ahsan al qasas

AUSAN AL-QASAS Commentary , Surah Yusuf (The 12th Chapter Of he G'lorious Quran)

Sheikh Abdur

SUBULAS SAL PUBLICATIONS

Subulas Salaam 218

Bolton BL35AQ

U nited Kingdom

Preface

HadhratAqdas,Sheikhul Mashaikh, Tutorof, FounderofMadaaris, LecturerofSahih 1 Bukhari, Hadhratlan Sulaiman YusufIbn

SulaimanMotalasahib, A1lah blessuswithhis an andgranthim longlife. en.

Translation SheikhMahmood Chandia

___________________7afs'eer / dualiu/

PREFACE

the /Allah the most compassionate the most merciful

The dearest lan Abdur Raheem Sahib, lecturer in Hadith in Darul , , ( Allah protect ), requested to provide preface [ his ut work, exegesis ofSurah Yusuf. This surah comprises l disciplines ofstudy, such as astronomy, geography, mineralogy, sociology, .

he sciences ofthenoble Quran are limitless an and amanifestationofthe quraruc verse:

Say: Iftheocean were ink(to write out) thewords ofmy Lord, then surely, the an would dry before the words of Lord finished, even ifWe ugI-tt another similar [ its aid. (Q. 18: 109)

At thebeginning ofthe surah the following introductory infomation is contained. The words al-kitab al-mubln ('the Manifest Book'), provide the ofthe Book. The words anzalnahu ('indeed We have revealed it') reveal the source ofthe Book. The words quran ' (' Quran') tl1e Book. The words, ahsan al-qasas ('the most beautiful ofstories') indicate

specific chaptertitle. Likewise the quranic words la " ' ('do 110t relate dream') supported the hadith 'do not relate visiol1except to ani intelligent person etiquettes oft11e science ofds and their interpretation. The words/ayakidu l/ kayda (' otherwise will concoct plot against ') substantiate the of of esoteric knowledge whom infomationis disclosed and future eventllalities unveiled and that the articulation ofsuch knqwledge should not held as improper. The words wa kadhalikayajtablka rabbuka ('and ur Lord wiH choose ') indicate the science of disclosures and characterjudgt. Effectively, each word seems to unfold body ofknowledge that the reader of tllis work would acquainted with.

1sllpplicate to Allah that establish this work as source ofbenefit [

iii

:71hs :7I1-2asas _

l11 author, its readersand who assist in the printing and publicationofit.

This surah, as 1havepreviously stated, contains infnti about situations t11at boththel of distinction andthe massescon:font intheirworldlylives. It exposesthe hiddenj ealousy ofProphet Yusuf s brotherstowards andhis subsequent separation his father, Prophet Ya'qub ( him) \;v'ho virtually 10st his sightdueto lifetimes 10nging forandremembrance of his belovedson. This raisesthequestion: what impactdid this separationhave

tl1e mother? Likewisehowdid the lateHadratlan IslamulHaqq Sahib (ex-Shaykh ul-Hadith ofDarul lm, ) and his wife, who were also separated their son during his infancy whilst residents amongst Hindu

in India, liveout theremainingthirtyfive yearsoftheir lives? The Prophet ' qub( him)howeverwas eventuallyrepatriatedwith bls son during the latter part ofhis life whilst the latter was the Govemor of Egypt. , at this point, was also ifnd ofthe lengthy sequelofevents, \vhichcharacterised his son's life. Thisincludestheperiodofhis son's infancy, enslavement and ofcourse the extent to which Zulekha and other Egyptian womenwereinfatuatedwithm. ofwhichisrecordedin greatdetail in the

.

' infamous infatuation hasproduced numerous invarious mediums.

is also Yusufand approximately25 years ago 1had to stay il1 Egypt [ short while. few months ago, 1related to MOlllvi Irshad,

' ofHoward StrcetMosque, Bradford of gti ZLlleklla ( 11is dcparturcto Egyptformarital purposcs. The dt is as foJlows:

\NI1CI1 I wasjust twcnty-fivc ycars oragc, 1rcsidcd il1 Egypt

____________________7afseer {C5urahYusu{ occasion1arrangedtheir co11ective names in verse of poetry and recited it i theirpresence. Theywere 11 exceedingly charmed theverseand that it resembled l-Hariri' sMaqamat. The verse was:

1eulogised (madI1) Muhammad the chosen (al-Mustafa) 11 three regularlyvisited at f1at afterthe Asrprayer and occasiona11y 1 would 11 them at their residence.

instance, Muhammad invited to his house for l after Isha. 1 noticed arrival that extra special ttti had paid to the

l. We indulged in vsti in the presence ofhis parents and other membersofhis familyin thecourtyardofhis house. At point, and Midhat took to ro inside the house where Muhammad' s sister, Zulekha,was alsopresent. ft shortconversation, Midhat,pointingtowards Zulekha d tig i tlle capacity ofher gt, '1marry her to

'. I mmt furg, filig to gatherthe fortitl1d~ witl1i meto make anabsolute disi matterof imrt, 1f1d myselflIbl to deliver positivess andsidrig jti oftl1e proposalimpolite, 1remained silt but smilig. the [, botl1 ! !

their anxiety and the Zulkl despite 111 doors tttd to convince .i.U ~ '011 ' [ dsilig , despondel1t d tl1e lis 1 d sl1e \vas i fact

sifiti oftl1e verse ~~ ... = :..; liJ) '! idd slle did desil'e l1i". despite vit ] d of tl d ligi ig -, d \vitllOlIt \vitl1cssil1g lcf(s \\'it11 i sl1) i vcrse ~ ~) '! [ (iesiHxi [' tiiti t ist. 1tiiili

gI t11is.

Sl1aykll,

~71hs ~[,,2asas _

1experienced similarscenario. Zulekha andher familyextended marriage proposal with the utmost reverence, courtesy and according to the Islamic 8uidelines, but 1didnotoblige.

As consequence ofleaving Zulekha heartbroken, when 1intended to marry at the ageoffifty, twenty fiveyearsafterthe incident,1continued to hear theechoofher brokenheart in the ofMuhammad andMidhat ,vithtwostreamsoftears flowing l hereyes. 1wouldalsofindmyself llttering with distress: ~ l1~ ~ )s. .;.;. 4 'Oh [ due to forsaking

' andsupplicating infavour ofZulekha, Muhamad andidhat. occasion thiswould supplemented withthepetitionofProphet Yaqub(

[) .J# ~ J.i .)1;:' :il ~I.) 'Allah is the whose succour is sought' (Q. 12: 18). Eventua11y atoneent andcontinuous supplications overwhelmed thebitterness ofZulekha's broken heartand heart's aspirations werefulfilled.

At present, the invocationofProphet Yusuf(peace him) remains rnytongue:

.;;,\)' .:.>" \\ '\_~ _ ~.:>~ '9'\ I:)~~ ... ~::iG'.:Jljl:... ~\ jj':;"j~ __ ~~ , ...... " ~".. ,"-,..-"" --'... "-" ~, .. -' \'1', C:iJ\ . "1' ..:Ji,.1': d lf"o)J.

' Lord! Indeed have bestowed sovereignty and taught the itrptti ofdreams. OhCreatorofthe heavensand the earth, are Protector in thisworld and theHereafter.' (Q. 12:101). But it fails to continue vvith the words ~~~ ~! j ~ Jj 'G~ant death as submitting to ourWill and let amongst therighteousesdue to the infancyof

children, MuhammadandSulayman.

ardent aspiration remains that MuhammadandSulaymandevelop into complete personificationofProphet Yusuf, ProphetYaqubandtheirsuccessor ProphetMuhammad( them ll) and1, in finalmoment, utter vvith ultimate contentment 'Grant [Oh Lord!] death as submitting to

ourWi11 and let amongsttherighteous.'

(Hadratlan) YusufMotala (Sahib)

vi

Foreword

SisterAatika

__________________:7afteerO(r5urallYUSirJ(

Foreword

SurahYusufis taleofan contradistinctions andlonging andtit forbearance in the [ ofloss. It provides compelling ut ofthe Divi reward endurance. ThisTafseer is powerful antidote to the values ofinstant gratificationthatWestemMuslims inparticular, aspire towards.

he lessonofSurah Yusufis inspiring. Thell ofProphetYusufs %~\ charactershowsthat lastingcontentmentcomesthroughobedienceto AllaJh.. The trials that ProphetYusuf ~\ experienced, were throughhis digni1:y andcompassion.

Allahgrantus the strengthto fulfil ourdevotions aspiringto thebeautyof ProphetYusuf ~\. the lovethathehadforhis family visitthe reader inspire withthe greaterloveforAllahandHisMessenger~.

Allah bestow Maulana Abdur Raheem with renewed success in endeavours and reward handsomely for..enriching the reader with his knowledge.

AatikaBora 27/4/02

ix

___________________7 /(SurahYu.rr~f

Foreword Author

WJ1 S11eikh, Hadhrat Maulana llsufMotala Sahib( lli givehim long and prosperous life) iitill requested to write the TafseerofSural1 Yusufforourmonthlymagazine, Subulas Salaam, 1wastakenaback in surprise

d awe, for1consideredmyselfneither qualified, norworthy fortheundertakjng. However,sinceone's parentsandteachers constantlystressingthe virtues ofrespecting the wishes of' s elders,1conceded to the request before , andtook to writingthe Tafseer.

At the inception,theweightofthe responsibilitydawned . Having to for lessons throughout the week,as teacherofSahih Muslim and MishkatShareef,1found time to major restraintduringthe weekdays. So 1settledinto habitofwriting theTafseer Sundays,afterFajr SaHlh.

theGraceofAllahandwiththeduasof Sheikh, Al1ah ~began to lighten thetask, 311d gradually the 'burden'oftheresponsibilitygavewaytothesweetness ofresearchandwriting.That iswhy noticethat1was unableto write much commentaryin the ginig ofthe Surah,however, in the latter 1 have tried to cover as topics aspossible.

IfI was asked as to the reason why Hadhrat chose the Tafseer ofSurah Yusufin particular,1would not know the answer. However,1 venture '[ say that SurahYusufhas an aspects, especial1y lessonsregarding (Sabr), 311d thoseregarding dreams311d theirinterpretations. Nowadays, people very littleattentionto . When person's life is engrossedin sin, 11 is aptto seeanig11tmare t11311 sweetdream. Ifsomeonewatches television till the latehours ofthe nig11t, then fal1s asleepandneglectshis FajrSalah,how

he expect to see meaningful dream? This is why people have deep neglect of this science. And if someone does relate trlle dream and tlle interpretation tums out to cOIect then people refuse to accept ttLis and simplymake [ ofsuch people.As the sayinggoes: \.,4>:- LJ ~\~\ ,J"'\..J\ 'People showhostilitytowardsthatwhich theydo not know.'

Jf1lsan _:/~':Lss

Hadhrat's isYusuf LiketheProphetYusuf~~ ll. ~has blessed with the wisdom ofdreas and their interpretations. Hadhratvery often sees dreams, which tum out to as clear as the stroke ofdawn.

Recently, just beforehisdeparture forSouthfri tovisithis agedmother,his 'wife-whilst carryingtheir youngest son in her arms- slipped down flight of stairs. Both were injured with the child having to taken in emergency for

. When1heardoftheincident, 1approached Hadhratto console. smiledandrelated drea he sawthenightbefore. said,"he dunyaof

___________________'lafseer /r:5urhyuSll/ Uloom and 1was we1coming him." The next day Maulana's grandson, Hafiz Uwais, wasbrought to theDaml-Uloom for admission.Hadhrat said, "This is the interpretation. Maulana to intercedeforhis grandson's admission."

Hadhratis alsogiftedwith the abilityto interpret dreamsiri wonderfulann. MaulanaYusufMamoon Sahib related thathe sawHadhratMaulana Haq Sahib rahmatullahi alaihi in dream after his death. saw in Nebo Street in very pleasant mood wearingbright white clothes. had tasbeeh in his hand. Maulana asked [, "Hadhrat! Haven't died?" replied. "No 1am alive."

Upon hearing the dream, Hadhrat replied,"When person sees someone after his death as though he is still li this means that ili ~has given him tfte rankofashaheed ( Martyr)." ll ~says, "They are alive" andAllah gives this rank to whoever he wills.

The Hadith says that the dream of true believer is ofthe forty-six parts ofNubuwwah. [ another hadith the Prophet ~ said, "Nothing fr Nubuwwat is left except for Mubashshiraat." The companions asked, "What areMubashshiraat Rasoolullah?" replied, " gooddreamwhich usli sees or which someone else sees for him."

Hadhrat Yusuf~\ saw dream, which tumed out to . interpreted thedreamofthe kingaswell asthedreamsofthe imprisonedones.he used to have dreams, so much so that Ibrahim ~\ prepared to sacrificeh.is beloved son, 1smail ~\ seeing dream for three consecutive nights. Prophet ~ used to relatehis dreams andwould interpret the dreams as seen the SahabahradhiAllahu anh.

The Ulama ofthis Umrnah have followed the Prophet ~ in every field and, consequently, theyalsoseetJ dreamsandgiveinterpretations tothem. Amg the recent scholarsareHadhratMaulana RashidAhmad Gangohi rahmatul1ahi alaihi,HadhratMaulanaQasimNanotwirahmatullahi alaihi.

HadhratSheikhulHadithMaulanaMuharnmadZakariyyal1 rahmatullahi lii

71hs 71f..2asas _

was alsoanexpert in this field. writes in reply to letter,"our dream ofki1ling snakesis gooddream,as itmeans 'killing' conternptible, vilehabits. Itwould greatgiftofAllah~ifhe killed-off badhamtsaswellas those ofyoursand friends."

I anotherletterhewrites: "Donot so muchattention to . 1fyou see pleasant dream thank ih. And ifyou see disturbing dream then recite

~)I c)u,_.~.:.J\ j-'

__________________7afseer[5ualiu.su/

But 1am constant1y reminded ofmy Hadhrat's urgings, for an time the notionofnotcontinuing hadcrossed mind.But Hadhrat's kindwordsof encouragementkept going. ll. givehim longlife,and hekeep his blessedshadeoverourheadsforas longaswe live.1remember readingthe words ofMufti Mahmood Sahib in letterto his Sheikh, Hadhrat Sheikhul Hadithrahmatullahi alaihi writes,"1wish1woulddieduringthe lifetimeof

Hadhratbecausethen 1couldhave some hope ofdying with In, for the sanctity ofmy 1an is also due to yourDuas andyour blessed . 1do not know whether 1would able to safeguard after Hadhrat, if Hadhrat were to die before ."

Furthermore,1would alsolike to thankthe groupofstudentswho assisted throughout thediscourseswiththetypingandpagemaking. Mostrecently, IrfanSidyot, AbidGhulam Rasul, Molvi Saeed Mulla, Molvi Ishtiaq Vawdc~ MolviYunusRawatandMolviAsimHafiz. Not to forgetMolviIsmailGanga1:, Sister Aatika and others who took the trouble of proof reading correctingthe earlydrafts.

ll. ~ acceptourhumbleeffortsandmakethem sourceof forgiveness in thehereafter. Amen!

xvii

Introduction

___________________7afreer 0/e5urahYusu/ Tafseer ofSiirah Yusuf

Authors Note

1 the Tafseer fSrh usufin the ofili ~theMost Gracious MostMerciful. 1seek His refuge from evils and 1very humbly [ His help in the hard task ahead ofme.

As beginnerwith knowledge and experience ofwriting in English 1have nothing but high hopes [ assistance from ~. 1have before various

Ofthe Holy ', from aongst which 1give to the translation ofPickthall, thereafterTafseer Majidi and then various others. 1wi to make the as short as possible, giving references [ whatever 1\vite.

Brief Account ofthe Siirah

Surah Yusufis Makkan Surah i.e. Surah that was revealed in Makkah before Hijrah. It consists of111 verses and 12 ruku'.s. It is naed Surah lisl1f because the story ofYusuf~\ is mentioned therein. In the previous SUra.h (Surah Hood), the stories of ofProphets have related, where~ in Surah Yusufonly Prophet's story is . Stories ofthe Prophets are related in different chapters different reasons, but mainly they serve to console the Holy Prophet ~during the hardships he was enduring. The story of

Yusuf~',is mentioned in chapterbecause it was revealed the request ofpeople. Likewise the story ofAshaabe-Kahfand Zul-Qarnain is mentioned

only chapter as it was revealed request.'

Cause Revelation

an verses ofthe Holy ' connected to certain incidents, which were cause oftheir revelation. The Mufassireen rahimahumullah have written

books regarding these causes, e.g. Allaa Suyuti rahmatullahi alail1i's

151'iu! Q"5 01' ldrees Khandhalwi

www.islamicbulletin.com

~71s ~[,,2asas _

'Lubabunnuqul Fisin Nuzool' Theseincidents quite important because quiteoftenthemeaningof verse understood withoutknowingthe forit'srevelation.

In thecaseofSfuah Yusuf,tworeasons mentioned: 1. Sa'adIbnAbi Waqqas~said, "WhenAllah~revea1edtheHolyQur'an and the l Prophet ~ had recited it to the Sahabah~ for period oftime, they requested, "Howwonderful itwould ifyou alsoconversedwith

" thus A11ah ~ revealed the verse "A11ah has sent down the best speech." Then they said, " Prophet ofA11ah tell us story!" and A11ah ~ revealed SfuahYusufandthe verse, "We rel~ting to verygoodnarration. "2 2. Dhahaaknarrates :from IbnAbbas~ "TheJewsquestioned theProphet $ regarding the situationofthe ProphetYaqub ~\ and his sons, especially

Yusuf~'. Theyenquiredas towhy andhow they to Egyptwhilst they v{ere origina11y froman'aan, Syria." ThereuponAllah ~revea1ed Sfuahusuf

MaulanaAbdul MajidDaryabadi writes in'afs Majidi', "Thestory ofJoseph asgi in the l ' is similarbutnot identical to theBiblicalstory; the atmosphereiswhollydifferent. TheBiblicalstoryis like folktale in which lity has l. Itstendency istoexalttheclever, financia11y mindedJew against theEgyptian, andto lain certain thni andtribal peculiarities in late Jewishhistory.Josephis shownasbuying 11 the catt1e andthe landofthe poorEgyptians for theStateunderthe stressoffamine conditions, andmaking tlleIsraelites rulers overPharaoh's catt1e. TheQur'amc story, theotherhand, ismorethan merenarrative thanahighlyspiritual sennon, explainingtheseeming contradictions of1ife, theenduringnatureofvirtuc in world fulloff1uxand changeandthemarvellousworking ofAllah~s etema1 purposeinHislan as unfolded to us thewidecanvasofhistory."4

Introduction

1nowbriefly mention Yusuf~\'s story the authorityof Suyuti's

2SGuh YusuI' 3 - Khazin 'Khalln

4'Is MUJi(li 35(,:2 xxii

__________________ ~ufseer /e5urahYusu/

.'DurreManthur'. Pleasenotethat someofthe contentsaredebatableandshall explained duringthedetailed .

Jareer and1bnAbi Hatim have related Suddi, that Suddi has said, "Prophet Yaqub ~'was in Syria and ms was l for ms two sons, Yusuf and ms brother Binyamin ~I. Their fathersextreme 10 for Hadhrat Yusuf ~\ causedtheotherbrothersto jealous ofhim. HadhratYusuf'

~\ saw in dream that l stars, the moon and the sun were in prostrationbefore him. infonnedhisfather ofthe dreamandhisfather advised , " son,donotrecount thyvisiontothybrethren, lestthey scheme

plotagainst thee." Whenthenewsofthe dream reached hisbrothers it inflamed theirjealousyandthey', "Surely YusufandhisbrotheraremoredeareI' to our fatherthanwe,whereaswe are band"(theywere tenin number) " fatheris in manifest indeed." Theymeant thathe is surelywrongin his judgmentofus."SlayYusuforcasthimawaytosomeland, yourfather's solitude: wi11 free for and will thereafter l favoured" he means, . seekrepentance forwhatu didwithhim.Then speakerfIomamongstthem said(thespeakerwas ahuza) "DonotslayYusufbut cast into thebottom ofthewell, somecaravanwil1 take if doing." When they haddecided overit, theyapproached theirfatherandsaidtohim " our father! Whyis it thatthoudoesnottrustuswithYusuf?" replied, "1willneversendl him in your an for1[ea~ lest wolf devourhim, while are i neglectofhim. hey said,'Ifthewolfdevouredhimdespite ofournumbers, we shallsurelybe 10st." Thushe sentYusuf~\with them.

It was l when theyhadreachedthe opencountrythat theybroughtto ligh1 their enmity.One ofthem begantobeat Yusuf~\, so usuf:\\ triedto seek help fromanotherwho in tUm tookover andalsohit him. foundthat were mercifuland theybeat ti11 he was close to death. Hadhratusuf ~!\ began screaming and saying, " father, Yaqub, ifonly were to kn" what is being done to son his halfbrothers." When the brothers had nearly killed him ahuzacried(tohisbrothers), "Didn't give anoaththat wouldnotll Yusuf." Theythentookhimto wellandbeganto10wer hi in,btlt thesidesobstructedhis descent.They tiedms ll1ds al1d pulled offhis s11irt asl1 pleaded, " brot11ers! Giveback shirtso 1l11 covermyselfwitl1


71hsan 71f.2asas _

it in theweH." Insteadtheytaunted, " theelevenstars, the andthe suntoentertain u." , "1 didnot seeanything." hey lowered himhalf way downthewell then lethim go, thinkingthathe would killed,but there waswater in theweH andhe landedinsideitwithoutan hann. got to largestoneandbeganto crywhenhisbrothersbeganto ]! him.

They thought they should crush him with boulder, but ahuza got u and . stoppedthern, he reminded thern, " u havesurelygiven anoaththat u wouldnot him." hereafter, ahuzawouldbringfood to.

Before returning to theirfather theycaught smallgoat, slaughtered itand spreadingits blood HadhratYusuf ~1's shirt theyapproached their father crying.Hadhrataqub~\ heardtheirvoices,becomingfrightened he asked,

"' sons, what has happened to u? Has some problem ud with yourgoats?" hey replied, "No." Sohe asked, "Whathashappened toYusuf?" Theysaid: "Father! WewentoffracingandleftYusufby ourthings,so wolf (fevoured himandthough wiltnotputcredence inus."Meaning, willnotbelieve 11S (hough we arethetruthful). hus, aqub~\ weptandscreamed at thetop ofhis voicethenasked, "Where ishis shirt." hey broughthimtheshirtcovered \vith false blood. grabbed the shirt and threw it his [ and began to

"" untilhiswhole[ wassmeared withthebloodffomtheshirt. cried, "Thiswolf, childrenis merciless,so how did he eatYusuf, and did not teartheshirt?"

There caravan andtheysenttheirwaterdrawerwholetdownhisbucket. Yusuf ~\ took hold fthe rope at the bottomandappearedover the side.As soon asthepersonwho hadthrownin the bucketsaw, he caHed to of ttiscomparuons whowasknwn asBushra. said, " Bushra, thisis child." The brothers ofYusuf~\ hearing this and infonned them that this vvas slaveoftheirs whohad run away. Theywamed Yusuf~\ in theirown language thatifhe refted beingtheirslave, theywouldsurely him. "Do t]hink we retumwith t6 Yaqub ~I whereas wehaveinfonnedhimthat

wolfhas eaten" theycried. HadhratYusuf~\replied, " brothers! F~ctum with to father Yaquband 1will bear the responsibility ofhis happincsswith and1wi]] ncvermentionthis (incident) to ." But

xxiv

__________________ ':7 {e5urdYusu{ theyrefused, so usuf~ said,"1 amtheirslave."

hus, thetwo purchased him. hey thenfeared whatto sayto theircaravan members ifthey askedwhere theyhad got him. So,They said, "Wewill teH them that these are somegoods we purchased at the weH", the ' , 'they hid him as merchandise. And they sold him for mean price! fe'h' counteddirhams' (Thesumwasoftwenty dirhams).

They took Yusuf~' to Egyptwherethe ing ofEgypt boughthim, and took himtohishouse. saidtohiswife"Makehis lodging goodly. Perhapshe profitus orwemaytakehimas ason."Hiswife [l1 inlovewith Yusuf~'and saidtohi, " Yusuf, howbeautiful hairyou have!" Yusuf~'replied, " will the first part f body to [ out and scattered around." She sai

.'Jlhsan 711~2asas _

, and refusing, shetookholdof shirtandtoreit off." cousin eoncludedthat the realitycould l found ftom the shirt. said, "Check

, andseeifthe shirtis tom ffomthe ftont,l thenshe is trueandhe is ftom the liars. Andifit istom ftom theback,thenshehas liedandhe is ffomthetruthful." whenthe shirtwasbrought,he foundthat itwas tom ftom behind,sohe said, "Verily it is the guileofyou women, the guileofyou women is mighty. Yusuf1 awayffomthis,andthou womanaskforgiveness forthysin." said, "Donot do thisagail1." Andthewomen inthe town said,"Thewifeofthe ing has solicitedher page. has inflamedherwith [."

'Shagaf (the root ofthe word) mentionedin the l ' means strike 1 heart,which is knwn as themouthofthe heart.The statementmeans that 1:he 10 enteredthe skinandreachedthe heart. Thensheheardoftheir cunning 1:alk. "She sent to them messenger and prepared for them banquet and providedeachwith knife."and citronto eat.Thenshe orderedYusuf~, to enterunto them. When he madehis entryandthe women saw him, they were completelytakenaback. Theybeganto cut theirhands thinkingthat theywere cutting the ftuit. They were saying, "How perfect is ih ~! No is he (Yusuf); he is angel."

She said, "Thisis whom reproached for. Assuredly1solicited but 1l abstained."After 1l lladopenedllisclothing,1don'tknow wllatmade him cllange his mind. Yusufsaid, " Lord! Prison is dearer to than wllat thesewomen 11 to."Meaningun1awful intercourse. 1l thewoman said to her llusband, "This Hebrew slave has degraded amidst tllel. ls excused himselfby te11ing themtllat1triedto seducehi, and1can'tgo and te11 tllemstoriesas we11 (makeexcuses),so eitheryou grantmepermission to 80 out and make excuses like 1l is doing, or put him into prisonjust as lv imprisoned ." Tllis is wllere11 ~ says, 'hrftr it occurred to them after they had seen the signs'. Meaning tlle tear in tlle shirt, tlle cuttingoftllehandsetc, to imprisonhim for season. "Tllereenteredwith him two youths in the prison" The king angry with llis baker who was plottingtopoisonhim soheimprisoned alongwithhisbut1er (winebearer).

\ Yusuf~\ entered the prison he said, "1 interpret dreams." ofthe

xxvi

___________________7afseer ;~uraJ;Yu.ruf youths saidtohispartner," wewilltest thisHebrewslave." Theytold ofdreaming something, which they in reality had not dreamt about. They fabricated story and Yusuf~\ interpretedtheir fabricateddream.Thewine bearer said, "Verily1sawmyselfpressingwine" and the bak:er said, "Verily1 sawmyselfaying headbreadwhereofthebirdswereeating." Yusuf ~\ told them, "No food wi11 not to for your sustenance, but that before it comesto , 1shallhavedeclaredto the interpretationthereof."

Yusuf~\ gavethe interpretationofthe dreamssaying, " ofyou wi11 wine forhismaster." Meaninghe wi11 retumedto his originalstate."As for the otherhe wi11 executedandbirdswi11 eatoffhis head."

We break: the lengthystoryhereandcommencewith detailedcommentary()f theSUrah.

xxvii


Tafseer Of Surah Yusuf

___________________'7afseer [ dualiu[ Tafseer OfSurah Yusuf

From the briefaccount ofYusuf~\' s story we deduce some similarities between Yusuf~\and our Holy Prophet $.

' beginning ofYusuf~r s prophethood was marked true drearn.Similarly Ummul Mu'mineen Aishah radiyallhu anha ts, " first'signs / revelation to the Holy Prophet If! were through true dreams, whatever dreamt would occur like the light / dawn "5

Yusuf~\ had drearnt that eleven stars and the sun and moon were sttig before hi, which meant his parents and his eleven brothers will prostrate him.The interpretation becarne reality though after lengthy period oftime.

brothers ofYusuf~\ were j ealous ofhim, they beat him and tortured him in many ways, and finally did their utmost to slay hi. Nevertheless, Yusufili,\ kept patient and steadfast, seeking Allfth ~'s help, and Allfth ~ granted him dignity and victory, however when the brothers before him he said 1:0 them, "! today, Allrih/orgive , and is the kindest o/the kind. "Yusuf~\ never complained did he mention their evils, rather he forgave them and bestowed upon them many favours and gifts.

Similarly, the Prophet ofAllah ~ was taunted and oppressed in ways. The Quraish tried to ll him, but he stayed steadfast upon Allah ~'s orde~s. When they his command after the conquest ofMakkah he recited the same verse, " reproach be/all today, lll /orgive [: he is the kindest / the kind. " "! are the /reed ones. " also gave the many converts greatportion ofthe war booty gained in the Batt1e()f unin, which took place straight after the conquest ofMakkah. gave thelll

to hundred carnels each.

Yusuf~\' s story showed his abstinence and piety. Even though he was in his ri youth and the desire for women and the temptation to commit sins was at its peak, he still safeguarded himself, with Allah ~s help ofcourse. This ShOVfS

5Bukhari 3, Muslim 231, Tirmizi 3565

3


:71Asa 71[~2asas _

Ithat Prophets are sinless.They cannotcommit sin becausethey have gained specialattentionofAHah. ~through theirgooddeedsandthroughconstant of lh ~.

1recaH here storyofLoot ~\ in thebible,whichsays thatwhenAHah's wrath liescended the whole town and as result its inhabitantswere killed, only Loot ~\ andhis twodaughters were leftbehind.Thedaughters thoughtto 1hemselves thatnow that the whole townhas perished,we would not exist an Ilonger unless we think of way ofbecoming pregnant. They knew that their :fatherwould not commit adulterywith his own daughters, so they plotted to !sive somewine andmake him drunk.Accordingly,theymade drunk .

the :first night andtheeldersisterslept~ 'ithhim, then thesecondnightthe younger did the same. They both g{)t pregnant and the generation which 110W existsare the offspringofthese two girlsand their father.

How falseis thisstory! Indeeditmuststem theadditions made in thebible some insane people. Who would want to accept that he is an illegitimate child?How aProphetofAllah. ~commit such gravesin?1 baselessness ofthe story is self-evident.

, 1wasmentioning that Yusufi%:1 safeguardedhimselfagainst the offerof beautiful, youngvirgin. Similarly, suchoffersweremadetoourNoble Prophet if, in his early prophethood, when the people ofMakkah offered to marry to theirprettiest daughtersin return for forsakinghis mission. The l Prophet ~ however remained steadfast. (,

r'Mullul ()'u I~J(111~IWI 4

___________________7afseer { e5uraliyusu/

Verse 1

t))-.r)),J))t, t!))~~)1i,J)1J.9f)

~,~~;-~\\ L;~::;J\ ~~ ~ ~ ~\ "AlifLaam Raa, These are t1,e verses oji1le Manifest Book."

"AlifLaam Raa.. " These abbreviatedletters, AI-Hu1'ooful Muqatta '. Much has written about i~'s meanings. Some commentatorssay that they names [ th ~ some say that they the names ofthe Sfuah's in which they mentioned. This understood in Surah , , Sad, Qafand Noon etc. The majority ofMufassi1'een say that they secretcodebetween theirRevealer and to whom they were revealed (i.e. Allah and his ~).

Bakr Siddique ~ used to say, " every book tllae secrets and Alldh fkj's in the Qu1' 'n tlle [ tlle beginning oftlle SU1'ah '."

Ali ~ used to say, " every book the1'e some , tlle ! wo1'ds ofthis book the /! Hija. "

Umar 1 hattab, Uthman Ghani and 1 Mas'ood ",~, lv said, " Muqatta ' [ those Wl1iCll ....... "

[ other words, between each writer ! to wl111 letter is wittl1, some signswhich l understood two. Si111ilarly some indications in these letters, whicll AlIall ~ ! l1is l Prophet ~,

. We ordered to believe , ! [ each letter we recitewe shal1 ten so [orAlif we gail1 30 Hasanah.

Qadhi Baidhawi ! alail1i has givel1 [ verdict regarding the Muqatta ', 11e says, "Wlt f1'011l the KllUlafa--Rsbldn ll(! otlle1' SaIUl!Jall::t, 11I tlmt theil'

5


:71h.s :7lf.2a.sa.s _

explanation is not intended. But at the same time they could indicating the miraculous nature ofthe Qur'dn."

Thiscould explainedin twoways:

1. The a1gebra from 'Alif to '' consists of 29 letters. The ' a1so from the same 29. The l ' is a1so compiled

jlom the same 291etters. The kuffarwho arehged with the 01 ' a1so conversethroughthe same1etters. TheQur' hged the disbelievers . in numerous verses to bringforward work likethe Qur' . Nonewas l to

___________________7afseer { e5uraYusu.f Sahib-e-Qur'an (the who brought it to us).

"These verses are 0/ manifest book.... " manifest book means, whose divine character is explicit and the commands, constitutions, sermons and instructions, are bright and ."

The Arabic language is described the words 'manifest' and 'clear' in many other verses ofthe Qur'f: " indeed this Qur ' isa revelation {'}/the Lord 0/the Worlds. he/aithful spirit (Angel Jibraeel) m down with it.

Un thy heart that thou shouldst o/the warners. plain Arabic languagf!. " (.. the revelation is in plain Arabic language.j8

"Language o/thatone to whom they re/er is non-Arabic, whereas this (the Qur ' ' language) is very clear Arabic. "9

The Holy Prophet ~ has 'gd his followers to speak Arabic. once said the Sahabah~, "Whosoever has capability 0/conversing in Arabic must not speak -language, the non-Arabic languages create hypocrisy. " (Ibn Taymiya the authority ofAl-Silafi ttom Ibn Umar ~)

jf~ also said, "here are three reasons[ being attached to Arabic; 1. I Arab, 2. The words o/the Qur ' are Arabic and J The 0/Jannaties shall in Arabic. "(Ibn Asaakir Ibn Abbas)

Umar Ibn hattab ~ says, "Learn Arabic, because it is part of deen." (Introduction to Maqamat Maulana Idrees kandhalwi)

Arabic is the oldest language Earth. In 'Roohul ' ' it is stated that when Adam ~\ was created he was taught Arabic and he used to converse Arabic. When he made the mistake ofeating the prohibited tree, he was sent to Earth and Arabic was taken away ttom , he was then taught anotheJr language called Suryani.After acceptinghis repentance, Allah ~returned Arabic

7Uthmani 1040:2

8Surah Shu'ra 92-195

9Surah Sajdah 40 7


:71iis :7Jf..2asas _ 1:0 him. Then as time went and his children spread, they invented other

laguages.

has qualities. It is sovast thatforexpressing meaning jJndplenty ofwords and for word there are several meanings e.g. 'Lion' has:fivehundredwords,for 'sword' thereare thousad words, for 'calamity'

are four thousand words, and for 'snake', two hundred words.

Verse 2

"We have revealed , Qur ' in Arabic so that understand . "

A.rabic is the mostversatile, weH ordered,wise grand laguage. It has fortherevelationofthe ', As theHoly Prophet ~himselfis

, the :first audienceofthe Qur' alsoArabs. So through the Arabs this lightshould spreadto fourcomersofthe Earth.The words '

lderstand' indicate thisfact, i.e. ofthe reasons forrevealing in yourlanguage is that arethenationofthe Prophet~ so:first shouldtasteitsknowledge and secrets theiImake others taste them - And happened.

I Kathir writes: "The most honourable book, was revealed in the most ! words, the most honourable Prophet, through the most honourable angel, and this took place in the most honourable part /the earth (Makkah), the beginning o/the revelation was in the most honourable month / the year which is Ramadhiin, so it is per/ected [ all channels. "10

Some scholars say that the Jews taught the polytheists ofMakkah how to test Holy Prophet ~ questioning him about the story and Joseph. This storyexistedin theHebrewlanguage (whichtheArabsdo not understand)

}O!!thmuni 1040:2

8

___________________7afseer /durdyusu/ so I.h ~ revealed this Sfuah and td the story in Arabic so that the Arabs could understand ."

With regards to there being Non-Arabic words in the Qur'an there is difference ofopinion:

1) u lJbaydah ~is ofthe opinion that there is not single non-Arabic word in the l Qur' an. supports his view through the verse before us, i.e. " Qur ' in Arabic. "

2) Ibn Abbas~, Mujahid and Ikrimah ofthe opinion that there are sorne non-Arabic words in the Qur'an e.g. 'Qistaas" 'Sijjeel '. 'Qistaas' is R word rneaning 'Justice', and 'Sijjeel' is aPersian word rneaning 'Stones of Gravel'.

hazin says, " opinions are correct; in the sense that the words mentioned are originally non-Arabic, but when the Arabs used them in their conversation, they m Arabic and are now regarded as Arabic words, though originally derivedfrom another language. "12

Verse 3

UWe narrate unto t/le most beautiful / stories, ill t/zat we /zave illspired in tbls Qur'iin, tllougl, be/ore (its narration) were 0/

tl,e . "

..We narrate... " lt is ofthe Almigi1tyLord that uses t of! in many

(}

IIKllUZ111

12K 11'IZill


:7I/1s :7If.2asas _

ofthe l '. Even though is the and only God, has partnersnor anychildren; uses it to showHis Pride andDignity. Indeed aloneisworthyof prideanddignitythatprevailswithintheuniverse. he

l Prophet ~ saying ofllf~, " is upper sheet and 1Jignity is Lower sheet, whosoever attempts { separate them [

, 1shall throw him in the fire. " also said, " { ih fJ4f, there is who loves being praised so much. "

So it is only who isworthy ofall10ftyranks, is the Lord, the Majestic, 1:he Creator, and the Sustainerandonly isworthyof Praises.his iswhy

usestheword 'We'.

1clarified this matter because it so happened that group ofCruistlan missionaries pretending to attracted to Islam entered the Jami Masjid in Prestonandstartedshowering questions theImam.heir mainquestionwas ,;vhat Ihave indicatedabove, i.e. 'Ifllf ~is'one thenwhy does he say,We

lv done this,We have createdthisetc.?' Theword 'We' points towards the Christianbeliefoftrinity.

The answeris very clear from what 1have said above that the use of'We' is solely to show His Pride andDignity.Do they not see that the Queen uses the pronoun We inher address to thenation ChristmasDay!

The same ' which uses 'We' has rejectedanypartnership to . ~by saying, "Surely those disbelieve who say Alldh ~ is the third o/three. "The

' declares the unity ofGod saying, ": is Alldh, the n! Alldh 'the eternal besought / begotteth n! nor was begotten. And there is comparable unto Him. "13

The answer is very clear. the Almighty ll. ~ safeguardour Ian and keep us steadfast upon the straightpath. n.

"The most beautiful /stories... " The indication is either towards thewhole Qur'an, as the Qur'f consists of

13SGah Ikhlaas 10

___________________7afseer ;

~7fhs ~f~2asas _

Uthmai rahmatullahi alaihi says in his commentary, "hrough the revelation sent down u in the [ /the Qur ' we relate to u

very fi. story in very beautiful style. u were not aware /this as your people were qit ignorant /it to this time. "

This story was found in the books ofhistory ad the Bible but in the form of fiction. l Q' fu1 hasdescribedthestoryin its form,andits relevant and usefulportions so impressivelynarratedt4at it not l pointed out the mistakes ofthe l ofthe Book and the storywriters but also led towards

significantad gloriousconclusionsandprinciples.Right1y speaking, it opened new chapterofknowledge andresearchad supplieddeep directions under its ref1ective description. Some of the most importat facts ad lessons

summarisedbelow:

1. The determination ofllf~ cannot checked, delayed, put off power,ad whenAllah~wi11s tobestowHis grace individual deprivehim ofthat blessing. the whole world chage ttle wi11 of11h ~by its co11ected efforts.

2.. and perseverance is the key to the success ofthis world and the srit ofthe other world.

3. The result ofmalice and envy is but 10ss ad degradation.

4. wisdom is very noble element. wisdom, overcomes difficulties ad makeshis lifesuccessfu1 inbothworlds.

5. Moralvirtue and piety makes hbl in the eyes ofthe enemies malevolent l, though it after 10ng . These and other innumerabl secretsad facts described in this,themostbeautifulofstories.

Commentators havedescribed several traditions abouttheoriginof itsrevelation. l substance of 11 these traditionsis that the Jews questioned the l Prophet~, through the Idolaters, about the settlement ofthe Bani Israeel in Egypt. They asked how they sett1ed in Egypt (that they had to [

12

____. 7afseer [e5urahYusu[ Pharaoh) when Hadhrat Ibrahim ~\ and Hadhrat Ishaq ~\ and their children originally belonged to the country ofShaam. The Muslims have also probably curious to know the real story full offacts and insights. Moreover, th.e events and incidents, which were elaborated in the Surah, had parallel with those uig in the times ofthe Holy Prophet~. The revelation was as such, great source of and consolation to the Holy Prophet ~. tllle other side it was great lesson to the eyes ofthe people, wh.o had at last compelled the Holy Prophet ~ to vacate his native land, but failed in theirplans to bring about the downfall oftheHoly Prophet~. The Jews, whose questions were characterised malicious test to disprove his , got satisfactory answer to their query but still resisted from believing in his Prophethood. However, the main cause ofthe settlement ofBani Israeel in Egypt is the story ofHadhrat Yusuf~\. Generations ofBani Israeel spread there till Hadhrat Musa ~\ rose and emancipated them from the slavery of Pharaoh and the Qibtees."

Verse 4

When Yusufsaid to hisfa.tller, 110 ! 1 saJi' ill dream eleven stars and tl,e sun and , 1 SaJV tl,em p,'ostratillg before , "

]

Yusl1f~\was the son ofYaqub ~\ as is stated i aH{blitll i : " . ( ; son / 011 SOl1 / 110 .'1011 .{ 110 is, ] SO/l o/Yaqub o/lsll(/(] o{l!mlllim. ..

Hii(/itll in the Sal1ill says: " ;~)I, ,vas l1stid, "1I is tllc ! 110 ///?" lid, " J10blcst (~{pcop/c is {: 11110 is best ;11 ! . ..11 said, "We {/ 110t {/sk /llt tllis. .. exclail11cd, "1I11

[/, l10blest (~I'pcop/c is YIIS1~f Pmp/lct (~{AII{ill :!i.."-: .'1011 (~{{/ Popllet / 1111(//, !~~.; 8011 (~ra P/,opllet o.f"AII{l/1 :f.: 8011 (!f'l/i/lIl1l1/l . ..11 said, "~Ve

13


~71hsan ~f-Qasas _

do not ask about this. " questioned, " ask about the mines /Arabs. " (I.e.just as the mines throw out gold, silver, copper steel, l etc. theArabs ofdifferent types.)Theyreplied in the affinnative. said, "

who was the best /people during Jahiliyyah is the best Islam, if he attains the understanding /religion. "'16

There two opinionswith regardsto the Yusuf: . It is Hebrew , i.e. 2. It is

has narrated from l HasanAI-qt', "Asa/literally means grie/ at its highest level, whereas ]means slave. Both meanings prevailed in Yusu/thus he was named Yusuf "17

Yusuf8"f1 was the most handsome child ofYaqub ~\. Although his eleven brothers were also very handsome, Yusuf~\' s beauty was outstanding. In Sahih Bukhari we read, " the night / '] 1passed Yusuf 1realised that he was given halfaportion o/the beauty o/mankind. "18

'Nhen he saw the dream he was seventeen years old. His father 10ved him so rnuch that he couldn't bear his separation and for this reason when he was separatedhe cried so much that he blind.

(~adhi Sayyid Sulaiman Mansoorpuri writes, stayed in the well for three days, thenhe servedtherulerofEgypt forsixyears,and thenspentsevenyears in jail. At the age ofthirty he the govemor ofEgypt. was reunited \vith his parents at forty and departed from this world at 110. His coffin was buriedin Egypt. made wil1 thatwhenBaniIsraeelleaveEgypttheyshould tak:e his coffmwiththemandburyhim near~aitul Maqdis. 'Nhen Musa~\left EgyptwithBaniIsraeel, it impossible for thecaravanto proceed. Musa

~~\ rememberedthe will ofYusuf~~ so he dug thecoffmout and tookit with

16Bukhari 3104, Muslim 4383, Abu Dawud 4229, Musnad Ahmad 7183,

Muwatta Malik 1573 - Ibn Kathir

17Khiizin

18Muslim 234, Musnad Ahmad ]2047

14

__________________7afseer /durdyusa/ himtoBaitulMaqdis whereitwasburiedinthegraveyard ofIbralrimKhalilullall, alongwithhis ancestors.

"1 saw eleven stars, the sun and the ... " hazin says, "Yusuf~' saw that the starsdescendedfIom the sky alongwith the sun and the and prostrated before him. saw this dream Friday night (thenight precedingFriday),which was alsoLailatul Qadr. The interpretation was that the l starswere his l brothers who were to

source of guidance like the stars, the sun his father and the his mother accordingto the opinion ofQatada."

Suddi says that the is his aunt becausehis ! mother Raheel (Rachel) had died.(1t is the customto 11 fathers secondwife asmotherespecia11y when she is the mother's sister.)

"1saw them prostrating be/ore ... " hazin saysthiscouldhavetwomeanings: 1) prostrating, it ismeantthattheywould underhisrule. (his happened when they settleddown in Egypt andYusuf~\ was its ruler.) 2) The literalmeaning i.e. putting the forehead earth also taken into account, because in those times it was form ofgg. Our Shari 'lih has now forbiddenthis.

In Sunan Ibn Majah we read: 'When Muaz retumed fIom Syria,he prostrated before the l Prophet ~. The Prophet ~ exclaimed, " Muaz! What is this? " replied, "When 1went { Syria 1saw the Christians prostrating

: their religious leaders and their generals. So 1 thought { myself that we should do the same { . " Prophet of ih ~ said, ") not d'o this! If1 were { order someone { prostrate in/ront /nn other than Alllih, 1 would order the wife { prostrate be/ore her husband (due ( the rights he has over her). who holds soul! woman cannot/uljill the rights / her Lord (Alllih) until she has /uljilled the rights / her husband. "'19

In Mishkat we read the authority Ahmad rahmatullahi alaihi,

15


71hsan 71f-2asas _

Aishah radiyaZZahu anha says, "The Prophet ~ was seated between the Muhajireen and Ansaar, when l forward and prostrated before the Prophet~. The Sahabah t$.said, " Prophet /ih! Even the animaZs and the trees prostrate be/ore , have more rights over us and there/ore we shouZdprostrate :. " replied, "Worship yourLord and respectyour brother" (i.e.he called himselftheirbrother due to humbleness and in order to draw their attention to the fact that he was human being who was not worthy ofworship). Then he used similar words to those mentioned in the Hildith.20

In Dawud we find the same request from Qays Ibn Sa'ad ~ to which the Prophet ii!J!; said, "If were to pass grave, wouZd prostrate to it?" said, ". "The Prophet ~ replied, " don '! (prostrate before mewhile alive and inffont ofyou). "21

Teebi explains, "Prostration is the right %nZy who is eternaZ, who is aZiveand does n! die, and to who ' sovereignty there is end. " In other words the Prophet $ said, " might bow down be/ore due to respect IvhiZe in[ /, ! when 1go beneath the soiZ wouZddislike ,doing the same to . " It concludes that would l prostrate before :someonewho is alive and that is nl ll, so should prostate before

."

Shah Abdul Ghani rahmatuZZahi aZaihi writes inthe commentary ofIbnMajah, "Prostrating be/ore someone or something [ worship is Ku(r and prostrating/or greeting is aZthough n! regarded as Ku/r, nevertheZess it is Haram, because the Prophet i$/orbade the Sahabah ;.~/rom doing so. "

()adhi Sulaiman rahmatuZZahi aZaihiwrites, "Yusuf ~\'s dream is amazing (jue to three reasons: 1) Seeing l stars with the existence ofthe Sun is amazing because the

19Ibn Majah 1843 20Musnad Ahmad 23331

21Abu Dawud 1828

22Mishkat 282

16

___________________'.7afseer / e5urahYusu/ stars fade away at the light ofdawn. It is impossible to see the Sun and the stars together. 2) What is the reason behind seeingjust l among thousands? 3) saw them prostrating which is also astonishing, as stars prostate before anything.

These the reasons why Yusuf~\ related the dream to his beloved father.

Verse 5

said, "' dear son! Do not relate your vision to your brothers, lest they devise secretly plot against . Indeed Satan is to

openfoe. "

Allama Uthmani writes, ''adhrat aqub ~\said to Yusuf;%\ " notdisclose this dream to your brothers. The Satan is always lying in ambush [ , he instigate your brothers against through insinuation, because the interpretation /the dream is too clear. "

It was not difficu1t thing for the brothers ofYusuf~\ to understand thle meaning ofthe dream. ' were the sons of great Prophet and therefore

aqub ;%\' s apprehension was not wrong. Perhaps might also felt beforehand that the stepbrothers ofYusuf~' were jealous ofYusufbecause of the attention and 10 their father reserved for him. So Hadhrat aqub ~\ thought that ifhis brothers heard the dream, they would surely do smthig

annful to Yusuf;%\and thus degrade themselves aridmake their end disastro;. Satan would l his active role in this drama because the belonged to less than Prophet and his family. This was the reason why Yaqub ~\ forbade Yusuf;%\todisclose his vision before his stepbrothers. As for his real brother Binyamin, although there was fear thathe would

17


!7Is !7If-2asas _

Yusuf,itwasvery1ik:e1y thatBinyaminmightdisc10se itbeforeother1, as hewas youngerthanYusuf~~ andthusthenewsmightreachtheearsof the stepbrothers. 23

Ru ' 1iterally means dream. Dreamsareofthree types: 1) Hadithun Nafs: The conversation ofthe heart. When engages himse1fin taskthroughout theday,he seethat inhis dreamsatnighte.g.

personin [ shallseehisbe10ved , whois engrossed inthe e1ection sees the assembly halls, students worried about exams sees re1ated scenes, etc. 2) Adhgaathu m: Disturbing , Dreams seenthroughtheinstigation ofShaytaan. These aresetims teni.:fying, sometimes worrying andsometimes p1easing; wetdreamsa1so underthiscategory.

These two types do not ho1d an interpretation. person affected satanic attacks shou1d recite Aayatul Kursi before retiring to bed. In Hiidith in Sahih Bukhari the Prophet ~ has said that ifyou reciteAayatul Kursi before retiringto bed, Allah ~ wi11 commandan ange1 to stand yourbedside and

Satan wi11 to to . The ange1 stays there unti1 wakeup.

3) Ru 'ya-e-Salih: Just and pious dreams. Dreams that free from se1findu1gence andsatanicattacks.

TheUlamasaythatthis is sortofspiritua1 sighting. When personsleepsand his extema1 senses are out offunction, the spirit observes and 1istens to the matters ofthe uns wor1d. Thespirit sometimes1istens tothesayings of11, His ange1s, sometimesit seesorigina1 fonns of wor1d1y thingsandsometimes theiridenticallsimi1ar appearances whichindicate towards thefuture events e.g. Yusuf&;!ll's dream of1 stars, the sun and the bowing before him which indicates future events. These are the true dreams and they require interpretations fromanexpertin thisfie1d. In theHiidith, thesedreamsaresaid to the forty-sixth partofProphethood. MeaningthattheProphetswere first bestowedwith truedreamsandthen with Prophethood.

23Uthmani 1043:2

18

__________~--------7afseer{e5urahYusa{

Since theProphets are :ftee :ftom se1f-deceit aswell as :ftom the instigationsof Satan, their dreams a1so Wahi. Satan never overpower them; whatevertheydreamis reve1ation :ftom ih. Ibrahim~\ dreamtthathe was s1aughtering Ismai1, his on1y sonatthetime, andhe actedaccording1y.

The Awliya not ' and thus their dreams cannot regarded as Wahi. Their dreamsareca11ed ilhaam. Thedreamsof saintwi11 rdig to his virtues and piety i.e. the more piety, the more truthfu1 his dreams. The average Mus1im'sdreamsaresometimestrueand sometimesfa1se.

Note. Sometimes afasiq or even kafir a1so sees true dreams. Like in story, the ru1er ofEgypt, kafir, saw sevencows and seven greenears of and it was interpreted Yusuf~\.

Note. Some deny the conceptofdreams.Theirmain argumentis thatduringthe s1eep or stateofunconsciousness the sensesof human ig

out offunctionthus they seenor hearnor [1 anything.

ask, 'Did these neversee dreamduringtheir1ifetime?' Certain1y, theymust havedreamtsomethingatsomestage.Ouranswerto their objection is that the senses aremere1y creationofll ~. is of showingus somethingwithoutthe aidofthe senses.

Thedefinitionofdreamsaccording to ImamNawawiandImamMazriis,"ili ~ createswithin the heart 6f s1eeper some observationsin the samemanner as creates within the heart ofthe awake. do whatever wishes,s1eep nor beingawakecanstopHim :ftom fulfilling His desire. "24

Ta'beer Every 1ayman cannot conduct an interpretationbfdreams. It needs detai1ed studyoftherulesofinterpretation. Oneshouldknow fully the language inwhich the dream was seen, he should know the Qur' an and Sunnah, he should ha'v'e in mind the interpretationsgiven the Prophet ~ and thepious followers

24Marit\11 QlIr'an Khandhalwi, Khazin

19


:;s 7lf-2asas _ a:mong theUmmah. Otherwise"si11ymistakes wi11 take l and intrprttis "ri11 it. person tdhis dream to the Prophet ~. u

Siddique ~requested permission and gave the interpretation. The Prophet i$~ said, '' got some /it right, and/altered in some. "

Muhammad Ibn Sireen, who is the Imam ofinterpretation, was conftonted who said, "1 dreamt myseZjgiving Adhaan, " said, '' shall blessed with journey[ hajj. " Another person and related the same dream. said, ": that shall engaged in robbery. "His s1:udents were amazed at the different interpretations of dream. said,

" first person looked religious, and1took interpretation/rom the verse, , .

'And call unto mankind[ hajj. '2S The other person was / different and 1 took the interpretation [ the verse, ' herald called

, "' , are thieves. "26 His interpretation proved to true.

u Musa ~ ts, "The Prophet ~ said, "1saw in dream that 1 migrating [ Makkah to town / palm trees. thought was dwn towards Yamamah or Hajar, then it turned out to Yathrib ( earlier o/Madinah) and1 dreamt that 1shook sword and it

[ the centre, this was the tragedy that be/ell the Muslims in the battle / Uhud. Then 1saw that 1shook it more and it returned to the best o//orms, and this was the conquest o/Makkah and the unity o/Muslims which ih generated[ . "27

u Hurairah ~ narrates that the Prophet ~ said, "While 1was sleeping, the treasures / the earth were brought be/ore , then two golden bangles were fists. They burden/or . 1 was ordered to blow them, 1 blew and they disappeared. 1 took the interpretation that they are the two impostors surrounding ; AswadAnasi o/Sana alld Musaylama

/ Yamamah. "28

2SSGrah Hajj 27 26SGrah Yusuf' 70

27Bukhari 6514/6519, Muslim 4217, lbn Majah 391] 28Bukhari 6513, Muslim 4218, Tirmizi 2216, Musnad Ahmad 7901

20

___________________7afsee / r5uraliYusl1

Note. Ibn Umar ~ ts, ": i.'1[ the greate.'1t/orgerie.'1 that .'1how.'1 hi.'1 eye.'1 what they have not . " (I.e. says that I saw such and such dream when he has not seen it in reality. It is regarded as the greatest lie, because it is lying ili ~ that Allah ~ showed such and such drearn whereas Allah ~neverdid.?9

Note. Saeed :fi."Qffi the Prophet $, " : correct are tho.'1e in the early / the orning. " (Since the body has completed its rest, the stomach is emptyand therefore there is less possibility of

dream caused the filling ofthe intestines. Also, this is the time ofdescent ofthe angels and the time ofofduas.)30

"lndeed Satan i.'1 to n [. " Another verse in Surah Faatir says, "Verily, Satan i.'1 to .'10 treat . only hi.'1 that they might the o/the blazingfire. "31

His with started when he was ordered to prostrate before d ~\ and he rejected, objecting in very jealous manner saying, "1 n created'[ fire and he[ clay. Andfire i.'1 to clay. So the : not be/ore the in/erior. " then expelled from Jannah (paradise) and he vowed, " thy power Il.'1hall lead them

. "32

also said, "Surely 1]! take n appointedportion[ thy . And .'1urely 1will mi.'1lead them, and .'1urely 1 will create [ in them, and .'1urely 1 will them to .'1lit the ear.'1 ofthe cattle, ami .'1urely 1will command them and they will change Alldh '.'1 creation (de/ace the nature). " (Allah ~ says) "And w/lO.'1oever choo.'1e.'1 "satan /or /riend in.'1tead /Alldh ha.'1 .'1urely .'1uffered lo.'1.'1 that i.'1 manife.'1t. Satan promi.'1es them and create.'1 in them /al.'1e hope.'1, but Satan '.'1 promi.'1e.'1 are nothing

29Bukllari

30Til'mizi 2200, Musnad Allmad 1081, Darami 2053 31Sull Fatll 6

32Sull Siid 82 21


::71/isan 7lf..2asas _

deception. "33

Verse 6

And thus does your Lord choose u and teach u the reality 0/ . events and complete His [ un u and the /amily 0/ Yaqub, just as completed them your two /athers, Ibrahim

and Ishaq [, verily your Lord is knowing, wise.

Tafseer Majidi comments, " as thou hast seen in thy dream, thy Lord I1Jill choose thee [ His apostleship, and as [ gifi will teach thee the interpretation /discourses, and will/ulfill His [ the house o/Yaqub. "

" ... " The Sufeessaythat there two typesofpeople amongthoseassociatedwith ih. 1. Those who chosen ih. 2. Those who draw themse1ves loserto ili and attainHisp1easure. ili says, "ih chooses/or Himself l1/hom wills, and guides unto Himselfwho turns (to ). "34

Prophets definitelyfromthe first category, asprophethood achieved abundancein worshipor an otherway. Nevertheless, among the ProphetsofJh, some who seem to distinguished in this respect, forexample, ProphetMuhammad ~ is sobeloved to ili, that ili has never addressed him his . We study the Qur' f and realise that

33Surah Nisa ] 18-120 34Surall Shu'ra ] 3

22

___________________7afseer 015SllI someoccasions llah addresses him withthewords ' Muzzammil' some occasions says ' Muddathir' 'Ya-ayyuhan-nablye' '-uhrasool'.

In the sameway ll has shown this to Musa ~\ and Ibrahirn &;LWhenwereadthe verse, weunderstand thatYusuf~\ isa1so among thosewho speciallychosen ll. andmost be10ved to ih.

" teaches the reality ofevents. " wordsrea1ities ofevents verymeaningfu1. inc1ude the sharpness and.a1ertness to solve themost comp1icatedmatterswith ease.The abi1ity to see events before their occurrence, and the interpretationsofdreams. ll of thesequa1ities foundinYusuf&;\.

