The Story of Prophet Yusuf (AS) [Part5]

Soon Prophet Ya’qub (AS) family ran out grain. But the brothers could not go back to Egypt without taking their brother Binyamin along with them. They requested and pleaded their father about it and finally managed to convince him with many promises. When they reached Egypt they presented their brother to Prophet Yusuf. He was extremely happy to see him and invite all of his brothers to dine with him. Later he also gave them accommodation but made his little brother to sleep in his room. In the night he revealed his true identity to Binyamin but forbade him to tell his brothers. As the brothers prepared to leave for Kanaan Prophet Yusuf secretly put a golden cup belonging to the king in Binyamin baggage. The Quran says:

“When he (Yusuf) had furnished them with provisions, (someone) placed the (king's) drinking cup in his brother's baggage. Then someone shouted, "People of the caravan, you are most surely thieves."” [Surah Yusuf, 12:70]

The brother returned home and told the horrible incident to their father. The father was heartbroken and wept dearly for the loss of his two sons. He ordered his sons to return to Egypt and plead for the release of Binyamin as well as grain for food.

Prophet Yusuf (AS) reminded them of how badly they had treated their brother Yusuf, and caused separation between him and his father. The brothers were amazed to hear their secret from the Aziz, who now spoke in the language of the people of Kanaan. They asked him, "Are you Yusuf?"

He replied, "Yes, I am Yusuf, and this is my brother. Allah has been gracious to me. One who is pious and patient against hardships is always rewarded by Allah for his virtues." On hearing this, the brothers hung their heads in shame and asked him for his forgiveness. He said, "You need not be frightened of me. Allah may forgive you your sins. Now take my shirt and cover my father's face with it, so that he may regain his lost sight. Then return to me with all your family."

The Holy Qur'an says:
When the caravan had left the town (from Egypt), their father (in Kanaan) said, "I smell Yusuf's fragrance. I hope you will not think that I am weak in judgement (due to my love for him). They said, "By Allah ! You are still making the same old error. When someone brought him the glad news, Yusuf's shirt was placed on his face and his eyesight was restored. He said, "Did I not tell you that I know about Allah that which you do not know?"
[Surah Yusuf, 12:94-96]

After getting his eyesight back Prophet Ya’qub (AS) decided to leave for Egypt with his whole family. Prophet Yusuf (AS) was delighted to see his father and mother. Thus the long awaited union came to an end. The parents and all his brothers bowed before him in fulfillment of the dream Prophrt Yusuf haf once seen about eleven stars and the sun and the moon in prostration in front of him. After many trial Allah had given him a reward of glory and highest rank in the land.

Prophet Ya’qub (AS) lived for about seventeen years in Egypt. After his death he was buried in Kanaan according to his request. Prophet Yusuf (AS) breathed his last some years later at the age of 110 years, and his kingdom passed into the hands of rulers whose titles were Fir'aun.

The Story of Prophet Yusuf (AS) [Part4]

The Holy Quran says:
“The king ordered his men to bring Yusuf before him; he wanted to grant him a high office. The king said to him, "From now on you will be an honored and trusted person amongst us." Yusuf said, "Put me in charge of the treasuries of the land, I know how to manage them.”
[Surah Yusuf, 12:54, 55]

As the verse relates the King of Egypt Prophet Yusuf (AS) as the in charge of treasury of finance and food. He also gave Prophet Yusuf as his ring to show him as his equal and testify his authority on his behalf. The king also ordered his ministers and officials to treat Yusuf’s command as his own. As soon as Prophet Yusuf (AS) was handed over the office, he went straight to work and formulated ways to enhance productivity and growth of food. During the first seven years he supplied grains to the people according to their needs and stored the surplus in huge granaries. By the end of seven years, the granaries were full. Then came the time of drought and the water level of river Nile began to fall and the country was hit by a terrible drought. But nothing was to worry about because of Prophet Yusuf’s foresight and planning. The famine extended to the lands of Palestine and Kanaan where Prophet Ya’qub lived with his family. One day he called them and said, "My sons! We are in great distress due to the famine. You may go to the Aziz of Egypt whose reputation as a kind and just person has spread everywhere in the country. Leave Binyamin with me for company so that I may not be lonely." As commanded by their father, the brothers of Prophet Yusuf (AS) set off for Egypt to purchase grain and bring it back to Kanaan.

The brothers arrived in Egypt. Prophet Yusuf was pleased to see them but the brothers were unable to identify him. He gave them food and shelter and asked them to tell him about their family. Prophet was revealed to hear about his father and mother but disappointed that they had brought their younger brother Binyamin with them. As the brothers prepared to go Prophet Yusuf gave them enough wheat and also put their money back into their packs secretly. He also asked them to bring their other brother the next time as proof that they were speaking the truth about their family. The Holy Qur'an narrates this episode in the following words:

“Yusuf's brothers came to him and when they entered his court, he recognized them. They did not know him. And when he gave them the provisions, he said, "Next time, bring me your other brother from your father. As you can see, I give each of you a certain amount of grain, I am a polite host. If you do not bring him, do not come to us for we shall not give you any more grain.”
[Surah Yusuf, 12:58- 60]

The Story of Prophet Yusuf (AS) [Part3]

The Holy Quran says:

“The king dreamt that seven lean cows were eating seven fat ones and that there were seven green ears of corn and seven dry ones. He asked the nobles to tell him the meaning of his dream if they were able to. They replied, "It is a confused dream and we do not know the meaning of such dreams." [Surah Yusuf 12:43,44]

The king of Egypt was quite worried about the dream. He had sought the interpretation of his dream with wise men and astrologers. But they seemed to render no help. When the wine server about the issue, he was minded about Prophet Yusuf and his request for liberation from the prison. He approached the king and told him about Prophet and his ability. The king sent for this man. Prophet Yusuf interpreted the dream by the power of Allah vested in him. He said, “For seven years the crops will yield abundant food-grain for the people of Egypt. After that there will be a famine for seven years during which all the food-grain lying in the storehouses will be finished and people will starve. Therefore, the people should try to grow as much extra grain as possible so that it would stand them in good stead during the time of famine”

The king became quite impressed by Prophet Yusuf ability and ordered to bring him to the court so that he could use of his wisdom in solving problems of the country. Prophet Yusuf (AS) refused to leave the prison until he proved his innocence. He said to the courtiers, "I will not come out of the prison until the king makes enquiries about my case. Tell the king to ask the wives of the noble men about the time when they cut their fingers on seeing me".

