthful.” (3:93)

7:55 if you should be truthful."

7:58 "And whoever invents

8:01 “And whoever shall invent a falsehood after that concerning Allah, such will be wrong-doers.” (3:94)

8:04 [lies] after that, then it is those who are the wrongdoers."

8:11 The Noble Qur'an has recounted to us

8:14 that Yusuf, peace be upon him, summoned his father Ya'qub

8:17 and his brothers to come to Egypt.

8:20 They answered his call, left Palestine,

8:23 and arrived in Egypt.

8:26 Ya'qub, peace be upon him, was deeply dedicated to calling his people to the truth,

8:29 and even more protective and concerned for his children.

8:32 He would constantly exhort them to hold fast to Islam,

8:35 never to deviate from it,

8:38 and warn them against dying upon any faith other than this religion.

8:41 Then, when death approached him

8:45 and he was in the throes of dying and passing away—

8:48 in that critical and solemn state

8:51 when a person leaves this world behind

8:54 and faces the Hereafter—

8:57 Ya'qub, peace be upon him, did not forget the mission of calling to Allah.

9:00 He gathered his sons around him

9:03 to impart to them his final bequest.

9:06 He asked them: "What will you worship after me?"

9:09 They said: "We will worship your God

9:12 and the God of your fathers, Ibrahim,

9:15 Isma'il, and Ishaq—

9:18 one God,

9:21 and to Him we submit."

9:24 Allah Almighty said:

9:27 "And Ibrahim instructed his sons and [so did] Ya'qub,

9:30 “The same did Abraham enjoin upon his sons, and also Jacob, (saying): O my sons! Lo! Allah hath chosen for you the (true) religion; therefore die not save as men who have surrendered (unto Him).” (2:132)

9:33 'Indeed, Allah has chosen for you this religion,

9:36 “The same did Abraham enjoin upon his sons, and also Jacob, (saying): O my sons! Lo! Allah hath chosen for you the (true) religion; therefore die not save as men who have surrendered (unto Him).” (2:132)

9:39 'Indeed, Allah has chosen for you this religion,

9:42 “The same did Abraham enjoin upon his sons, and also Jacob, (saying): O my sons! Lo! Allah hath chosen for you the (true) religion; therefore die not save as men who have surrendered (unto Him).” (2:132)

9:45 except as Muslims.'

9:48 Or were you witnesses

9:51 “Or were ye present when death came to Jacob, when he said unto his sons: What will ye worship after me? They said: We shall worship thy god, the god of thy fathers, Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac, One Allah, and unto Him we have surrendered.” (2:133)

9:54 when he said to his sons,

9:57 “Or were ye present when death came to Jacob, when he said unto his sons: What will ye worship after me? They said: We shall worship thy god, the god of thy fathers, Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac, One Allah, and unto Him we have surrendered.” (2:133)

10:00 They said, 'We will worship

10:03 your God and the God of your fathers,

10:06 Ibrahim and Isma'il

10:09 and Ishaq—one God.

10:12 one God,

10:15 and to Him we submit.'"

10:18 Biographers and historians have recorded

10:21 that Ya'qub, peace be upon him,

10:25 when he entered Egypt,

10:28 was 130 years old.

10:31 He remained in Egypt for 17 years,

10:34 and then returned to his Lord

10:37 at the age of 147 years.

10:40 Yusuf, peace be upon him, then asked permission

10:43 from the King of Egypt to travel with his father Ya'qub's body

10:46 so that he might bury him alongside his family in Palestine.

10:49 The king granted him permission,

10:52 and Ya'qub, peace be upon him, was buried

10:55 in the town of Hebron, known

10:58 as al-Khalil today,

11:01 beside his grandfather Ibrahim and his father Ishaq,

11:08 peace be upon them both.

11:11 The story of Yusuf, peace be upon him:

11:16 As for the best of stories,

11:19 it is the story of Yusuf, son of Ya'qub, peace be upon them both,

11:22 rich with unique lessons and wisdom.

