Story Of Prophet Yusuf ✔

PART 41:YUSUF REUNITES WITH HIS FAMILY [Surah Yusuf 12: 99-100]

99. Then when they entered upon Yusuf, he took his parents to himself, and he said: “Enter Egypt, if Allah wills, in security.”

100. And he raised his parents on the throne, and they fell down to him in prostration, and he said “O my father, This is the meaning of my true dream from before. Surely my Lord has made it into a reality, and surely He has done Ihsan to me when He took me out of the prison, and He made you all come to me from the desert even after Shaitan had sown enmity between me and my brothers. Surely my Lord is Subtle when He does what He wills. Surely He is the Knowing, the Wise”.

Allah tells us in these verses that when the entire family of Yusuf (AS) entered to where he was, Yusuf (AS) brought his parents near to him. The way in which he did this was similar to how he brought Binyamin near to him in a previous ayah. This show us both the love and the respect that Yusuf (AS) had for his parents.

This was a long time ago when the world was much more savage and isolated than it is today. At that time, nations and tribes were far apart from each other. Almost all people cared only about preserving and protecting their nation or tribe. So we can assume that many among the Egyptians would not be too happy with this mass influx of foreigners coming into their land. Not only was this large group of people coming into their land, but they were coming there to settle there and live there permanently. So many among the Egyptians might have not been too happy with them. Some among them may even have tried to hurt the family of Ya'qoob (AS) when they entered Egypt. Thus this part of the ayah is actually a prayer of Yusuf (AS). A dua for his family to come into Egypt safely. For his family to live safely in Egypt. Now, of course, Yusuf (AS) did his best to ensure that his family would be safe. Being close to the king, he did all that he could do in his capacity to ensure the safety of his family. But in the end, he knew that the safety and well being of his family was up to Allah. His family would only be safe if Allah willed them to be safe. That is why he prays to Allah here. He asks that his family enter into their new home and live in their new home in safety and peace.

Yusuf (AS) then raised his parents to the highest place of honor and dignity. The word arsh (throne) in this ayah means two things. It may be is a metaphor for honor and dignity. He gave them the position of authority above him. Another meaning is that he had a throne in his palace so he puts his parents on the throne to show them respect.  When he did that, they came off the throne and prostrated to him, and his eleven brothers also fell into prostration. This was not a prostration of worship, but rather it was only a prostration of respect. Lowering the head for respect was something that was allowed in the previous legislations. In Islam, this has been made forbidden.  We are not allowed to bow down in front of any created object out of respect.  Lowering your head out of worship has always been forbidden except for Allah, even in the previous legislations.

After Yusuf (AS) saw his entire family prostrate themselves before him, he then realized that this was indeed the fulfillment of his dream from before. The dream where he saw eleven stars, the sun, and the moon prostrate before him. Yusuf tells his father how his Lord had made this dream into a reality. Once again he is ascribing the blessings to Allah. He describes for his father all of the favors and blessings that Allah had bestowed on him. In humility and submission, he acknowledges that what Allah did for him was indeed the best. He acknowledges and thanks Allah for reuniting him with his family. More important than the physical reunion Allah united their hearts.

Notice once again that Yusuf (AS) does not blame his brothers at all for everything that happened between him and them. Even though they were in truth deserving of all blame, he does not blame them. Instead, he places all of the blame only on Shaitan. Now was this true? Was Shaitan the only one to blame for all of the evil that happened? Were the brothers completely innocent? Of course not. Shaitan only invited the brothers to sin, but they followed his invitation. So why then does Yusuf (AS) only blame the devil instead of also blaming his brothers? It was for Allah. For Allah Yusuf (AS) forgave his brothers. He completely forgot about all of the evil that they did to him. Not only did Yusuf forgive them for Allah, but he even thanked Allah for bringing them back together. After their hearts had become so distant, after all that rage and anger, Allah brought them back together as brothers. Brothers in faith and brothers in blood.

Then Allah tells us that Yusuf (as) said: “Surely my Lord is Subtle when He does what He wills”. The Arabic word Lateef that Allah uses here to describe Himself (swt) cannot easily be translated into English. The best translation that we can find is that it means that Allah is Subtle in what He (swt) does. It gives the meaning that when Allah wishes to accomplish something, then He (swt) does it in the most subtle and undetectable of ways. The way in which Allah acts is so subtle that it is almost incomprehensible. It is almost unbelievable. This is what Allah did for Yusuf (AS). The way Allah does things is not meant to grab your attention. His plan is always at work in the background, and you don’t even realize it.

Finally, Yusuf (AS) says of his Lord that “Surely He is the Knowing, the Wise”. Of all the Names of Allah, these two Names are what Yusuf (AS) chooses to mention here. He is the One who knows everything and the One who is All-Wise.  Once again two Names of Allah that are very relevant.  He knew all along what was happening.  He was Hakim.  He had a wisdom – Yusuf didn’t know it, they didn’t know it, but now we see that wisdom.  Hakim means there is a wisdom of why He is doing all of this.  Allah knew everything that is happening to all of them.  He was doing everything for a wisdom, and now we see that wisdom in front of us.  In everything that Allah does and in everything that He (swt) decrees there is Wisdom. There is perfect Wisdom because both His Knowledge and His Wisdom are perfect.

And finally, the story ends [Surah is not ended yet and I will continue the tafsir and lessons until the end], and the good guys did win in the end. But they were tested severely, and their faith was shaken several times. But they stood firm, remained patient and asked Allah for help. And that's how our life's story should also be, if we manage to continue on the straight path. It's important now that you read more of the translation of the Qur'an in an attempt to learn and understand the lessons present in it as these are a source of Mercy and Divine guidance for all of us.

LESSONS

1

. For any difficulty that you face in your life always remember that your Lord is the Knowing and the Wise. Find solace and comfort in the fact that He (swt) is the Knowing and the Wise. When you feel some pain then know that He (swt) Knows the pain that you feel and that He (swt) is pleased with you for the patience you demonstrate through it. When some calamity befalls you then remember that it only befell by His Will and permission. Then remember how He (swt) is the Most Wise and how there is His Wisdom in that calamity. Even if you yourself do not realize the Wisdom at that particular moment, rest assured that it is there. Because Wisdom is one of the very Names of Allah, it is a part of Who He (swt) IS. So in the end, no matter what happens, you have to believe that everything will work out for the best. This is because this world is only a thin illusion. Behind this fragile veil is the Real and the True. How can you not expect the very best from Him (swt)?

2. Look for good in bad situations. If Yusuf was not in prison and if he didn’t meet those two prisoners, a drought would have happened regardless, but there would never have been someone to give the suggestions that Yusuf gave. Many people would have starved to death if Yusuf didn’t go through what he went through. This also included the survival of his own family too; his brothers and father would have starved to death too. There was a greater good that needed to be accomplished. And by the way, he was able to sponsor all his family to move to Egypt. All of this begins with the trials of Yusuf. If that didn’t happen, none of this would have happened.

3. Everything Allah chooses for us; evil or good, pleasure or affliction, is for our benefit. It is beyond our understanding to completely comprehend the Divine Wisdom behind every affliction because our knowledge is limited. Allah alone knows how things will turn out in the end, and how it will benefit us. So, the calamity that appears to be evil may lead to many favorable benefits.

4. In this story, the end result is that they are forgiven and became prophets. That is why in the dream, Yusuf saw eleven starts in the sky because they are literally stars – they are not as high as the sun and the moon, but nonetheless, they become stars.