Prophet Yusuf’s story is the most detailed and fascinating in the Quran. It involves basic human nature and its weaknesses, such as jealousy, hatred, pride, deception, and cruelty, as well as great qualities, such as patience, loyalty, bravery, and compassion.
We relate unto you (Muhammad) the best of stories through Our Revelations unto you, of this Quran. And before this (i.e. before the coming of Divine Inspiration to you), you were among those who knew nothing about it (the Quran). (12:3)
Prophet Yusuf’s story will inspire you with the depth of Allah’s power and supremacy and the execution of His rulings despite human intervention. It will renew your Tawakkul in Allah and allow you to understand His supreme decisions.
Read on to learn about the rollercoaster of Prophet Yusuf’s life and his strength despite it.
Where was Prophet Yusuf Born?
He was born in 1747 BC in present-day Palestine. He lived most of his life in Egypt.
Prophet Yusuf’s Family
Prophet Yusuf (PBUH) was the son of Prophet Yaqub (PBUH). In the Bible, he is called Joseph, Jacob’s son. He had 11 other brothers. The youngest, Binyamin, was from Yusuf’s mother, while the rest were older half-brothers.
Prophet Yaqub loved him dearly, which was a cause for jealousy for his brothers.
What Was Prophet Yusuf’s Dream?
When Yusuf was a young boy, he awoke one day delighted by a pleasant dream. He ran to his father excitedly and said,
“O my father, indeed I have seen eleven stars and the sun and the moon; I saw them prostrating to me.” (12:4)
Prophet Yaqub was overjoyed at the realization that Allah chose his son for Prophethood. However, Prophet Yaqub was concerned about his older sons’ reaction to this narration. Even though he treated them all the same, they were jealous of Yusuf. So, he warned Yusuf against telling his brothers about his dream.
"O my son! Relate not your vision to your brothers, lest they arrange a plot against you. Verily! Satan is to man an open enemy! Thus will your Lord choose you and teach you the interpretation of dreams (an other things) and perfect His Favor on you and on the offspring of Jacob, as He perfected it on your fathers, Abraham, and Isaac aforetime! Verily! your Lord is All-Knowing, All-Wise." (12:5-6)
Prophet Yusuf’s Brothers and Their Plan to Kill Him
Prophet Yaqub knew that his other sons were jealous of his son Yusuf. He always tried to keep Prophet Yusuf close to him so his other sons would not harm him.
Prophet Yusuf’s brothers were so jealous that they planned to get rid of him. Whenever they took their goats out for grazing, they asked their father if Yusuf (PBUH) could accompany them. Prophet Yaqub (PBUH) always refused, saying the boy was too young.
When Prophet Yusuf (PBUH) turned 16, his brothers insisted that he was now old enough to accompany them. With reluctance, their father agreed to let them take him with them.
As soon as they were far enough from home, they began plotting how to dispose of Prophet Yusuf (PBUH). Soon, they came across a dry well. They removed Prophet Yusuf’s (PBUH) shirt and threw him into the well.
Prophet Yusuf’s story is related in the Quran:
Kill Joseph or cast him out to some ˹distant˺ land so that our father’s attention will be only ours, then after that you may ˹repent and˺ become righteous people! One of them said, “Do not kill Joseph. But if you must do something, throw him into the bottom of a well so perhaps he may be picked up by some travellers.” (12:9-10)
On their way back, they slaughtered a goat and stained Prophet Yusuf’s (PBUH) shirt with blood. They arrived home crying and told their father that while grazing their sheep, a wolf came and attacked their brother. He did not believe their story but remained patient and waited for Allah to reunite him with his beloved son.
Prophet Yusuf (PBUH) in Egypt
Yusuf clung to one of the sides of the well and prayed to Allah to save him. Soon, a caravan bound for Egypt stopped at the well for water. When the bucket was hauled up, the people were shocked to see a boy clinging to the rope. The travelers immediately shackled Yusuf and took him along to Egypt.
In Egypt, he was auctioned as a slave to the highest bidder, who happened to be the treasurer, Al-Azeez. Yusuf’s new master had no children of his own and was completely taken with Yusuf. He told his wife to take good care of Yusuf, and he could serve them as a slave, or they could take him for a son.
Prophet Yusuf’s Honesty and Integrity
Yusuf grew up to be handsome and was blessed with exceptional knowledge and wisdom by Allah. His honesty won the heart of Al-Azeez, who placed Yusuf in charge of his household. While he served Azeez honestly, Zulaikha, Al-Azeez’s wife, watched Yusuf closely. She began to feel passionately about him. Her obsession heightened with time, and she was desperate to fulfill her desire.
