Nabdelraz

Introduction to the Quran

The Quran is the sacred book of the Muslim religion. In the Islamic faith it is believed to be the word of God, or Allah, as revealed by the Angel Gabriel to the Prophet Muhammad. The Quran was memorized by Prophet Muhammad and his followers, dictated to his companions and written down by scribes . It is the primary source of every Muslim’s faith and practice  ; it lays down their law and commandments, codes for social and moral behaviour and also contains religious philosophy. The book’s main theme is the relationship between God and his creatures but it also deals with other subjects that concern us as human beings such as: wisdom, doctrine, worship, transactions, law, etc. The Quran is divided into 114 Surahs or chapters and consists of 6,348 Ayaat or verses. The text is in Arabic and has not changed over the past 1400 years. In the Muslim religion it is forbidden to destroy or deface a Quran.

The Story of Yusuf

The story of Yusuf (Sura) is about the prophet Yusuf, also named Joseph translated in English. Yusuf is one of the sons of Ya’qub (also known as Jacob in English translation) who has the talent of interpreting dreams. One day Yusuf has a dream and he narrates his dream to his father who immediately knows that Yusuf will be a prophet. His father tells him to not tell his brothers to avoid any harm. However, because of Ya'qubs treatment towards Yusuf, Yusuf's brothers felt jealous. They wanted to get rid of Yusuf, so their father could love them instead of Yusuf. Their initial plan was to kill Yusuf, but later decided to throw him in a well. They lied to their father and told him that a wolf had killed him. Later, a caravan rescued Yusuf from the well, who then sold him to a man in Egypt. The man took Yusuf in and was hoping to have him as a son. Later, the man's wife tries to seduce Yusuf, but he resists. The woman seeing his resistance accuses Yusuf of wanting to harm her and demands that he should either be punished severely or sent to jail. Yusuf is sent to jail.

In the prison, Yusuf met two other men and interprets one of the prisoner’s dreams. The prisoner has been released and Yusuf asked the prisoner to mention his talent of to the king. One day, the King had a dream, and the prisoners who had been released mentioned Yusuf. He interprets the King’s dream, which is about Egypt having a seven-year drought. After, the King testifies the man, who bought Yusuf, along with his wife, to prove that Yusuf was innocent; as a result he was released from prison and appointed authority in Egypt.

During the seven-year drought, Yusuf’s brothers visit Egypt to get food for their family. Yusuf upon seeing his brothers, recognizes them but they did not recognize him . Yusuf in a high position of authority requests that the next time they come, they bring their youngest brother Benjamin with them. When the brothers returned with their youngest brother, Yusuf takes him aside and tells him his identity. Yusuf plots a theft case where his youngest brother is found guilty of theft and is detained from his family, so he could stay with him. Later, when the father and brothers face poverty they come back to Yusuf and Yusuf then helps them and reveals his identity asking them to come and live with him .

Revelation

There is no confirmed time when Sura Yusuf was revealed, but it is estimated to be either in the 10th or 11th year of dawah. In other words, it is known to have been revealed 2 or 3 years before hijrah (Migration) from Makkah to Madina, near the end of the Makkan era and Makkan journey. This Sura was revealed after the year the scholars of seerah named ‘am al huzun (the year of Sorrow or Despair). This year was a sad and depressing time for the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH). He went through several hardships, three of which were most significant. The first, his uncle’s death, Abu Talib. Abu Talib was the only father figure he had left and he was one of the people who protected him from the harms of society. The second was the tragedy of losing his beloved first wife, Khadijah. She was the first to believe in his message and was also his house of comfort. These two deaths were a significant loss to him as they were one of the few people that motivated and protected him through his journey. Lastly in Makkah, after his uncle’s death, the pagans made the prophet face excessive hardships while he tried to preach the message of Islam to the people. Expecting a better reply from another city, called Taaif, the prophet departs Makkah. However, to his disappointment the city people did not welcome him, they gave him a hard time and chased him out of the city by throwing rocks at him. He was injured, bleeding and left with nothing but disappointment from the people of Taaif. This sura was meant to uplift his spirits and comfort him in his time of dejection.

Other Findings

Along with the three crucial events that led to the revelation of Surah Yusuf, scholars have mentioned other incidents. The Quraish wanted to test the prophet of Allah, as they were in disbelief of his true knowledge and spiritual capabilities. They did not believe him to be a prophet and planned to trick him by asking him a question that only a true prophet would be able to answer. The story of Yusuf and his brothers, was one that was not heard of, as the people of Makkah held no knowledge of this story. It was known to the Christian and Jewish culture, but was unheard of by the Quraish. To recite this story would show true prophecy, but people had no faith that Allah would posses this gift. Allah revealed Surah Yusuf to the The Prophet(PBUH) to answer the question of the Quraish. This event proved that he was indeed a prophet among the people.

The other reason reported by scholars is that when times were tough on the Muslims in Makkah the compainions of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH)requested a story. They questioned, "Oh messenger of Allah, why don't you tell us the stories of those before us who also suffered?" This was a time of abrupt chaos as the Muslims were being persecuted and later forced to leave. This posed as the second conclusion to the revelation, as the prophet's story represented spiritual guidance and hope.

Major Themes in Sura Yusuf

The faith of the Prophets

The faiths of the Prophets before Muhammad (PBUH) were the same as his. Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham), Ishaaq (Isaac), Ya’qoob (Jacob) and Yusuf (Joseph) invited the people to the same message as the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

Character of a Muslim

• Awareness of Allah and the accountability of one's deeds

• Pursue one’s goals while remaining under the limits prescribed by the Divine Law

• Believes that succuess and failure are entirely in the hands of God, whatever Allah wills happens and no one can prevent it

• Applies their efforts towards the truth and puts one’s trust in Allah

Confidence and Courage

Through the story of Yusuf (PBUH), Allah taught the believers that a person who possesses true Islamic character can master the world with the strength of their character. The example of the Prophet Yusuf shows that a person of high and pure character can overcome severe circumstances and be successful .

Objectives of this Surah

1. To provide proof that Muhammad’s (PBUH) Prophethood, and his knowledge is not based on unsubstantiated information, rather but was gained through revelation.

2. It applies the theme of the story to the people of Quraysh (The tribe of the leaders in Makah) and warns that the conflict between them and the Prophet would end in his victory over them. As stated in in verse 7: “Indeed there are signs in this story of Yusuf and his brothers for the inquirers (from among the Quraysh)