Watch the full talk on YouTube below ( or click here) :
Part 3: Prison + Establishment
I’d like to remind us once again why we narrate this
beautiful story:
- To build a love for the Qur’an in our hearts
- Use this story as a source of motivation for us to uplift us in no matter what our circumstances are as we go through trials and difficulties in life. Just as how this surah was a source of motivation for our Prophet Muhammad ﷺ when it was revealed in moments when he was going through difficulties in his life.
- The key lesson here is that you don't have control over the qadr of Allah. But you can choose how you respond. Kindness is a choice. Patience and withholding anger, that is a choice. Affecting people with optimism and positivity, in the face of adversity and calamities, that is a choice. And that is the choice made by Yusuf as a prisoner, as we shall see in these opening ayat.
Food for thought:
People sometimes ask, why do "bad things" happen
to “good people”? A friend of mine was asking this only recently, in the
context of the difficulties that he himself faces in his own life.
My thoughts on that question is, let’s ponder upon surah
Yusuf here, and please ask yourself two questions:
1. The things that happen in your life, are they worse than
what Yusuf had to endure?
2. And when you say "good people", well we need to
ask, are you better than Yusuf? So if you are not, then what makes you think
you deserve “better” than him?
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was asked, “O Messenger of Allah, which people are most
severely tested?”
He replied,
الأَنْبِيَاءُ ثُمَّ الأَمْثَلُ فَالأَمْثَلُ
يُبْتَلَى الْعَبْدُ عَلَى حَسَبِ دِينِهِ فَإِنْ كَانَ فِي دِينِهِ صُلْبًا
اشْتَدَّ بَلاَؤُهُ وَإِنْ كَانَ فِي دِينِهِ رِقَّةٌ ابْتُلِيَ عَلَى حَسَبِ
دِينِهِ فَمَا يَبْرَحُ الْبَلاَءُ بِالْعَبْدِ حَتَّى يَتْرُكَهُ يَمْشِي عَلَى
الأَرْضِ وَمَا عَلَيْهِ مِنْ خَطِيئَةٍ
“The
Prophets, then the next best and the next best.
A person is
tested according to his religious commitment. If he is steadfast in his
religious commitment, he will be tested more severely, and if he is frail in
his religious commitment, his test will be according to his commitment.
Trials will
continue to afflict a person until they leave him walking on the earth with no
sin on him.”
(Narrated
by Ibn Majah, graded hasan)
It’s the adversities in our lives – and the brave, righteous
choices we make in the wake of these adversities – that shape us to become the
heroes we need to be.
The
famous 20th century American writer Scott Fitzgerald once said, “Show
me a hero and I will write you a tragedy”.
Yusuf, this young innocent boy, being bullied by his
brothers out of jealousy, being thrown into a bottom of a well in the middle of
a desert, sold into slavery into a far away land of Egypt, got seduced by the
wife of his own master, was the target of the women of the city for adultery,
had proven innocence and was ignored, finally they manipulated the system and
oppressive threw him into prison.
Yet at every turn, he consistently makes the right choices,
even though it lands him into trial.
This was a person whose life was a series of tragedies, one
after another, before he finally reigned triumphant. He wasn’t a hero in spite
of the tragedies – he was a hero BECAUSE OF IT.
This is the lesson of sabr. Of taqwa.
Bruce Lee once said: “Do not pray for an easy life;
rather, pray for the strength to endure a difficult one”
And so let us continue this story of strength: the strength
of iman and taqwa of Yusuf.
Ayah 35: Imprisoned
So we pick
up where we left off in the previous session. Yusuf made a conscious choice: a
difficult choice: he made du’aa to Allah that he felt vulnerable that he could
fall into temptation of zina, and he would rather go to prison instead. And so
Allah answered his call.
ثُمَّ بَدَا لَهُمْ مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا رَأَوُا الْآيَاتِ
لَيَسْجُنُنَّهُ حَتَّىٰ حِينٍ ﴿٣٥﴾
Then it
appeared to them after they had seen the signs that al-'Azeez should surely
imprison him for a time.
What
happened is, because he adamantly refused, they agreed to put him into jail –
and in fact the way that Allah tells us of the incident, “HE” imprisoned Yusuf.
And “He” here refers to his own master, Al-Aziz. So not only was he ignoring
his innocence, but he was manipulating his authority, abusing his power to oppressively
imprison an innocent individual, his own slave boy whom he raised as his own
son.
But as
mentioned in the previous session, although this was oppression, prison life
saved Yusuf from committing adultery, and in fact opened up opportunities for
him to spread the message of revelation, of tauhid.
If we were
to look at the history of the scholars of Islam, some of the greatest among
them have been a victim of being unlawfully imprisoned. Among them – Imam Abu
Hanifah, Imam Malik, Imam Ahmad, and Ibnu Taymiyyah.
But prison
never became a stumbling block for them to excel and thrive.
One of the
most inspiring figures is ibnu Taymiyyah. His life was riddled with challenges
and adversities – he had so many enemies who wanted to harm him; throughout his
life time, multiple times he went in and out of prison. His enemies wanted to
kill him. The political leaders who felt threatened by him wanted to exile him
and throw him in the land.
And yet in
spite of all that, he said these beautiful words to his student ibn Al-Qayyim:
عن ابن القيم قَالَ وَقَالَ لِي شَيْخَ الْإِسْلَامِ ابْنَ
تَيْمِيَّةَ رحمه الله مَرَّةً مَا يَصْنَعُ أَعْدَائِي بِي أَنَا جَنَّتِي وَبُسْتَانِي
فِي صَدْرِي أَيْنَ رُحْت فَهِيَ مَعِي لَا تُفَارِقُنِي أَنَا حَبْسِي خَلْوَةٌ وَقَتْلِي
شَهَادَةٌ وَإِخْرَاجِي مِنْ بَلَدِي سِيَاحَةٌ
1/48 الوابل الصيب من الكلم الطيب
“What can
my enemies do to me? My paradise and my garden are in my heart wherever I go
and they are never separated from me.
If they
imprison me, then it is seclusion – private worship between me and Allah. If I
am killed, then it is martyrdom. If they expel me from my land, then it is
vacation for the sake of Allah (hijrah).”
(Al-Wabil
As-Sayib, 1/48)
SubhanAllah
with a mindset like this, you are virtually invincible!
Every
single adversity that could possibly happen to him, is an opportunity for good.
This is the
mindset of a believer that we should be instilling in our minds. The Prophet ﷺ said:
عَجَبًا لأَمْرِ الْمُؤْمِنِ إِنَّ أَمْرَهُ كُلَّهُ خَيْرٌ
وَلَيْسَ ذَاكَ لأَحَدٍ إِلاَّ لِلْمُؤْمِنِ إِنْ أَصَابَتْهُ سَرَّاءُ شَكَرَ فَكَانَ
خَيْرًا لَهُ وَإِنْ أَصَابَتْهُ ضَرَّاءُ صَبَرَ فَكَانَ خَيْرًا لَهُ
"How
wonderful is the case of a believer; there is good for him in everything and
this applies only to a believer.
If
prosperity attends him, he expresses gratitude to Allah and that is good for
him;
and if
adversity befalls him, he endures it patiently and that is better for
him".
(Muslim)
Ayah 36: Dreams of the
Prison-mates
And so
Prophet Yusuf entered into prison and there he met two young men, who
experienced strange dreams, and were seeking to get it interpreted.
وَدَخَلَ مَعَهُ السِّجْنَ فَتَيَانِ
ۖ قَالَ أَحَدُهُمَا إِنِّي أَرَانِي أَعْصِرُ خَمْرًا ۖ وَقَالَ الْآخَرُ إِنِّي أَرَانِي أَحْمِلُ فَوْقَ رَأْسِي خُبْزًا تَأْكُلُ
الطَّيْرُ مِنْهُ ۖ نَبِّئْنَا بِتَأْوِيلِهِ ۖ إِنَّا نَرَاكَ مِنَ الْمُحْسِنِينَ ﴿٣٦﴾
And
there entered with him two young men in the prison. One of them said:
"Verily, I saw myself (in a dream) pressing wine." The other said:
"Verily, I saw myself (in a dream) carrying bread on my head and birds
were eating thereof." (They said): "Inform us of the interpretation
of this. Verily, we think you are one of the Muhsinun (doers of good - see V.