Prophet Yusuf and Zulaikha
One day, when her husband was away from home, she closed the doors and invited Yusuf inside. Yusuf, fearing Allah, replied,
“[I seek] refuge in Allah. Indeed, he is my master, who has made good my residence. Indeed, wrongdoers will not succeed.”
He turned away from her and ran towards the closed door. Zulaikha chased after him and grabbed his shirt from the back, causing it to rip. The door opened, and Al-Azeez entered.
Afraid of the consequences, she blamed Prophet Yusuf for the shameful act. He denied the allegations.
Al-Azeez was a fair man. He was confused and unsure of whom to believe. So, he consulted his wife’s cousin for advice. “If his shirt is torn from the front, then she has told the truth, and he is one of the liars,” advised the cousin.
This proved Prophet Yusuf’s innocence. Al-Azeez apologized for his wife’s indecency and swore Yusuf to secrecy.
Prophet Yusuf’s Beauty
Rumors began circulating in the kingdom about the incident at Azeez’s home. Zulaikha was outraged that she had been insulted. To explain her attraction to Prophet Yusuf, she decided to let them see him.
She called forty of the city’s prestigious women to the palace for a meal and offered them fruit with a knife. When they all had a knife to cut some fruit, she called Prophet Yusuf (PBUH) into the room. The women were so dazzled by his beauty that they cut their fingers in their distraction and exclaimed, “This is not a human being – he must be an angel!”
Zuleikha was furious with Prophet Yusuf (PBUH) because he had made her the laughingstock of the city. In her anger and frustration, she caused him to be imprisoned on false charges of assault.
Prophet Yusuf, the Dream Interpreter
On the day that Prophet Yusuf (AS) was imprisoned, two other men were also imprisoned. One used to serve the king wine, while the other was the royal cook. Both men had been accused of trying to poison the king.
The following day, the wine server told Prophet Yusuf (AS), “I saw in a dream that I was crushing grapes to make wine for the king.” The cook said, “I dreamt that I was carrying some bread in a basket on my head, and birds were pecking at the bread.”
Both men saw that Prophet Yusuf (PBUH) was pious and asked him if he could interpret their dreams. Prophet Yusuf (PBUH) took this opportunity to preach the religion of Allah to his prison mates. He promised to tell them the meaning of their dreams and informed them that this was a special power given to him by Allah. But he asked them to give up worshipping many Gods and pray to Allah alone.
Finally, he said, "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."
The dreams of both men came true, just as Prophet Yusuf (PBUH) had foretold. One of the captives was released, while the other was hanged. Unfortunately, once released, the wine server forgot all that Prophet Yusuf (AS) had told him to convey to the king.
Prophet Yusuf’s Release from Prison
One day, the king of Egypt had an odd dream. He summoned his men and said,
And ˹one day˺ the King said, “I dreamt of seven fat cows eaten up by seven skinny ones; and seven green ears of grain and ˹seven˺ others dry. O chiefs! Tell me the meaning of my dream if you can interpret dreams.”
The king was very concerned about the meaning of his dream, but unfortunately, none of his wise men could understand it.
They replied, “These are confused visions and we do not know the interpretation of such dreams.”
The king’s dream became a means of the liberation of Prophet Yusuf (PBUH). As soon as the wine server heard about the King’s dream, he remembered the powers of his cell-mate. He also remembered that Prophet Yusuf (PBUH) had asked him to tell the king of his innocence. He approached the king and got permission to see Prophet Yusuf (PBUH).
The King’s Dream
Prophet Yusuf (PBUH) interpreted the dream by the power given to him by Allah.
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 was delighted to hear this reasonable and sensible interpretation of his dream from the wine-server. He ordered that Prophet Yusuf (PBUH) be brought before him.
Although he had been in jail for so long, Prophet Yusuf (PBUH) refused to leave the prison until he was proven innocent. He told 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 this message to the king, who called the concerned women to explain. They all confessed the truth, and Zuleikha, the wife of the Aziz, also testified that Prophet Yusuf (PBUH) was innocent. Thus, Prophet Yusuf (PBUH) was released with his dignity and honor restored.
Prophet Yusuf and the King’s Court
Prophet Yusuf’s honesty and kind manners impressed the King. He decided to appoint him a high position in his court. 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
The Great Famine of Egypt
Yusuf harvested and stored crops during the seven years of fertility. He built great storehouses and stored extra grain and crops in them. He was determined that when the famine arrived, nobody should starve. And he proved successful. Due to his foresight and planning, the country did not face a food shortage.
Prophet Yusuf and His Brothers
When the years of famine approached, it affected many surrounding countries of Egypt. It affected Prophet Yaqub’s household, too. Yaqub sent all his sons except Binyamin to Egypt to purchase provisions.
Prophet Yusuf immediately recognized and provided for his brothers but kept his identity hidden. He casually inquired about their family. The brothers informed him of their father and brother back home. Yusuf informed them to bring their younger brother along next time or they will not receive any provisions. He also returned their money with their supplies as an incentive to return.
Upon their return, the brothers related their experiences to their father, praising the generosity and hospitality of Prophet Yusuf (PBUH). The brothers were also delighted to see that their money had been returned. Soon, they were out of grain and impatient to return to Egypt for more.
However, they could not return without Binyamin, so they tried to convince their father to let him accompany them. Prophet Ya’qub (PBUH) refused to let them take Binyamin because he feared they would do the same to him as they did to Prophet Yusuf (PBUH).
The brothers convinced him they would look after Binyamin, so he allowed Binyamin to go with them.
When they reached Egypt, the brothers presented their brother Binyamin to Prophet Yusuf. He was extremely happy to see his younger brother and invited all of them to dine with him. Later, he told Binyamin that he was his long-lost brother.
He explained how he had been raised from the position of a slave to one of great power by the Grace of Allah. However, he asked Binyamin not to tell their brothers about their conversation.
Prophet Yusuf (PBUH) said to Binyamin:
When they entered Yusuf’s presence, he called his brother ˹Binyamin˺ aside, and confided ˹to him˺, “I am indeed your brother ˹Yusuf˺! So do not feel distressed about what they have been doing.”
Prophet Yusuf and the King’s Gold Cup
Following Allah’s command, Prophet Yusuf (PBUH) put into action a plan to detain his brother Binyamin. He ordered his men to put the King’s gold cup in Binyamin’s luggage.
Allah describes the incident in the Holy Qur’an:
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
Prophet Yusuf’s brothers had not reached far when they were stopped and accused of stealing. They denied the accusation and said that if any of them were found guilty of theft, he could be held as a slave by Prophet Yusuf (PBUH). The caravan was searched, and the cup was found in Binyamin’s bag.
Prophet Yusuf (PBUH) said:
"According to your own words, we will now detain Binyamin with us." They replied, "O Aziz of Egypt! Our father is old and weak. You may detain any of us, but not Binyamin."
However, Prophet Yusuf (PBUH) said he could not detain anyone who was not guilty. The brothers had no choice but to leave. The eldest brother, Yahuda, refused to return without Binyamin. He remained in Egypt rather than face his father.
Prophet Yusuf’s Family Reunion
When Prophet Yaqub (PBUH) learned what had happened, he was heartbroken.
He had already lost his eyesight crying for his beloved son, Prophet Yusuf (PBUH), and this second loss was almost too much for him to bear. All he could do was weep in memory of his lost sons.
He asked his sons to immediately return to Egypt to look for Prophet Yusuf (PBUH) and Binyamin. Therefore, the brothers came to the Aziz of Egypt for the third time and pleaded for the release of Binyamin.
Prophet Yusuf (PBUH) reminded them of how badly they had treated their brother Yusuf and left him to die in a well. The brothers were amazed to hear their secret from the Aziz, who now spoke in the language of their people. 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."
Hearing this, the brothers hung their heads in shame and asked him for 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?" (12:94-96)
After getting his eyesight back and hearing the good news of his son, Prophet Yaqub (PBUH) decided to go to Egypt immediately. Prophet Yusuf (PBUH) was delighted to meet them and embraced his father and mother.
His parents and brothers prostrated themselves on the ground as a token of gratitude to Allah at this reunion. Thus, Allah made true the dream of Prophet Yusuf (PBUH) when he saw eleven stars, the sun, and the moon in prostration before him. After many trials, Allah raised him from the position of a slave to the highest rank in the land.
At his son’s request, Prophet Yaqub (PBUH) settled in Egypt with his family, and their tribe became known as the Bani Israel.
When Did Prophet Yusuf Die?
Prophet Yusuf died at the age of 110 years in Egypt.
Conclusion
There are many lessons in Prophet Yusuf’s(PBUH) story for Muslims. How he led his life teaches us to trust Allah’s plan and to always remain steadfast on the right path because this piety will lead to success in this world and the hereafter.
His story also teaches us patience. Patience in the face of hardship is the best quality and results in a reward from Allah.
Prophet Yusuf forgave his brothers even after how they treated him; this is a great lesson on forgiving others. May Allah make us all from the righteous! Ameen
FAQs
Did Prophet Yusuf marry Zulaikha?
No, he did not. Zulaikha was the Azeez’s wife. She lusted after Prophet Yusuf when he was made their house manager. She attempted to start an illegal affair with him, and when he refused her advances, she accused him of assault and had him imprisoned.
One Response
I couldn’t refrain from commenting. Perfectly written!