Prophet Yusuf's Story of Sorrow and Triumph

Yusuf (AS)
The Prophet of the Israelites
Created by: Banan M Obeid

Surat Yusuf was a gift to P Muhammad. It was revealed
when he was going through a lot- “The Year of Sorrow”
…personal Surah about the sorrow of Yaqoub and Yusuf.
This is the only Surah that tells a full story in chronological
order from beginning to end. It’s an emotional Surah.
Allah starts the Surah by telling us how he is the best
storyteller:

Hundreds of
years later
Thousands of
years later
You can’t talk about Yusuf
without talking about
Ibraheem.
As he was building the
Kaaba, Ibraheem made
duaa that his lineage would
be followers would
worship Allah (S) alone.
Let’s look at his lineage:
Father of the Prophets
11 other sons

 So Prophet Yusuf was the
great grandson of Prophet
Ibraheem.
 He’s continuing the legacy
of Ibraheem – carrying out the
same mission, which is that
Allah makes all his sons and
grandsons and great grandsons
worship Allah.
Yusuf and Ibraheem

 If it weren’t for Yusuf (hundreds of years ago) saving Egypt from starvation, Fir’one and all the
Egyptians and Bani Israeel wouldn’t have been able to live and thrive there!
As you can see, everything is connected. Quran doesn’t teach lessons in isolation.
As we learn the story, we will see how Musa and Yusuf’s stories are almost the same, but opposites.
. BEST STORYTELLING…Allah shows us that everyone’s situation is different. Allah writes everyone’s
life story differently, so don’t compare yourself to others. Each story has its own trials.
YUSUF MUSA
* Born in Palestine, sold as a slave in Egypt.
• Dad is mentioned, but mother is not.
• Threats comes from inside the family.
• Allah didn’t tell him his son would come back.
• Brothers try to get rid of him.
• Dropped in water (well)
• Is reunited with his dad YEARS later.
• His good looks got him in trouble.
• People saw Yusuf as a national hero.
• Starts as a shepherd, becomes royalty
* Born in Egypt, escapes Phirone to Palestine
• Mom is mentioned, but dad is not.
• Threats come from outside the family.
• Allah told his mother her son would come back.
• Sister tries to get him back
• Dropped in water (basket on the Nile)
• Is reunited with his mom HOURS later.
• His super strength got him in trouble.
• People saw Musa as a threat to the national security.
• Starts as royalty, ends as a fugitive.

• You can’t understand Musa without
understanding Yusuf from a historical view.
Yusuf set the stage for Musa.
• Yusuf was born in (Kanaan) Palestine and
ended up in Egypt and settled there. This is
how Bani Israel lived there and became
prosperous – he became their Prophet.
Before he died he told the people that more
Prophets would be sent to them after he
was gone.
• Over time ppl became intimidated by Bani
Israel because of their large number and
strength and the Pharos enslaved them.
These are the people whom Musa saved
from Fir’one.
Yusuf and Musa
EGYPT
PALESTINE

• Surat Yusuf starts with the scene of a secret being shared
between father and son.
• Allah made a little boy’s words so important to be mentioned in
the Quran.
• “I see 11 stars, the Sun and Moon. I saw them prostrating for
me”
- What do the sun and moon symbolize ?
- What do the stars symbolize ?
The Dream
Present tense
means it’s
happened more
than once.

P. Yaqub’s response shows that he understands the
meaning behind the dream. He knows Yusuf will
be a Prophet, and that the brothers will be jealous of him
and try to hurt him.
He is a good father. He knows his sons and sensed that
trouble would come…..
LESSON:
No family is IMMUNE from problems…
Even a Prophet had troubled sons…
My son, do not tell
your brothers about
your dream…..
I always felt Yusuf was different.
I saw signs of Prophecy in him.
So THIS is how Allah is
notifying us of his Prophecy.

Yaqub tells Yusuf that he has been
chosen by Allah, and his miracle
will be dream interpretation.
( Knowing his life has purpose is
going to help him in his times of
sorrow that will come )
Yusuf Learns of
his Prophecy
Yaqoub gives his son a vision of the future
& a sense of his past
He has been chosen just like
his father and grandfathers
Ibraheem and Yaqoub.
He comes from a lineage of
Prophets and is special like
them.

…..
The 10 brothers (Benyamin was not with them) think their dad
should appreciate and love them bc of the physical work they
do at home, instead of how they treat him and treat others.
They are leading themselves into trouble by talking this way
about their dad, who is a prophet!
By talking about it, they increased the ill feelings they had in
their hearts.
It could have been that only one brother felt jealous, then it
became 2, then 3,. None of the brothers wanted to disagree, so
they all joined the bandwagon.
Meanwhile the scene jumps to a private
conversation between 10 of Yusuf’s brothers
Dad loves Yusuf and his brother
(Benyamin) more than he loves
us….and we do all the work! Our
dad is making a huge mistake!
Note: Yusuf & Benyamin were
their half brothers from a
different mother

PROBLEM
Negative words can poison those around you.
The more you discuss ill feelings about
someone one, the worse it gets.
SOLUTION: is to talk to the people you are
having issues with to solve the
misunderstanding. Ask questions to clear up
any questions you have.
The reason why Shaytan went from
being a good Jinn, to being a cursed
Jinn is because of the jealousy he
felt towards the creation of humans.
When the Angels heard of this
creation, they were confused. So
they asked Allah questions about His
decision. They accepted His
wisdom.
Shaytan didn’t do that.
He started being “racist” against this
new creation.
His jealousy and thinking he is
better than others is what will cause
him to go to Jahannam….
I’m better than him!

Were the 10 brothers justified in their jealousy?
Was P. Yaqoub treating his sons unfairly?
Because they come from a different
mother, these 10 already look at
Yusuf and Benyamin as not part of
their family.
Because Yusuf and Benyamin are the youngest siblings, this
makes the 10 older brothers feel jealous.
Naturally, younger siblings get more attention because they
need it. A 20-year-old and a 5-year-old are not in the same stage
of life and aren’t held to the same standards.
It’s not the parents’ fault.
Yusuf was a very obedient son,
while the 10 brothers were
troublemakers and always gave P.
Yaqoub problems. Therefore, it
was only natural that P. Yaqoub
praised Yusuf and did not praise
the others as much.
The brothers
were being unfair
by trying to judge
what was in their
father’s heart and
comparing
themselves to
Yusuf.
Sometimes this happens in
families. Sometimes this
happens with us with our
own siblings….and
sometimes it happens with
half siblings.
This story will teach us
the dangers of allowing
jealousy and
resentment to grow in
our hearts.

Let’s get rid of the
problem
They allowed their jealousy to take
over. They started to discuss their
options on getting rid of Yusuf.
A “JUB” is a well that not’s being used.
This was the more merciful option they chose: To
leave him in a place where he will go hungry and
thirsty. A place where he will feel cold and scared at
night.
But they chose this option because it made them feel
less guilty than they would feel if they had killed
him - even though they knew he would probably die
in there.
Let’s kill Yusuf so we can have our
father’s attention to ourselves.
After that we’ll become better people
SHAYTANS TRICK:
We try to convince ourselves
that we can do something bad
and then be good and it’s OK.
No don’t kill him. Let’s
thrown him in the well.
A caravan will find him.
They think they can control their
father’s love. As if he will love
them more just because Yusuf
won’t be around
The inventor of jealousy

Now to convince dad…
Yaqoub never allowed Yusuf and Benyamin to go out into the desert without him.
The 10 brothers tried over and over to get Yusuf alone with them but Yaqoub always refused.
Finally, they try to make their father feel guilty.
They played innocent.
Come on Dad…what’s wrong with
you? Why don’t you trust us with
Yusuf? We just want to take him
to play. We’ll take care of him
They said:
Trying to
make him
feel guilty
Manipulation:
something is
wrong with YOU
Playing the victim
In the last scene the brothers were talking about
murdering their brother, and suddenly they put on
their innocent act!

How can a wolf eat him
when WE are a large
group with him?
P. Yaqoub said:
“It makes me sad for you to take
him away, and I’m afraid a wolf
will eat him while you aren’t
paying attention”
They played with their father’s emotions.
P. Yaqoub wanted to believe his sons had a change of heart.
So he allowed them to take Yusuf into the desert.
He let his guard down a little, but still felt uncomfortable with his decision.
He was a shepherd and understood how dangerous the desert could be.
If that happened, we would lose
our reputation (as shepherds)/we
would lose your love
Look at their
reasons. They don’t
even mention that
they love him and
don’t want him to
get hurt. They’re
only thinking about
themselves

Yusuf is like the weak sheep.
The brothers are like the shepherds who are
supposed to protect the sheep.
But the brothers were really wolves inside!

We don’t have the details of what they discussed once they had
Yusuf and were out in the desert.
We can only imagine what happened. Maybe some were having
second thoughts, and they started arguing.
Maybe they were yanking and pulling him.
Talking about him and bullying him while he’s right there listening!
He surely didn’t go down there quietly.
They took off his shirt- leaving him with nothing to stay warm at
night.
They threw him the well.
They walked away as he probably cried and called out to them.
They had no mercy.
Imagine what Yusuf was yelling out to them 
This crime happened
and there were no
witnesses except
Allah.
Allah Himself
describes the scene.
They don’t even
recognize that He is
watching their
horrible act

•… ‫لتنبئنه‬ ‫إليه‬ ‫وأوحينا‬
‫م‬
‫هذا‬ ‫بأمرهم‬
• Jibreel told
Yusuf that one
day he will have
the upper hand
and he will face
them with what
they’ve done.
These brothers were messing with a Prophet of Allah and
they had no idea who they’re dealing with.
They just walked away…
They had no idea that Angel Jibreel appeared right then
and stayed there with Yusuf to comfort him.
They had no idea that their crime was being
recorded and would go down in history in the Quran.

They claim they lost Yusuf while they were working so hard.
They didn’t show any sadness over Yusuf, just concern over being believed.
Yaqoub knows they are lying. Wolves don’t eat people whole and they just disappear. Where’s his body?
Yaqoub knows they are lying.
He knows Yusuf is going to be a Prophet and that he can’t be dead.
He knows the evil that his sons have committed.
They returned to their father in the night with fake tears.
Meanwhile, the brothers waited until late at night to return home. They waited to make it look like they had
spent all day looking for their brother, and so their father wouldn’t ask them to go out and look for Yusuf.
“Father, we were racing (in
work) and we left Yusuf with our
stuff and the wolf ate him. And
we know you won’t believe us
even if we were telling the
truth”

They could probably tell
that their father wasn’t
buying their story.
They brought Yusuf’s
shirt as evidence.
The shirt they took that
left him cold and
humiliated.
They had stained it with
the blood of an animal.
This incriminates them
further because a wolf
would not leave behind a
shirt and take the entire
boy.
No, you have all made
some terrible decision
easy for yourselves!
(Tell me what you’ve
done!)
I will have beautiful
patience, and Allah
will help me.
We don’t know how much time had passed
with them going back and forth, but the
brothers would NOT admit their lie
Beautiful Patience:
You can cry.
You can be sad.
But you can’t say
anything that will upset
Allah. You trust Him.
Being patient will bring
beauty to your faith.
Yaqoub has a promise
from Allah that will
keep him hopeful.

Meanwhile….
A caravan was passing by and
some scouts were sent out to
look for water.
They discovered the well, and
lowered their bucket to see if it
would hit water.
Good news!
A young boy!

