Some of the characteristics of Surah Yusuf and the Qur’anic ‎‎story in general; P.3

Selections from the Book The Prophet Minister Joseph al-Siddiq…

Written by Dr. Ali Muhammad al-Sallabi...

Episode  (13)

- Stories about purity and good manners:

As much as the Quranic stories are realistic, they are also clean narratives that refrain from delving into explicit or indecent details. They do not present such aspects to arouse the reader or listener with distorted sexual emotions. Instead, they quickly move beyond those moments to focus on the consequences and lessons. The instance of sexual content, whether deviant or not, does not deserve more than a brief mention, as it is a passing element in life, giving way to higher life goals worthy of exploration.

One of the evidences of adhering to this cleanliness and avoiding indecency is the statement of Allah, glorified be He, regarding the story of Prophet Joseph (peace be upon him): {And she, in whose house he was, sought to seduce him. She closed the doors and said, “Come, you.” He said, “[I seek] the refuge of Allah. Indeed, he is my master, who has made good my residence. Indeed, wrongdoers will not succeed (23) And she certainly determined [to seduce] him, and he would have inclined to her had he not seen the proof of his Lord. And thus [it was] that We should avert from him evil and immorality. Indeed, he was of Our chosen servants (24)} [Yusuf: 23, 24]. Here, we notice how the Quran presents the sexual incident with cleanliness, purity, and free from any explicit content, in contrast to human narratives that often sensationalize and exaggerate such matters, giving them undue prominence.

Just as the Quranic story maintains cleanliness by not dwelling on the moment of sexual weakness, it appropriately addresses the aspect of resisting and standing firm against this weakness. When faced with the seduction, Prophet Joseph responds by saying: {[I seek] the refuge of Allah. Indeed, he is my master, who has made good my residence. Indeed, wrongdoers will not succeed} [Yusuf: 23].

- Stories that seek to achieve noble goals:

The Quranic story has lofty and noble goals that surpass the goals of general human literary stories, which may have cheap objectives seeking sensation and excitement by any means.

The Quranic stories aim for a high educational purpose: to provide lessons and moral teachings through events and characters, showcasing both good and bad examples in the face of circumstances of goodness and evil. The Quranic story nurtures individuals and societies to worship Allah alone, avoid associating partners with Him, obey His commands, and refrain from what He prohibits. It instills the importance of adhering to ethical virtues and distancing oneself from vices.

- Quranic stories are distinguished by artistic characteristics from other stories:

The Quranic story addressed several artistic phenomena with a recognized account in the artistic study of free storytelling in the world of arts, including:

Diverse Presentation Styles:

In the stories of the Quran, there are four different approaches to initiating the presentation of the story:

• Once, it provides a summary of the story before presenting it in detail from beginning to end. An example of this approach is the story of the people of the cave.
• The second approach involves mentioning the consequences and moral of the story first, then starting the narrative from the beginning and proceeding with the details of its events. An example of this is the story of Prophet Moses in Surah Al-Qasas and, to some extent, the story of Prophet Joseph.
• The third approach involves mentioning the story directly without an introduction or summary, and its unique surprises enrich it. Examples include the story of Mary at the birth of Jesus, and its well-known surprises, as well as the story of Solomon with the ants, the hoopoe, and Queen Bilqis.
• The fourth approach involves making the story symbolic, mentioning only words that alert at the beginning of the presentation. Then, the story is allowed to speak for itself through its characters. An example is the Quranic verse: {And [mention] when Abraham was raising the foundations of the House and [with him] Ishmael} [Al-Baqarah: 127]. This serves as an indication of the beginning, while what follows is left to Abraham and Ishmael, including: {Our Lord, accept [this] from us. Indeed You are the Hearing, the Knowing} [Al-Baqarah: 127], until the end of the long scene. This format is found in many stories in the Quran.

- Diversity of surprise method:

• Sometimes, the secret of the surprise is kept hidden from both the protagonist and the reader until it is revealed to them simultaneously. An example of this is the story of Prophet Moses (peace be upon him) with the righteous servant, the knowledgeable man, in Surah Al-Kahf.
• In the second method, the secret is revealed to the reader, while the characters in the story remain unaware of it. These characters act ignorantly of the secret, and those who know watch their actions, often in a mocking manner. An example of this is seen in the story of the people of Paradise in Surah Al-Qalam.
• In the third method, some secret is revealed to the reader, which is hidden from the hero in one place, and hidden from the reader and the hero in another place in the same story. An example of this is the story of Bilqis’ throne, which was brought in a flash, and we knew that it was in the hands of Solomon, peace be upon him, while Bilqis remained ignorant of what we know. Almighty Allah said: {So when she arrived, it was said [to her], “Is your throne like this?” She said, “[It is] as though it was it.” [Solomon said], “And we were given knowledge before her, and we have been Muslims [in submission to Allah]} [An-Naml: 42]; This revelation was a surprise that we knew beforehand, but the revelation of the well-paved floor of glass bottles remained hidden from us and her until we were both surprised by its secret when: {She was told, “Enter the palace.” But when she saw it, she thought it was a body of water and uncovered her shins [to wade through]. He said, “Indeed, it is a palace [whose floor is] made smooth with glass”} [An-Naml: 44].
• In the fourth method: There is no secret; instead, the surprise confronts both the hero and the reader simultaneously. They learn its secret at the same time, as in the surprise of the story of Mary. 

- Gaps between scenes in presenting the story: These are the gaps between scenes that are left by dividing the scenes and framing the views, as is done in modern theater: lowering the curtain.

Episode references:

- Ali Muhammad al-Sallabi, The Prophet Minister Joseph al-Siddiq, pp. 61-65.

- Some educational principles, previous reference, pp. 31-37.

- Objective unity, previous reference, p. 33.

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: