Story of Yusuf Part 5: A Diamond in the Making

Continuation of the Story of Yusuf (alayhis salaam), Verses 19 – 21 from Surah Yusuf:

Any mistake or error in explanation is on my part, may Allah forgive me

وَجَآءَتۡ سَيَّارَةٌ۬ فَأَرۡسَلُواْ وَارِدَهُمۡ فَأَدۡلَىٰ دَلۡوَهُ ۥ‌ۖ قَالَ يَـٰبُشۡرَىٰ هَـٰذَا غُلَـٰمٌ۬‌ۚ وَأَسَرُّوهُ بِضَـٰعَةً۬‌ۚ وَٱللَّهُ عَلِيمُۢ بِمَا

يَعۡمَلُونَ

And there came a caravan of travellers; they sent their water-drawer, and he let down his bucket. He said: “What good news! Here is a boy.” So they concealed him as merchandise. And Allâh was the All-Knower of what they did (Verse 19)

In the previous verses, the brothers of Yusuf (alayhis salaam) threw him into a well and came back to their father with crocodile tears while Yaqub (alayhis salaam), the father, displayed the greatest patience with his sons.

Now we come back to Yusuf (alayhis salaam) in the well. As the brothers had predicted, a caravan did arrive to get some water from the well. People used to travel on foot or on camels for many days and as they couldn’t carry all the water they needed, they would have their caravan stop along the way near a well. This caravan was going from Egypt to Canaan. Allah made them go to that specific well.

A man, known as ‘the water-carrier’, was sent ahead to taste the water from the well. He, along with a companion, came to the well and let down the bucket. Yusuf (alayhis salaam) sat in the bucket, and as it came up, the water-carrier let out a shout of surprise: يَـٰبُشۡرَىٰ which in this case could mean either:

‘glad tidings‘ OR ‘Bushra‘ could be the name of the water-carrier’s companion so when he says ‘Ya Bushra’, he is calling out to the companion to come take a look.

They took Yusuf (alayhis salaam) back to the caravan but hid him from the others, so that no one would ask for their share when they sold him, or so that no one would claim him as their son. Although they concealed him, Allah was watching and He is the All-Knowing. They could not hide their secret from Allah.

وَشَرَوۡهُ بِثَمَنِۭ بَخۡسٍ۬ دَرَٲهِمَ مَعۡدُودَةٍ۬ وَڪَانُواْ فِيهِ مِنَ ٱلزَّٲهِدِينَ

And they sold him for a low price, for a few Dirhams and they were of those who regarded him insignificant (Verse 20)

It is said that they sold him as a slave for 20 or 22 dirhams (according to Tafsir Jalalayn). They wanted to get rid of him as soon as possible; they were only interested in the money. They did not value him as they had just picked him up from a well. People don’t value something when they get it for free.

Yusuf (alayhis salaam) was someone of great value. They wouldn’t have sold him if they knew this boy would become their ruler in a few years. True value is when you are valuable in the eyes of Allah.

We also see how different people view things with different angles: Yaqub (alayhis salaam) didn’t want to part with his son. There is a difference in how badly you need/love that person or thing. Relate this to our relationship with the Qur’an: how badly do we feel that we need it? We have to learn to not be indifferent to things we need: our imaan, our time, our health, our youth. We must avail them in the right way.

Another lesson we learn from this ayah – and from a young boy – is to trust in Allah. Yusuf (alayhis salaam) didn’t complain even once. That is why Allah gave him so much later on. This also shows that at a young age (12, 13 years) a person can have a high level of Imaan and Tawakkul.

