The story of Prophet Joseph, peace be upon him, the wisdom in narrating it in one place, and the virtues of Surah Yusuf (peace be upon him)
Selections from the Book The Prophet Minister Joseph al-Siddiq…
Written by Dr. Ali Muhammad al-Sallabi...
Episode (5)
The story of Prophet Joseph, peace be upon him, and the wisdom in narrating it in one place:
The story of Joseph, peace be upon him, is not mentioned in the Quran in locations other than this one, unlike the stories of other prophets and their accounts; as they are presented scattered, and perhaps there is no mention of Joseph, peace be upon him, in other surahs except for this surah and a verse in Surah Al-An'am and a verse in Surah Ghafir.
The story of Joseph, peace be upon him, begins and ends in one surah, and its verses naturally require this type of performance. It is a vision that unfolds gradually, day by day, and stage by stage, and the moral lesson is only completed through it, and the artistic coordination is only achieved by following the context, the steps of the story, and its stages until its end. Isolating a single episode of it in a location that does not achieve any of this, as isolating some episodes in the stories of other prophets does, such as the episode of Solomon with the Queen of Sheba, the episode of the birth of Mary, the episode of the birth of Jesus, or the episode of Noah and the great flood. These Quranic episodes serve their purpose fully in their context, while the story of Joseph requires that all its scenes come sequentially from its beginning to its end.
Abu Ishaq al-Isfara'ini said: Allah repeated the stories of the prophets, and He presented the story of Joseph in one continuous narrative as an indication of the Arabs' inability. It is as if the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said to them: "If it were up to me, then do with the story of Joseph what you did with the rest of the stories".
He also said: Surah Yusuf was revealed because the Companions asked that it be narrated to them, as narrated by Al-Hakim in his Mustadrak. It was revealed in its entirety to fulfill their desire to comprehend the lessons of the stories, find solace in them, and grasp the meaning from both ends of the story.
The virtues of Surah Yusuf (peace be upon him):
Omar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) used to recite Surah Yusuf during the Fajr (dawn) prayer. In a narration by Abdullah ibn Shaddad ibn Al-Had Al-Layth, he mentioned hearing Omar reciting a portion of Surah Yusuf in the Fajr prayer, specifically the verse: {He said, “I only complain of my suffering and my grief to Allah, and I know from Allah that which you do not know} [Yusuf: 86]. Omar's special preference for reciting this Surah during the longer prayers indicates his recognition of its virtues and added merit.
It is also confirmed from Al-Farafisa ibn 'Amir al-Hanafi that he said: "I did not learn Surah Yusuf except from the recitation of Uthman ibn Affan during the Fajr prayer due to his frequent recitation of it."
All of this makes one feel the greatness of the meanings it contains, which have a praiseworthy effect on pure souls. That is why they repeated it frequently in the longest obligatory readings, and this indicates its virtue.
- Ali Muhammad al-Sallabi, The Prophet Minister Joseph al-Siddiq, pp. 29-31.
- Signs for those who ask, Dr. Nasser Al-Omar, previous reference, pp. 27-30.
- In the Shadows of the Qur’an, Sayyid Qutb, Dar Al-Shorouk, first edition, 1972 AD, (5/60).
- Al-Mawtta', Imam Malik bin Anas, Al-Risala Foundation, first edition, 1412 AH, (1/82), No. 183, Verses for Questioners, previous reference, p. 27.
For further information and review of the sources for the article, see:
The Book of The Prophet Minister Joseph al-Siddiq on the official website of Sheikh Dr. Ali Muhammad al-Sallabi:
