Prophet Yousef A.

S
The story of prophet Yusuf (a.s) is the most fascinating and detailed story in the Quran. It involves both
human weaknesses such as jealousy, hatred, pride, passion, deception, intrigue, cruelty, and terror as
well as noble qualities such as patience, loyalty, bravery, nobility, and compassion.

He was the son of Yaqub (a.s) and he was the grandson of Ibrahim (a.s). He had 10 very jealous brothers,
who were jealous of Yusuf (a.s) and his brother because they were loved more by their father.

When Yousuf (a.s) was a child, he saw (in a dream) eleven stars and the sun and the moon prostrating
themselves to him.

Yaqub (a.s) was well aware of the jealousy of Joseph's brothers, so he warned him against telling his
dream to his brothers.

Joseph was eighteen years old, very handsome and robust, with a gentle temperament. He was
respectful, kind and considerate. His brother Benjamin was equally pleasant. Both were from one
mother, Rachel.

The brothers (because of the jealousy) made a plan against him.

They first wanted to kill him but some of them were against that idea, so they decided to banish them
from his home.

The plan was that they would drop him into a well and a passing caravan would take him.

They approached their father and said: O our father! Why do you not trust us with Joseph, when we are
indeed his well-wishers? Send him with us tomorrow to enjoy himself and play, and verily we will take
care of him."

At first, he was really persistent. They coaxed their father to send Joseph with them; he agreed under
their pressure.

Yusuf (a.s) was then thrown into a well and they killed a sheep and took his shirt they then smeared the
blood of the sheep on his shirt.

They went to their father weeping, saying "O our father! We went racing with one another, and left
Joseph by our belongings and a wolf devoured him; but you will never believe us even when we speak
the truth.

Deep down in the heart Jacob knew that his beloved son was still alive and that his other sons were
lying.

Yusuf (a.s) was picked up by a caravan on its way to Egypt.

He was then made a slave and auctioned off.

The highest bidder and his new master was Aziz the chief minister of Egypt.

Love for Yusuf (a.s) was thrust into the heart of the man who bought him.
The wife of the chief minister, Zulaikha, watched Joseph from day to day. She at with him, talked with
him, listened to him, and her wonder increased over the passion of time.

Yusuf (a.s) was soon confronted (with his second trial). The chief minister's wife, Zulaikha could not
resist the handsome Joseph, and her obsession with him caused her sleepless nights. She fell in love
with him.

Abu Ubaidah said that this is a temptation and resistance meaning that she had tried to seduce him; had
he not seen the proof of Allah, he would have been seduced.

Joseph's refusal only heightened her passion. As he moved to the door to escape, she ran after him and
caught hold of his shirt, like a drowning person clinging to the boat. In her tugging she tore his shirt and
held the torn piece in her hand. They reached the door together. It opened suddenly, there stood her
husband and a relative of hers.

As he opened the door, he saw her husband standing in front of him. The sly woman immediately
changed her tone to anger, and, showing the torn piece of the shirt in her hand. She was now accusing
Joseph of molesting her, to give the impression that she was innocent and a victim of Joseph's sexual
desire.

Confused Yusuf (a.s) denied

"It was she that sought to seduce me."

The evidence showed that she was guilty. The disappointed husband remarked to his wife:

"Surely, it is a plot of you women!

Zulaikha was ridiculed by the people.

Zulaikha convinced her husband that the only way to save her honor was to put Joseph in prison;
otherwise she would not be able to control herself or to safeguard his prestige.

That night, with a heavy heart, the chief minister sent Joseph to prison.

Prison was Yusuf (a.s)’s third test.

He remained in prison for a few years, but he made patience his own, praying to Allah.

The King has a dream.

He sees himself on the banks of the Nile River. The water is receding before him, becoming mere mud.
The fish begin to skip and jump in the mud. Seven fat cows come out of the river followed by seven lean
cows. The seven lean ones devour the seven fat ones. The king is terrified. The seven ears of green grain
grow on the riverbanks and disappear in the mud. One the same spot grow seven dray ears of grain. The
king awoke frightened, shocked, and depressed, not knowing what all this mean.

The news reached the cupbearer and he remembered Yusuf (a.s) from prison.

The king sent the cupbearer to ask Joseph about the dream.
Joseph interpreted it to him: "There will be seven years of abundance. If the land is properly cultivated,
there will be an excess of good harvest, more than the people will need. This should be stored.
Thereafter, seven years of famine will follow, during which time the excess grain could be used."

The king was greatly astonished. He commanded that Joseph be set free from prison and presented to
him at once.

He refused to leave until his innocence was proven.

The king ordered: "Bring the wives of the ministers and the wife of the chief minister at once."

The Chief Minister’s wife confessed that she had lied and he had told the truth.

The king informed Joseph that his innocence was established and ordered him to come to the palace for
an interview. The king recognized his noble qualities. The king offered him a high position.

. Joseph advised the king that as his kingdom was blessed with reserved grain, he should sell his grain to
the needy nations at a fair price. The king agreed, and the good news spread all over the region.

Jacob sent ten of his sons, all except Benjamin, to Egypt to purchase provisions.

They did not recognize him.

He told them to bring their other brother as well and he will double the rations.

But Jacob refused to send Benjamin with them.

After some time, when they had no more grain, Jacob asked them to travel to Egypt for more. They
reminded him of the warning the Egyptian official had given them. They could not return without
Benjamin. Jacob agreed, but not before he extracted a pledge from them.

Joseph welcomed them heartily, although, with difficulty.

And he told Benjamin who he was.

The next day, while their bags were being filled with grains to load onto the camels, Joseph ordered one
of his attendants to place the king's gold cup which was used for measuring the grain into Benjamin's
saddlebag. When the brothers were ready to set out, the gates were locked, and the court crier
shouted: "O you travelers, you are thieves!" The accusation was most unusual, and the people gathered
around Joseph's brothers.

The soldiers reached in their hands in Benjamin’s bag and pulled out the king's cup.

Joseph kept Benjamin in his house as his personal guest and told him how he had devised the plot to put
the king's cup in his bag, in order to keep him behind.

When they arrived home, they entered upon their father calling: "O our father! Your son has stolen!"

Weeping all those years for his beloved son Joseph - and now one more of his best sons had been
snatched from him - Jacob almost lost his sight.

The brothers returned to egypt.

they begged Joseph. They asked alms of him, appealing to his heart, reminding him that Allah rewards
alms givers. At this moment, in the midst of their plight, Joseph spoke to them in their native tongue
saying: "Do you know what you did with Joseph and his brother when you were ignorant?" They said:
"Are you indeed Joseph?" He said: "I am Joseph, and his is my brother (Benjamin). Allah has indeed been
Gracious to us.

The brothers began to tremble with fear, but Joseph comforted them: "No reproach on you this day,
may Allah forgive you, and He is the Most Merciful of those who show mercy!"

"Go with this shirt of mine, and cast it over the face of my father, he will become clear-sighted, and
bring to me all your family.

when the bearer of the glad tidings arrived, he cast the shirt over his face, and he became clear sighted.
He said: "Did I not say to you, I know from Allah that which you know not."" They said: "O our father!
Ask Forgiveness from Allah for our sins, indeed we have been sinners.

Joseph (pbuh), at the moment of his death, asked his brothers to bury him beside his forefathers if they
were to leave Egypt. So when Joseph (pbuh) passed away, he was mummified and placed in a coffin until
such a time as he could be taken out of Egypt and buried beside his forefathers, as he had requested. It
was said that he died at the age of one hundred ten.