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Introduction to the Quran

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

Sura Yusuf

Surah Yusuf was revealed all at once unlike other surahs and is unique in this way . Unlike other prophets mentioned in the Quran, the Prophet Yusuf's (PBUH) story is only mentioned in this specific sura. Usually, the surahs in the Quran hold several themes in one passage, but Surah Yusuf holds one central theme. It focuses on the main timeline, and is a continuous story, put together in chronological order. With text covering fifteen pages, this story is a distinct exerpt from the Quran, and holds many valuable themes and lessons .

The Story of Yusuf

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

In the prison, Yusuf met two other men and interprets one of the prisoner’s dreams. The prisoner has been released and Yusuf asked the prisoner to mention his talent of to the king. One day, the King had a dream, and the prisoners who had been released mentioned Yusuf. He interprets the King’s dream, which is about Egypt having a seven-year drought.To reward him, the King requests his realease from jail and the King also investigates his case. The wife who seduced Yusuf testifies that he was inncoent, and the truth unveals. Yusuf is given authority in Egypt.

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

Revelation

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

Other Findings

Along with the three crucial events that marked the revelation for the prophet, scholars have mentioned other incidents that led to the revelation of the sura. The Quraysh wanted to test the prophet of Allah, as they were in dibelief of his true knowlegde and spiriual capabilities. They did not believe him to be a prophet and planned to trick him by asking a question that only a true prophet would be able to answer. The story of Yusuf and his brothers, was one that was not heard of, as the people of Makkeh held no knowledge of this story. Also translated as Joseph (son of Jacob) it was known to the chrisitian and jewish culture and not heard of by the Quraysh. To recite this story would show true prophecy, but people had no faith that Allah would posses this gift. As Allah was questioned, he revealed through his revelation all his knowlegde about the untold story. This situation proved he had experianced the revelation of yusuf and was indeed a prophet among the people.

Following the harships faced within the city of Makkah, the story of Yusuf was later revealed to uplift people's spirits. They questioned, "Oh messenger of Allah, why dont you tell us the stories of those before us who also suffered?" This was a time of abrupt chaos as the Muslims were being persecuted and later forced to leave. This posed as the second conslusion to the revelation, as the prophet's story represented spiritual gudiance and hope.

Major Themes in Sura Yusuf

The faith of the Prophets

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

Character of a Muslim

• Has awareness of Allah and accountablity if ones deeds

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

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

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

Confidence and Courage

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

Objectives of this Surah

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

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