11:25 In the blessed land of Palestine,

11:28 Yusuf, peace be upon him, grew up,

11:31 living among his parents and his eleven brothers.

11:34 He was endowed with such beauty and noble character

11:37 that it earned him special favor

11:40 in his father's heart above the rest of his brothers.

11:43 Consequently, the fire of jealousy was ignited within them,

11:46 and filled their hearts with resentment toward him.

11:50 Yusuf, peace be upon him, saw

11:53 a wondrous vision in his sleep,

11:56 so he related it to his father, saying,

11:59 "Yusuf said to his father: 'O my dear father,

12:02 “When Joseph said unto his father: O my father! Lo! I saw in a dream eleven planets and the sun and the moon, I saw them prostrating themselves unto me.” (12:4)

12:05 [eleven] stars,

12:08 “When Joseph said unto his father: O my father! Lo! I saw in a dream eleven planets and the sun and the moon, I saw them prostrating themselves unto me.” (12:4)

12:11 and the sun and the moon—I saw them

12:14 prostrating to me.'"

12:18 Ya'qub, peace be upon him, realized,

12:21 through the knowledge Allah had granted him,

12:24 that this vision was true,

12:27 and that his son Yusuf

12:30 would be one of the prophets.

12:33 Thus, he feared for him from his brothers,

12:36 anticipating evil from them,

12:39 so he said to him,

12:42 “He said: O my dear son! Tell not thy brethren of thy vision, lest they plot a plot against thee. Lo! Satan is for man an open foe.” (12:5)

12:45 “He said: O my dear son! Tell not thy brethren of thy vision, lest they plot a plot against thee. Lo! Satan is for man an open foe.” (12:5)

12:48 "Indeed, Satan

12:51 is to man an open enemy."

12:55 And from here begins

12:58 the story of Yusuf, peace be upon him.

13:02 The brothers of Yusuf gathered

13:05 and said to one another,

13:08 "Yusuf and his brother Benjamin,

13:11 the sons of Rachel, are more beloved to our father

13:14 than us, even though we are a cohesive, strong

13:17 group." And they accused their father,

13:20 the noble Prophet, saying—

13:23 Yet the truth is

13:26 that Ya'qub's love for Yusuf

13:29 was an innate, natural affection beyond his control;

13:32 it was not willful, nor was he to blame for it,

13:35 as he, peace be upon him,

13:38 was completely just in how he treated all his sons.

13:41 His love for Yusuf was

13:44 as the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:

13:47 "O Allah, this is my division in what I control..."

13:50 And this is what we affirm with certainty regarding the Prophet of Allah,

13:53 Ya'qub, peace be upon him.

13:56 The brothers of Yusuf consulted among themselves

14:01 on how to remove Yusuf from his father's presence,

14:04 so that they alone might monopolize his love to his exclusion.

14:07 Some of them said,

14:10 "Kill Yusuf,"

14:13 while others said,

14:16 "Cast him out into a distant land, far from you,

14:20 for if you do that,

14:23 your father's attention will be solely yours,

14:26 and Yusuf will be forgotten;

14:29 then after that, you can repent of this sin

14:32 and become righteous people."

14:35 Then one of them spoke—who was the most dutiful of them

14:38 and the most compassionate toward Yusuf,

14:41 even though he ultimately took part with them in the crime—

14:44 saying: "Do not kill Yusuf,

14:47 but rather throw him into the depths of the pit—

14:50 that is, into the dark bottom of the well—

14:53 so that some passing travelers may pick him up

14:56 and take him away with them far from you.

14:59 That way, you will have achieved your goal

15:02 without killing your brother."

15:05 They approved of this idea and resolved upon it.

15:08 The following day, they came to their father

15:11 and said,

15:14 "Why do you not trust us with Yusuf,

15:17 why do you not trust us,

15:20 “They said: O our father! Why wilt thou not trust us with Joseph, when lo! we are good friends to him?” (12:11)

15:23 when we are sincere well-wishers to him?