2:112)." (36)
Out of all
the people in prison, why did these two companions of the prison decide to
approach this man, Yusuf? They didn’t even know who he was, did not know his
capability.
The answer:
إِنَّا نَرَاكَ مِنَ الْمُحْسِنِينَ
we see you are a good man
In prison,
Yusuf wasn’t complaining about his oppressed circumstances. He remained calm
and was in service of others – to the point where he earned the reputation of
being a good man.
Prison is
NOT a pleasant place. Look at the context of Yusuf. Before that in his years of
youth, was living in the household of Al-Aziz, the minister. Comfortable, easy
life. And now he is in prison.
Yet he was
always himself. Being of service to others to the point where he earned the
reputation of being a good man.
This
teaches us about character integrity: that no matter what your circumstances
are, no matter what happens around you, there is a core principle character in
you that remains intact. Yusuf continued to be of service even though he was
wronged in accused of adultery and being totally innocent.
This was a
man of integrity: he retains core self despite the external challenges
happening around him, he becomes a better person, and impacts the people around
him.
A true
believer would have the barakah of positively affecting the people around
him.
We have
made mention about ibn Taymiyyah – this amazing human being who had this
bulletproof mindset that looks at every adversity as an opportunity. His
student, the great scholar ibn al-Qayyim said he has never met anyone who was
more at peace than his shaikh (ibn Taymiyyah). He said:
When we were seized with fear and our thoughts
[about Allah's decree] turned negative, and the earth grew narrow for us, we
would go to him. No sooner did we look at him and hear his words than all these
[feelings] would leave us, to be replaced by relief, strength, certainty and
tranquillity.
So glory be to the One who lets His servants
witness His Heaven well before they meet Him, who opens its doors to them in
this world of deeds and who gives them something of its refreshment, its breeze
and its perfume - that they might seek it and hasten towards it with all their
strength.
You see, it's
one thing to endure the trials, challenges and Adversity: but to triumph over
that so well and in fact even elevate and inspire people around us - now that
is true iman. That is true gratitude and patience. That is the trait that ibn
Taymiyyah - and in fact Yusuf here teaches us.
SubhanAllah
we face a bit of difficulty, some stress here and there, face some challenges,
and we are frowning, we lash out at others, sometimes we throw things, “can’t
you see I’m so stressed out”?
That is my
challenge to you: If you face difficulties, challenges, in your life, make the
choice: Not to be depressed; rather, turn the ship around and become a beacon
of hope for the others around you.
Yusuf
teaches us here, in spite of the face of adversity, being oppressed by people
of authority, in the worst of places on earth, in prison: be better than that,
own up to the situation and take the high road: remain patient, serve others,
you can elevate uplift and inspire others with your kindness and goodness. This
is what Islam teaches us!
Do not be a
product of your environment; rather, let your environment be a
product of you. Let the people around you be affected with your positive
spirits – let your strength of iman be a source of blessings to the people
around you. Let us aspire to be Prophet Isa describes in surah Maryam:
وَجَعَلَنِي مُبَارَكًا أَيْنَ مَا كُنْتُ
“And Allah has made me blessed (Mubarak) wherever I
may be” (Surah Maryam, 32)
The best
example of this is our Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
Have you ever thought about the emotion and psychology of the Prophet ﷺ? He must be the most stressed person in the world. If there was
one person who had the right to be frowning and stressed out, it would
certainly be him! Think about it. He:
- Shoulders the burden of delivering the message of revelation – to train and entrust his companions to deliver it until the day of judgment
- Faces the threat of Quraysh determined to invade and destroy them. The threat of the Romans who will come and attack them.
- Knows the Jews he is living with has an intense hatred against Muslims and desire to destroy them and will backstab them at any moment
- Has to handle the hypocrites in his midst – disbelievers pretending to be Muslims but are destroying Islam from inside
- Faces all the difficulties of politics and managing a country
- Endures personal difficulty in his own personal life: His family members dying and him have to bury his own children. All of his children died in his lifetime except Fatimah
- Has seen the horrors of the day of judgment, hellfire. In fact he himself said,
وَالَّذِي نَفْسُ مُحَمَّدٍ بِيَدِهِ لَوْ تَعْلَمُونَ
مَا أَعْلَمُ لَبَكَيْتُمْ كَثِيرًا، وَلَضَحِكْتُمْ قَلِيلاً
Narrated
Abu Huraira: Abu-l-Qasim (the Prophet) said, "By Him in Whose Hand
Muhammad's soul is, if you know that which I know, you would weep much and
laugh little." (Al-Bukhari)
Yet how was his conduct? Was he always frowning, stressed
out?
عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ الْحَارِثِ بْنِ جَزْءٍ، قَالَ
مَا رَأَيْتُ أَحَدًا أَكْثَرَ تَبَسُّمًا مِنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم
Similarly, in another narration, `Abdullah b. al-Harith said:
"I have never seen anyone more in the habit of smiling than Allah's
Messenger (Muhammad ﷺ)"
[Sunan al-Tirmidhi (3574), hasan ghrib]
رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم مُنْذُ أَسْلَمْتُ،
وَلاَ رَآنِي إِلاَّ ضَحِكَ
Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) has never refused to admit me since I
embraced Islam, and whenever he saw me, he would smile. (Al-Bukhari, Muslim)
When the
leader is always calm, his followers will also feel calm.
“This guy
has all the reason in the world to panic and get stressed out. But he’s so cool.
So should we be too!”
All of us have an effect to the people around
us.
SO my
question to you is this: what effect do you CHOOSE to inflict to the people
around you?
I keep
turning back to this idea that motivates me everyday: What legacy do we want to
leave behind in this world? What do you want to be remembered for?
Sometimes
when we say the word “legacy”, people think about these huge, world changing
stuff.
But let’s
not go there yet. Let’s start small: think about your own household – how are
you affecting the people closest to you? Your husband, your wife, your
children, your siblings, your parents. Are you infecting them with positivity?
How will
they remember you when you are gone?
Coming back
to the story of Yusuf: What does “good man” have to do with the competency of
interpreting dreams?
These are
two separate qualities – competency and trustworthiness. And when combined they
create for the ideal person to employ for any service. That is why in surah Al-Qasas Allah
mentions,
اِنَّ خَيْرَ مَنِ اسْتَاْجَرْتَ الْقَوِيُّ
الْاَمِيْنُ
“.. the
best man you can hire is someone who is strong (i.e. competent) and
trustworthy.”
(Surah
Al-Qasas, 26)
But again
these are two separate qualities – you may have someone who is very trustworthy
but isn’t “competent”. At the same time, you may have someone who is
“competent” but not necessarily trustworthy.
These two
companions of the prison felt that it is more important that we look for
trustworthiness first. Because a trustworthy person, if he doesn’t know, he
will have the honesty and humility to admit “I don’t know”
We don’t
know this friend’s skills, but at least we know he will answer honestly. Even
if we don’t get the answer.
Flip side:
if we have someone who is very competent, but is NOT trustworthy, perhaps he
might tell us some truth but also make up some false tales because he wants to
“live up” to that reputation. Because he wants to be a good storyteller, he
wants a favour from us.
These
prisoners made a good call: let’s choose our interpreter based on
trustworthiness. Best case, we get an answer, worst case, we won’t – but at
least we won’t be fooled!