وَقَالَ ٱلَّذِى ٱشۡتَرَٮٰهُ مِن مِّصۡرَ لِٱمۡرَأَتِهِۦۤ أَڪۡرِمِى مَثۡوَٮٰهُ عَسَىٰٓ أَن يَنفَعَنَآ أَوۡ نَتَّخِذَهُ ۥ وَلَدً۬ا‌ۚ وَڪَذَٲلِكَ مَكَّنَّا لِيُوسُفَ فِى ٱلۡأَرۡضِ وَلِنُعَلِّمَهُ ۥ مِن تَأۡوِيلِ ٱلۡأَحَادِيثِ‌ۚ وَٱللَّهُ غَالِبٌ عَلَىٰٓ أَمۡرِهِۦ وَلَـٰكِنَّ أَڪۡثَرَ ٱلنَّاسِ لَا يَعۡلَمُونَ

And the Egyptian who bought him, said to his wife: “Give him an honorable abode, may be he will be useful to us or we may adopt him as a son.” Thus did We establish Yûsuf in the land, that We might teach him the interpretation of events. And Allâh has full power over His Affairs, but most people do not know. (Verse 21)

The Finance Minister of Egypt, also known as the ‘Azeez’, bought Yusuf (alayhis salaam). The government treasury was in his control.

Many dealings and meetings went on in the Azeez’s home; in this way Yusuf (alayhis salaam) would learn a lot.

The Azeez brought Yusuf (alayhis salaam) to his wife and told her to make sure she took good care of him, and give him respect, rather than treating him like a slave. He recognized that Yusuf (alayhis salaam) had extraordinary qualities. The reasons he kept him could be:

• good strong slaves are sold at good price
• Yusuf (alayhis salaam) could help and benefit him in many way – he looked reliable, trustworthy etc.
• The Azeez and his wife didn’t have children and could adopt Yusuf (alayhis salaam) as their son

He had a lot of foresight and perception about people. This is a God-gifted quality that can be improved and developed.

With the word ڪَذَٲلِكَ it is implied that Allah saved Yusuf (alayhis salaam) each time…He took care of him wherever and in whatever situation he landed. We will see further proof of this as the story progresses. Allah was planning something great for his beloved Prophet and this is why He was making him go through all these experiences – just as the saying goes that a diamond is only created when a chunk of coal is pressurized and polished.

Each test that Allah made Yusuf (alayhis salaam) go through was to teach him something…some wisdom or dealing with people in different situations so that he could be a great leader of mankind. All the intense trials he experienced were part of his training. He learned to do sabr and tawakkul at the highest level.

All the morals, etiquettes and imaan in his heart was instilled into him from his father. As for other things, he could not learn in his village of Canaan.

‘Ilm (knowledge) can be learnt through books but Hikmah (wisdom) only comes through experience.

There can be 2 meanings of أَمۡرِهِ

1. Allah overpowers His commands/affairs: If He wants to do something, He does it.

2. Allah overpowers Yusuf’s (alayhis salaam)  matters/commands: takes care of Yusuf’s (alayhis salaam) – makes his decisions for him and Yusuf (alayhis salaam) is content with Allah’s decision.

Read:

Part 1 here

Part 2 here

Part 3 here

Part 4 here

Help Haiti

I find it quite sad that Pakistanis are not doing much for Haiti…others did so much for us in the 2005 Kashmir earthquake.

May Allah help us to help the destitute, the homeless, the hungry, the damaged, the bereaved and every victim of this terrible earthquake. If we feel there is nothing we can do, we can at least make du’a for them after every salah. Allah listens.

A letter from a Haitian Muslim published by MuslimMatters here

SubhanAllah that all the masajid are standing, and acting as shelter for the people.

webcast on time management by Muhammad Alshareef

Journey’s End: by Muhammad Alshareef
webcast on 12th January 2010

Click here to listen to or download the replay:

(Download by clicking on ‘Listen-In’ on the sidebar)
mashaAllah fantastic lecture…I am so motivated right now, I hope it lasts inshaAllah!

=)

Story of Yusuf Part 4: A Beautiful Patience

Continuation of the Story of Yusuf (alayhis salaam), Verses 11 – 18 from Surah Yusuf:

Any mistake or error in explanation is on my part, may Allah forgive me

قَالُواْ يَـٰٓأَبَانَا مَا لَكَ لَا تَأۡمَ۫نَّا عَلَىٰ يُوسُفَ وَإِنَّا لَهُ ۥ لَنَـٰصِحُونَ

They said: “O our father! Why do you not trust us with Yûsuf though we are indeed his well-wishers?” (Verse 11)

In the last post, we ended on Yusuf’s (alayhis salaam) eldest brother, Yahuda suggesting that they should leave him in a well rather than killing him.

Now to put their plot into action, the brothers go to their father, Yaqub  (alayhis salaam) and try to persuade him to let them take Yusuf (alayhis salaam) with them on a trip. Yaqub (alayhis salaam) is unwilling to let Yusuf (alayhis salaam) go with his brothers; they are now trying to emotionally blackmail their father by saying that he doesn’t even trust his own sons.

أَرۡسِلۡهُ مَعَنَا غَدً۬ا يَرۡتَعۡ وَيَلۡعَبۡ وَإِنَّا لَهُ ۥ لَحَـٰفِظُونَ

“Send him with us tomorrow to enjoy himself and play, and verily, we will take care of him.” (Verse 12)

The brothers of Yusuf (alayhis salaam) again plead with their father, saying that they will take care of him while he has fun playing.

قَالَ إِنِّى لَيَحۡزُنُنِىٓ أَن تَذۡهَبُواْ بِهِۦ وَأَخَافُ أَن يَأۡڪُلَهُ ٱلذِّئۡبُ وَأَنتُمۡ عَنۡهُ غَـٰفِلُونَ

He [Ya'qûb] said: “Truly, it saddens me that you should take him away. I fear lest a wolf should devour him, while you are careless of him.” (Verse 13)

Yaqub (alayhis salaam) expresses his fears about their trip, and the danger of wolves that may harm his son. His love for Yusuf (alayhis salaam) was so great that he could not bear the thought of him being away from him. Also, he knew his sons well, and could sense the negativity in their persuasion.

قَالُواْ لَٮِٕنۡ أَڪَلَهُ ٱلذِّئۡبُ وَنَحۡنُ عُصۡبَةٌ إِنَّآ إِذً۬ا لَّخَـٰسِرُونَ

They said: “If a wolf devours him, while we are a strong group (to guard him), then surely, we are the losers.” (Verse 14)

The brothers assure Yaqub (alayhis salaam) that they are a big, strong group of men and they would prevent anything from happening to their younger brother. At this last statement, Yaqub (alayhis salaam) finally, reluctantly agrees to let them take Yusuf (alayhis salaam) with them.
فَلَمَّا ذَهَبُواْ بِهِۦ وَأَجۡمَعُوٓاْ أَن يَجۡعَلُوهُ فِى غَيَـٰبَتِ ٱلۡجُبِّ‌ۚ وَأَوۡحَيۡنَآ إِلَيۡهِ لَتُنَبِّئَنَّهُم بِأَمۡرِهِمۡ هَـٰذَا وَهُمۡ لَا يَشۡعُرُونَ

So, when they took him away, they all agreed to throw him down to the bottom of the well, and We revealed to him: “Indeed, you shall (one day) inform them of this their affair, when they know (you) not.” (Verse 15)

After successfully convincing their father, the brothers take Yusuf (alayhis salaam) away and as planned, throw him down to the bottom of a well. The eldest brother had authority over the rest of them, therefore, they agreed to his plan rather than their own plan of killing Yusuf (alayhis salaam).

Now we come to little Yusuf (alayhis salaam) in the well. All alone surrounded by clammy darkness, we cannot imagine how he must be feeling, knowing what his brothers have done to him. At this moment, he is given a message from his Lord…maybe in the form of an intuition or a thought put into his mind, Allah knows best. However, he is reassured by the words of Allah that he would one day meet his brothers and remind them of what they had done to him and they would have no recognition of him.  He understood that this was from Allah and his heart was strengthened.

Sometimes, thoughts such as these come into our minds…they are feelings of conviction that we can get through our tough times, and they are from Allah, the Giver of Peace. As long as we trust in Him, He will not let us go through a loss. No one can take away that peace of mind unless He wills it.

وَجَآءُوٓ أَبَاهُمۡ عِشَآءً۬ يَبۡكُونَ

And they came to their father in the early part of the night weeping. (Verse 16)

Now we return to the brothers, who have arrived home and in their pretend grief,  go to their father. They make sure to come home in the evening so that their fake tears cannot be discerned in the darkness.

قَالُواْ يَـٰٓأَبَانَآ إِنَّا ذَهَبۡنَا نَسۡتَبِقُ وَتَرَڪۡنَا يُوسُفَ عِندَ مَتَـٰعِنَا فَأَڪَلَهُ ٱلذِّئۡبُ‌ۖ وَمَآ أَنتَ بِمُؤۡمِنٍ۬ لَّنَا وَلَوۡ ڪُنَّا صَـٰدِقِينَ

They said:”O our father! We went racing with one another, and left Yûsuf  by our belongings and a wolf devoured him; but you will never believe us even when we speak the truth.” (Verse 17)

Their explanation to Yaqub (alayhis salaam) is a made-up story about how when they left Yusuf (alayhis salaam) to watch over their things while they raced with one another, a wolf came and devoured him. Every time I think about this, I can’t perceive how they could be so foolish as to give their father the same story that he had expressed his fears about. Could they not come up with another plausible story?

At this point, they did not care what their father would say to them as their mission had been carried out and they had achieved what they wanted. This is weak human nature – we follow our desires, not caring about the consequences. And here again, the emotional blackmail is manifest. Their statement: “We know you won’t believe us anyway.” is pressurizing their father psychologically so that he cannot accuse them of doing anything wrong. We do the same with our parents.

وَجَآءُو عَلَىٰ قَمِيصِهِۦ بِدَمٍ۬ كَذِبٍ۬‌ۚ قَالَ بَلۡ سَوَّلَتۡ لَكُمۡ أَنفُسُكُمۡ أَمۡرً۬ا‌ۖ فَصَبۡرٌ۬ جَمِيلٌ۬‌ۖ وَٱللَّهُ ٱلۡمُسۡتَعَانُ عَلَىٰ مَا تَصِفُونَ

And they brought his shirt stained with false blood. He said: “Nay, but your ownselves have enticed you to something. So (for me) a beautiful patience is most fitting. And Allâh is the One Whose help can be sought against that which you describe.” (Verse 18)

To try and prove that they are not lying, the brothers bring forth a shirt stained with blood and yet again, in their foolishness, they do not consider that the wolf would not take off Yusuf’s (alayhis salaam) shirt and then eat him. Yaqub (alayhis salaam) realizes that they are lying, although he does not accuse them outright, nor does he display any anger. His silence conveyed his hurt. He was so grieved but he did not sob out loud, nor did he utter anything negative. He said “A beautiful patience” and indeed, he was the epitome of beautiful patience as were other Prophets of Allah, such as Ayyub (alayhis salaam) and Muhammad (sallAllahu alayhi wasallam). This beautiful patience is ‘sabr‘ in its true meaning. It reflects the beauty of his character. He did not even blame his sons, rather, he blamed their desires, their nafs. “Your desires have tempted you to evil.” He could have said anything he wanted to, but he restrained himself.

Whatever happened, he would trust in Allah because Allah’s words were true. He knew that Yusuf (alayhis salaam) was destined to become a Prophet, therefore he must still be alive. Throughout the story, Yaqub (alayhis salaam) perseveres in his patience and his prayers, as is the duty of a true slave of Allah.

Read:

Part 1 here

Part 2 here

Part 3 here

Story of Yusuf Part 3: Relationship with Parents

Alhamdulillah, here is the next part of the story of Yusuf (alayhis salaam), after 3 months! And this time with Arabic text, as my wordpress has decided to be kind to me :)

Today, I will attempt to explain the next 3 verses (8 – 10).

إِذۡ قَالُواْ لَيُوسُفُ وَأَخُوهُ أَحَبُّ إِلَىٰٓ أَبِينَا مِنَّا وَنَحۡنُ عُصۡبَةٌ إِنَّ أَبَانَا لَفِى ضَلَـٰلٍ۬ مُّبِينٍ

When they said: “Truly, Yûsuf and his brother (BinYamin) are dearer to our father than we, but we are a strong group. Indeed, our father is in clear error. (Verse 8)

This is the first appearance of the step-brothers of Yusuf (alayhis salaam) in the story. They are having a discussion amongst themselves, without Yusuf (alayhis salaam) and BinYamin, about the preference of their father towards those two sons. Their opinion on this is that because Yaqub (alayhis salaam) clearly loves Yusuf (alayhis salaam) and BinYamin more than he loves any of his other sons, he is on the wrong track, or in plain error. ‘We are stronger,’ is their argument. He should love them more because they are bigger and support their parents.

Do we not use the same words for our parents sometimes? ‘You’re wrong.’ The key point in this verse is the behavior of children towards their parents. There had to be a reason why Yusuf (alayhis salaam) and BinYamin were more beloved to Yaqub (alayhis salaam), right? They were respectful towards him, they were obedient, they addressed him politely, not the way their step-brothers did….so it is only natural that Yaqub (alayhis salaam) would have a soft spot for them. The generation gap was caused by the sons, and not by the father. Their behavior towards him did nothing to help their relationship. Their expectations of wanting his love would never be fulfilled as long as they were disrespectful. They were the ones ‘in clear error’ thinking that their strength as a group would gain their father’s love.

Applying this verse to myself, I find that I also feel sometimes that my parents may love my siblings more than me, and the reason for this is that I do not take out the time to talk to them, listen to them, do Ihsan with them, the way my siblings do. Shaytan is also partly to blame – he puts the thought of being adopted or unloved into every child’s mind at some point or another. Bottomline - treat your parents as they deserve to be treated – with love, respect and utmost Ihsan, and they will love you more than they already do.

ٱقۡتُلُواْ يُوسُفَ أَوِ ٱطۡرَحُوهُ أَرۡضً۬ا يَخۡلُ لَكُمۡ وَجۡهُ أَبِيكُمۡ وَتَكُونُواْ مِنۢ بَعۡدِهِۦ قَوۡمً۬ا صَـٰلِحِينَ

“Kill Yûsuf or cast him out to some (other) land, so that the countenance of your father may be only for you, and after that you will be righteous people.” (Verse 9)

The brothers discussion has gone so far as to suggest that they remove Yusuf (alayhis salaam) from the picture. They are basically saying that they don’t need to change themselves, they just have to change the scenery a little. Reason? To get the attention of their father all for themselves.

(I actually did not fully understand how they would gain their father’s favor when they knew he would be in grief over Yusuf’s (alayhis salaam) absence.)

They believe that once they repent, their sin of killing Yusuf (alayhis salaam) will be removed and they will be righteous people after being forgiven. This is a very common trick of Shaytan’s. He tells us: ‘Just do it once, that’s it.’ But do we do it just once? Once we start, we can’t stop, we get so used to committing that sin that we are benumbed and don’t see the wrong in it anymore. How can we call ourselves righteous then?

Realize that most of the time, you can’t change people around you, like your parents…you need to change yourself. Think: Why do they have a preference for your siblings?

- Do you do the same Ihsan, make the same effort, go out of the way to do things for them and to be close to them?

- YOU need to fill the communication gap.

- Put yourself in their shoes – make the effort to understand them and they will do the same.

- Don’t cut yourself off from them. Regretting later is a terrible feeling.

قَالَ قَآٮِٕلٌ۬ مِّنۡہُمۡ لَا تَقۡتُلُواْ يُوسُفَ وَأَلۡقُوهُ فِى غَيَـٰبَتِ ٱلۡجُبِّ يَلۡتَقِطۡهُ بَعۡضُ ٱلسَّيَّارَةِ إِن كُنتُمۡ فَـٰعِلِينَ

One from among them said: “Kill not Yûsuf, but if you must do something, throw him down to the bottom of a well, some caravan of travelers will pick him up.” (Verse 10)

One of the brothers, namely the eldest one, Yahudah (Judah), put out the suggestion that instead of killing Yusuf (alayhis salaam) outright, they should throw him into a well, and maybe someone will find him and keep him. This shows that he had a bit more compassion and khayr in his heart than his other brothers. So they decide to get rid of their younger brother, but in a different way.

(That’s all for this post, I wanted to do more but it will become really long. It is already pretty long, even with just 3 ayahs!)

Read:

Part 1 here

Part 2 here

Questions and Guilty Pleasures

“It was We Who created man, and We know what dark suggestions his soul makes to him: for We are nearer to him than (his) jugular vein.” [Surah Qaf (50): 16]

“O men! Certainly the promise of Allah is true. Let not then this present life deceive you, nor let the Chief Deceiver deceive you about Allah.” [Surah Faatir (35): 5]

You don’t know when it’s going to hit you. The unprompted phase of yearnings and cravings for things you know are bad for you. You need to indulge. It’s not right, and you know it so well. It’s sinful and you recognize the feeling. It’s back and you can’t do anything about it. Or can you? It is turning into an addiction now. How shall I leave it, how will I shun it into oblivion?

The song keeps coming back, the words ringing in my ears. Why are they there when I have left listening to them? Why must my previous addiction continue to haunt me? When they are stuck in my head, they take their sweet time hanging out before getting unstuck.

Just because I’m sorry doesn’t mean

I didn’t enjoy it at the time

That particular verse hits home though…at a time like this. The ones that should hit home are the ones I began with. Where is my sincerity towards Allah?

How are you dealing with your addiction?

just passing through

Hope everyone had a great Eid! I actually did, for the first time. (I usually don’t enjoy Eid-ul-Adha because of smells and blood and dirty work) We had a nice mehndi/henna session for the girls and a family get together sitting around a fire on a cold wintry night…cousins and all, good times. alhamdulillah =)

I am in possession of my Surah Yusuf notes again so inshaAllah will be continuing the Surah Yusuf tafseer posts. When I don’t procrastinate.

Eid-ul-Adha Mubarak

my lame attempt at making an eid card with Paint :P

Have a wonderful day and eat lots of yum stuff! May Allah accept all our little, insignificant  sacrifices, ameen.

 

I wish I could be focused.

My thoughts drift off to far off fantastical  places – an island in the middle of the black star strewn sky, a forest underground, a plane flying me to a familiar middle of nowhere – then I am back home to reality.
I glance at the clock behind me, it is late. How long have I been dreaming? How much time has been pushed aside like garbage without a second thought? Do I even care?
My mind is in the kitchen now. In the chocolate cake that is yet to be created. It will be dark moist and melt in my mouth. It will make me wish I could eat as much as I wanted.

It is time to sleep now, wondering what to eat before fajr salah, for tomorrow is the day of Arafah… A day of fasting to have our sins of the past year and the coming year forgiven. I now know what I want forgiven the most – all those times I spent displeasing my Lord and all the times I could have uttered a tasbeeh to tip the scale of deeds in my favor rather than saying nothing and thinking useless or sinful thoughts.

Dhul-Hijjah: First Ten Days. Take Advantage

Did you know that the first 10 days of Dhul-Hijjah are even more special than the last 10 days of Ramadan?? I did not. Until yesterday…watch this video by Shaykh Yasir Qadhi and find out how you can gain many many rewards in these few days! I am gonna try to fast…and do extra dhikr…and read more Qur’an..inshaAllah in these days. Remember you can’t fast on the 10th day as that is the day of Eid! :)

So I leave you with this.