Prophet Yusuf (Joseph)
Yusuf (Alaih Assalaam) had eleven brothers. Ten were older than him, and one was younger. Yusuf (Alaih Assalaam) was a very good and handsome boy and his father Yaqub(Alaih Assalaam) loved him very much. Unfortunately, this made his eleven brothers jealous, so they decided to get rid of Yusuf(Alaih Assalaam). One day, they took Yusuf(Alaih Assalaam) to a deep well and threw him into it. Then, they took Yusuf(Alaih Assalaam)’s shirt and soaked it in sheep’s blood. They showed the shirt to their father and said to him, "Our brother Yusuf is dead. A wolf has eaten him."
At this Yaqub(Alaih Assalaam) was overcome with grief, and he wept bitterly for his beloved son. Years passed, and Yaqub (Alaih Assalaam)became old and blind. But his trust in Allah remained firm and unswerving. Yaqub(Alaih Assalaam) prayed very hard to Allah and never gave up hope that Yusuf was still alive and that one day they would be together again. Yaqub(Alaih Assalaam) was certain this would be so. Yaqub(Alaih Assalaam) was right, for when Yusuf(Alaih Assalaam) had found himself in the well, he, too, had prayed to Allah. A caravan with merchants came and passed by the well. They found Yusuf(Alaih Assalaam), pulled him out and took him with them to Egypt. there he was sold in the market place to a man and his wife, who had no children of their own.
Sometimes it happens in life that a person is unjustly accused of a crime he did not commit. This is what happened to Yusuf (Alaih Assalaam)when he grew up to be a man. He was put into prison, even though he had not done anything wrong. Only Allah knows best what is good for man, and He helps those who have faith in Him.
Years later, while Yusuf (Alaih Assalaam)was still in prison, the Pharaoh of Egypt had a dream which caused him much concern. "I see seven fate cows who are being eaten by seen thin ones, and seven green ears of corn and seven dried ones," he told his courtiers. But none of the courtiers could explain what this dream meant. Then Pharaoh learned that the imprisoned Yusuf(Alaih Assalaam) knew how to interpret it. So, Pharaoh sent for Yusuf (Alaih Assalaam)and Yusuf (Alaih Assalaam)explained: Your dream means that the first seven years to come will be good years with good harvest, but the next seven years to follow will be bad years with famine and hunger. Therefore, you should collect and save as much grain as you can from the first good years and store it for the time of hunger!
The Pharaoh was very grateful to Yusuf (Alaih Assalaam)and requested his help in overcoming the famine, for he realized that Yusuf (Alaih Assalaam)was a wise and capable man. Yusuf (Alaih Assalaam)agreed, and Pharaoh made him the treasurer and inspector of Egypt’s storage chambers.
When the famine came and spread over the country, it also affected the people in Yusuf(Alaih Assalaam)’s own land. They too became hungry and during this time, Yusuf(Alaih Assalaam)’s brothers arrived in Egypt. They wanted to buy grain from the plentiful supply which Yusuf had told the Egyptians to store. Allah planned that when they reached Egypt, the brothers would come before Yusuf(Alaih Assalaam). At first they did not recognize him, for they thought that he was long dead. Later on, though, they realized who Yusuf(Alaih Assalaam) was and felt very ashamed of what they had done all those years ago. They begged Yusuf’s pardon and Yusuf forgave them. Bring our father to me, Yusuf said to his brothers.
When the brothers brought their father to Yusuf(Alaih Assalaam), the blind old man was full of happiness. He had always believed that Yusuf(Alaih Assalaam) was still alive and had never stopped praying to Allah. Father and son embraced each other. It was a wonderful reunion for them after such a long time apart.
Afterwards, Yusuf(Alaih Assalaam)’s father and brothers remained in Egypt. They grew into a big family and raised many children. And in the story of Musa, you will learn what became of these children.
Yusuf(Alaih Assalaam), who was a good, noble man and a prophet of Allah, had always told the Egyptians: You should worship only Allah. Allah has created you and protected and preserved you from hunger. You must be grateful to Allah and do good deeds.