Side
Note:
Dream
interpretation is a very abstract subject matter. A dream may be very complex
and if interpreted by different people can have vastly different outcomes. And
one dream may have several different sequences. There is a hadith narrated in
Sahih Al-Bukhari, where a man came to the Prophet ﷺ with a dream. Abu Bakr
As-Siddeeq volunteered to interpret it in the presence of Rasulullah ﷺ. And then at the end he asked
the Prophet – was I correct? The Prophet said, you were right in some, and
wrong in some
Even Abu
Bakr as-Siddiq, the closest companion to the Prophet, the most righteous and
knowledgeable of the ummah, he made some mistakes in interpreting dreams. So
everyone else, there will be a margin for error
أَنَّ ابْنَ عَبَّاسٍ ـ رضى الله
عنهما ـ كَانَ يُحَدِّثُ أَنَّ رَجُلاً أَتَى رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم
فَقَالَ إِنِّي رَأَيْتُ اللَّيْلَةَ فِي الْمَنَامِ ظُلَّةً تَنْطِفُ السَّمْنَ
وَالْعَسَلَ، فَأَرَى النَّاسَ يَتَكَفَّفُونَ مِنْهَا فَالْمُسْتَكْثِرُ
وَالْمُسْتَقِلُّ، وَإِذَا سَبَبٌ وَاصِلٌ مِنَ الأَرْضِ إِلَى السَّمَاءِ،
فَأَرَاكَ أَخَذْتَ بِهِ فَعَلَوْتَ، ثُمَّ أَخَذَ بِهِ رَجُلٌ آخَرُ فَعَلاَ
بِهِ، ثُمَّ أَخَذَ بِهِ رَجُلٌ آخَرُ فَعَلاَ بِهِ ثُمَّ أَخَذَ بِهِ رَجُلٌ
آخَرُ فَانْقَطَعَ ثُمَّ وُصِلَ. فَقَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ
بِأَبِي أَنْتَ وَاللَّهِ لَتَدَعَنِّي فَأَعْبُرَهَا. فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ صلى
الله عليه وسلم " اعْبُرْ ". قَالَ أَمَّا الظُّلَّةُ
فَالإِسْلاَمُ، وَأَمَّا الَّذِي يَنْطِفُ مِنَ الْعَسَلِ وَالسَّمْنِ فَالْقُرْآنُ
حَلاَوَتُهُ تَنْطُفُ، فَالْمُسْتَكْثِرُ مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ وَالْمُسْتَقِلُّ،
وَأَمَّا السَّبَبُ الْوَاصِلُ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ إِلَى الأَرْضِ فَالْحَقُّ الَّذِي
أَنْتَ عَلَيْهِ تَأْخُذُ بِهِ فَيُعْلِيكَ اللَّهُ، ثُمَّ يَأْخُذُ بِهِ رَجُلٌ
مِنْ بَعْدِكَ فَيَعْلُو بِهِ، ثُمَّ يَأْخُذُ رَجُلٌ آخَرُ فَيَعْلُو بِهِ، ثُمَّ
يَأْخُذُهُ رَجُلٌ آخَرُ فَيَنْقَطِعُ بِهِ ثُمَّ يُوَصَّلُ لَهُ فَيَعْلُو بِهِ،
فَأَخْبِرْنِي يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ بِأَبِي أَنْتَ أَصَبْتُ أَمْ أَخْطَأْتُ.
قَالَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم " أَصَبْتَ بَعْضًا وَأَخْطَأْتَ
بَعْضًا ". قَالَ فَوَاللَّهِ لَتُحَدِّثَنِّي بِالَّذِي أَخْطَأْتُ.
قَالَ " لاَ تُقْسِمْ ".
Narrated Ibn `Abbas:
A man came to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) and said, "I saw in a dream, a cloud
having shade. Butter and honey were dropping from it and I saw the people
gathering it in their hands, some gathering much and some a little. And behold,
there was a rope extending from the earth to the sky, and I saw that you (the
Prophet) held it and went up, and then another man held it and went up and
(after that) another (third) held it and went up, and then after another
(fourth) man held it, but it broke and then got connected again." Abu Bakr
said, "O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! Let my father be sacrificed for you!
Allow me to interpret this dream." The Prophet (ﷺ) said to him, "Interpret it."
Abu Bakr said, "The cloud with shade symbolizes Islam, and the butter and
honey dropping from it, symbolizes the Qur'an, its sweetness dropping and some
people learning much of the Qur'an and some a little. The rope which is
extended from the sky to the earth is the Truth which you (the Prophet) are
following. You follow it and Allah will raise you high with it, and then
another man will follow it and will rise up with it and another person will
follow it and then another man will follow it but it will break and then it
will be connected for him and he will rise up with it. O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! Let my father be
sacrificed for you! Am I right or wrong?" The Prophet replied, "You are right in some of
it and wrong in some." Abu Bakr said, "O Allah's Prophet! By
Allah, you must tell me in what I was wrong." The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Do not
swear."
(Narrated by Al-Bukhari)
- - End side Note -
Yusuf’s reputation of being a good person is what opened up
the door for him to call others to Allah. Shows us the importance of Akhlaq –
we are all ambassadors of what we represent.
Before people are even bothered to listen to what you have
to say, or your values, they will look at how you behave.
Listen, my dear brother, my dear sister: You are a walking
ambassador of Islam.
Your behavior represents Islam. Before you even teach anyone
of the deen, people are making their assessment about you and our character. If
you fail to display credible character, sometimes people will get turned off
from the religion just because of your bad behavior. And if you show great
character, that’s what might pique the interest of Islam.
When the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ made his first attempt to give da’wah in public and called
them, he asked them
" أَرَأَيْتَكُمْ لَوْ أَخْبَرْتُكُمْ
أَنَّ خَيْلاً بِالْوَادِي تُرِيدُ أَنْ تُغِيرَ عَلَيْكُمْ، أَكُنْتُمْ مُصَدِّقِيَّ
". قَالُوا نَعَمْ،
مَا جَرَّبْنَا عَلَيْكَ إِلاَّ صِدْقًا
"Suppose
I told you that there is an (enemy) cavalry in the valley intending to attack
you, would you believe me?" They said, "Yes, for we have not found you telling anything
other than the truth." (Al-Bukhari)
And in
another narration,
قَالُوا مَا جَرَّبْنَا
عَلَيْكَ كَذِبًا
They said,
“we have never heard
you tell a lie” (Muslim)
The prophet ﷺ
clearly established himself as a trustworthy person in society. So when he
gives da’wah people will not question his personal credibility!
So my fellow ambassadors, let’s ask ourselves: What are we
portraying towards the others around us?
·
What do your words
communicate? How does your manner of speech portray Islam?
·
How is your work ethic?
·
How do you treat your
customer? Your patrons?
The Prophet ﷺ
said,
إِنَّمَا بُعِثْتُ
لِأُتَمِّمَ صَالِحَ الأَخْلاقِ
“Verily, I have only been sent for the perfection of good
character”
(Narrated in Adab Al-Mufrad, graded sahih by Al-Albani)
Akhlaq has two sides two it – external and internal
Think of it as an iceberg. What people see – these as the
external aspects. What people see, the superficial side of things. How you
behave, your mannerisms in talking, your body language, your dressing,
appearance.
The internal aspects, that’s what people don’t see – but
that’s the large chunk of who you really are. Your principles, your values,
your aqidah, your purpose in life, your vision, your taqwa. This large chunk
underneath the surface – that’s what drives what is seen as the top.
It’s interesting to note that in the book “Seven Habits of
Highly Successful People”, author Steven Covey in the beginning talks about
this concept called “Inside Out”. In this chapter he highlights that true
character growth must come from within. Too many management books focus on
‘outside-in’ – improving the external, superficial side of things. But this
isn’t true. True growth starts from our inner selves.
And this is the lesson from Surah Yusuf. This is what ibn
Taymiyyah is saying – his Paradise is in his heart – that’s why he is
invincible. That’s what drives the Prophet ﷺ to carry himself with so much positivity, in spite of the
stresses of life. That’s what drives Yusuf to serve others even in this
severely disadvantaged state.
This surah highlights what are those ingredients that build
the core of the iceberg underneath the surface. The beauty of it all is the simplicity
which we can summarize them: it really boils down to two simple ingredients.
What are they?
We’ll get there. #wink
Ayah 37: Seizing Da’wah Opportunities
Even though he is in prison, he remembers his primary role:
calling people to Allah.
So now that his fellow prison mates want his assistance,
Yusuf alayhissalam saw this as a golden opportunity for da’wah, to call others
to Allah.