WHY DID THEY GET EXCITED to find him??
Bc they’re slave traders.
They saw Yusuf as an investment.
He was just another thing to sell when they get to their
destination.
They pulled him out of the well and hid him from their boss so
they could make the money for themselves (large caravan)
He was tied up, thrown in with all the other merchandise and
was on his way to becoming a slave. He may have yelled at
them: “Take me to my dad! Please!”
They may have gagged him to keep him quiet.
They may have hit him.
Yusuf was on his way to fulfill his
future as a Prophet

One of the most honored Prophets of Allah, who will become the
most powerful King who will save the economy of EGYPT in the
future….is on his way to becoming a slave…muddy, shirtless,
hungry….kidnapped… they didn’t appreciate this child that they
had.
And then, to add insult to injury, he was sold for a “few dirhams” (
Darahima Ma’adoodah)
He was sold for a cheap price.
LESSON: OUR VALUE
doesn’t come from our social
status or from how others
around us treat us or view us.

So now Yusuf goes from the loving arms of his
parents, to the abuse of his brothers, to the darkness of
the well, to the abuse of the slave traders, to a foreign
land, to a slave market in Egypt…..
Talk about mental breakdown and trauma….
Then at the slave
market, the traders
noticed that Yusuf was
different than the rest.
He carried himself with
dignity, he was classy
and refined (slaves
usually look down)…
He appeared to be an
intelligent boy, and he
was very handsome.
For these reasons, he
was sold to people from
a rich family - he was
gifted to the Prime
Minister of Egypt (Al-
Aziz)

Al-Aziz was impressed by Yusuf,
so, he told his wife Zulaikha:
He wanted Yusuf to be given special treatment-to be
treated better than the rest of the slaves.
He was given good housing and good food like the
nobles.
Al-Aziz spoke about Yusuf like he was an honored guest.
Young Yusuf gets sold to the Prime Minister of Egypt Al-Aziz
Treat him well.
He may benefit us, or we
may take him as a son
Connection to Musa
This is the opposite of what happened with P. Musa.
His adoptive father, Firone, didn’t want him, but his
wife, Asiyah loved him and treated him like her own son.

When Yusuf grew up and became a young man, he became Aziz’s right hand
man. Everything that happened in the palace happened with Yusuf’s
knowledge.
He was the only servant who attended official meetings.
He was the only servant who was asked for his advice.
He was the only servant who became the center of attention.
He was the only servant who witnessed the private life AND the public life of the wealthy &
powerful
Connection to Musa
This is similar to what happened to P. Musa.
He was taken from his family but given so much
knowledge in Firone’s palace!!

Allah’s Plan:
At first, we assumed that the events that happened to young Yusuf were a
tragedy.
What we didn’t recognize, was that his kidnapping was all part of Allah’s
wisdom.
Allah planned for Yusuf to end up in the palace in order to prepare him for
becoming the Prime Minister of Egypt.
In that palace, Yusuf was receiving a TOP NOTCH education-
one that he would not have received back home in Palestine.

LESSONS (discuss ex. From surat Kahf)
(discuss recent events/earthquake)
Sometimes Allah puts us in what looks like a horrible
situation, but we have to trust that everything that comes from
Allah is khair even when we can’t see the wisdom in it.
Sometimes when bad things happen, we hear people say :
This is where the spiritual knowledge comes in.
Most ppl don’t have this knowledge.
You are special that you have it.
You are blessed because you understand how a
believer views life.
Where is God?!
How can allow
this to happen?
” ‫ال‬ ‫الناس‬ ‫أكثر‬ ‫ولكن‬ ‫أمره‬ ‫على‬ ‫غالب‬ ‫وهللا‬
‫يعلمون‬
Allah is in charge of His own
decisions, but most people don’t
know….
Don’t worry.
Allah is always there.
Allah is always in charge.
Allah knows exactly what He’s
doing….relax.

A Look into the Future:
While his father Yaqoub was crying his eyesight
away………..
…..so many fathers would have food to feed their kids when
Yusuf would save Egypt from starvation.
So many fathers would get to see their children live because of
Yusuf.
One father’s tears saved the tears of thousands of fathers.
In Yusuf’s case, his life as a slave in Egypt was a
BLESSING in disguise….

Years passed and Yusuf reached an age of maturity and wisdom.
Allah gave Him prophecy and the knowledge to interpret dreams.
At this point Yusuf was trusted by Al-Aziz and was in charge of almost all the decisions that
took place in the castle.
What happened next to Yusuf is a lesson on how our blessings can become a test for us.
Everything we have can be wasted and misused.
Even SCIENTIFIC knowledge can be used to create medicine,
but also used to create bombs!!
Yusuf grew to be the MOST charming, handsome man ever!!
He was the NUMBER ONE eligible bachelor of his time.
His good looks, characteristics and intelligence drew lots of attention.
This was the perfect scenario for the shaytan to creep in.
Our beauty
is a test
Our time
is a test
Our
health
is a test

THE SCENE CHANGES SUDDENLY….
Allah describes a private scene happening between Yusuf and Al-Aziz’s wife.
We don’t know how we got here…
And the one in whose house he lived tried to seduce him and she locked
the doors and she said ”Come to me” . He said MAATH ALLAH, my
Master has been good to me . Wrong doers will never succeed.
The Ayah says she locked the DOORS (plural)
She waited until Yusuf was inside the room and nobody was around.
This must have been in a location of the castle where there are many halls with
doors, so as she walked down the halls, she locked the doors, one at a time until
she reached the room he was in.
She came in and said “HAYTA LAK…. “Quickly Come to me…”
She is giving him an order, and we have to remember that he is her slave.

The Quran didn’t specify the steps that led up this scene…..
But we know that shaytan uses small steps to get people to commit haram acts.
We know this wasn’t a one time attempt because of the word “rawadathu”.
She had been trying to get his attention for a while now, but he wouldn’t pay attention
to her.
The situation Yusuf was in was a big
TEST…
He was not an angel.
He was a young, unmarried man alone in
a room with a beautiful woman.
Zulaikha was his boss and he had been
taught to follow her orders.
Ma’ath Allah!
Allah protect me!
Yusuf had no Imam to teach him adab, he had no Islamic school, no Tajweed class.
However, Allah, His Master raised Him to be the great man he became. He immediately
remembered Allah and ran away from Zulaikha to protect himself from sin

Yusuf’s quick response is a lesson for us to move away from haram QUICKLY!!
Once Yusuf recognized the danger he was in, He called on Allah to help.
He still loved Allah even after everything he’d been through.
He could’ve been bitter against Allah for taking him away from his home and making him a slave.
BUT a MUSLIM doesn’t act badly/do haram based on whether or not they’re getting what they want from
Allah…
LESSON
After he mentions Allah, he yells out:
“My master has treated me well”…..
To him, the word Master makes him think of ALLAH, but
to Zulaikha the word Master makes her think of Al-Aziz.
Yusuf is reminding Zulaikha of her husband, hoping she
would leave him alone.
Unfortunately, she had no loyalty to her MASTER
ALLAH, nor to her MASTER the AZIZ.
My master has treated
me well!

Never belittle the small things…
Small steps are always the steps to bigger ones….
Why did Allah place rules between genders?
Every rule Allah places is for our protection from slipping into sins.
People who fall into haram relationships don’t just jump into haram
instantly.
Shaytan is smart and he works step by step (discuss Adam’s story)
Haram between genders
starts with a smile, a
text, a laugh, a high-
five, a hug, a kiss.
This is like the first CRIME of the brothers.
They allowed their jealously to grow until they attempted to kill him.
Zulaikha was also attempting to commit a different kind of CRIME which would also end up hurting Yusuf.
If a Prophet didn’t take a risk with his Iman, why would you?
Yusuf was honest with himself about his humanity.
Do we think we are immune?

In the Quran Allah tells us::
“There are people who have eyes but they don’t see with them, and people who have ears but don’t hear with them”
Their senses are SPIRITUALLY BLIND.
Some may see drugs as an outlet, as something cool.
A believer sees drugs as a destroyer of the body & mind.
We see that it is a door to other evils.
Example:
A believer sees the World through the
lenses of the Quran. The Quran
allows a believer to view things in the
right way.
It is our shield that protects us.

Discuss:
We are not held responsible for our desires.
Allah put those inside of us.
We are responsible for how we act.
Example:
Food is halal but Allah allows you to view it as haram
until iftar time.
You are NOT held responsible for feeling hungry during
fasting. You didn’t act on your hunger, you didn’t eat.
In the same way, you are not held responsible for finding
someone from the opposite gender attractive.
Having a thought isn’t a sin.
We are not angels.
Discuss:
* How does a believer vs non-believer view success?
* When u commit a sin does it affect those around you?

So back to the Scene:
.
This is the 2ND TIME Yusuf’s SHIRT is mentioned.
His SHIRT is a SYMBOL of DIGNITY…
Our clothing give us dignity.
The first time the shirt was mentioned, Yusuf’s brothers humiliated
him and left him shirtless.
This time Zulaikha is humiliating Yusuf by pulling him towards
sin-ripping his shirt in the process.
The shirt will be mentioned again later in the story…
They both raced to the door.
Yusuf was running from Zulaikha, opening one door after the
other. She pulled him back by his shirt and the shirt ripped.

Suddenly, Al-Aziz appeared at the door.
He demanded to know what was going on.
Zulaikha quickly changed her demeanor.
She switched from attacker to victim.
She put on an act in front of her husband.
What is the punishment for the one
who wishes to harm your family?
Nothing except to be imprisoned or
punished a painful punishment!
Look at Allah’s plans.
He made the Aziz come to that exact room in that exact moment.
Yusuf mentioned Allah so Allah is saving him from haram.

Zulaikha is trying to make her husband feel guilty, like, OH
YOU ALWAYS reward Yusuf, you think he’s so great…..!
What’s his reward now, huh??? She gets him to second guess
the opinion he’s had of Yusuf all this time.
Now Aziz is hit with many emotions… Imagine how bad this
looks….his wife is in the room and she is crying.
Yusuf is in the room, and his shirt is ripped
Zulaikha is being LOUD - that’s what ppl do to make it look
like they’re telling the truth
She’s telling him that Yusuf plotted all this, and he doesn’t
have time to think…..
She must be telling the truth.
She would never betray me.
I have to be a man and save my wife.
What will everyone say if I believe
a slave over her?

By this time, some slaves in the castle started hearing the loud
commotion.
Everyone slowly gathered around them….slaves, servants,
family members.
Everyone stood there, making their own judgments, and
waiting to see how Yusuf would defend himself.
YUSUF says very calmy:
She’s the one who
tried to seduce me.
WE TRY TO JUDGE BASED ON OUR OWN EMOTIONS instead of facts.
This is wrong, but it’s what people do:
“Look at his face, He looks guilty, Look at his eyes, Why isn’t he yelling?”
‫ي‬ِ‫س‬ْ‫ف‬َ‫ن‬ ْ‫ن‬َ‫ع‬ ‫ي‬ِ‫ن‬ْ‫ت‬َ‫د‬ َ‫او‬ َ‫ر‬ َ‫ي‬ِ‫ه‬ َ‫ل‬‫ا‬َ‫ق‬
Buthis testimony didn’t matter to anyone bc he wasn’t yelling, he wasn’t angry, he
wasn’t being emotional like Zulaikha.
Usually people assume it’s the man’s fault….
Or the poor person’s fault…
Or the slave’s fault…

He calmly stated a fact.
He encouraged people to look at facts and think for THEMSELVES
instead of judging based on their own assumptions.
He was helping everyone calm down
Everyone was stressed and jumping to conclusions.
Next Ayah: An awesome witness appears
A witness from Zulaikha’s OWN family testified.
He was looking carefully at the scene and making observations.
Then he said:
If his shirt was ripped from the front then she’s
telling the truth, and he’s lying. If his shirt was
ripped from behind, then she lied, and he’s
telling the truth
LESSONS
1. Be that person who calms a bad situation, not the one who escalades it.
2. Look at the facts, even if it makes your own FAMILY look guilty. Even if it makes your best
friend look guilty. It doesn’t matter.
THE TRUTH MATTERS

Look at how many lessons are in Surat Yusuf up this point
1. Recognizing and controlling jealousy
2. Negative words affect others.
3. Being patient
4. Convincing yourself you can be bad, then be good and it will be OK.
5. Beauty and health can be a test if used improperly
6. A bad situation may be a blessing in disguise- have tawakul
7. Sometimes a little suffering results in a lot of good.
8. Gender relation rules are in place for a good reason.
9. Don’t risk falling into sin… don’t belittle sins.
10. Look at everything through the lens of the Quran to have eyes and ears that
recognize the truth.
11. Don’t judge a situation based on how it looks.
12. Don’t’ make the situation worse – don’t add drama.

People are going to say: If I can’t even control
my own wife, how will I control the economy
of Egypt? The nation’s security?
Al Aziz calmed down and decided to look at the facts.
Yusuf’s shirt was ripped from the back.
His wife was clearly lying.
He saw the truth, but instead of admitting it, he said :
Now remember, Al Aziz was a politician, so his reputation
and the reputation of his family was very important.
Politicians have to look good in front of the press.
What happens behind closed doors has to stay there.
This is the scheme of
you women!

If this leaks out into the society, it’s going to be bad for him.
There has to be a cover up.
Instead of going crazy on his wife in front of everyone, he played it down by saying :
OH ALL YOU WOMEN are the same.
You women do these kinds of things all the time.
Yusuf, we’re not going
to talk about this!
Yusuf was ordered to act like this never happened .
We assume this means that everyone else in the castle was
given the same instructions)…
‫ِن‬‫ا‬ ِِۖ‫ك‬ِ‫ب‬ْْۢ‫ن‬َ‫ذ‬ِ‫ل‬ ْ‫ي‬ ِ
‫ر‬ِ‫ف‬ْ‫غ‬َ‫ت‬ْ‫س‬‫ا‬ َ‫و‬ ‫ا‬َ‫ذ‬ٰ‫ه‬ ْ‫ن‬َ‫ع‬ ْ
‫ض‬ ِ
‫ْر‬‫ع‬َ‫ا‬ ُ‫ف‬ُ‫س‬ ْ‫و‬ُ‫ي‬
َ‫ْن‬‫ي‬‫ي‬ِِِٕ ْٰٰ‫ال‬ َ‫ن‬ِ‫م‬ ِِْ‫ن‬ُُ ِ‫ك‬
What’s the problem with this??
1. Secrets never stay a secret…it’s going to leak somehow, and when it leaks who’s going
to say what?
2. How will Yusuf defend himself if he’s been instructed to stay quiet??
3. Any self-respecting man who loves his wife wouldn’t just let his wife get away with
what she’d done. All Aziz cared about was his reputation in the land.
You- ask forgiveness because you
have been from those who make
mistakes.

As expected, people started to gossip
and the secret leaked out….
The women in the city started talking.
They said :
The Aziz’s wife tried to get the attention of
her young servant boy. His love entered her heart.
She’s clearly delusional!
As we know, most of the time, jealousy is what leads people to gossip about others.
The women in the castle and in the city are probably jealous of Aziz’s wife because of her
beauty and status. Maybe they secretly hope that Al- Aziz will divorce her.
Maybe they secretly hope Aziz will lose his position and their husbands will have a chance at
it.
This is the 2nd time jealousy plays out in this

When Zulaikha heard of the womens’ scheme (to spread the
gossip/to try and humiliate her), she set up her own scheme.
She decided to throw a party and invited all the women to
attend… The women jumped at the chance to attend…they were
curious…they wanted to see this “famous” Yusuf…they wanted to
see how destroyed Zulaikha was- maybe jab at her a little….like,
so , we heard what happened….
So the day of the invitation she prepared a room for them….like
couches with recliners…and she gave them sharp knives and
fruits that needed to be cut.
THE PLAN…

Where was Yusuf this whole time ?
Obviously since all this happened, it had been really awkward because he was
still living in the palace
He had been trying to keep his distance from Zulaikha, and probably from all
women.
Remember that Yusuf was not living in a place where people had fear of Allah.
The elite women were not modest- neither in their dress nor in their behavior.
However, Yusuf was still a servant and still had to do his job – and Zulaikha was
going to use that fact in her plot.
So as the ladies were enjoying their time, talking and cutting their fruits,
Zulaikha called Yusuf into the room.
The ayah says:
“AND WHEN THEY SAW HIM, THEY WERE MESMERIZED”
These aren’t modest women. They didn’t look away, no did they feel shy.
They cut themselves with their knives because of Yusuf’s beauty.
Is that him?
Is that Yusuf?
Yusuf come in
here!

Imagine how Yusuf felt in that room!
He is so modest and is already uncomfortable because of what had
happened before, and he is probably forced to care for these women
who cut themselves
The women said: “HASHA LILLAH- Oh my God, this isn’t a regular
man- he is an Angel.
They’re rich, beautiful women throwing attention at him, staring,
whispering, maybe even saying things to him, and he’s looking away,
moving back, feeling uncomfortable.
This is exactly what Zulaikha wanted to happen!
She wanted them to see why she was in love with Yusuf.
That’s when she decided to speak freely in front of everyone!
He’s not a man!
He is an Angel!

“That, ladies is the one you blamed me about.”
Zulaikha was no longer afraid of anyone.
With those few words, she was admitting that she had been lying before.
Now the women knew the truth. The community knew the truth, and her husband (who already knows she had been lying) is going to hear about her public
statement. The secret was out!
SHE Continued: “And if he doesn’t do whatever I want him to,
he will be imprisoned and join
the humiliated ones”
Hertruecolorswereon display.
- No shame
- Nofearof people
- Nofearof God
- NowSHEislikeGod….it’salmostlikethisisnowa powertrip…..Yusufhasto submitto HER.
You’regoing to burnME? (yusuf)
You’regoing to shame ME? (women)
Wait tillyousee howI’mgoing to humiliate you
He’s the one you blamed me about!
If he doesn’t do whatever I want, he
will be imprisoned and humiliated!

In HEREYES being sent to prison is humiliation bc all she cares about
is what People think… Yusuf was never worried about that. Yusuf
cared about how ALLAH saw him.
How did Yusuf respond to her threat?
He had 2 choices- commit haram or go to prison.
Yusuf ignored Zulaikha. He didn’t even respond to her.
Instead, he spoke to Allah and made this duaa:
Ya Allah, prison is more beloved to me than
what these women are asking me to do. If you
don’t keep them away from me, I might fall into
their traps”…
He admitted t to Allah that he’s vulnerable, that he needed help.
He didn’t know how much longer he could protect himself while living in that palace.
He was telling Allah that if prison is the way to obeying HIM, he WOULD LOVE to go there.
Thisisoneof themostLOYALthingsto sayto Allah.
It’ssimilarto whenyoutellsomeoneyoulove:I WOULDDIEFORYOU….

 IF losing my friends/changing my friends means obeying you, I WOULDLOVETO.
 If waking up for Fajr and leaving my warm bed means obeying you, I WOULDLOVETO.
 If changing my entire wardrobe means obeying you, I WOULDLOVETO.
 If refraining from watching those movies means obeying you, I WOULDLOVETO.
 If guarding my eyes and ears means obeying you, I WOULDLOVETO.
 If deleting this APP means obeying you, I WOULDLOVE TO.
If a prophet has no shame in admitting his weakness, why can’t we?
I think Yusuf was a pretty good Muslim-better than us, right?
And just like Yusuf, when it gets t0o hard for YOU, ASK Allah to make it easier.
Just talk to HIM…when was the last time you spoke to Allah?
Not just in salah and reading the Duaas you have memorized, but just TALKED…..????
Lesson:
Sometimes obeying Allah WILLcause pain.
Sometimes it’s hard, but we are taught to think like Yusuf

So the next Ayah says that Allah answered his duaa and Yusuf
entered prison.
You might ask- how is going to prison saving him??
Al Azizs wife thought that she had won….
She showed her friends how powerful she was.
She got revenge on Yusuf by throwing him in prison….
BUT the opposite of what she wanted was going to happen.
Instead of being humiliated, Yusuf was starting on a path to
save hundreds of thousands of lives.
Yusuf was again thrown into a dark place , but
Allah was with him- just like He was with him
as he was being thrown into the well…

If you look at the Surah, Yusuf never really talks much
until he was placed in prison.
While he was in the castle he didn’t really have the
opportunity to spread Allah’s message, but his
conversations in prison are recorded in the Quran forever-
those conversations will be guidance for the world .
“Then it occurred to them, even after seeing the evidence, they should imprison him until a given time”
Yusuf did not have a fair trial like anyone convicted of a crime should have.
He didn’t have a “release date” either. The choice was made to leave him in prison until- whenever.
Al Aziz knew Yusuf was innocent beyond a shadow of a doubt (his wife admitted it herself), but he chose to
make Yusuf disappear.
(This is political corruption, which still happens all the time today. People are silenced all the time for
standing up against the government.)
ThisisthesecondtimepeoplewantYusufto disappear,andthesecondtimepeopleusehimfortheirownbenefit.
So … the story skips to a scene of Yusuf in prison
We will hear a conversation going on in Yusuf’s cell.
He was speaking to his two cell mates.
LESSON:
Sometimes Allah puts us in a hard positions in
order to benefit others….

Both men took the bribe but at the last
second, the cup bearer got cold feet/
As the king was about to eat, the Cup bearer
yelled:
“Don’t eat that it’s been poisoned”.
The baker yelled :
” Don’t drink the wine, it’s been poisoned”
The 2 men snitched on each other, and then
were placed in prison together.
We can assume they’re obviously not the
best of friends-and the Quran describes them
as such…
What’s the backstory of these two cellmates and why were
they in prison?
The Quran doesn’t give us these details, but this is the story
we find in the Bible:
There were many assassination attempts on the
King.
The assassins bribed the 2 men who had the
most access to him:
His CUP BEARER (butler) and his Bread
Maker (chef)
They offered to pay them to poison his food and
drink.

Again, we are taught NOT TO JUDGE based on what we see and hear.
Appearances can be very deceiving.
Allah didn’t say : In the cell were 2 CRIMINALS with Yusuf….
Allah said : In the cell were 2 MEN with Yusuf….
It’s clear to us that those men lived in an unjust society and anything was possible.
Those men could have been innocent just like Yusuf.
FYI: The biblical version of this story is 4 times longer than the
Quranic one.
The Quran leaves out a lot of details.
WHY?
Allah is very selective in what He tells us. This means:
If it’s not mentioned, it’s not important, and if it IS mentioned, pay
attention to each detail bc there’s a lesson behind it. That’s why
we are going through this story slowly….pulling out lessons.
LESSONS:

The cell mates told Yusuf… (You seem to be from the righteous ones.
They saw Yusuf as being a “man of God”.
WHY?
Maybe Yusuf had been preaching in prison.
Maybe they saw him praying….
Something he did everyday made them trust him and come to him.
Something he did made him seem spiritual.
He was dressed the same way they were dressed. He wasn’t wearing a kufi or
galabiyeh.
There was something in his demeanor, and actions that made him stand apart from
the rest of the cell mates.
Allah saw him as good and put this same opinion in the hearts of this 2 young men.
The Cell Conversation:
‫من‬ ‫لنراك‬ ‫إنا‬
‫المحسنين‬
These are the
same words
Allah used
before to
describe Yusuf.

LESSON:
This is how every MUSLIM should be.
People shouldn’t run away from us or be
bothered by us. People should see
honesty and comfort in our eyes and
actions and come to us for help…look to
us as good examples.

