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13. PROPHETS’ DU‘Ā (PRAYER) IN THE QUR’ĀN (8) 10. Yūsuf (Joseph) cont. The seven years of drought Egypt also reached Canaan, (the part of Palestine between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean, including Jerusalem) where Yūsuf’s family lived. When his brothers came to Egypt to buy food, he recognized them, but they did not recognize him. This was the first visit. Ibn ‘Abbās said that Yūsuf asked his interpreter to tell them that they might be spies, as they spoke a different language and wore different dress. The ten brothers denied, and told about their background, that they had an old father, and were twelve brothers, one “perished in the desert” (meaning Yūsuf), and the other stayed with their old father. Yūsuf honoured them and told them to bring their brother from their father’s side (meaning Benjamin) next time as evidence that they were telling the truth, or they would not be allowed to buy food. He ordered his steward to put back secretly the merchandise they brought with them in exchange for food in their bags, so that they would come again. When they went back to their father they told him that Benjamin had to go with them next time, otherwise they would not get food from Egypt. Moreover, when they opened their bags they found their merchandise returned to them, which meant they got a camel’s load of corn for free. They told him that by allowing Benjamin to come with them they would get more food. When Yūsuf saw his younger brother Benjamin with them in their second trip he took him aside telling him his identity, but not to reveal it, and not to grieve for what they had done to him. Yūsuf plotted with Benjamin to keep him (Benjamin) in Egypt. Yūsuf ordered his steward to put secretly his silver bowl in Benjamin’s bag. After they had left suddenly the steward went after them telling them that they were thieves. They denied it, and agreed that the thief would be punished according to the law of Ibrāhīm, that he would become a slave of the victim. As they found the cup in Benjamin’s bag he would become a slave. They protested their
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innocence saying that if it were doing so, his brother meaning Yusuf had also stolen before.1 As they had promised their father to bring Benjamin back as they had done with Yūsuf, they begged for clemency that Benjamin had an old father, who loved him very much, and take one of them in his place. Yusuf rejected the idea as it is unfair to free the criminal and to punish the innocent. The eldest brother Reuben, who did not want to return without Binyāmīn (Benjamin) as he and his brothers had promised, stayed in Egypt, awaiting Allah’s decision, either to return or to release Benjamin. Hearing the grave news that his sons remained in Egypt, Ya‘qūb told them the same words he had said when they brought false blood on Yūsuf’s shirt, ْصبرْْ َجمِيل َ َبلْْ َس َّولَتْْلَ ُكمْْأَنفُ ُس ُكمْْأَمرً اْ َف “Nay, but your own selves have beguiled you into something. So, patience is most fitting (for me)” (Q. 12:83) Before, Ya‘qūb lost one son, Yusuf. Now, he has lost two more sons, but he kept praying that Allah might bring them back to him. So, he said, 33:ّللا ُْأَنْْ َيأ ِت َينِيْ ِب ِهمْْ َجمِي ًعاْإِ َّن ُْهْه َُْوْال َعلِي ُْمْال َحكِي ُْمْ(ْيوسف َّْ ْ) َع َسى “May be Allah will bring them (back) all to me. Truly He! Only Hed is All-Knowing (in my distress), the All-Wise (in His decision)” (Q. 12:83) 1
A story said that his aunt who loved him very much and wanted to keep him longer with her lied by telling his mother that he had stolen and therefore, as punishment, she kept him longer with her. His brothers later repeated this allegation. Yūsuf used the same trick to keep his younger brother Benjamin with him. However, unlike the Qur’an where Yūsuf secretly revealed his identity to Benjamin and comforted him by telling him “Verily, I am your brother, so grieve not for what they used to do” (Q. 12:69), the Bible apparently was silent in this matter. This would have made him stressed, and should have protested about his innocence, that someone else had put the cup into his bag. Yūsuf made himself known only to all his brothers after telling others to leave his presence. He and Benjamin embraced each other weeping, kissed all his brothers weeping (Gen. 45:1-14)