قَالَ لَا يَأْتِيكُمَا طَعَامٌ تُرْزَقَانِهِ إِلَّا نَبَّأْتُكُمَا
بِتَأْوِيلِهِ قَبْلَ أَنْ يَأْتِيَكُمَا ۚ ذَٰلِكُمَا مِمَّا عَلَّمَنِي رَبِّي ۚ إِنِّي تَرَكْتُ مِلَّةَ
قَوْمٍ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّـهِ وَهُمْ بِالْآخِرَةِ هُمْ كَافِرُونَ ﴿٣٧﴾
He said:
"No food will come to you (in wakefulness or in dream) as your provision,
but I will inform (in wakefulness) its interpretation before it (the food)
comes. This is of that which my Lord has taught me. Verily, I have abandoned
the religion of a people that believe not in Allah and are disbelievers in the
Hereafter (i.e. the Kan'aniun of Egypt who were polytheists and used to worship
sun and other false deities). (37)
“I will
tell you the interpretation before your next meal arrives”
First Yusuf
tells them, yes, I will interpret it, and you will get it very soon, don’t
worry.
Builds
anticipation, opens the ears. Now he knows that they will listen to him.
The challenge of da’wah is to get people to listen to you. You can prepare, you
can learn, but if people don’t want to listen to you, what’s the point?
Yusuf teaches here the art of leveraging opportunities
Now that Yusuf can give away a free service, this gives him
some form of leverage. So this teaches us to try and find opportunities that
can open up this leverage and this platform.
For us, when we provide charity to others – for example
distributing aid for Ramadhan – I always remind the brothers, let’s also use
this opportunity to remind and advise them. Advise them never to neglect
prayer, always make du’aa to Allah, because Allah is the one who unites us, the
fellow Muslims to help each other.
This is what my Lord taught me ذَٰلِكُمَا مِمَّا عَلَّمَنِي رَبِّي
Yusuf is humble, he told his prisonmates, this skill that he
has is not his own talent or abilities. “It’s what Allah teaches me.”
And here it is appropriate to remind us, that knowledge
should make us humble. Not more arrogant. Because in reality, any understanding
you have of religious knowledge is because ALLAH wants good for you – not because
you are so “great” or “intelligent”.
The Prophet ﷺ
said,
مَنْ يُرِدِ اللَّهُ بِهِ خَيْرًا يُفَقِّهْهُ فِي الدِّينِ،
وَإِنَّمَا أَنَا قَاسِمٌ وَيُعْطِي اللَّهُ، وَلَنْ يَزَالَ أَمْرُ هَذِهِ الأُمَّةِ
مُسْتَقِيمًا حَتَّى تَقُومَ السَّاعَةُ، أَوْ حَتَّى يَأْتِيَ أَمْرُ اللَّهِ
"If
Allah wants to do a favor to somebody, He bestows on him, the gift of
understanding the Qur'an and Sunna. I am but a distributor, and Allah is the
Giver. The state of this nation will remain good till the Hour is established,
or till Allah's Order comes." (Al-Bukhari)
إِنِّي تَرَكْتُ مِلَّةَ قَوْمٍ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّـهِ وَهُمْ بِالْآخِرَةِ
هُمْ كَافِرُونَ
Verily,
I have abandoned the religion of a people that believe not in Allah and are
disbelievers in the Hereafter (i.e. the Kan'aniun of Egypt who were polytheists
and used to worship sun and other false deities).
As we can see in this ayah, Yusuf begins his da’wah pitch by
first making a very strong statement: Disowning himself from the disbelief of
his people. He is telling them that this religion that he follows, it will be
different from what you are aware of.
So this “truth bomb” will sometimes pique the curiosity of
the listener even further.
Ayah 38: This is my
Religion
وَاتَّبَعْتُ مِلَّةَ آبَائِي إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَإِسْحَاقَ
وَيَعْقُوبَ ۚ مَا كَانَ لَنَا أَنْ نُشْرِكَ
بِاللَّـهِ مِنْ شَيْءٍ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ مِنْ
فَضْلِ اللَّـهِ عَلَيْنَا وَعَلَى النَّاسِ وَلَٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لَا يَشْكُرُونَ
﴿٣٨﴾
"And
I have followed the religion of my fathers, - Ibrahim (Abraham), Ishaque
(Isaac) and Ya'qub (Jacob)], and never could we attribute any partners
whatsoever to Allah. This is from the Grace of Allah to us and to mankind, but
most men thank not (i.e. they neither believe in Allah, nor worship Him). (38)
Lineage.
Side Note: Yusuf
is most noble of persons
عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ ـ رضى الله عنه قِيلَ يَا
رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، مَنْ أَكْرَمُ النَّاسِ قَالَ " أَتْقَاهُمْ ".
فَقَالُوا لَيْسَ عَنْ هَذَا نَسْأَلُكَ. قَالَ " فَيُوسُفُ نَبِيُّ
اللَّهِ ابْنُ نَبِيِّ اللَّهِ ابْنِ نَبِيِّ اللَّهِ ابْنِ خَلِيلِ اللَّهِ
". قَالُوا لَيْسَ عَنْ هَذَا نَسْأَلُكَ. قَالَ " فَعَنْ
مَعَادِنِ الْعَرَبِ تَسْأَلُونَ خِيَارُهُمْ فِي الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ خِيَارُهُمْ فِي
الإِسْلاَمِ إِذَا فَقُهُوا "
Narrated Abu Huraira:
The people said, "O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! Who is the most
honorable amongst the people (in Allah's Sight)?" He said, "The most
righteous amongst them." They said, "We do not ask you, about this.
" He said, "Then Joseph, Allah's Prophet, the son of Allah's Prophet,
The son of Allah's Prophet the son of Allah's Khalil (i.e. Abraham)." They
said, "We do not want to ask about this," He said' "Then you
want to ask about the descent of the Arabs. Those who were the best in the
pre-lslamic period of ignorance will be the best in Islam provided they
comprehend the religious knowledge."
(Al-Bukhari)
Normally when people quote the hadith people emphasize
Yusuf. Amazing part of the hadith: actually the first part the Prophet says
“the one with most taqwa”
Nobility here can be either due to actions, or due to
lineage. But the Prophet wants to emphasize that actions (taqwa) is the most
noble. This comes first before lineage.
And that’s great news for you and I! Because lineage is
something beyond our control! We didn’t choose our parents or our lineage. But
taqwa is something EVERYONE can develop. Whether you are a Bedouin in the
desert, a pilot in Korea, a lawyer in Canada, a janitor in New Zealand, an
Engineer in Malaysia – young, old, rich, poor, Arab and non-Arab: every single
one of us has the capability to develop taqwa.
And that’s so motivating!
(end Side
Note)
When Yusuf
stated his lineage, he did not do this to show off:
He never made
mention of this at any point of the story. He didn’t defend himself with this
claim to fame when he was sold into slavery, and it wasn’t to prove his
authority or his greatness.
Rather, to
indicate the authenticity of his knowledge. Where did he learn it? What are his
credentials? They may not understand the concept of “prophet” or “revelation”
Not do any
shirik with Allah. Do not associate partners with Him. This was the essential
message of Tauhid, the core message of all the messengers sent by Allah.
Finally,
Yusuf says that this is a favour of Allah. Majority of mankind
Reminds us:
How grateful are we for Islam?
This
shari’ah that Allah has granted us is a HUGE favour from Allah
Non-Muslims
and people with no iman will have a hard time digesting this.
- Praying 5 times a day
- Fasting in Ramadhan
- Cannot eat pork, cannot drink alcohol?
- Must cover up?
A person
who has no iman will look at all this and ask, what’s the ni’mah here? This is
more of a burden!
But for
those who have tasted the sweetness of iman – to know our purpose in our lives,
to understand the reality of existence, that this life is only temporary, and
that Jannah is forever and ever – those who really seek to understand, they
will see how great this from Allah, and for that they will be grateful.
Yusuf also
says that the majority of mankind are not thankful to Allah. This mirrors
another ayah in surah Saba’:
وَقَلِيلٌ مِنْ عِبَادِيَ الشَّكُورُ
But few of
My slaves are grateful. (Saba’, 13)
And this
here is in fact a recurring theme in the Qur’an and Sunnah. The righteous
people have always been the minority, and the ones who are disbelievers,
ungrateful, they will always be in the majority.
Modern life
teaches us the opposite. “Try to blend in”, “don’t be too different from the
rest”, “don’t rock the boat”. We fear being different. We fear looking
different, sounding different. Because we fear that we are cast away as “freaks”,
isolated, being labelled from society and the community.
Allah wants
to instill us with the emotional maturity and the willpower to Be Trailblazers:
don’t just “follow”.
It’s okay
if everyone else is ungrateful. Rise above them. Be better than them.
Islam will
always be “strange” – including in our modern times in this 21st
century. The Prophet ﷺ said,
بَدَأَ الإِسْلاَمُ غَرِيبًا وَسَيَعُودُ كَمَا بَدَأَ
غَرِيبًا فَطُوبَى لِلْغُرَبَاءِ
“Islam
began as something strange, and it would revert to its (old position) of being
strange.
So glad
tidings for the stranger!” (Muslim)
بدأ الإسلامُ غريبًا وسيعودُ غريبًا كما بدأ فطُوبِى للغرباءِ،
وفي روايةٍ قيل يا رسولَ اللهِ : مَن الغرباءُ؟ قال : الذين يصلحون إذا فسد الناسُ،
وفي لفظٍ آخرَ قال : هم الذين يُصلِحون ما أفسد الناسُ من سنتي
الراوي : - | المحدث : ابن باز | المصدر : مجموع فتاوى
ابن باز | الصفحة أو الرقم : 158/3 | خلاصة حكم المحدث : صحيح | انظر شرح الحديث رقم
76038
“Islam
began as something strange and will return to becoming something strange – so
glad tidings to the strangers!”
In another
narration is was said, “O Messenger of Allah! Who are the strangers?”
He said,
“the people who remain upright in righteousness, in the midst of widespread
evil amongst mankind” (Narrated by Ahmad, sahih)
And if you
are guided to be amongst this minority of grateful ones, be grateful for the fact
that you are grateful!
On the
flipside, just because Allah tells us “majority” are as such, don’t start to
get complacent and feel “there is no point to call people to the path of
righteousness.
NO! You
still have an obligation to call. Your effort is to call. Allah’s effort is to
move their hearts
Ayah 39-40: Approach in
Da’wah
يَا صَاحِبَيِ السِّجْنِ أَأَرْبَابٌ مُتَفَرِّقُونَ خَيْرٌ
أَمِ اللَّـهُ الْوَاحِدُ الْقَهَّارُ ﴿٣٩﴾
"O
two companions of the prison! Are many different lords (gods) better or Allah,
the One, the Irresistible? (39)
مَا تَعْبُدُونَ مِنْ دُونِهِ إِلَّا أَسْمَاءً سَمَّيْتُمُوهَا
أَنْتُمْ وَآبَاؤُكُمْ مَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّـهُ بِهَا مِنْ سُلْطَانٍ ۚ إِنِ الْحُكْمُ إِلَّا لِلَّـهِ
ۚ أَمَرَ أَلَّا تَعْبُدُوا إِلَّا
إِيَّاهُ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ الدِّينُ الْقَيِّمُ
وَلَٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ ﴿٤٠﴾
"You
do not worship besides Him but only names which you have named (forged), you
and your fathers, for which Allah has sent down no authority. The command (or
the judgement) is for none but Allah. He has commanded that you worship none
but Him (i.e. His Monotheism), that is the (true) straight religion, but most
men know not. (40)
Approach in da’wah: Treating them with respect. Appeal to
their intellect.
Yusuf called them with nice names. My companions of the
prison. Not “oh, criminals”. He did not plant the mindset that “I am an
innocent man unlike these lowly convicts”
Addressing their intellect: asking questions, making them
think. Not just spoon-feeding. Technique often used by the Prophet ﷺ as well. This effectively engages
listeners.
o
Example #1: do you know who
the bankrupt person is?
o
Example #2: do you think this mother will throw her baby
into the fire?
Doing this gets your listeners to think. If it piques their
curiosity, challenges their understanding, the higher the likelihood of
remembering. If just download, high likelihood just forget. Enter one ear and
leave the other
Yusuf tells
them - these deities you worship are just names – no authority
If we were to paraphrase his words in our modern colloquial conversation
today, perhaps it might sound something like this:
“Listen, these idols are all a waste of time and effort. Think:
Even your forefathers, where did they get it from? What authority did they have
these names to assign these matters of the unseen? Do they claim to have a book
of revelation?
With all due respect, the people before you just copy
pasted the people before them. And the people before them copy pasted the
people before them. Where did this come from?”
Again addressing: majority of mankind are ignorant of this.
But in this context, appealing to their intellect – “don’t be like the
majority of mankind. You
are better than them. Break the cycle, my friend.
Here are the facts: think straight. Now you have this
knowledge that very few people are willing to learn or even accept, so take the
step and make the mature choice.”
Yusuf was very tactful and very respectful in his approach
to them – even though they are convicted criminals! This should teach us as
well, when we address people, call them to Allah, treat them in the most
respectable manner. Yusuf respected the intelligence of convicts!
So how are you behaving when you advise people and calling
them to Allah?
Sometimes we are so impatient, so quick to judge them and
call them names.
Other lesson: do not discriminate who you give your da’wah
to. You never know how – or to whom – Allah’s guidance may enter. Just deliver.
Just because they are “prisoners” did not deprive them from
the right of receiving the message.
Don’t make judgment about others, oh he isn’t interested in
religion. It’s not fair, it’s disrespect to people.
YOU NEVER KNOW! Your responsibility is to deliver. In the best way you possibly can, to your ability and resources available to you.
Their responsibility is to make the choice, and Allah’s
responsibility is to move their hearts in the direction that is appropriate for
them.
States the
main principle of tauhid : Worship none except Allah
أَمَرَ أَلَّا تَعْبُدُوا إِلَّا إِيَّاهُ ۚ
Aqidah has
always been the same no matter which nation Allah sends his Prophet or Messenger
وَلَقَدْ بَعَثْنَا فِي كُلِّ أُمَّةٍ رَسُولًا أَنِ اعْبُدُوا
اللَّـهَ وَاجْتَنِبُوا الطَّاغُوتَ
And verily,
We have sent among every Ummah (community, nation) a Messenger (proclaiming):
"Worship Allah (Alone), and avoid (or keep away from) Taghut (all false
deities, etc.i. e. do not worship Taghut besides Allah)." (Surah An-Nahl,
36)
Details of
the shari’ah – the legislation aspects – may differ. But core aspect of
religion has always remained intact.
Once again
enforces the notion that the majority are ignorant
Sequence of
message:
1. I disassociate
myself from the common belief that disbelieves Allah and the Last day
2. I believe in
the religion of my fathers – Ibrahim, Ishaq, Ya’qub
3. We do not do
shirik
4. This is a
favour from Allah, majority of mankind not grateful
5. Question –
engage them, does it make sense to have many lords?
6. Challenge their
beliefs – these are just names that are created
7. Authority
(Rububiyyah / Lordship of Allah)
8. Message –
Tauhid. None is truly worthy of worship except Allah
9. This is the
true religion
The core
message is actually towards the end; but since Yusuf had the upper hand – they
wanted a service from him – he took his time there. Get them thinking, engage
them, challenge their notions, then finally nail the message.
There is
another message here:
Yusuf is
giving da’wah in prison. In the worst places of this Earth.
How about
you and me? Are we playing our role of delivering the message of Allah to
others?
We have so
much opportunities in our midst.
Don’t give
excuses about not having knowledge. We can all play different roles in da’wah.
The resources are all there. Sometimes it’s a matter of just clicking “share”
or click “forward” – yet even that, we are still failing to do so.
The digital
platforms we have today, we can communicate with hundreds, thousands of people,
in an instant: literally in our finger tips. How much are we using all of
those?
The lesson
here is this:
If you
are passionate and focused about your role in da’wah, you WILL give da’wah,
even if you are in prison.
If you
don’t care about da’wah, then you won’t do anything, even if you have the best
of means at your fingertips.
Hit the Ground Running: Preparing before the Opportunity Comes
These lessons also teach us a very powerful lesson in being
proactive.
Clearly, these ayat show that Yusuf is excellent da’ee – one
who calls to Allah. It shows that he had these capabilities and skills all
along. But when he was serving as a slave-boy in the household of Al-Aziz, he
did not have the opportunity to meet people and put this skill into practice.
He was a big fish, in a small pond, so to speak.