The
King’s
baker:
I see myself with bread on my head
and the birds are eating from it. I see myself pressing wine
There’s nothing abnormal about these dreams….seeing something that has to do with
your job, but the dreams kept reccuring so it became concerning to the men.
Side Note: Look how, again, Yusuf is with people who don’t really care about HIM, they
just want to USE him for their benefit…..
Yusuf responded:
The King’s
Cup Bearer:
I’ll have the answer to
you before
Your next meal
comes.
Remember, they’re in an
ancient prison, that
probably had no windows.
The only way to know the
time of the day was based
He didn’t want to answer them right away. He had a plan.
THE DREAMS

There was Prophet Yusuf.
In the dark again- just like in the well….
This was probably very traumatic for him…maybe being
locked up was reminding him of those bad times….but he
was able to get through it with his spirituality….
Similar to when Prophet Musa’s mom watched her newborn
float down a river….and she was paralyzed by fear- Allah
said that he sent her WAHI and brought calmness to her
heart. She was able to hold in her screams and cries. She
was able to look normal in front of phirone’s soldiers who
walked in and looked around to see if there were any babies
in her house. She didn’t give herself away- something that
would was almost impossible…..
Now we see Prophet Yusuf inside a dungeon and he’s calmly

Yusuf
continued:
What I will tell you is
from
what my MASTER
taught me
I left the religion of my people
who don’t believe in Allah.
They are denial of the afterlife.
They probably thought he was talking
about the Aziz What master??
Again, Yusuf is hinting…prepping
them:
He means ALLAH, he means Yaqoub.
He means the legacy of
PROPHECY…
He was talking about people
worshipping their desires, worshipping
political status, reputation, and money.
FYI
Ancient Egyptians had a religion- they
were coptics who worshipped multiple
Gods. They believed that mummification
was a way to the afterlife. They buried
their gold with them.
This is ironic because he’s talking as if HE
CHOSE to be there in the dungeon. He said that
he walked away from those people, and it’s true.
He DID make a choice and he felt grateful for
it. He’s better off in prison than he would have
been living in the castle.
Yusuf didn’t tell them what their dreams meant
until he gave da’wa first. He knew he had their

Some of them were probably thinking Yusuf was going to mention some great Egyptian clans
or pharaoh lineage…
but he mentioned these names instead.
He was building up their curiosity so that when they asked, he could talk more about them.
By the way, we share this with Yusuf, because IBRAHEEM IS OUR FATHER TOO…P
Muhammad’s Ummah are the children of Ibraheem.
This is an interesting conversation because usually people who are thrown in jail are
NOBODYS…..why would a famous/billionaire/powerful family allow their son to be here???
YUSUF
Continu
ed:
I have chosen to follow the
religion of my fathers
IBRAHEEM, ISHAQ &
YAQOUB
He was introducing them to the
names of the Prophets- many of
them may have heard of those
names before and this is a
reminder.
This is a Flashback to his
childhood.
A flashback to those
conversations
he had with his dad years ago…

Yusuf
answere
d:
We are a family that never equates
anything with Allah.
This is from Allah’s many favors on us
and all people, but
most people aren’t grateful
He finally said ALLAH’S NAME to
them….
Yusuf made them wonder: What other favors are there?????
Can we can have them too???
They’re not just for your family??
We should be grateful even in THIS situation?
Who should we be grateful to??
Why is this man so content?
Yusuf

Yusuf continues:
My prison companions, Are many different Masters better OR
Allah the One, the Supreme?
What you worship other than Him are just names your
forefathers have made up. Allah has commanded you to
worship none but Him. This is the correct religion, but most
people do not know.
As “slaves” to the King they understand better
than anyone what it would be like to have 2
MASTERS….which one would you listen to?
Which one’s orders do you fulfill? You will
always be in trouble with one or the other,
right??? Some one will always be mad….

PROPHETS always give GOOD AND
BAD NEWS.
They know they’re going to get in trouble
for it, but they do it anyway regardless of
how ppl are going to react.
Dream
Interpret
ation:
My prison companions,
one of you will be serving drinks to the King..
This means that the
wine bearer
will get his old job
back.
He will get out of
prison.
The other will be
crucified (publicly
executed as a
warning to
everyone)
This means the vultures will be eating from the top
of his head.
Meaning he won’t even be buried.
His body is going to hang there long enough to be
mutilated by the animals,
and the birds will peck through his skull.
One man gets good news, the other gets horrible
news!
They can choose to believe him or not.
They might even fight with each other.
Naturally people WANT to believe the good news
and WANT to believe the bad news is a lie.

Yusuf wanted him to remind people of
his case.
Maybe someone would be able to get
him out of prison.
This is a LESSON for us to have
Tawakkul, but to also use whatever
means we have!! It doesn’t mean Yusuf
worried that Allah couldn’t get him out.
It means he knew Allah puts this
opportunity in front of him for a reason.
When you get out,
mention me to the
Aziz….
Yusuf then said to the one who
is going to get out (wine maker):
َ‫ل‬‫ا‬َ‫ق‬ َ‫و‬
‫ِي‬‫ذ‬‫ل‬ِ‫ل‬
‫ن‬َ‫ظ‬
‫ُۥ‬‫ه‬‫ن‬َ‫أ‬
‫َاج‬‫ن‬
‫ا‬َ‫م‬ُ‫ه‬ۡ‫ن‬ِ‫م‬
‫ي‬ِ‫ن‬ ۡ
‫ر‬ُُۡ‫ٱذ‬
َ‫د‬‫ن‬ِ‫ع‬
َ‫ك‬ِ‫ب‬ َ‫ر‬
ُ‫ه‬ٰ‫ى‬َ‫س‬‫ن‬َ‫أ‬َ‫ف‬
ُ‫ن‬َِٰۡ‫ي‬‫ٱلش‬
َ‫ر‬ُِۡ‫ذ‬
‫ۦ‬ِ‫ه‬ِ‫ب‬ َ‫ر‬
َ‫ث‬ِ‫ب‬َ‫ل‬َ‫ف‬
‫ي‬ِ‫ف‬
ِ‫ن‬ ۡ
‫ج‬ِ‫ٱلس‬
َ‫ع‬ ۡ‫ض‬ِ‫ب‬
َ‫ين‬ِ‫ن‬ِ‫س‬
He must have been so happy to be
out of prison, he didn’t care about Yusuf.
This means he hadn’t changed for the better.
If he had, he would never have forgotten Yusuf.

So he gathered his closest advisors and
dream interpreters for advice.
Yusuf remains in prison for a few more years…
Fast forward several years……
The KING of Egypt keeps seeing a recurring dream.
The dream was concerning him.
“ I see 7 fat
cows being
eaten by 7
skinny
cows”
“And 7 ears of green
grain and others that are
dried up”

Now you and I probably don’t go around talking
about our dreams much, right?
The President of the USA DOESN’T stand in the oval
office and tell his advisors and listeners:
HOWEVER, in Yusuf’s era, Ancient Egyptians were
very superstitious!
They saw everything as either a good omen or a bad
omen.
They had sorcerers, mystics, and priests who used to
interpret signs.
So, I had this dream….

This is why Allah chose the miracle of DREAM INTERPRETATION for Yusuf-
it related to the most valued skill of his time.
LESSON:
Prophets were not sent with random miracles.
Each Prophet’s miracle related to the people to which they were sent.
P. Isa’s people were medically
advanced.
His miracle was curing the blind
& the leper & bringing the dead
back to life.
P. Saleh’s people built
amazing structures into
the mountains.
His miracle was a live
camel emerging from
those mountains.
P. Musa’s people were amazed
by sorcery & viewed snakes as
holy creatures.
His miracle was a staff that
turned into a snake that
astonished all the sorcerers.
P. Muhammad’s people were
masters of Arabic grammar/
poetry.
His miracle was the Quran
P. Yusuf’s people depended on
dream interpretation for decision
making. His miracle of dream
interpretation made him a
valuable asset.
Some
Examples:

Even though this King of Egypt wasn’t a believer, Allah still sent him a
meaningful dream.
All the King’s chiefs, advisors and dream
interpreters gathered in his presence but could
not give him an interpretation of his dream.
Who else was in the room listening to all
this?
The Cupbearer!
He was out of jail, & back at his old job.
He immediately thought of Yusuf.
You’re just having random dreams
(Nothing connects/makes sense)
and we don’t know how to
interpret them

I’m sure we all know ppl who do this, right?
They take credit for things someone else does.
Years ago, Yusuf helped this man, and now he was
going to use him to help himself.
The cupbearer now had
an opportunity to look
good in front of the
King!
He came forward and
said:
I’ll tell you all what it
means, just let me go..
He was upping EVERYONE in the room!
He didn’t even tell them where he was going
to get the information. He was just showing
off that he will have the answers nobody else
has.
He was going to use someone else and take
the credit….
LESSON : DON’T HELP OR DO GOOD because you
expect something in return- you’ll be disappointed and
lose your drive to do good. Do it only for Allah.

No small talk.
He doesn’t have time.
He doesn’t want anyone to see him talking to Yusuf.
He doesn’t mention the King.
He just makes Yusuf feel like A LOT of ppl need this dream
interpreted.
He knows Yusuf cares about the community and will help.
YUSUF AYOOHA
ALSIDIQUE…
Hey buddy!
You trustworthy guy!
The cupbearer was given permission
to leave, and as he made his way to
the prison, he must have been
wondering:
Can you interpret this for
us: 7 fat cows…..
I need to go back to the
people and tell them
What am I supposed to
say to Yusuf now?
Hey, I forgot about you all
these years and now I
need your help?
That’s not going work.
He decided on being manipulative.
When he arrived to the prison, he said:

Now Yusuf could’ve said: Get me out of here first! Or: Where have you been all these
years? Now you come to me when you need help?!
But Yusuf (AS) didn’t do that. He just gave him the answer, because that is the miracle
Allah gave him, and as a Prophet his job was to benefit the community.
It appears that Allah sent him WAHI (Angle Jibreel) to tell him this interpretation was for
the King. The way he interpreted the dream and gave instructions was done in a way
that indicates he knew he was speaking to the government.
Yusuf said: You are going to farm 7
straight years. And whatever
you harvest, leave it inside
the ear.
Only take enough to eat!
Yusuf was talking like HE WAS THE AUTHORITY… (which he will be)
He was sending a message to the King:
This is what you’re going to do.
You’re going to work hard, save a lot, and eat less.
Imagine! A man in prison was giving instructions to the King!

He was giving a POWERFUL ECONOMIC POLICY!!
He was basically calling for a 7-year lockdown.
Everyone in Egypt will have to work together to save the society…
Yusuf continued:
SOUND FAMILIAR??
This is similar to the covid
crisis. Masks and social
distancing were enforced.
Some people complained
about losing their freedom,
but we all had to work
together to protect the
society.
Our government wasn’t
prepared for a mass medical
crisis –that’s why our
hospitals were suffering. We
didn’t have enough
ventilators, or hospital beds
for the large amounts of sick
people.
Then you will have 7 difficult years
which will eat up everything you’ve
worked for.
All you will have is the little you
saved.
The cows and stalks represent farming….
The skinny cows represent starvation and the fat cows
represent the 7 years of savings.
The days of starvation are going to eat up all your savings.
The 7 green stalks will save them from the starvation that’s
coming.
If they don’t work hard and save up, everyone will starve!

Meaning: After the 14 years pass, Egypt will again have
irrigation, rivers will be full, cows will produce milk, and the
Earth will produce crops again.
He gives them a look at the future, so they would have
hope, act responsibly and know exactly what to do.
Without hope everyone would go crazy and give up.
Then you’ll have one year in which you will
receive a lot of rain and you’ll be squeezing
from the Earth
Yusuf
continues:

The Cupbearer memorized everything Yusuf told him.
He rushed back to the King and repeated every word to
him.
The King was smart. He knew this man didn’t come up
with this accurate interpretation and amazing economic
plan all by himself!!
He ordered him to bring the man who came up with this
plan.
The cupbearer couldn’t take credit for this like he planned.
Everything was going to come out.
That’s it!
That’s the
interpretation!
BRING HIM TO
ME!

Yusuf just got a formal invitation from the King!
Usually when ppl are pulled out of prison they’re treated badly and thrown out into the street.
Go back to the King and ask him:
What’s the story of those women who
cut their hands?
My Master is fully aware of their
scheme.
But Yusuf rejected the invitation!!
He told the King’s messenger:
Yusuf was invited by a messenger to come to
the palace! Finally, he could get out of prison!

P. Yusuf was thinking ahead:
“What will the women
try to do if I get out?”
He asked Allah to keep him safe from them, and he WAS safe from
them in prison.
What if I stay out of their
way/go somewhere far?
Maybe the King will
protect me?
The women schemed to get him in jail without proper trial
and falsely accuse him. They would surely find out once
he gets out of prison and will probably try to scheme
again.
If he gets out of prison, he plans to help the government
by solving the economic crisis that’s coming.
He doesn’t have the option of hiding.
The King isn’t going to trust and hire Yusuf if he hears the
lies from the Aziz and his wife.
THE ONLY OPTION: Yusuf had to clear his reputation
so he COULD DO HIS JOB…
The cover up had to exposed before he left prison,
that’s why he sent his message with the messenger.

The King took the case into his own hands.
.
He questioned everybody, all the slaves, women, all their
friends, all the husbands. This included Zulaikha, Al-Aziz’s
wife.
The messenger left prison
& returned to the King:
The dream interpreter
refused to leave prison. He
said to ask you: “What’s the
story of those women who
cut their hands?”
He said his master
(Aziz) is fully
aware of their
scheme.

I want him to know this time I didn’t falsely testify.
I was guilty, and Allah doesn’t guide the scheming
of those who cheat.”
Something has changed in Zulaikha after all these years.
She felt ashamed.
She was apologetic and she kept mentioning Allah and hoping
for His forgiveness.
The Aziz’s wife finally spoke up: Now the truth comes out.
I tried to seduce him.
He was telling the truth.
We assume that Yusuf was the one who introduced
her to Allah. We can imagine that she’s been
miserable all these years. She wants Yusuf to know
that she’s learned her lesson.

Just like Zulaikha, we all have bad whispers in our hearts.
There’s a war inside us all – a constant battle between good and
bad.
It’s up to you to make sure the good is the last one standing.
Some consequences are Wordly.
EXAMPLE:
A driver has the urge to speed but stops himself so he doesn’t get a
ticket.
EXAMPLE:
Someone has the urge to steal but stops himself so doesn’t get arrested.
What differentiates us from animals is that when
they have an urge to do something, they just do it.
As humans, even though we also have urges, we
stop and think about the consequences

For believers, they consider the Akhira consequences as
well.
A believer has a love for Allah, longing for Jenna, and
fear of Jahannam that provides the strength to fight
temptations.
This is a very powerful spiritual tool we have.
We are not controlled by our desires.

Now bring him to me!
I want to keep him
exclusively for my service
BUT, in her situation, it wasn’t enough to just make istighfar.
Her sin affected someone else’s reputation so in order to be
forgiven by Allah, she had to correct the mistake . That meant
speaking up in front of everyone and making sure Yusuf was
proclaimed innocent and released from prison.
So we learn from the Ayat that Zulaikha repented to Allah.
So, after all her testimony, the King said:
Yusuf just got a job as the King
of Egypt’s right-hand man!!

.
And was taken to a place where he could choose
anything he wanted and he was under the protection
of the most powerful King.
HE became the new MINISTER of EGYPT/
THE NEW AZIZ
He took the job of the man who had placed him in
You will be the new Minister of Egypt
in charge of all it’s treasures.
So Yusuf left the prison cell.
A place where he couldn’t see the sky or the sun.
A place where he couldn’t chose what to eat and when to eat it
Bye!
Don’t forget
us

Everything that happened to Yusuf up this point was Allah’s plan to get him to
this EXACT point!
We finally understand Allah’s plan!
Allah interrupts the story for a second to tell us:
AND THAT’S HOW I GAVE YUSUF SAFETY AND POWER IN THE LAND.

Suddenly the screen goes blank!
Allah skips some scenes.
The 7 years of prosperity have passed.
It is now the 1st year of the Drought.
The scene fades in and you see some men travelling in the
desert…
Who are they and where are they going?
TO BE CONTINUED…..
Allah fast forwards the story…..
8 YEARS LATER

The 7 years of prosperity have passed. It is now the 1st year of the Drought
.
The scene fades in and you see some men travelling in the desert…
Who are they? Where are they going? WHY?
Allah fast forwards the story…..
8 YEARS LATER

These men were Yusuf’s brothers, and they were travelling to Egypt, just as many
men were doing. The villages in all surrounding countries had all gone bankrupt.
During the years of drought, Yusuf’s brothers had a hard time purchasing food.
Price of food was so HIGH everywhere because the supply was so low.
Thanks to P. Yusuf’s dream, Egypt was the only place that had saved their food in
advance and was able to survive!
Thanks to P. Yusuf’s economic plan and fairness, his marketplace was the only one
that sold food at prices people could afford
For this reason, people were taking the risk of making this
dangerous journey across the desert and across the Sea
to reach Egypt.
(bandits increase in times of
drought)

Not only were Egypt’s prices fair, but P. Yusuf
had set up a government program to distribute
food to the poor!
But this program had rules.
P. Yusuf knew that criminals would try to
cheat the system and take more than they’re
allowed.
They might even change how they look or lie
about how many family members they have.
Even ppl who had money had a limit on how much
they could buy. This rule was set to make sure there
was enough food for everyone.
P. Yusuf had a system in place where people had to
go through a background check before being given
their food basket.

So the brothers of Yusuf had come to get
their share of food from the Egyptian
government.
They entered the court of the Minister of
Egypt.
They had no idea that their brother - who they
thought they killed years ago- was the
Minister himself!!
The brothers walked in and Yusuf was on the
administrative throne.
He saw their faces one by one.
He recognized them immediately.
But someone was missing.
Benyamin wasn’t with them!
Had they hurt him too??
Yusuf decided to keep his identity a secret for now.

P. Yusuf looked at the paperwork his
brothers had provided- they had to
provide the names of every family
member to receive the requested
amount of food. It says here you’re claiming food for 11 brothers.
This means you’re missing a brother- your half brother.
Where is he? Why isn’t he with you?
How do I know you’re telling the truth?

Now the brothers may be thinking to themselves:
“We asked to take Yusuf from dad many years ago, and dad
doesn’t trust us anymore. How are we supposed to get him to
send Benyamin with us?
If we don’t bring him, we will be banned from Egypt.
We don’t know how long this economic crisis will last- we won’t be
able to survive this drought and lack of food. We will starve to
death without the help of this Minister.
Bring him to me to get the 11th bag of food.
This time I will sell you 10 bags, but next
time, don’t come back without him.
If you do, you will be banned.
We’re going to
convince our dad to let
our brother come with
us.

IRONY:
Years ago, the brothers wanted to be as FAR from Yusuf as possible.
Here they are years later - THEY need HIM….They came to him for help.
LESSON:
Imagine how hurt Yusuf has been feeling all these years. He finally got the opportunity to take revenge.
He could’ve easily ordered the guards to throw his brothers in jail!
It would’ve been fair. That’s what happened to him because of them.
P. Yusuf had a plan.
When he saw his brothers, he may have had flashbacks of his time in the well.
He may have wanted to cry.
He might have thought: “You did all that and you don’t even recognize me,do you?
Yusuf was so strong to not let his feelings of anger and pain get to him.
Yusuf was a Prophet of Allah. He had patience and forgiveness in his
heart.
He did not want to harm his brothers, and he needed to make sure his
brother
Benyamin, and his father Yaqoub, were safe.

Yusuf had secretly ordered his servants to give
the brothers their money back by hiding their bag
of gold coins inside their belongings.
Yusuf wanted his brothers to get back home and
find their gold. He wanted them to know that he
had been so generous with them by letting them
take the food for free.
He wanted to win them over, to guarantee that
they would come back.
The brothers were clueless that Allah’s plan was in place.
Young Yusuf’s dream of the moon, sun and stars bowing to
him was about to come true!!
What happened behind the scenes??

The memories of Yusuf must have
come back to P. Yaqoub…
Where is my son?
Is he dead or alive?
But he reminds the brothers that
Allah is the protector, and he
reminds himself to continue being
Father, some of the food was
denied. Send our brother with
us, so we can go back and get
it all. We promise we will
watch him and take care of
him.
I’m supposed to trust him
with you?? Like I trusted
you with his brother years
ago? Allah, He is the
protector, the most Merciful”
SAME WORDS
THEY USED
YEARS AGO!
The brothers returned back
home to their father.
SCENE CHANGES..
He doesn’t even say YOUR
brother- they don’t deserve
that.

The brothers were insensitive to their
dad’s feelings. They ended the
conversation.
They didn’t even respond to his mention
of Yusuf.
They started unpacking their bags,
and found their bags of gold had been
returned to them!!
Father, we’re not lying- our money has
been returned to us…and we’re going
to get enough food for our entire
family. And we’re taking our brother!
And we’ll take care of him and get
more stuff. This was such an easy
score!
They’re not asking permission anymore-
now they’re telling their dad – You’re not
going to deny us this opportunity. We
are certainly going back!!
Look how much we got the first time –
and for nothing!!
You can almost see the
dollar signs in their eyes.
They want more..
This time their baby brother
is a means to get rich-This
time they’re going to use
Benyamin.

These men had been watching the grief of their
father Yaqoub for so many years.
He had been crying endlessly over the loss of a son
that was caused by his other sons!
The brothers lived with his pain every day, but they
showed no sympathy.
Now that he was an old man and they were adult
men, THEY should have been taking care of HIM …
But instead, they dismissed his feelings, and gave
him no choice in the decision they were making.

The brothers put P. Yaqoub in a
weak position.
They were going to take
Benyamin with them after he had
already lost one son to the
brothers.
I won’t let you leave until you give me a
promise- swear by Allah as your
witness- that you will bring him back to
me. Unless you’re surrounded and
attacked or killed, you better not come
home without him.
The desert roads were full of thieves who raided caravans
that were full of goods. Yaqub was telling his sons: Your
death is the only excuse to not bring Benyamin back
home.
The brothers finally gave their father their word.
Yaqoub put his trust that the brothers would at
least fear Allah and the oath they took.

Sons, don’t enter the city
together from the same gate.
Enter from different ones.
Cities were built with huge walls
surrounding them. The walls had many
entrances with border patrol.
This was the city security.
11 handsome and strong young
men would attract a lot of
attention and Yaqub feared the
HASAD/jealousy of people. So
many sons from one father was
something to envy.
Yaqub knew Yusuf was alive
and hope maybe he was in
Egypt. He wanted his sons to
split up, hoping that maybe
one of them one stumble
against Yusuf and find him.
If the brothers entered together, they would
attract attention and would catch the eye of
criminals who are looking to rob.
#1 #3
#2

SCENE CHANGES:
The scene zooms in on Yusuf and Benyamin together.
To Yusuf and Benyamin together whispering in secret.
Allah fast forwards the details.
All we know is that Yusuf was able to get Benyamin alone.
This is the part of the movie where the emotional music plays, and
you get teary eyed and reach for the tissues.
They’re probably crying and hugging and Benyamin starts spilling
it all…
You don’t know what it’s been like since you’ve been gone….it’s
been so bad….
Now Benyamin was so young when Yusuf disappeared and it’s
almost like he meets Yusuf for the first time…You’re the one ?
You’re the brother our father has been crying over all these
years?
Yusuf comforts his younger brother.
He will not allow the brothers to hurt him or his father ever again.
It’s me…
I’m your brother!
Don’t be sad over what
they’ve done.

Now that Yusuf has been reunited with his brother
Benyamin, he needed to find a way to keep him in Egypt
without exposing his true identity to the other brothers.
Benyamin was not an Egyptian resident, so how would
Yusuf justify keeping him there?
He came up a scheme and Benyamin was in on it….
Yusuf and Benyamin came out of the back chambers
together and Benyamin was carrying the 11th bag of food
they came for.
The 11 brothers started to pack up to leave…
Behind the scenes, Yusuf had taken the King’s royal
golden cup and hid it in Benyamin’s luggage.
This cup was a symbol of the Kingdom…Like a trophy of
Egypt….a symbol of the King’s resources…
He wanted it to look like Benyamin had stolen it.
َ‫أ‬ ِ‫ل‬ ۡ
‫َح‬‫ر‬ ‫ى‬ِ‫ف‬ َ‫ة‬َ‫ي‬‫ا‬َ‫ق‬ِ‫ٱلس‬ َ‫ل‬َ‫ع‬َ‫ج‬ ۡ
‫م‬ِ‫ه‬ِ‫َاز‬‫ه‬َ‫ج‬ِ‫ب‬ ‫م‬ُ‫ه‬َ‫ز‬َّ‫ه‬َ‫ج‬ ‫ا‬َّ‫م‬َ‫ل‬َ‫ف‬
ۡ ِ‫ه‬‫ي‬ِ‫خ‬
I’m never letting
you leave

Egyptian Security Background Info:
You know how when you walk out of a Museum or shopping center, there are
detectors at the door to catch shoplifters?
If someone walked out with something that hadn’t been paid for, the detector would
BEEP.
Well, that’s modern-day technology. Ancient Egyptian security consisted of security
guards whose job was to go through visitors’ stuff every time they exited the Palace.
If anything was taken, the guards would yell: “THIEF!” and the King would be notified.
Prophet Yusuf knew this of course, and he set up a fake crime scene to incriminate
Benyamin.

As the 11 brothers were slowly leaving with their loaded
caravan, back in the palace someone yelled out:
“The Cup is missing!”
This artifact that was always on display suddenly disappeared.
Imagine if you were at a museum and a glass enclosure with
an expensive artifact was suddenly empty.
Everyone inside was yelling” It’s missing…
It’s missing…” and the main Security guy outside shouted:
ُ‫ك‬َّ‫ن‬ِ‫إ‬ ُ‫ر‬‫ي‬ِ‫ع‬ۡ‫ٱل‬ ‫َا‬‫ه‬ُ‫ت‬َّ‫ي‬َ‫أ‬ ٌ‫ن‬ِ‫ذ‬َ‫ؤ‬ُ‫م‬ َ‫ن‬َّ‫ذ‬َ‫أ‬ َّ‫م‬ُ‫ث‬
َ‫نن‬ُُِ‫ر‬‫ر‬ٰ َ
‫س‬َ‫ل‬ ۡ
‫م‬
YOU! CARAVAN! You thieves!”
At this point all the guards would have rushed out and blocked
the brothers from leaving.
The CUP is missing!
You! Caravan!
You thieves!

The brothers asked the guards: “What’s missing?”
The guards said: We are missing the King’s Cup
.
Yusuf’s brothers spoke up:
What’s
missing?
P. Yusuf came out & added:
And whoever finds it will get rewarded
an extra camel’s load of food-guaranteed by me
We swear ! You know we didn’t
come here to make trouble for
this country.
We’ve never been thieves.

One guard
replied:
And what should the
punishment be if you’re lying?
ُ‫ه‬ُ‫ؤ‬ٓ‫َٲ‬‫ز‬َ‫ج‬ ‫َا‬‫م‬َ‫ف‬ ْ‫نا‬ُ‫ال‬َُ
ُ‫ك‬ ‫ن‬ِ‫إ‬ ۤ‫ۥ‬
ۡ
‫م‬ُ‫ت‬‫ن‬
َ‫ين‬ِ‫ب‬ِ‫ذ‬‫ر‬َٰ‫ڪ‬
The punishment?
Well, whoever’s
bag it’s found it,
must pay with their
life.
The brothers were so confident because
they knew they didn’t do anything so wrong,
so they said:
The punishment in Kanaan
(where the brothers lived) for
this type of crime was usually
enslavement. Thieves had to
give up their lives to become
personals slave to the King.

During all this talk, P. Yusuf ordered that the bags be searched…
The older brothers’ bags first (to not make his scheme obvious) then
Benyamins’ bag.
Everyone watched as the King’s cup was pulled from Benyamin’s
bag.
Allah then pause the story to interject…He has done this many times in this Surah…
Allah adds in His side comment:
“And that is how WE schemed for Yusuf- he would not have been able to keep his brother had Allah not willed
it.
Allah puts his stamp of approval on all the events that took place up to this point.
Allah takes credit for this plan…Yusuf was thrown in a well, sold in Egypt, placed in prison for a crime he didn’t
commit, then took his place as the Aziz…. Now Allah schemed Yusuf to keep his brother with him.
Everything that seemed like a bad event was all part of Allah’s MASTER PLAN….

This is similar to the story of
KHIDR in Surat Al- Kahf.
He did what seemed like
horrible things:
.
He killed an
innocent boy for
no apparent
reason
He made a hole in
the ship of poor
fishermen who
had given him a
ride
He helped build a
wall for people
who had been
very rude to him.
By the end of the story, we learned that Khidr hadn’t
done any of those things at his own will.
Allah had sent him those specific instructions
because of his knowledge of the future.

This is also similar to the story P. Ibraheem
Allah told Ibraheem to slaughter his son Ismaeel.
This command seems illogical to us, but we later learn that
Allah had a plan and Ismaeel was replaced with a ram.
Similarly, in our story, P. Yusuf is a Prophet and even
though what he did may seem wrong to us, Allah
approved his actions. Yusuf couldn’t have kept his brother
at the palace (due to the King’s laws) unless Allah had
willed for his scheme to work.
There ARE times when lying is OK…sometimes there are gray areas.
Examples:
** It’s OK to lie when you are fixing a relationship between two people.
** It’s OK to lie when you are saving a life/saving someone from harm.
P. Yusuf wasn’t scheming to hurt anyone…Benyamin was in harm’s way and
need to be saved… Yusuf’s entire plan was to keep his promise to his brother
when he told him: “Don’t be sad anymore..I’m here…Ill protect you.”
LESSON:

So back to the scene:
The 11 brothers were standing there, looking from P. Yusuf to the cup, to Benyamin.
They had just been told their brother was a thief.
They replied: “If he steals, he had a brother who stole a long time ago too”
Meaning: we’re just his half brother …. but he had a real brother (referring to Yusuf)
who was a thief too. They were throwing Yusuf under the bus, not knowing that they
were talking to Yusuf himself!!
They had the nerve to talk badly about Yusuf stealing, when they
had stolen him from his father years ago and left him to die.
They didn’t even stand up for Benyamin.
They threw him under the bus immediately.
They revealed their hatred for BOTH BROTHERS in ONE statement.
If he steals, he had a
brother who stole a
long time ago too

Imagine how P. Yusuf felt after hearing them say this about him!
Ayah continues:
ۚ ۡ
‫م‬ُ‫ه‬َ‫ل‬ ‫ا‬َ‫ه‬ِ‫د‬ ۡ‫ب‬ُ‫ي‬ ۡ
‫م‬َ‫َل‬‫و‬ ‫ۦ‬
ِ‫ه‬ِ‫س‬ ۡ
‫ف‬َ‫ن‬ ‫ى‬ِ‫ف‬ ُ‫ف‬ ُ
‫نس‬ُ‫ي‬ ‫ا‬َ‫ه‬َّ‫ر‬ َ
‫س‬َ‫أ‬
And Yusuf kept it hidden inside of himself
What’s IT?
Allah doesn’t even say what IT is….as if it’s too much to mention…as if it’s too horrible to spell
out….just IT….KEPT IT means he kept his rage inside, his sadness inside, his disappointment
inside, the words he could have said to them, the revenge he could have taken at that
moment….
He didn’t even change his facial expression…didn’t give himself away.
He could’ve given an epic response: YOU STOLE A CHILD!! YOU ATTEMPTED MURDER!!
In this moment of rage it would’ve been easy for him to say : “Ooh, forget the plan…I’m doing
this now! Im telling them it’s ME”
Yusuf’s patience had been tested every step of the way!!

We know the truth is that they don’t care about their dad.
They just don’t want to get in trouble again…They’re really
looking out for themselves…as usual.
They’re hoping that maybe this Minister will have a soft spot
for the elderly.
Oh Minister Azeez!
He has a father who’s very old…
Take one of us in his place.
The brothers now had to beg
P. Yusuf for leniency.
REALLY? You guys don’t
want to hurt your father??
REALLY ? You didn’t care
about his feelings when u got
rid of me…

He doesn’t say : No, I have to follow the King’s rules
: No, this is the law of the land
He attributed his fear to a higher being….
He introduced Allah’s name to many by-standers – remember he was minister of a
people who don’t believe in Allah….so throwing out Allah’s name is a small dawa…
He refused to arrest anyone except the one who had the cup….
Notice how he doesn’t say “except the one who was a thief”…..He didn’t lie…he
knew his brother wasn’t a thief so he chose his words wisely.
EXAMPLE:
When a non-Muslim asks: HOW WAS YOUR DAY?”
Instead of saying: “I can’t complain/I’m Fine/Good, you say:
“Thank God….or “We are blessed”
You are introducing non-Muslims to an Islamic concept in a non-direct way
MAATH
ALLAH!
God
Forbid!
When did he say these same
words before??
When he feared sexual
temptation/using his body
unjustly….
This time he feared using his
power unjustly….
I seek Allah’s refuge
from holding anybody
expect the one who had
our goods (the cup)

This is similar to the story of Prophet Ibraheem.
His people worshipped idols, and when he was young he snuck into the temple of the idols.
When he was asked: WHO BROKE THE IDOLS?
Who broke the idols?
He didn’t want to lie, so he placed the axe in the hands of the
largest idol, pointed at it and said:
Ask the largest one if they
can speak
By responding that way, he wanted to make the people realize that their idols couldn’t
protect themselves nor could they speak, so there was no benefit in worshipping them.

P. Yusuf continued with his scheme, and ordered the guards to arrest Benyamin
He was taken back to the Palace.
What were the brothers supposed to do now??
How would they go back home without Benyamin?

َُ
ۡ
‫د‬َُ ۡ
‫م‬ُ‫َاك‬‫ب‬َ‫أ‬ َّ‫ن‬َ‫أ‬ ْ‫ٓا‬‫ن‬ُ‫م‬َ‫ل‬ ۡ
‫ع‬ََ ۡ
‫م‬َ‫ل‬َ‫أ‬ ۡ
‫م‬ُ‫ه‬ُ‫ر‬‫ي‬ِ‫ب‬َ‫ڪ‬ ََ‫ا‬
ِ َّ
‫ٱّلل‬ َ‫ن‬ِ‫م‬ ‫ا‬ ً۬‫ق‬ِ‫ث‬ ۡ‫ن‬َّ‫م‬ ‫م‬ُ‫ك‬ ۡ‫ي‬َ‫ل‬َ‫ع‬ َ‫ذ‬َ‫خ‬َ‫أ‬
The next scene zooms in on a conversation between the brothers.
He was yelling at them which suggests that they were arguing
before…that the other brothers didn't really care about what just
happened…
Allah skipped through those arguments.
Maybe they were saying – “Oh well…too bad….not like we liked him
anyway… not like dad doesn’t already cry all the time over Yusuf….
we did our best…”
Don’t you know that
your father has taken a
promise from all of
you?
The brother speaking in the Ayah was the one in charge.
He was changing. The severity of the situation was hitting
him hard. The words of his father were starting to affect
him. He remembered the promise they made to Allah
before they left – the promise to bring Benyamin back
safely.
We are seeing a shift in this character.
People can change.
They can have flickers of light after a long time of
darkness.
َ‫ف‬ ُ
‫نس‬ُ‫ي‬ ‫ى‬ِ‫ف‬ ۡ
‫م‬ُّ‫طت‬َّ‫ر‬َ‫ف‬ ‫َا‬‫م‬ ُ‫ل‬ ۡ‫ب‬َُ ‫ن‬ِ‫م‬َ‫و‬
And before this,
remember what we did to
Yusuf!

He continued: َ‫و‬ ۖ‫ى‬ِ‫ل‬ ُ َّ
‫ٱّلل‬ َ‫م‬ُ‫ك‬ ۡ
‫َح‬‫ي‬ ۡ‫و‬َ‫أ‬ ٓ‫ى‬ِ‫ب‬َ‫أ‬ ٓ‫ى‬ِ‫ل‬ َ‫ن‬َ‫ذ‬ ۡ‫َأ‬‫ي‬ ‫ر‬
‫ى‬َّ‫ت‬َ‫ح‬ َ‫ض‬ ۡ‫ر‬َ ۡ
‫ٱۡل‬ َ‫ح‬َ‫ر‬ ۡ‫ب‬َ‫أ‬ ۡ
‫ن‬َ‫ل‬َ‫ف‬
َ‫ين‬ِ‫م‬ِ‫ك‬‫ر‬َٰ‫ح‬ۡ‫ٱل‬ ُ‫ر‬ ۡ‫ي‬َ‫خ‬ َ‫ن‬ُ‫ه‬
What was he saying?
He can’t face his dad AND he’s scared if he
goes back without Benyamin, he would be
breaking his promise and Allah would curse
him.
He was going to stay in Egypt and the other
brothers would go back home and make
sure P. Yaqub will accept his excuse and
allow him to come home.
And I will not leave this
land until dad allows it, or
Allah makes a decision for
me.

ُ‫ڪ‬ ‫َا‬‫م‬َ‫و‬ ‫َا‬‫ن‬ ۡ
‫م‬ِ‫ل‬َ‫ع‬ ‫َا‬‫م‬ِ‫ب‬ َّ
‫َّل‬ِ‫إ‬ ٓ‫ا‬َ‫ن‬ ۡ
‫د‬ِ‫ہ‬ َ
‫ش‬ ‫َا‬‫م‬َ‫و‬ َ‫َق‬‫ر‬ َ
‫س‬ َ‫ك‬َ‫ن‬ ۡ‫ٱب‬ َّ‫ن‬ِ‫إ‬ ٓ‫ا‬َ‫ن‬‫َا‬‫ب‬َ‫أ‬ٓ‫ر‬َٰ‫ي‬ ْ‫نا‬ُ‫نل‬ُ‫ق‬َ‫ف‬ ۡ
‫م‬ُ‫يك‬ِ‫ب‬َ‫أ‬ ٓ‫ر‬
‫ى‬َ‫ل‬ِ‫إ‬ ْ‫ٓا‬‫ن‬ُ‫ع‬ِ‫ج‬ ۡ‫ٱر‬
َّ‫ن‬
َ‫ين‬ِ‫ظ‬ِ‫ف‬‫ر‬َٰ‫ح‬ ِ‫ب‬ ۡ‫ي‬َ‫غ‬ۡ‫ل‬ِ‫ل‬ ‫ا‬
Go back to your father and tell him our father,
your son has committed theft.
We are only telling you what we witnessed
(we don’t’ know how/when or why he stole it)
ُُِ‫د‬‫ر‬َٰ‫ص‬َ‫ل‬ ‫ا‬َّ‫ن‬ِ‫َإ‬‫و‬ ۖ‫َا‬‫ہ‬‫ي‬ِ‫ف‬ ‫َا‬‫ن‬ۡ‫ل‬َ‫ب‬ َُۡ‫أ‬ ٓ‫ى‬ِ‫ت‬َّ‫ٱل‬ َ‫ر‬‫ي‬ِ‫ع‬ۡ‫َٱل‬‫و‬ ‫َا‬‫ہ‬‫ي‬ِ‫ف‬ ‫ا‬َّ‫ن‬ُ‫ڪ‬ ‫ى‬ِ‫ت‬َّ‫ٱل‬ َ‫ة‬َ‫ي‬ ۡ‫ر‬َ‫ق‬ۡ‫ٱل‬ ِ‫ل‬َٔ
ٰ ۡ
‫َس‬‫و‬
َ‫نن‬ .
And if you think we’re lying,
ask the entire city, ask all
the caravans-they’ll tell you
we are telling the truth..
What we’re seeing here is a typical BOY cried Wolf
situation.
He already assumes P. Yaqoub will think they are lying.
When you lie once, it’s hard for others to believe you.

The scene changes:
The brothers had made the journey back home, and they
told their dad exactly what the eldest brother told them to
say.
P. Yaqoub was so old and could do nothing. He
responded:
‫ق‬
َ‫ف‬ ۖ‫ا‬ ً۬‫ر‬ ۡ
‫م‬َ‫أ‬ ۡ
‫م‬ُ‫ك‬ ُ
‫س‬ُ‫ف‬‫ن‬َ‫أ‬ ۡ
‫م‬ُ‫ك‬َ‫ل‬ ۡ
‫ت‬َ‫ل‬َّ‫ن‬ َ
‫س‬ ۡ
‫َل‬‫ب‬ ََ‫ا‬
ٌۖ‫ل‬‫ي‬ِ‫م‬َ‫ج‬ ًٌ۬‫ر‬ ۡ‫َب‬‫ص‬
This was the same statement he said when they
came home years ago and told him Yusuf was
eaten by a wolf.
Here he was again, losing a second son- but he
was not going to lose his mind over it. He was a
Prophet…a believer.
He wouldn’t let this affect his faith.
*Imp Lesson: Don’t let people’s ugliness, or
life’s ugliness affect your relationship with Allah.
Patience seems UGLY…HARD…But Allah calls is
Beautiful…Patience is actually the most rewarded
Ibada.
I’ll have
beautiful
patience.
Maybe Allah
will bring them
back to me.
He is the All-
Knowing, the
Wise

The next Ayah described Yaqoub’s pain:
ِ‫ن‬ ۡ‫ز‬ُ‫ح‬ۡ‫ٱل‬ َ‫ن‬ِ‫م‬ ُ‫ه‬‫َا‬‫ن‬ ۡ‫ي‬َ‫ع‬ ۡ
‫ت‬َّ‫َض‬‫ي‬ ۡ‫َٱب‬‫و‬ َ‫ف‬ ُ
‫نس‬ُ‫ي‬ ‫ر‬
‫ى‬َ‫ل‬َ‫ع‬ ‫ر‬
‫ى‬َ‫ف‬ َ
‫س‬َ‫أ‬ٓ‫ر‬َٰ‫ي‬ ََ‫ا‬ََُ‫و‬ ۡ
‫م‬ُ‫ہ‬ ۡ‫ن‬َ‫ع‬ ‫ر‬
‫ى‬َّ‫َل‬‫ن‬َََ‫و‬
He turned away and cried out: OH YUSUF!!! And cried until his eyes went blind….
We know medically speaking that your emotional
state can affect your physical health.
Anxiety makes peoples skin break out- you have a
test, you gets zits….Fear makes ppl have heart
palpitations.. Stress makes people feel like they
can’t breathe…..It’s possible to hurt your body if
your heart hurts.
Imagine a grown man crying in front of you in this
way. Losing Benyamin triggered the old tragedy of
losing Yusuf.
Both brothers from his wife are now gone.
OH YUSUF!
َ‫َأ‬‫و‬ ِ َّ
‫ٱّلل‬ ‫ى‬َ‫ل‬ِ‫إ‬ ٓ‫ى‬ِ‫ن‬ ۡ‫ز‬ُ‫ح‬َ‫و‬ ‫ى‬ِ‫َث‬‫ب‬ ْ‫نا‬ُ‫ك‬ ۡ
‫ش‬َ‫أ‬ ٓ‫َا‬‫م‬َّ‫ن‬ِ‫إ‬ ََ‫ا‬َُ
َ‫نن‬ُ‫م‬َ‫ل‬ ۡ
‫ع‬ََ َ
‫َّل‬ ‫َا‬‫م‬ ِ َّ
‫ٱّلل‬ َ‫ن‬ِ‫م‬ ُ‫م‬َ‫ل‬ ۡ
‫ع‬
I’m complaining of my grief to Allah, I know of Allah what
you don’t know…..

َ‫أ‬ ‫ا‬‫ض‬َ‫ر‬َ‫ح‬ َ‫نن‬ُ‫ك‬ََ ‫ر‬
‫ى‬َّ‫ت‬َ‫ح‬ َ‫ف‬ ُ
‫نس‬ُ‫ي‬ ُ‫ر‬ُ‫ڪ‬ ۡ
‫ذ‬ََ ْ‫ا‬ُ‫َؤ‬‫ت‬ ۡ
‫ف‬ََ ِ َّ
‫ٱّلل‬ََ ْ‫نا‬ُ‫ال‬ ََ
َ‫ين‬ِ‫ك‬ِ‫ل‬‫ر‬َٰ‫ه‬ۡ‫ٱل‬ َ‫ن‬ِ‫م‬ َ‫نن‬ُ‫ك‬ََ ۡ‫و‬
Ya Allah, Are you ever going to
stop talking about Yusuf?
Or will you continue until you die?
The sons have no mercy for their dad..they don’t console
him. They pretty much make fun of him by saying:
Get over it already. OMG, we got rid of him years ago
but never really got rid of him. He’s still number 1.
If it isn’t bad enough to yell at your dad, who is a
prophet, their disrespectful words are documented in the
QURAN….!!!

After P. Yaqoub had calmed down a little, and was able to face
them and speak to them again he said:
This was his way of telling them : I know you lied…Yusuf
wasn’ t eaten by a wolf…but symbolically saying
“Im not giving up on YOU”.. You can still right your
wrong…You can fix this.
They didn’t even put up a fight…the next scene jumps
back to the Palace of Yusuf after the brothers made their
3rd journey back to Egypt.
My sons, go and look for Yusuf and his
brother, and don’t give up on Allah’s
mercy…

Once the brothers returned to Yusuf’s palace, Yusuf decided to expose his secret!
How do you know we did anything to Benyamin?
Our own dad doesn’t even know….
The Brothers were shocked!
Do you know what you did to Yusuf and his
brother when you let yourself lose control?”
Do you even realize what you’ve done?
How does he know
we have a brother
named Yusuf? We
never said his
name!
The evidence was in front of
them all this time but they
hadn’t looked close enough.
He’s been extra
generous to us.
He returned our
gold.
He was so interested
in Benyamin.
He asked us to come
back

ۖ ُ‫ف‬ ُ
‫نس‬ُ‫ي‬ َ‫نت‬َ َ
‫ۡل‬ َ‫ك‬َّ‫ِن‬‫ء‬َ‫أ‬ ْ‫ٓا‬‫ن‬ُ‫ال‬َُ
ARE YOU YUSUF??
Last time we saw him as a child
we threw him in a well and
walked away as he cried.
Last time we were here
we said he stole when
he was little.
He’s going to punish us now!
Yes I’m Yusuf.

َ‫ع‬ َ‫يب‬ِ‫ر‬ ۡ‫ث‬ََ َ
‫َّل‬ ََ‫ا‬َُ
ُ‫م‬ُ‫ك‬ ۡ‫ي‬َ‫ل‬
‫ٱ‬ ُ‫ر‬ِ‫ف‬ ۡ
‫َغ‬‫ي‬ َۖ‫م‬ ۡ‫َن‬‫ي‬ۡ‫ٱل‬
َ‫و‬ ۖ ۡ
‫م‬ُ‫ك‬َ‫ل‬ ُ َّ
‫ّلل‬
َ‫ن‬ُ‫ه‬
َ‫ين‬ِ‫م‬ِ‫ح‬‫ٲ‬َّ‫ر‬‫ٱل‬ ُ‫م‬َ‫ح‬ ۡ‫ر‬َ‫أ‬
There will be no blame on you today.
The forgiveness is from Allah, He is the most Merciful.
Ask Allah to forgive you…
Oh Allah….Allah has certainly preferred you over
us, and no doubt we’ve made great mistakes.
We tried our best
to make you
unknown, but look
at you now! You
are the most
known, and your
legacy will go on
forever….
ْ‫نا‬ُ‫ُال‬ ََ
ۡ
‫د‬َ‫ق‬َ‫ل‬ ِ َّ
‫ٱّلل‬ََ
ُ َّ
‫ٱّلل‬ َ‫ك‬َ‫ر‬َ‫َاث‬‫ء‬
َ‫ل‬ ‫ا‬َّ‫ن‬ُ‫ڪ‬ ‫ن‬ِ‫َإ‬‫و‬ ‫َا‬‫ن‬ ۡ‫ي‬َ‫ل‬َ‫ع‬
َ‫ين‬ِِٰ‫ط‬‫ر‬َٰ‫خ‬
Little did they know how true their statement
was-
their names aren’t mentioned in the
Quran…but Yusuf’s IS!

So this is the third time Yusuf’s shirt is mentioned- it’s a recurring theme.
First time, it was bloody with fake blood
Second time, it was ripped by the Minister’s wife
This is the third time – It will be used to restore Yaqoub’s vision.
- Yaqoub will have a reason to see again.
He’ll have his vision
restored.
And bring me every
member of your
family.
َ‫ل‬َ‫ع‬ ُ‫ه‬‫ن‬ُ‫ق‬ۡ‫ل‬َ‫أ‬َ‫ف‬ ‫ا‬َ‫ذ‬‫ر‬َٰ‫ه‬ ‫ى‬ِ‫ص‬‫ي‬ِ‫م‬َ‫ق‬ِ‫ب‬ ْ‫نا‬ُ‫ب‬َ‫ه‬ ۡ‫ٱذ‬
ِ‫ت‬ ۡ‫َأ‬‫ي‬ ‫ى‬ِ‫ب‬َ‫أ‬ ِ‫ه‬ ۡ
‫َج‬‫و‬ ‫ر‬
‫ى‬
‫ي‬ِ‫ع‬َ‫م‬ ۡ
‫ج‬َ‫أ‬ ۡ
‫م‬ُ‫ڪ‬ِ‫ل‬ ۡ
‫ه‬َ‫أ‬ِ‫ب‬ ‫ى‬ِ‫ن‬‫ن‬َُۡ‫َأ‬‫و‬ ‫ا‬ ً۬‫ير‬ِ‫ص‬َ‫ب‬
َ‫ن‬
Take this shirt of mine and
put it on my father’s face.
Yusuf wants to meet his extended family!!

Shirt 1 Represents HUMILIATION & ABANDONMENT by FAMILY
(As if it wasn’t bad enough you left him for death, you had to take his shirt too)
Shirt 2 Represents SEXUAL HUMILIATION & ABANDONMENT by AZIZ
(The man who loved him, but still left him to rot in prison)
Shirt 3 Represents POWER / UNDOING the ABANDONMENT:
Yusuf will be reunited with his father..
Yusuf will undo the humiliation ….
Yusuf isn’t the same weak boy anymore….
His shirt doesn’t have fake blood and it isn’t ripped.
It is the shirt of a Minister.

The brothers were sent back home,
but this time P. Yusuf sent a Royal
entourage with them.
Yusuf is the 2nd most powerful man in
Egypt and he’s not going to let his
father come to the palace on some
donkey under the heat of the desert
sun! His dad would be getting the
royal treatment! …
Yusuf also didn’t want his brothers to
go alone… With soldiers all around,
the brothers wouldn’t be able to hide
any facts, or make up lies….
Yusuf was going to keep them under
royal surveillance because he didn’t
fully trust them.

The next scene jumps to P. Yaqoub back at home:
Yusuf was still in Egypt, and his shirt was still a journey of
weeks away….. but Yaqoub could smell him.,….
Who was he talking to?? His grandkids, maybe even his
tribe members….he tells them he smells his son! How?
Is it that this was a way of revelation from Allah to Prophet
Yaqoub- revelation that affects the senses?
When Jibreel came with revelation to Prophet Muhammad, it
affected him physically – he would sweat, his camel would sink
into the sand from the heaviness of the Ayat…..Physical stuff…
I smell the scent of Yusuf!
Wallahi you are still lost
in your old delusions!!
َ‫ك‬ِ‫ل‬‫ر‬َٰ‫ل‬َ‫ض‬ ‫ى‬ِ‫ف‬َ‫ل‬ َ‫ك‬َّ‫ن‬ِ‫إ‬ ِ َّ
‫ٱّلل‬ََ ْ‫نا‬ُ‫ال‬َُ
ِ‫يم‬ِ‫د‬َ‫ق‬ۡ‫ٱل‬
‫ن‬ُ‫ب‬َ‫أ‬ ََ‫ا‬َُ
ۡ
‫م‬ُ‫ه‬
َ‫ف‬ ُ
‫نس‬ُ‫ي‬ َ‫ح‬‫ي‬ِ‫ر‬ ُ‫د‬ِ‫ج‬َ َ
‫ۡل‬ ‫ى‬ِ‫ن‬ِ‫إ‬

The scene fast forwards….
The Ayah says that someone came with the good news…
He gave Yusuf’s shirt to Yaqoub.
Yaqoub put it on his face and his eye-sight returned to him.
ٰ‫ى‬َ‫ق‬ۡ‫ل‬َ‫أ‬ ُ‫ير‬ِ‫ش‬َ‫ب‬ۡ‫ٱل‬ َ‫ء‬ٓ‫ا‬َ‫ج‬ ‫ن‬َ‫أ‬ ٓ‫ا‬‫م‬َ‫ل‬َ‫ف‬
‫د‬َ‫ت‬ ۡ
‫ٱر‬َ‫ف‬ ‫ۦ‬ِ‫ه‬ِ‫ه‬ ۡ
‫ج‬ َ‫و‬ ٰ
‫ى‬َ‫ل‬َ‫ع‬ ُ‫ه‬
ِۖ‫ا‬ ً۬
‫ير‬ ِ
‫ص‬َ‫ب‬
َ‫ل‬ۡ‫ع‬َ‫أ‬ ٓ‫ى‬ِ‫ن‬ِ‫إ‬ ۡ‫ُم‬‫ڪ‬‫ل‬ ‫ل‬ُ‫ق‬َ‫أ‬ ۡ‫م‬َ‫ل‬َ‫أ‬ َ‫ل‬‫ا‬َ‫ق‬
َ‫ل‬َۡۡ‫ت‬ َ
َ ‫ا‬َ‫م‬ ِ‫ٱَّل‬ َ‫ن‬ِ‫م‬ ُ‫م‬
َ‫ون‬ُ‫م‬
He’s mentioning Allah….He’s reminding them to make
tawba to Allah….Yaqoub’s demeanor and words don’t
change….he uses the same words when he’s upset and
crying as those he uses when he’s happy and crying.
He is pillar, he is stable…He doesn’t waiver based on
outside circumstances.
Some ppl show anger towards Allah / complain when
things don’t go their way….when they get what they want
they show gratitude.
That’s not spiritual stability. We are ppl of
AHAMDULILLAH- always, no matter what, regardless.
We are the sons and daughters of Ibraheem and Yaqoub
and Yusuf and Muhammad (S)
Didn’t I tell you that
I know from Allah
what you do not
know?

Yaqoub tells them, I WILL
make istighfar for you….
Father, ask forgiveness for our
sins, we were surely mistaken.
َّ‫ن‬ُ‫ك‬ ‫ا‬َّ‫ن‬ِ‫إ‬ ٰٓ‫ا‬َ‫ن‬َ‫ب‬‫و‬ُ‫ن‬ُ‫ذ‬ ‫َا‬‫ن‬َ‫ل‬ ۡ
‫ر‬ِ‫ف‬ۡ‫غ‬َ‫ت‬ۡ‫ٱس‬ ‫َا‬‫ن‬‫ا‬َ‫ب‬َ‫أ‬ٰٓ‫ـ‬َ‫ي‬ ْ‫ا‬‫و‬ُ‫ل‬‫ا‬َ‫ق‬
َ‫َن‬ِ‫ي‬‫ـ‬ِ‫ـ‬‫َـ‬‫ـ‬ ‫ا‬
َ‫ل‬‫ا‬َ‫ق‬
ََ‫ف‬ ۡ
‫و‬َ‫س‬
ُ‫ه‬‫ن‬ِ‫إ‬ ِۖٓ‫ى‬ِ‫ب‬ َ‫ر‬ ۡ‫م‬َُُ‫ل‬ ُ‫ر‬ِ‫ف‬ۡ‫غ‬َ‫ت‬ۡ‫س‬َ‫أ‬
ُ‫ف‬َ‫غ‬ۡ‫ٱل‬ َ‫و‬ُ‫ه‬ ‫ۥ‬
ُ‫م‬‫ي‬ ِ‫ح‬‫ٱلر‬ ُ‫ور‬
(
٩٨
)
He says this in the future tense.
He doesn’t say: Ill do it now.
He doesn’t do it right then and
there… Maybe this was a lot for
him to take in all at once…..
Maybe he was too upset with
them at the moment….

The caravan entered into Yusuf’s courtyard.
Hundreds of soldiers, everyone who lived in the palace, and
the entire city was watching.
Yusuf’s parents got off the caravan and the Ayah says that P.
Yusuf pulled both of his parents into his protection…
َ‫و‬ ِ‫ه‬ۡ‫ي‬ َ‫و‬َ‫ب‬َ‫أ‬ ِ‫ه‬ۡ‫ي‬َ‫ل‬ِ‫إ‬ ٰٓ
‫ى‬ َ‫او‬َ‫ء‬ َ‫ف‬ُ‫س‬‫و‬ُ‫ي‬ ٰ
‫ى‬َ‫ل‬َ‫ع‬ ْ‫ا‬‫و‬ُ‫ل‬ََٰ‫د‬ ‫ا‬‫م‬َ‫ل‬َ‫ف‬
ِ‫ن‬ِ‫ام‬َ‫ء‬ ُ‫ٱَّل‬ َ‫ء‬ٓ‫ا‬َ‫ش‬ ‫ن‬ِ‫إ‬ َ‫ر‬ ۡ‫ص‬ِ‫م‬ ْ‫ا‬‫و‬ُ‫ل‬ُٰ ۡ‫ٱد‬ َ‫ل‬‫ا‬َ‫ق‬
َ‫ين‬
(
٩٩
)
Welcome to Egypt where you
will be in peace inshAllah.
THE REUNION:
The royal caravan took the brothers, P. Yaqoub and the
entire family all the way back to Egypt.
Yusuf pulled his parents
close to him…finally reunited!
Then he turned to the family
and said one sentence in this
Ayah:

Don’t treat me any
differently than a son.
Don’t talk to me like a
Minister.
The last scene of the story shows P.
Yaqoub, his wife and his brothers
all making sujood before him.
This was the dream he had when he
was young.
And today that dream came true.
This Sujood isn’t TO Yusuf.
It was Sujood is TO Allah because at that moment
everyone felt so much gratitude for the miracle of
the reunion, being saved from the great famine,
and the chance to live safely in Egypt….
Yusuf honored his parents by raising them
up onto his throne. He didn’t want them to
feel like they are less than him.
LAST SCENE:

Prophet Yusuf's Story of Sorrow and Triumph

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