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In the third trip to Egypt Yu‘qūb ordered his children to enquire in polite way about the news of Yūsuf and his brother Benjamin, and not to despair of Allah’s mercy. They told Yūsuf their sufferings and afflictions because of severe droughts, and that they and their family were hit with hard time and scarce of food. Despite their little money they asked him to be generous to them including by returning their brother Benjamin to them. Yūsuf felt pity with them, and remembered his father’s grief of losing his two children, Benjamin and himself. It is in this third meeting by Allah’s command, after over two years hiding his identity, when the affliction became harder, Yūsuf revealed his true identity, asking his brothers, ْ )38:ونْ(يوسف َْ ُ ُفْ َوأَخِي ِْهْإِذْْأَن ُتمْْ َجا ِهل َْ ْ َهلْْ َعلِم ُتمْْ َماْ َف َعل ُتمْْ ِبيُوس... “Do you know what you did with Yūsuf and his brother, when you were ignorant?” (Q. 12:89) In other words, “Did you know that it was your ignorance of the grave sin you are committing by separating Yūsuf and his brother Benjamin?” Allah had inspired him when they put him in the well that one day he would remind them of this incident. They asked in amazement whether he was really Yūsuf. When he did, he told them that Allah had been gracious to them by gathering them together after being separated for long time. He told them further that whoever feared Allah and became patient, Allah would keep the reward of his goodness. They acknowledged Yūsuf’s virtue above them when they said: “By Allah! Indeed Allah has preferred you above us, and we certainly have been sinners.” (Q. 12:91). He told them that there would be no blame for them that day, and he would not remind them of their error against him. He not only totally forgave them, but also asked Allah’s forgiveness for them. Moreover, he told them to bring his shirt to their father, and then to take the whole family to move to Egypt. The good news came one after the other, after years of suffering. According to the classical Qur’an commentators Mujāhid and al-Suddī, Judah who had brought Yūsuf’s shirt tainted with false
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blood, brought this time Yūsuf’s shirt, hoping to erase his error with good act. He placed it on his father’s face as requested by Yūsuf, and his eyesight was restored to him. Then he told them, “Didn’t I tell you that I know from Allah something you do not know, that Allah will bring Yūsuf back to me?” By then they admitted their mistakes, and asked their father to Allah’s forgiveness for their sins, which he did late at night. While the whole family of Ya‘qūb was leaving Canaan for good, Yūsuf prepared a welcome party for them. It is said the king himself ordered princes and notables to join him and Yūsuf in the party to receive Ya‘qūb and his family. They all went out to receive them. We have to remember that Yūsuf was son of a prophet (Ya‘qūb), who was son of a prophet (Isḥāq), who was a son of a prophet (Ibrāhīm), peace be upon them. When they arrived he Yūsuf took his parentsْto himself and said to them, )88:ِينْ(يوسف َْ ّللا ُْآ ِمن َّْ ْْاد ُخلُواْمِص َْرْإِنْْ َشا َْء... “Enter Egypt, if Allah wills, in security” (Q. 12:99) Then he raised them to his bedstead where he sat and the whole family prostrated before him. He then told his father that this was the interpretation of his dream when he told him that he saw in a dream eleven stars, and the sun and the moon prostrated themselves to him. (Q. 12:4) He told him further that Allah had done good to him when He took him out of the prison, and brought them all out of the Bedouin-life, after the Satan had sown enmity between him and his brothers (Q. 12:100). It was Satan, then, to be blamed for sowing enmity in his brothers. This practice of prostrating oneself before a person was no longer allowed in Islam. When the companion of the Prophet, Mu‘ādh bin Jabal, saw people prostrating themselves before their priests in Syria, he did the same to the Prophet, but he prohibited it. The invocation of Prophet Yūsuf a.s. started with mentioning Allah’s favour to him, then asked Him as the Only Creator of the universe and the Protector in the world and the Hereafter, to cause him die as a Muslim, and join him with the righteous. He prayed:
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ْض ِْ ثْ َفاطِ َْرْال َّس َم َاوا ِْ يلْاْلَ َحادِي ِْ ِنْالمُلكِْْ َو َعلَّم َتنِيْمِنْْ َتأ ِو َْ َربْْ َقدْْآ َتي َتنِيْم ِ تْ َواْلَر 101:ِينْ(يوسف َْ تْ َولِييْفِيْال ُّدن َياْ َواْلخ َِرِْةْ َت َو َّفنِيْمُسلِمًاْ َوأَلحِقنِيْ ِبالصَّالِح َْ )أَن “My Lord! You have indeed bestowed on me of the sovereignty, and taught me something of the interpretation of dreams—the (Only) Creator of the heavens and the earth! You are my Wali (Protector, Helper, Supporter, Guardian, God, Lord) in this world and in the Hereafter. Cause me to die as a Muslim (the one submitting to Your Will), and join me with the righteous.” (Q. 12:101) Allah said in the beginning of this surah (chapter) of the Qur’an: ْك َْ صْ ِب َماْأَو َحي َناْإِلَي ِْ ص َْ كْأَح َس َْ َنحنُْْ َنقُصُّْْ َعلَي َ نْال َق ْ )3:ِينْ(يوسف َْ ِنْال َغا ِفل َْ تْمِنْْ َقبلِ ِْهْلَم َْ آنْ َوإِنْْ ُكن َْ َه َذاْالقُر We relate unto you the best of stories through Our revelations unto you, of this Qur’an. And before this, you were among those who knew nothing about it (Q. 12:3) The story of Yūsuf is said to be the best revealed in the Qur’an, and some commentators give their views, as follows: 1. It contains warning or deterrent examples, and wisdom more than in any chapter of the Qur’an. 2. It contains Yūsuf’s good behaviour in disregarding his brothers errors, his patient over their bad deeds and his forgiving them when they met. He said that it was Satan who created enmity between him and his brothers. 3. It contains the story of prophets, pious people, angels, satans, jinn, human beings, cattle and birds, kings and kingdoms, business people, scholars, ignorant, men and women and their temptation, belief in oneness of Allah, religious law, biography, interpretation of dreams, politics, social interaction, life management, and the whole benefits for our lives and religion. In other words, it contains various aspects of life. 4. It contains the lover and the beloved one and their life stories. 5. The term aḥsan (the best) in the verse means a‘jab (the most marvelous). Some scholars of rhetoric say that it is so, because
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everything in the story ends up with happiness: Yusuf and his parents and family settled in Egypt, the wife of the aziz was not to be blamed because of the irresistibility of Yusuf’s handsomeness, the king became a devout Muslim, and Yusuf’s inmates also believed and followed him. The story ends up with a happy ending. Although the name Pharaoh was mentioned in the Bible, and that Potiphar was the captain of his guards, he was not mentioned in the story of Yusuf in the Qur’ān. He was just called the King, probably because the name “Pharaoh” in the Qur’ān is associated with disbelief and oppression, and he might also belong to a new dynasty. The Pharaohs of Egypt consist of many dynasties. One dynasty could die out, replaced or overthrown by another, sometimes by foreign rulers. The new ruler could be the Hyksos Pharaohs who were contemporaries of Abraham (c. 2000 BC), and were thrown out of Egypt about 1700 BC, probably after the death of Yūsuf. The Hyksos Pharaohs were of Semitic tribes, descendants of Shem, relatives of the Hebrew, and therefore welcomed and treated Yusuf’s family nicely, whereas the Egyptians were of Hamitic tribes, descendants of Ham. This Pharaoh gave Yusuf’s brothers the land of Goshen, the best part of the country. Yusuf came to Egypt in the right time in the right place. (CIVIC, 26 September, 2014) المراجع:
المكتبةْالشاملة (ْهـ310ْ.تفسيرْالطبريْ(ت (ْهـ171ْ.تفسيرْالقرطبىْ(ت (ْهـ777ْ.تفسيرْابنْكثيرْ(ت Abu Khalil, Dr. Shauqi . Atlas of the Qur’an. Riyadh, Darussalam, 2003 Ali, A.Yusuf. The Meanings of the Holy Qur’an Asad, Muhammad. The Message of the Qur’an. Holy Bible: New International Version, 1973 Funk & Wagnalls. Standard Dictionary of the English Language, 1973 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_%28son_of_Jacob%29 http://committedtotruth.wordpress.com/2009/10/17/questionwho-was-pharaoh-during-josephs-life/
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