15:26 Send him with us tomorrow

15:29 to enjoy himself and play, and we

15:32 shall surely guard him."

15:36 Ya'qub, peace be upon him, answered them,

15:39 saying, "Indeed,

15:42 it grieves me that you should take him away,

15:45 and I fear that a wolf will devour him

15:48 “He said: Lo! in truth it saddens me that ye should take him with you, and I fear less the wolf devour him while ye are heedless of him.” (12:13)

15:51 while you are negligent of him."

15:54 Perhaps this remark from their father,

15:57 and his deep attachment to Yusuf,

16:00 only increased their rage against him even more than before,

16:03 and gave them the idea of the wolf devouring

16:06 their brother Yusuf.

16:10 So they said,

16:13 "If a wolf were to devour him while we are a strong band of men,

16:16 we would indeed be losers."

16:19 They kept persisting with their father, trying

16:22 to persuade him, until he permitted them to take Yusuf with them.

16:25 They displayed joy before their father,

16:28 while concealing malice in their hearts.

16:31 When they took their brother Yusuf away,

16:35 far outside the settlements,

16:39 they began beating him mercilessly.

16:42 They were moved neither by his desperate pleas

16:45 nor by the weeping and tears of their brother,

16:48 who was only six years old.

16:51 When they reached a well

16:55 that lay along the caravan route,

16:58 they stripped off his shirt,

17:01 while he was crying and pleading with them,

17:04 and threw him into that deep well.

17:08 Then Allah inspired Yusuf

17:11 that He would deliver him from this trial,

17:14 and that his life would be prolonged

17:17 until he would meet his brothers once again

17:20 and inform them of what they had done to him,

17:23 while they perceive it not,

17:26 just as Allah Almighty stated.

17:37 As for Yusuf's brothers,

17:40 they took a ram along the way,

17:43 slaughtered it, and stained Yusuf's shirt with its blood.

17:46 Then they came to their father in the evening,

17:49 weeping falsely and deceitfully,

17:52 and said to him,

17:55 "We went racing with one another

17:58 and left our brother Yusuf with our belongings,

18:01 and they made up a lie about Yusuf:

18:04 'and we left our brother Yusuf with our belongings,

18:07 so the wolf came and devoured him.

18:10 And here is his shirt, stained with his blood,

18:13 just as you see.'"

18:17 They did not even give their father a chance to reply,

18:20 and said to him—

18:23 “Saying: O our father! We went racing one with another, and left Joseph by our things, and the wolf devoured him, and thou believest not our saying even when we speak the truth.” (12:17)

18:26 Glory be to Allah!

18:29 The guilty party almost exposed himself.

18:32 When Ya'qub, peace be upon him, saw

18:35 the shirt of his son Yusuf,

18:38 he said,

18:41 "How merciful this wolf was!

18:44 It devoured Yusuf without even tearing his shirt!"

18:47 Then he turned to his sons and said,

18:50 he said,

18:53 "Nay, but your souls

18:56 have enticed you to something.

18:59 So patience is most fitting,

19:02 and Allah is the One sought for help

19:05 against what you describe."

19:08 Yes,

19:11 "so patience is most fitting"—

19:15 it is a tranquil, reassuring patience,

19:18 unaccompanied by discontent or anxiety,

19:21 nor by any doubt in the truth of the promise;

19:24 the patience of one confident of the final outcome,

19:27 content with the decree of Allah.

19:30 To be continued, if Allah wills.

19:35 And Allah knows best.

19:38 And praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds.

19:41 And may Allah send blessings and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad

19:44 and upon all his family and Companions.

19:47 You were listening to the Stories of the Prophets.

19:51 And may Allah send blessings,

20:00 and may Allah send blessings

20:05 and peace.

Stories of the Prophets | Episode (12) | The story of Jacob and Joseph, peace be upon them

Transcript