YUSUf~i specia1ised in interpretationsofdreams. Some scholars said that is the founder of this science. From the Muslim Ummah Imarn MuhammadIbn Sireen, thegreatscho1ar is said to the Imamofthis field.

"Complete his favours ... " he Arabicword 'Ni '' is1iterally usedforcircumstances inwhich person gainsp1easure. In the1 ' thewordhasbeenusedforintema1, extemal, religious andwor1d1yp1easures alike:

" hath loaded u with His favours both without and within. "35 " if would count the bounty !ih cannot reckon . "36 " path ! those whom Thou hast favoured. "37 " (Jesus) is nothing but servant (! Allah) whom we bestowed favour. "38

Takingtheseverses intoaccount we1 thatthe[s fulfilled Yusuf~\ of11 kindsandthebiggestfavouramongstthemis apost1eship.

35SGrah Luqman 20

36SGrah Ibrahim 34

37SGrah Zukruf 59

38SGrah Zukruf 59

23


71hsan 71f.2asas _

" lord is knowing wise. " endingthe versewith thesewordsthereis an indicationtowardsthereason for thepreference ofYusuf~\ i.e.sincel1 knows everythingandsince is themostwise, haschosen. ll says.in anotherverse: "AZZdh knows best with whom to place his message. " There is also an indication that the knowledgeandwisdomwhichYusuf~\is goingto receive is ftom but the

AlI-nwing andWiseCreatorHimself.

Verse 7

"Verily in ]and his brethren there signs (0/Alllih 's sovereignty) [ the seekers (o/truth)."

Tafseer Uthmani comments, "Those who want to larn lesson (reachsome sult) suchstories, for them arel signsof guidanceand lessonin 1 story ofYusuf~\ andhis brethren.Hearing this story, mark of mig~ty powerandGIOlYofll ~is inscribed inthehearts. Theproofofthe truthfulness ofthe l Prophet~ is obtainedin thathe hasdivulgedthehistoricalfactsso 1horough1yand clearly, thoughheis 'Ummi' andhas learnt ftom an mortal. No explanationto this fact given except that Divine Revelation had 1aughthim and informedhim about thehistorical detai1s ofthe past. For the

(~uraish who had enquiredabout thisstoryat the incitementofthe Jews, there is greatlessonin that as thebrothersofYusuf~\ drovehim outofthehouse, plottedhismurderandexpulsion, anddegraded him immensely. At last day they tohi remorsefully andinutterdestitution. Allah~raised Yusufl\ to the high ranks ofspiritual andmaterial wealth and glory, and he in retum tumed blind to the faultsofhis brothersand forgavethemwith an lleart. SimilarlythebrethrenoftheHoly Prophet ~madeunholy schemes against

, troubledhimmercilessly, attackedhis inn andprestigeand final1y c:ompelled him to l hishome.Soontheday whenthe sunofhis glory shone and after few years the historical day ofThe Victory 'Vvhen thel Prophet$ forgave his countrybrotherstheirpast faults.saying

24

__________________7afseer 01e5urdYusul the same wordswhichHadhratYusuf:%!\ saidto his brethren.

.. and his brethren.. " Yusufhad realbrother,Binyamin,andtenhalfbrothers. Thenamesare as follows: 1. Reuben, 2. Shamoon, 3. Laawi, 4. ahuda, 5. AsPkaar and 6. Zh1, these six are from the wife 'Leah'. 7. Jadd and 8. Aaashar, from slave girl 'Zulfa'. 9.Naftaliand 10.Dan, ftom slavegirl 'Balha'.39

As mentioned before, it must kept in mind that Yusuf:%!\'s brothers we[e not. Thereisneither an Islamic narration noran Israeli storyrgardig theirprophethood. This is the opinionofIbn , Ibn Kathir,Ibn Taymiyah andAllamalJthmanirahmatullahi alaihim.

Some scholarsheld the opinionoftheir prop'hethood. Theirmain reasoning:is through the verse, HWe revealed n Ibrahi and Isail and Ishaq and Yaqub and the tribes, etc. "The indication oftribes is thought to towarcls the sons ofYaqub :%!\.

However, Ibn Kathir says that the said meaning is merely possibIe interpretation. The other meaning which is much stronger is that since th.e ProphetsofBani Israelwere from theprogenyofYaqub~', the indication 1IS towards those Prophets and not towards the sons of"Yaqub ~\. ll kno\\"s best. Note: Yusuf~\had tenbrotherswhoplottedagainsthim andin the end '

~\ was victorious. Similarly there were ten tribes ofQuraish who were the most activeinhurting belovedProphet~. Namely, 1. an Makhzoom,2.

Adyy, 3. , 4. an Asad, 5. Umayyah, 6. Saheem, 7. an Hanifa, 8. Abd-ddar, 9. ' and 10. Nawfal.They embracedIslamin the ."

39Qazi 40Q~zi .45


Dlhs 71f.2asas _ Verse 8

R'ecall, when they said, ~~Srely Ysf and his brother (Binyamin) dearer to father than we, whereas we powerfl than

they, and indeed father is in clear mistake.

Tafseer Majidi relates the verses ofthe Bible, which are quite similar to tJ:le Qur' verses.

The Bible says, "Now IsraellovedJoseph than all his children, because he was the son / his old age. " 41 " /ather loved him above the rest / his sons, both because / the beauty / his body and the virtues / his mind,/or he excelled the rest in prudence. "42 " Joseph centered the love / his [: " 43

l1 Othmani writes, 'Badhrat aqub ;%\loved Yusuf;%\andhis rea1 brother, Binyamin very much because they were younger than their stepbrothers. Their

thr had died so they required more and [. Moreover, Hadhrat Yaqub ~\ through divine revelation, had understood that the future ofYusuf

~lwas high1yresplendent. Beside that, his extraordinary beauty ofhis [ and his character attracted the attention ofHadhrat Yaqub ~\. His stepbrothers \vere dissatisfied with this behaviour. They thought that it was they who stood tJ:le ofd being powerful band and were the ro ofhis old age, while Yusuf~\ and Binyamin were l chidren without expectations. With these ideas in mind they said that, "heir/ather was in great mistake (or manifest

) regarding that afJair, and he did not evaluate his profit and loss. "

: Why did Yaqub;%j\ give preference to Yusuf~\ and Binyamin 41Genesls (The First Book Of Moses) 37:3- Tafseer Majidi

42tiquitis of the Jews: 11.2.1- Tafseer Majidi 43The Book Of Jeremiah 246:7 - Tafseer Majidi

26

___________________':7afseer / e5urdYusu/ whereas it is llh' s clearorder that fathershou1d treathis childrenequally?

We read in ]: Sahilbi to ourbelovedProphet~ andrequested him to thewitnessof gi:ft, whichhe wantedto giveto his sonNu'man. ' Prophet ~ enquired, " have other children? " replied, "Yes. " The Prophet ~ enquired, " have given s.imilar gift to all / them?" said, "No. "The Prophet ~ said, " get else to yourwitness. Does it not pleaseyou that they equal to obedience?"

said; "/ ". The Prophet ~ said, " do not do this. "

Answer: It i~ quite clear that being Prophet, Hadhrat Yaqub ~\ must have treated them equally with regards to worldJy affairs e.g. food, clothing d sustenance,etc.But thematter is beyond ones control.The heart is not in ' s control;it attachedor attractedtowards childmore than the other.Therewill questioningregardingthis. willonly questioned ifhe acts accordingly in outward matters preferring to the other. ' Holy Prophet ~ had nine wives at time. would treat them equally his love for some ofthem was more than the others. This is why he sh::d thingsequa11y, yethewouldsupplicate in the following words, "' All{ih!his is sharing / what is in control, so do not reckon [ what is beyond control. "i.e. the love ofthe heart. It is the case with children.

Note: It is permissible to givemore attention to child, ifthere are special reasons for that e.g. he or she is disabled, or poorer than others or he or she is engagedin studyingandneeds morehelp. In thesecases is allowedto more attentionto thatparticularchild.

Verse 9

\:;~ J~I ~J;tJ ~ ~~I ~:,.;.~\ JI ~~ \)\ J:~:I. : ~ I \- C:j o.k; (~ .... "'Y-~ J \/ 'u/

(Olle said) " Yusufor cast him away to some land, your fatlrer's


:7I.hs .71f..2asas _ favour will then free for , and will thereafter m good

fellows. "

' fie ofmalicewasbuming in theirhearts. At last,theycounse11ed thatin the ofYusuf~\ itwas not possible to drawthe specialattentionoftheir

jth, so Yusuf~\ should finished. Eitherthey should11 cast awayin some [ distantland wherehe couldhave retum.WhenYusuf ~\ would away , natura11y they wi11 entitled to the oftheir father. inamin veryprobablywasnot significant in their eyes.His position, they might have thought,was supplementaryto Yusuf~' Afterwards,theythought,theywouldrepentoftheirsinsand pardonedand

pious en.

Some commentators have said that, " thereafter m goodfellows, " meansthatafterremoving usuf~, theirway, theiraffairs wou1d set right, asthecountenance oftheirfatherwould change them,beingdisappointed.

inYusuf~\

They said the above due to jealousy. How damaging is this bad habit? See \~hat jealousy has done to the household of great Prophet of11. Hurting the person in never satisfy an except thejealous person. This is why ~ said, "1 please all persons except [ the jealousone. nothing please [ except the destruction ofthefavours or bountiesfrom the towards whom hefeelsjealous.. "

11. ~has especia11y taughtus to seekrefuge thejealousyofthejea1ous. \1V read in Surah Falaq: " (we seek refuge) from the evil ofthejealous ...,vhen he shows jealousy. "

'' will thereafter m goodfellows. " Shaytaan is greatest and the greatest traitor. he casts in their ids the thought ofcommitting major sin the possibility ofbecoming virtuousafterwardsthroughrepentance.

.1 is question regarding theforgiveness of . ~ buttwothingsshould

28

___________________7afseer /e5urahyusu/ in mind. First the sin ofkilling is major sin, theQur' an states that killing Mu'min is majorsinleading to etemalpunishment inhell. TheHiidith alsostatesthat aftershirk,murderis the gravestsin.

