THIS Surah tells us about the life of Prophet Yusuf (AS). When he was young, his brothers threw him in a well out of jealousy because they thought that their father loved Yusuf more than them. But Allah helped him and he (Yusuf) was taken out of the well by some people who were passing from there. They sold Yusuf to the Finance Minister of Egypt.
The story of Yusuf (AS) teaches us many lessons, some mentioned below, which can change our lives for good.
Sabr: Sabr means patience. When the brothers of Yusuf (AS) told their father Yaqub (AS), that a wolf had eaten him and showed him the clothes of Yusuf, he knew that they were lying but he was patient and left it to Allah; and indeed Allah is with the ones who are patient. From this, we learn that whenever any calamity strikes us, we need to be patient because Allah has destined it and He always wills the best for His slaves. Being patient is not easy, it is tiring but the reward is worth it. Sabr strengthens our Imaan (faith). It teaches us to be thankful to Allah in every situation, be it good or bad.
Tawakkul: Yaqub (AS) had strong Tawakkul that Allah will reunite him with Yusuf (AS) and Yusuf had Tawakkul that His Lord will prove his innocence and take him out of the prison. Tawakkul is when you are shattered from inside but you still choose to trust the Plan of Allah. It should be a part of the life of every Mu’min (believer). Because Allah loves it when His slaves trust Him and He helps them and honours them. Tawakkul is a quality that keeps you going in your rough times, trusting that Allah will take care of everything and that He is in control of the situation.
We should always rely only on Allah because He is the Provider, the Most Merciful. He will neither betray us nor leave us. He will always be there for us. And when we rely on Allah, then we need no one else because He is Sufficient for all our affairs. We should never lose hope just because things in our lives aren’t going our way, we should remember that they are going according to the Will of Allah, the Best of planners, and He knows what is best for us while we do not know.
Complaining only to Allah: The story of Yusuf (AS) also teaches us to only complain of our grief and sorrow to Allah and no one else. Yusuf only turned to Allah to complain of his grief and to ask for help. Yaqub (AS), knowing that his sons had done something wrong with Yusuf, did not complain to them, but to Allah. This shows that no matter how much we complain to people about our grief and sorrow, it will all be in vain because they aren’t capable of helping us. But if we complain about it to our Creator who is indeed capable of doing anything, He will surely remove all our grief and pain.
When we complain of our grief only to Allah, He responds to us in ways that we cannot even imagine. Complaining only to Allah shows that we rely fully on Him and we seek help only from Him. So whenever you are stuck in any problem, talk about it only to Allah, He is your real friend, the one who is always ready to help you and never gets tired of listening to you.
Fear of Allah: When the mistress (wife of Finance Minister) called Yusuf (AS) towards wrong, he had the fear of Allah in his heart, so he stopped himself from falling into that sin. Allah loves His slaves who fear Him and He has prepared gardens for them wherein they will dwell forever. Today we are surrounded by a lot of fitnah, so it is very important for us to fear Allah in order to save ourselves from falling into the traps of shaytan and sinning.
If you fear Allah then you fear nothing and no one else. One who fears Allah will always be on the right path and will be successful in this world and the Hereafter. It is the fear of Allah that will save us from sinning. When you fear Him, you will not hurt anyone, and you will try to be away from every sin that will take you away from Him. You will lead a life pleasing Allah if you fear Him.
Conclusion: The story of Yusuf (AS) teaches us to connect with Allah in times of difficulty and tells us how miraculously Allah helps His slaves. It describes the beautiful relation of Yaqub and his son Yusuf; Yaqub grieved for his son for 40 years, to such an extent that he lost his eyesight. When Yusuf (AS) was defamed by the mistress, Allah proved his innocence and established Yusuf (AS) in Egypt and raised his status.
We should always give precedence to what Allah wants over what the soul inclines us to in order to please Him and be successful in Dunya and Akhirah.