In that environment, he did not have the platform to fully
tap into his potential. But prison – of all places – opened up that
possibility.
But here’s the point: the minute that opportunity made
itself available, he was ready. There was no sluggish time, to strategize, how
to talk to people, what is the best approach. These skills were already in him
– and when the moment arrived: He hit the ground running.
Lesson here – always make preparations. You never know when
your moment of glory will suddenly appear.
I recall an incident during the hijrah of the Prophet ﷺ. He ﷺ was the last to make hijrah. When he finally received
instructions to go to Hijrah, he went to the house of Abu Bakr and said,
أَشَعَرْتَ أَنَّهُ قَدْ أُذِنَ لِي فِي الْخُرُوجِ
“I feel (am
informed) that I have been granted the permission for migration.”
And upon
this, Abu Bakr asked,
الصُّحْبَةَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ
“Companionship,
O Messenger of Allah?”
(Meaning,
are you to make hijrah with a companion. Indirectly also asking, “can I be your
companion?!”)
The Prophet
ﷺ responded,
الصُّحْبَةَ
“Yes,
companionship”
Abu Bakr,
now overjoyed to be receiving the honor of being the companion of Rasulullah in
hijrah, said,
قَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ إِنَّ عِنْدِي نَاقَتَيْنِ
أَعْدَدْتُهُمَا لِلْخُرُوجِ، فَخُذْ إِحْدَاهُمَا. قَالَ " قَدْ
أَخَذْتُهَا بِالثَّمَنِ "
“O
Messenger of Allah! I have with me two camels I have prepared especially for
this migration (hijrah).
Please take
one of them”
The Prophet
ﷺ replied, “I accept them, on
the condition that I will pay its price”
(Al-Bukhari)
SubhanAllah – do you see the subtle lesson of proactiveness
here? Abu Bakr purchased these camels HOPING that he would have the chance to
accompany the Prophet ﷺ on hijrah. But he
didn’t even know if the Prophet would even be going a companion – perhaps Allah
might take him on a special vehicle like the Buraq which the Prophet ﷺ used during isra. This hadith indicates
that even the Prophet ﷺ himself didn’t know
when and how he will make hijrah. And Abu Bakr didn’t even know if HE might be
the one to receive this privilege.
But it didn’t stop Abu Bakr from preparing. He purchased two
camels specifically for this cause.
In another narration, Abu Hurairah narrated that the Prophet
ﷺ asked his companions,
" مَنْ أَصْبَحَ مِنْكُمُ الْيَوْمَ
صَائِمًا " . قَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ أَنَا . قَالَ " فَمَنْ تَبِعَ
مِنْكُمُ الْيَوْمَ جَنَازَةً " . قَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ أَنَا . قَالَ
" فَمَنْ أَطْعَمَ مِنْكُمُ الْيَوْمَ مِسْكِينًا " . قَالَ أَبُو
بَكْرٍ أَنَا . قَالَ " فَمَنْ عَادَ مِنْكُمُ الْيَوْمَ مَرِيضًا
" . قَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ أَنَا . فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه
وسلم " مَا اجْتَمَعْنَ فِي امْرِئٍ إِلاَّ دَخَلَ الْجَنَّةَ "
Who amongst
you is fasting today? Abu Bakr said: I am.
He (again)
said: Who amongst you followed a funeral procession today? Abu Bakr said: I
did.
He (the
Prophet) again said: Who amongst you served food to the needy? Abu Bakr said: I
did.
He (again)
said: Who amongst you has today visited the sick? Abu Bakr said: I did.
Thereupon
Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)
said: Anyone in whom (these good deeds) are combined will certainly enter
paradise.
(Muslim)
The Prophet
ﷺ in this hadith mentioned the
virtues of people who do these deeds in a day – fasting, following a funeral
procession, feeding the poor, and visiting the sick – will be guaranteed
Paradise.
But here’s
the thing: EVEN BEFORE he knew about this hadith, Abu Bakr was doing it anyway!
What is our
attitude when we know of certain rewards or fadhail of doing some good deeds?!
Many of us, we “wait” for the moment to come. But before
that moment comes, we procrastinate, we day dream “if only I was this, I would
do this”. But the thing is, sometimes when we already have the instructions, we
have the opportunity, we still procrastinate and give excuses.
Don’t do that. Be like Abu Bakr. Be Proactive..
If you’re still single, now is the time to learn how to be
the best husband, the best wife. Not after you get married only then you want
to learn. By then you might make mistakes, get into fights and arguments,
escalate into tensions that then it becomes difficult to get back on track
If you want to have children, learn how to be great parents
before you get pregnant. Personal experience: we took this advice to heart. My
wife and I were married 8 years before we were granted our son. But before that
we have been going to parenting courses, reading up parenting books, learning.
We didn’t even know if Allah was going to give us children! But we keep
preparing ourselves. And the moment she gives birth to Muawiyah, here’s our
moment to be the best parents we want to be.
Da’wah: You may not be in a position to give da’wah to a
huge platform right now, but now is absolutely the time to start learning “how”
to do it effectively. Don’t think about reaching out to “lots of people” Think
about how can I connect with one person. Learn the common arguments,
explanations, know the proofs of the Quran and Sunnah by heart, learn the
effective methods of communication, PR and people skills. You never know when
your moment will come. Perhaps you would randomly meet a tourist at the bus stop,
and you have 30 seconds.
That is why I always advise people, whenever you want to
seek knowledge – whenever you go to a halaqah, an Islamic course, attend a
webinar, even one such as this one – attend with the intention that you are
learning so you can TEACH others. If you go with this intention, your level of
ownership will completely change. The way you pick up the points, the passion
you have for absorbing the pearls of wisdom, the eagerness you have to share it
in your social media, the accuracy you feel compelled to take down the notes
and dig up the reference. It will be completely different compared to if you
just go and listen “casually”, “alang-alang”.
You never know when that opportunity will come! Who can you
share it to? How? What platform?
I tell you guys a secret:
All this stuff I’m sharing to you,
I copied it from somewhere else. Majority of it came from an Alkauthar course
on Surah Yusuf, conducted by Sheikh Sajid Umar, who is also a fellow speaker of
Ramadan Daily Dose event. I went to this course back in May 2011, and I loved
it. It was one of my favorite Alkauthar courses, if not my favorite course
ever. I re-listened to the lectures again, and I even did the exams which was
optional, even though the vast majority of the students who attended didn’t
want to do the exams. Even after the exam, I still referred to it time and time
again, hoping one day I can have the opportunity to share. Fast forward now,
exactly 9 years later, the Mercy Mission team approach me for a slot in Ramadan
Daily Dose in the year 2020, subhanAllah on the same event in which the fellow
speaker is the teacher who inspired me on the subject himself, Sheikh Sajid
Umar. And when they offered the slot of “Story Sunday”, without hesitation I
said “Yusuf”. Did I ever know that this opportunity will come? No.
Ayah 41, 42: The Interpretation
Now he has delivered his message, he delivers on his
promise: service of interpreting their dream
يَا صَاحِبَيِ
السِّجْنِ أَمَّا أَحَدُكُمَا فَيَسْقِي رَبَّهُ خَمْرًا ۖ وَأَمَّا الْآخَرُ فَيُصْلَبُ
فَتَأْكُلُ الطَّيْرُ مِنْ رَأْسِهِ ۚ قُضِيَ الْأَمْرُ
الَّذِي فِيهِ تَسْتَفْتِيَانِ ﴿٤١﴾
"O
two companions of the prison! As for one of you, he (as a servant) will pour
out wine for his lord (king or master) to drink; and as for the other, he will
be crucified and birds will eat from his head. Thus is the case judged
concerning which you both did inquire." (41)
Case is
judged – it’s already fated. The one going to be crucified, there is no running
away from it
Ayah 42: Requesting a Favor
Yusuf saw an opportunity to prove his innocence
وَقَالَ لِلَّذِي ظَنَّ أَنَّهُ نَاجٍ مِنْهُمَا اذْكُرْنِي
عِنْدَ رَبِّكَ فَأَنْسَاهُ الشَّيْطَانُ ذِكْرَ رَبِّهِ فَلَبِثَ فِي السِّجْنِ بِضْعَ
سِنِينَ ﴿٤٢﴾
And he
said to the one whom he knew to be saved: "Mention me to your lord (i.e.
your king, so as to get me out of the prison)." But Shaitan (Satan) made
him forget to mention it to his Lord [or Satan made [(Yusuf (Joseph)] to forget
the remembrance of his Lord (Allah) as to ask for His Help, instead of others].
So [Yusuf (Joseph)] stayed in prison a few (more) years. (42)
In this ayah, Yusuf Asked for a favor from the one who Yusuf
knew, based on his dream, he was going to be saved – since he was going to be
the servant of the King, and serve wine to him: mention Yusuf. In hopes that
this can provide an audience with the king, to prove his innocence.
فَأَنْسَاهُ
الشَّيْطَانُ ذِكْرَ رَبِّهِ
But QaddarAllahu, shaitan made that person forget. Shaitan
distracts us from doing good sometimes opportunities being missed As a
consequence, simply because he forgot, Yusuf had to stay in prison for another
few years. This term – “bid’” – refers to any number between 3 to 9 years.
Ayah 43-50: The King’s Dream
Throughout ayat 43-50, Allah describes about the King’s
dream. I will try and summarize
- After years which Yusuf narrates that dream
- Ayah 43: the King experiences a dream – seven fat cows, eaten by seven thin cows; seven green ears of corn. And seven dry ears of corn.
- Asked his noblemen on the interpretation but no one know
- Remember that ex-prisoner? The one whom Yusuf interpreted his dream and was now a free man, serving wine to the king?
- Ayah 45: this ex-prisoner who is serving the king, he just remembered about Yusuf, this expert dream interpreter who was still in prison. So he told the king “oh yeah, I know a guy. Send me over”
- Ayah 46: And so he went to the prison where Yusuf was still there, and asked for his interpretation of this strange dream – O Yusuf, Truthful one, tell me what this dream means
- Without hestitation, Yusuf immediately gave the interpretation without even questioning, “why did it take you so long? I wanted you to mention me to the king. Did you mention my name? No? What! You had one job! None of that.
- Throughout ayah 47-49, Yusuf explained the dream:
- You will have seven years of ease, however that will be followed up by seven years of drought and famine.
- So the seven fat cows and seven green ears of corn signified seven years of fertility and ease, and the seven thin cows and seven dry ears of corn signified drought
- And after those seven hard years, there will be rainfall once again, and easy times will once again be restored
- But Yusuf didn’t just tell the sequence of events. He outlined the strategy, how to handle these difficult times. Store those grains in their ears, this will retain the freshness so you can keep them for longer.
- Even though Yusuf was doing a voluntary job, he was going above and beyond to exceed expectations: by sharing this strategy. Not just interpreting the dream.
- And so that takes us to ayah 50 – where the King, now being satisfied with Yusuf, instructed to bring Yusuf to him
Ayah 50: Yusuf Gives Up
the Chance for Freedom
وَقَالَ الْمَلِكُ ائْتُونِي بِهِ ۖ فَلَمَّا جَاءَهُ الرَّسُولُ
قَالَ ارْجِعْ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكَ فَاسْأَلْهُ مَا بَالُ النِّسْوَةِ اللَّاتِي قَطَّعْنَ
أَيْدِيَهُنَّ ۚ إِنَّ رَبِّي
بِكَيْدِهِنَّ عَلِيمٌ ﴿٥٠﴾
And the
king said: "Bring him to me." But when the messenger came to him,
[Yusuf (Joseph)] said: "Return to your lord and ask him, 'What happened to
the women who cut their hands? Surely, my Lord (Allah) is Well-Aware of their
plot. (50)
King offered freedom for Yusuf, for interpreting the dream.
Since even his own leaders were not capable of this. But Yusuf refused to
hastily take that offer, he was determined to prove his innocence first. He
didn’t want to leave prison yet. He simply told the messenger, “Go back and ask
the king to inquire about those women who cut their hands.”
You and I would think.. look man. Here’s your chance to go
free. Just take it and leave the past behind already!
In fact, even Prophet
Muhammad ﷺ said in a hadith
narrated by Al-Bukhari and Muslim that,
وَلَوْ لَبِثْتُ فِي السِّجْنِ مَا لَبِثَ يُوسُفُ ثُمَّ
أَتَانِي الدَّاعِي لأَجَبْتُهُ
“If I were to stay in prison (for a period equal to) the
stay of Joseph (prison) and then the offer of freedom came to me, then I would
have accepted it."
(Al-Bukhari, Muslim)
But not Yusuf.
Yusuf was determined to prove his innocence.
It’s not enough about being a free man, but he sought justice. Even at the risk
of potentially never being free.
Observe here, the conviction that he had and his
determination to provide justice above personal convenience!
Ayah 51, 52: Innocence Revealed
قَالَ مَا خَطْبُكُنَّ إِذْ رَاوَدْتُنَّ يُوسُفَ عَنْ
نَفْسِهِ ۚ قُلْنَ حَاشَ لِلَّـهِ مَا عَلِمْنَا
عَلَيْهِ مِنْ سُوءٍ ۚ قَالَتِ امْرَأَتُ
الْعَزِيزِ الْآنَ حَصْحَصَ الْحَقُّ أَنَا رَاوَدْتُهُ عَنْ نَفْسِهِ وَإِنَّهُ لَمِنَ
الصَّادِقِينَ ﴿٥١﴾
(The
King) said (to the women): "What was your affair when you did seek to
seduce Yusuf (Joseph)?" The women said: "Allah forbid! No evil know
we against him!" The wife of Al-'Aziz said: "Now the truth is
manifest (to all), it was I who sought to seduce him, and he is surely of the
truthful." (51)
When the
going gets tough, everyone runs away. This happens all the time
When people
conspire to do evil, it’s even worse – all the henchmen are saying okay, we
will do this and this. But when police come, push comes to shove, most of the
time, they rat each other out. No honor among thieves, as they say.
So now all
the attention once again goes to the wife of Al-Aziz. But this time the
attention is that of blameworthiness and guilt
And this is
where she admitted.
After all
these years.. 20, 30 years. Finally!
ذَٰلِكَ لِيَعْلَمَ أَنِّي لَمْ أَخُنْهُ بِالْغَيْبِ وَأَنَّ
اللَّـهَ لَا يَهْدِي كَيْدَ الْخَائِنِينَ ﴿٥٢﴾
[Then Yusuf
(Joseph) said: "I asked for this enquiry] in order that he (Al-'Aziz) may
know that I betrayed him not in secret. And, verily! Allah guides not the plot
of the betrayers. (52)
وَمَا أُبَرِّئُ نَفْسِي ۚ إِنَّ النَّفْسَ
لَأَمَّارَةٌ بِالسُّوءِ إِلَّا مَا رَحِمَ رَبِّي ۚ إِنَّ رَبِّي
غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ ﴿٥٣﴾
"And I
free not myself (from the blame). Verily, the (human) self is inclined to evil,
except when my Lord bestows His Mercy (upon whom He wills). Verily, my Lord is
Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful." (53)
There is a
little ambiguity in these ayat. Who said these words?
Was it Yusuf? Or the wife of
al-Aziz? Two major opinions:
- Al-Qurtubi says that it is Yusuf
- Ibnu Kathir says that at this point of time, Yusuf is still in prison, so this was said by the wife of Al-Aziz in the presence of the King. And this was the opinion that is preferred, as shared by our beloved teacher Sheikh Sajid Umar
She even
admitted that she doesn’t free herself from blame. Yes, she is inclined to evil.
Every human being is inclined to do evil – except those whom Allah favors.
Lesson: To
have the strength to withhold from haram is actually a MERCY from Allah
So if you
find yourself easy to abandon your bad habits or your sins, thank Allah because
it is HIS favour and Mercy that you are given the ability to do so. Conversely,
if you find it difficult to withhold from haram, it could be that Allah has
deprived you from a portion of His Mercy, because of your deeds.
If we want
Allah’s Mercy to help us repent and stay away from harm, He is the source!