Secondly, repentance is originally from sins which committed through forgetfulness, beingunmindful andunaware ofthe ofthe sin.The Holy Qur'an says, "Forgiveness is only incumbent Alliih towards those who do evil ignorance (and) then turn quickly ( repentance) to lll. These are they towards whom Alliih relenteth. Alliih is Ever -, All- Wise "44.

Therearetwoconditionsof accepting repentance mentionedhere: 1) 'Do an ill deed in ignorance' - through evil desires and knowing the gravepunishment forthatparticular sin. 2) 'Repent quickly' - ifrepentance is not dbne quickly enough it could have harsheffects thatperson. Furthermore, it isnot 'min'shabit to commit sinsin thehopeof forgiveness. Therefore, the thoughtofkil1ingYusuf~\ ! thenrepenting afterwards isverymisleading. lll safeguardus fr the evil thoughtsput in ourminds the accursed Shaytaan, and he make us awareofthe eviltricksofShaytaanand hesafeguard us from fal1ing into his traps. Ameen.

Verse 10

" speaker[ among them said 'Do not kill ]but, if must doing, then j1ing into t/le bottom / pit; some travellet'

pick . "

The speakerwas Juda (ahuda)who said that kil1ing was severe thing

44SGrah Nisa 17

29


~71hs ~f-2asas _

they cou1d theirobjectwithoutit. Ifthey want to remove fromthat 1 it was advisablethat theycast in someunknownwe11, farawayfrom their own habitat. has quoted some 1inguiststhat 'Gayabat l Jabb 'is acabin made in thewa11 ofa we11just the surfaceofthewater.

I short, they dec1ined to bear the sin ofintentiona1 murder. In that case some passing or someonetemporari1y residing theremight take him out of the we11 andthus theirhandswou1d innocentofbloodshed; the snakesha11 die and the stick wi11 not break.

Verse 11

They said; " father! Why is it that do not trst s with Ysf, whereas we indeed his sincere well-wishers?"

Having formed the p10t, the brothersproceededand put it into execution.The indicates that they had a1so made such requests before, but Hadhrat Yaqub ~\ was not satisfiedand refusedto 1etYusuf go with them.

Verse 12

"Send him with s tomorrow that he re/resh himself(with /rits) and play. Lo! We shall take good /."

11Lthmani writes, ''hey made 11 possible pretensions inpersuading their fatherto send Yusuf~\ with them to their.pastures. They said that Yusuf~\ wou1d dull at home, and his hea1th wou1d spoi1ed ifhe was not permitted totheoutskirtsfor running, p1aying andenjoyingfree1y inthe c1imate ofjung1es. In the forest atmosphere, Yusuf~\ wou1d 1 free1y and eat jungle fuits and wou1d ha1e and hearty.1tis said that generaJ1y their games

30

___________________7afseer /r:5uraliYusu/ and enjoyments in the jungleswere archery and racing.

has said playing within limits is source ofpleasure and exercise for children, and the brothers made vehement requests and promised [ protection. Thus Hadhrat Yaqub ~\ was forced to send Yusufwith them. Commentators have written that they had also enticed YUSllf"~\ separately 1:0 recreation and outing.

Verse 13

said, "Verily it grieves that should take away and 1 [ lest wolf eat him while u are heedless 0/him. "

Hadhrat Yaqub~'said to them that the very idea ofhis separation Yusuf grieved him. Besides, Yusufwas and the fear of carnivore beast like wolfwas painful.1t is said thatwolves were fequent1yfound.in thatjungle.45

lan Abdul Majid Daryabadi rabmatuJ1ahi alaihi writes, "Though nOlN comparatively rare, in ancient Palestine, wolves were amongst the most prominent wild animals. "

Mufti Shafi sahib states, "aqub ~\ had seen dream that he himselfwas mountain and Yusuf~1was in the valley. Suddenly ten wolves surrounded Yusufand tried to attack him. n ofthe wolves defended Yusufand saved him. ThereafterYusufdisappeared into the Earth - the interpretation to

thatthe ten wolves were theten brothers and the wolfthat defended hirn 4

was Yahuda the eldest brother, and being thrown in the well was the disappearance."

45Utlll11U 11 i 1049:2

31


:;7J.lis :;7jf~2asas _

Abbashas said thatdue to thedream,aqub~\ fearedfrom his sons,but didnot disclose the fu11 .

aqub~'had his fears, buthowcouldheput themoff theirintentions? If they ",rere drivento hostilitythey causehimharm. mustdealwith his sonswisely andcautiously. pleadedthathe was anold an anddueto his immense10 forYusufhe wouldsurely misshim and sadwithouthim. .Andafter11 Yusuf~\ was sma11 ofless thantenyears. wasnotofan a.ge to l with them. Theywould busy in their gamewhile wolfmight and attackYusuf~,. In sayingthis,aqub~\ unwi11ingly gavethem

l and theyused the same. In otherwords thatwhichwas to happen reflected inhis heartbeforehand.

lan Idrees handha1wi writes, "Sincethehearts ofthe Prophets aresound, an sme11 the fa1sehood fromwhatisbeingsaidto them.TheHlidith says,

' is said with the contentment / the heart whereas lies hold the doubt. "Upon hearingtheirrequest;aqub~\ instant1y realisedthejealousy

d wickednessoftheirplot.

The Sufisderivefromhere that Taqdeeris, after 11, victoriousover Tadbeer. The strong feelingofYaqub ~\ andboth his excuseswere to stop the separationofYusuf;%\. aqub;%\ was compe11ed to letYusuf ~\ go against his wishes. The Sufis say, "What value does the will / servant hold in relation to the will / the Lord. "

Verse 14

They said, "I[tlle wolfwere to devour him despite [ u numbers, then surely we the losers. "

Theysaid,"How isitpossiblethatin thepresence of such powerful bandlike U:S, wolf devour our young brother?" It means we are nothing and we

32

___________________7afseer 01e5uzoaliYusu/ have 10st everythingofour characteras strong and powerfu1 group. 46

Yaqub ~\ had mentionedtworeasonsfornot 1etting Yusuf ~\ go with them: 1) His [ for Yusuf~\was such that he wou1d to bear the separation. 2) had fearthat somewo1f eathim. The brothersrebuttedthe sl objection but not the first, that was the cause oftheir[.

Verse 15

~J\ Jc: ~\ ': ~'J ~ ~.~ .j\\F\ J~ \~~ \:l~ ~ ~

-( J.J. ~ '" '" J ... -: :" J~"" wJ/ J / ..... ;1.\ o~ U J~;) ,.J> J \...L/b ,.J>fl; "1 6" ._\ .u\ , / \. \. "'... ; \ ; '"",'"

50 when t/ley did take m away and they ll agreed to throw him down to t/le bottom o/the well; And we hinted to , " shall

srely tell them / t1lis their affair while they perceive "

Commentators have re1ated heart rending and poignant stories from the time when Yusuf~\ andhis brotherswent out ofsight fromHadhrat aqub ~\ to the moment when they casthim into the well. God knows to vvhat extent they arecorrect. The 1 Qur'an, fromthe viewpointofits wn aim,does not attach much importance to such sentimenta1 detai1s, as they do not serve an sublime motive exceptemotiona1 presentationto excite the human passion of the reader. The excitement ofhuman passions the princip1e theme of dramasandnove1s, but it iscertain1y not thein themeof thedivinebook.The \vor1d1y storieswritten thewor1d1y writersgenerally exciteand ] to passionate 1amentation. But the 1 Q' aims at the creation ofthat sensitivity andtender-heartedness in theheartofthe audience andreaders whose source are Iman (be1ief) and Irfan (recognition of the Lord). mm sensitiveness, whichis foundin thebe1ievers andtheunbe1ievers and in the anima1s, is not the genera1 1 ofthe 1 Qur' an un1ike common orators and writers.

46Uthmani 1049:2

.33


~7Ilis ~J:-2asas _

in this story the 1 Qur' an has described,omitting the middle events, the 1ast thing, that the ofYusuf~\, with all possible pretexts, took awayYusuf~\ fromtheirfatheranddecided tothrowhiminthewellaccording to their prearranged 1. At the time God had hinted to Yusufwithout the others being concious ofthis, not to worry; day he wou1d tell them ofall their activities and treatment, and that he would ofsuch high rank at that time thathis brothersWOlJJd notknow him, due to the 1apse oftime it wou1d

difficu1t for them to recognisehim.

How this divinehint or indication to Yusuf~I- eitherin dream,orwhen awak:e , throughinspiration throughan ange1- is subjectwhich is absent

theQur'. It issaidofcourse, observing theword whayna thatreve1ation i:s confinedto the age offortyyears and , becauseHadhratYusuf ~\ vvas at the ."

Al1ah ~was withYusuf~\ in 1l his difficu1ties, SOIOWS, andsufferings, ashe i:s with ll his servantswhoput theirtrustinhim.Hisbrothers, betrayedhim and 1eft the , perhapstodieor to soldintoslavery. Buthe wasundaunted. His couragenever fai1ed him.

1recall here story ofHazrat Rashid Ahmed Gangohi rahmatullahi a1aihi (died 1323..). When he was 1 five or six years old, he created 1t ofperforminghis sa1aah in themasjid. dayhewas 1ate, the sa1aah had started. had to take water out ofthe well to perform wudhu. As he pulled tlhe bucket, he accident1y slipped and [1l inside. hearing the noise 1 lk theirsa1aah andr towardsthewell.Theywererea11y scared. However, Hazrat shouted from inside 'Do not worry, 1 safe. 1have seated myse1f iJl1side thebucket.' It is this couragethatmade Hazratwhathe was. shou1d t:ry and read the biograpby of Hazrat Gangohi rahmatullahi a1aihi named

'azkiratur-Rashid".

conso1e Yusuf~\Allah ~revea1ed that the daywill when shall 10ft rank and will informthemoftheir evi1 activitiestowards and theywon'tevenrecogniseyou. - 47Uthmi 1050:2

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ahsan al qasas

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