The courtiers passed on this message to the king who called the concerned women to him for an explanation. They all confessed the truth and Zuleikha, the wife of the Aziz, also testified that Prophet Yusuf (AS) was innocent of any guilt. Thus, Prophet Yusuf (AS) was released from the prison with his dignity and honor restored.

The Holy Quran says:
The king ordered his men to bring Yusuf before him; he wanted to grant him a high office. The king said to him, "From now on you will be an honoured and trusted person amongst us." Yusuf said, "Put me in charge of the treasuries of the land, I know how to manage them."
Surah Yusuf, 12:54,55

The Story of Prophet Yusuf (AS) [Part2]

Zuleikha was completely mesmerized by Yusuf’s beauty that she thought to have an illegal association with him. At one occasion she was able to trap in a room so that she could be alone with him. Yusuf on realizing the woman’s evil intentions tried to run but she attacked him from behind and was able to grab his shirt from behind. The shirt got torn. At the door Yusuf bumped into Aziz himself. Realizing the stickiness of the situation Zuleikha blamed Yusuf that he was trying to lay hand on her. Yusuf pleaded his case. A witness from her own household testified, "If his shirt is torn from the front, then she speaks the truth and he is of the liars. And if his shirt is torn from behind, then she lies and he is of the truthful ones.” Aziz was ashamed of his wife and asked her to stay away from him. He requested Yusuf to forget the incident too. However the story of the scandal got out of the palace, and spread far and wide.  Women of other nobles maliciously gossiped about this happening. 

Zuleikha arranged a party and invited the women of nobility to her palace.  As they were busy cutting and eating fruits, she summoned Yusuf into her audience.  As he arrived in their presence, the women got totally stunned by his beauty, and many cut their fingers instead of the fruits in their hands and exclaimed.”This is not a human being, he must be an angel”.  They were now convinced over what they had heard about Yusuf and his beauty. Yusuf prayed to Allah to save him from the wickedness of the queen and other women of Egypt. Zuleikha was furious with Yusuf because he had caused her to be ridiculed. In her anger and frustration, she caused him to be imprisoned on false charges of assault.

Yusuf was thrown into prison. The prisoners noted his purity of character and good conduct and elected his as the deputy in managing the affairs of the prison. On the day Yusuf came into prison, two other prisoners were also imprisoned. One was a wine server and other was a cook, both had been accused of poisoning the kind. One day they came to him and told of their weird dreams. They requested him to interpret the dreams. Prophet Yusuf (AS) not only interpreted the dreams but also preached them the religion of Allah Almighty. Finally he said, "O my prison-mates! The man who dreamt that he was crushing grapes will soon be released from here and will go back to his previous post. The second one, who carried the bread on his head in the dream, will be executed and the birds will start to eat his brain." Prophet Yusuf (AS) thought of getting himself released from prison through the wine-server, and told him to remind the king of his innocence when he saw him. The dreams of both men came true just as he had foretold. One of the captives was released while the other was hanged. Unfortunately, the wine-server forgot all that Prophet Yusuf (AS) had told him to convey to the king.

The Story of Prophet Yusuf (AS) [Part1]

Prophet Ya’qub (AS) had twelve sons out of which Yusuf (AS) was the youngest. This youngest son was remarkably handsome, attractive and possessed with excellent character and manners. Such qualities had gained him deep affection and love from his father. Thus he occupied a rank of outstanding distinction among his brothers. Yusuf’s bothers began to get jealous of him soon. Once Yusuf saw a dream that eleven stars, the sun and moon were prostrating to him. He related the dream to his father. Prophet Ya'qub realized that the dream outlined his son’s destiny and greatness and cautioned him not to tell anything about the dream to his brothers. Since his brothers were already jealous of him and were thinking to get away with him had already devised a ploy. His brothers often used to ask their father to take Yusuf out for grazing the goats but the father would always deny. When Yusuf turned sixteen, the brothers finally managed to extract permission from their father. As soon as they were far away from the home they plotted to dispose of him for good. They threw him in a dry well and brought his shirt; smothered sheep’s blood. They put on a show in front of their parents about a wolf that had killed their brother. Prophet Ya’qub did not believe their story and was saddened by the story that he wept profusely all day and night. He remained patient and waited for the day Allah will unite him with son.

Meanwhile a caravan of traders passing by the well stopped to draw some water. They were surprised to see Yusuf come up holding the bucket. They were stunned at his beauty and saw that potential of higher salve value because of it. So they hid him with their merchandise and sold him to some slave traders for a few pieces of silver.  Upon arriving at Egypt Yusuf was put to display in a slave market. His value because of his breath taking beauty increased every day. News of him reached the ears of the Aziz (Governor of Egypt and Chief Officer of the King) named Fotifaar. Fotifaar offered a huge price that was highest among the bidders. He brought Prophet Yusuf (AS) home and told his wife Zuleikha that they would adopt him as their son.