He gave us
those desires, and He can give us the strength to fight them
Ayah 54: Trust Earned
وَقَالَ الْمَلِكُ ائْتُونِي بِهِ أَسْتَخْلِصْهُ لِنَفْسِي
ۖ فَلَمَّا كَلَّمَهُ قَالَ إِنَّكَ
الْيَوْمَ لَدَيْنَا مَكِينٌ أَمِينٌ ﴿٥٤﴾
And the
king said: "Bring him to me that I may attach him to my person."
Then, when he spoke to him, he said: "Verily, this day, you are with us
high in rank and fully trusted." (54)
Yusuf earned
a place in our ranks, and amongst the people we trust
Ayah 55: Appoint Me Over
the Land
قَالَ اجْعَلْنِي عَلَىٰ خَزَائِنِ الْأَرْضِ ۖ إِنِّي حَفِيظٌ عَلِيمٌ ﴿٥٥﴾
[Yusuf
(Joseph)] said: "Set me over the storehouses of the land; I will indeed
guard them with full knowledge" (as a minister of finance in Egypt, in
place of Al-'Aziz who was dead at that time). (55)
Yusuf made
a choice to volunteer himself to be a minister to manage the resources of
Egypt.
Question:
Does this contradict with the Sunnah?
عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ سَمُرَةَ قَالَ قَالَ لِي النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَا عَبْدَ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنَ سَمُرَةَ لَا تَسْأَلْ الْإِمَارَةَ فَإِنَّكَ إِنْ أُعْطِيتَهَا عَنْ مَسْأَلَةٍ وُكِلْتَ إِلَيْهَا وَإِنْ أُعْطِيتَهَا عَنْ غَيْرِ مَسْأَلَةٍ أُعِنْتَ عَلَيْهَا
6727 صحيح البخاري كتاب الأ
Abdur
Rahman ibn Samurah reported: The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said
to me, “O Abdur Rahman, do not ask for authority / leadership.
If it is
given to you at your request, you will be held fully responsible for it. If it
is given to you without your request, you will be helped by Allah in it.”
(Al-Bukhari,
Muslim)
This hadith
teaches us we should not seek leadership for self-glorification. For the
wealth, authority, rank. The case of Yusuf here is that he is Voluntarily
shouldering the burden of managing these resources through these difficult
times. He knew times were going to be tough. It wasn’t a walk in the park. It
wasn’t a pleasant VIP holiday. 7 years of famine and drought is a very long
time.
Even if we
look at the coronavirus epidemic now, a few months of non-movement – not even
drought – is a nightmare amongst the leaders in the world today.
Imagine if
a country leader were to be told crisis coming which would last seven full
years.
Yusuf’s
proactiveness here teaches us something else: If you have the capability to
resolve something, then you have the responsibility to step up and solve it. Not
just sit on the side lines and wait for it to be solved.
The lesson
here is about taking ownership, for the greater good
Ayah 56: Establishment in
the Land
وَكَذَٰلِكَ مَكَّنَّا لِيُوسُفَ فِي الْأَرْضِ يَتَبَوَّأُ
مِنْهَا حَيْثُ يَشَاءُ ۚ نُصِيبُ بِرَحْمَتِنَا
مَنْ نَشَاءُ ۖ وَلَا نُضِيعُ
أَجْرَ الْمُحْسِنِينَ ﴿٥٦﴾
Thus did
We give full authority to Yusuf (Joseph) in the land, to take possession
therein, as when or where he likes. We bestow of Our Mercy on whom We please,
and We make not to be lost the reward of Al-Muhsinun (the good doers - see V.
2:112). (56)
Same word
in ayah 21: Established Yusuf in the Earth.
وَكَذَٰلِكَ مَكَّنَّا لِيُوسُفَ فِي الْأَرْضِ
But this
time it isn’t the beginning. This is the true, physical establishment: as
Al-Aziz – the minister – in the great land of Egypt. And thus, our story has
come full circle
Hindsight: the 20-20 "a-ha!" moment
Now, let's
look back at his roots to see where he was from to where he is established now
at this point of the story and reconcile all the adversities that took place.
How did this
unknown little boy from a faraway land of Palestine, get established as the
ruler and minister of Egypt?
An outsider
could not simply enter into the political circles of a country. Being sold into
slavery to al-aziz from Egypt was the mechanism to get him there. A man who was
inspired to treat him well and therefore equip him with the basic education to
be an effective leader
BUT: a
slave boy to a master - no matter how competent - still can't just work his way
into politics. He needed a mechanism to get him connected to the King to prove
himself. It was the plan of Allah to somehow get him into prison, to prove his
abilities with a man who will serve as right hand to the king (serving wine).
Then this
person – who, although initially forgot about Yusuf – eventually remembered Yusuf
and thus was the enabler to get him there. And his loyalty and trustworthiness
to prove his innocence despite the time in prison proved that he was indeed a
credible hero.
But wait!
It doesn’t stop there – using this new found trust with the king, seeing this
crisis coming ahead and now being fully mature to manage the resources of Egypt,
he stepped up and volunteered himself.
FINALLY!
Allahu Akbar….!
You see
now: every step of the tragedy was NECESSARY to establish Yusuf. Adversities
were not setbacks. Quote the opposite in fact: adversities were the stepping
stones to his triumph and establishment. His triumph was not “in spite” of the
adversities. His triumph was BECAUSE of the adversities – in which he made the
right choices thtat eventually landed him towards his establishment.
This is
hindsight!
When we
look at our own lives, the struggles that we go through, perhaps we don't see
the big picture yet. Because we are still right in the thick and thin of the
conflict. We don't yet see how these individual challenges fit in the big
picture. And when we meet Allah, we can
look back and re-analyze the hindsight of our own lives
Steve Jobs
said, “You cannot connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them
looking backwards. You have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your
future. You have to trust in something – your gut, destiny, life, karma,
whatever. This approach has never let me down and it has made all the
difference in my life”
Take Mr. Jobs’
quote here in the context of our lives as Muslims. We all believe in Qadar,
destiny. We believe Allah is in charge of all affairs. As long as we try our
best to please Him, rest assured He has a great plan for you.
But you
don’t know what it is yet!
Ayah 57: The Key to
Success
That is why
Allah completes this act of the story with the following ayah:
وَلَأَجْرُ الْآخِرَةِ خَيْرٌ لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَكَانُوا
يَتَّقُونَ ﴿٥٧﴾
And verily,
the reward of the Hereafter is better for those who believe and used to fear
Allah and keep their duty to Him (57)
THIS IS THE
EPIC CONCLUSION: The Triumph
Yusuf’s
triumph was not that he was appointed as the Minister. Yusuf triumph was not
that he was finally proven innocent in the audience of the king.
Yusuf’s
triumph is in taqwa, in obeying Allah in even the most difficult of times when
his iman was severely tested, path of temptation was made so easy to him.
This was
the success. This was the triumph. Refusing the seduction of the wife of his
master, that was success. Serving people in prison, that was success
My brother,
my sister, as long as you are behaving in accordance of your iman, your taqwa,
to obey Allah – that IS success!
Remember
what we said very early on in the beginning of this portion? The two
ingredients that drive great akhlaq? What drives the “big chunk” of the iceberg
underneath?
What are
those two ingredients?
This is it,
mentioned in this ayah: آمَنُوا وَكَانُوا يَتَّقُونَ
Iman and
Taqwa. Belief, and consciousness in Allah. That’s what will make us better
people. That’s what will drive our external akhlaq.
These two
ingredients are what drives ibn Taymiyyah to have the invincible mindset of
having Jannah in his heart.
The same
ingredients that drives our beloved Prophet Muhammad ﷺ
to always elevate people around him despite the immense stress in his life.
The same
ingredients you and I can tap from to become a better person to triumph in the
adversities in OUR own lives.
Finally, Allah
is telling us to keep our eyes on the Grand Prize: this is the reward of the
hereafter. And unlike our fleeting pursuits of the dunia, the akhirah
definitely lasts.
In the case
of Yusuf, he eventually reigned triumphant in his worldly position; but for us,
perhaps we may not see this ‘victory’ in this life. It doesn’t matter – because
the reward of the hereafter is cast in stone for you, regardless. And that’s
all that matters.
Our responsibility is to remain patient, with iman and taqwa,
and be optimistic that the good end is ours.
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