Thirty three Lessons from Sûrah Yûsuf
{Surah Yusuf is Surah 12 of the Holy Quran}

As-Shaykh Abdurahmân Ibn Nâsir As-Sa'dî states in his
tafsîr:
 "Taysîr Al-Karîm Ar-Rahmân" (pg. 408 - 412)
Regarding the last ayah of sûrah Yûsuf wherein Allâh
subhânahu wa ta â'la says,

 "Indeed in their stories, there is a lesson for men of
understanding:"


This story is from the best of stories because of what it
relates from the varying phases of life; from trial to
tribulation, from being tested to being blessed, from
humiliation to grandeur, from slavery to kingship, from
division to unity, from grief to joy, from superfluity to
famine, from famine to glut, from hardship to ease, and
from denial to affirmation. So blessed be the One who
revealed it in the best manner possible.

From amongst the lessons derived from this sûrah are:

1. The knowledge of interpreting dreams is a very important
branch of knowledge that Allâh gives to whom he pleases
from His servants. And most of them (dreams) are based on
symbols that are ambiguous in meaning and in description.
For indeed the significance of the sun, the moon and twelve
stars bowing to Yûsuf, is that these lights are the beauty
of the sky, and from them emanates benefit. Likewise the
prophets and the scholars are the beauty of this earth, and
by them mankind is guided through darkness just as they do
by the light of the stars, the sun and the moon.

Moreover, since the source of this light is his mother and
father, hence it is very befitting that the moon and the
sun symbolize his parents, for from them emanate the
greatest light from which he and his brothers are
off-springs. Thus, the sun, which is a feminine noun,
symbolizes his mother and the moon, which is a masculine
noun, symbolizes his father, and the stars symbolize his
brothers.

2. The significance of the dream of his fellow prison mate
who saw himself pressing wine, is that the one who does
such work is usually the servant of someone else. Thus he
interpreted it to mean that this prison mate would be a
servant for the king, and this would guarantee his freedom
from prison. Regarding the significance of the dream of the
one who saw birds eating bread from the top of his head,
Yûsuf interpreted this dream as a indication that he will
be crucified because the skull protects the brains and once
a person is crucified and left in the open, the brains will
become exposed, thus the bird will eat it.

3. Therein are evidences of the truthfulness of the
prophethood of Prophet Muhammad (sallallâhu 'alayhi wa
sallam), for he narrated to his people this long story and
he never read the previous books nor learned from any one.

4. One should distance oneself as much as possible from
situations that can lead to an evil outcome. Also the
permissibility of not disclosing what one fears might harm
them based on the statement of Yaqûb to Yûsuf,

 "He (the father) said: "O my son! Relate not your vision
to your brothers, lest they arrange a plot against you."


5. The permissibility of a person mentioning to someone
else, as a means of sincere advice, a matter that is
disliked based on the âyah,

 "Lest they arrange a plot against you."


6. The blessing that Allâh bestows upon the servant is not
simply restricted to that particular individual, rather it
is a blessing that encompasses him, his family and his
friends. And whatever good is obtained is because of that
person based on the statement of Allâh,

 "Thus will your Lord choose you and teach you the
interpretation of dreams (and other things) and perfect His
Favour on you and on the offspring of Ya'qûb (Jacob), as He
perfected it on your fathers, Ibrahîm (Abraham) and Ishâq
(Isâc) aforetime! Verily, your Lord is All-Knowing,
All-Wise."


7. The importance of being cautious of the evil results of
sins, because one sin often leads to many others. For the
brothers of Yûsuf tried varying plots when they wanted to
separate him from his father; they lied many times, they
falsified the blood on the shirt, they came at night
pretending to cry, and all of this is as a result of one
sin, one thing leading to a next.

8. The matter that really counts in the life of the servant
is the successful ending and not the deficient beginning.
For the children of Yaqûb did what they did in the
beginning which was a very reprehensible act, then their
affair ended in sincere repentance, complete forgiveness
from Yûsuf and their father, and du'â was made for them to
be forgiven and have mercy upon.

9. Some evil are lesser then others and committing the
least or lesser evil is always better. For when the
brothers of Yûsuf agreed to kill him or throw him in the
well, one of them said,

 "Kill not Yûsuf (Joseph), but if you must do something,
throw him down to the bottom of a well."


Thus his suggestion was better in comparison with those of
his brothers (in spite of it still being an evil one) and
because of this he lessened the greatness of the sin they
committed.

10. There is no sin on a person that buys, sells, or uses
anything that is considered as merchandise according to
prevailing business practices. Nor is the one who is not
aware how this merchandise was obtained guilty of any sin.
For the brothers of Yûsuf sold him, which was a harâm,
impermissible transaction, then he was found by a caravan
of people who took him to Egypt and sold him there as a
slave, and in spite of all this Allâh referred to him as
"merchandise."

11. One should be careful to avoid being secluded with
women whom may be a cause of fitnah, and one should also be
cautious of the love for someone that may be harmful. For
the wife of the king did what she did because of her
infatuation with Yûsuf that lead her to try to seduce him,
tell lies about him and cause him to be imprisoned for a
long time.

12. The inclination that Yûsuf would have had for the
woman, but resisted it for Allâh's sake is what actually
brings him closer to Allâh. Because this type of
inclination is from amongst the soul's evil suggestion and
it is something that happens naturally to most of mankind.
However, the love and fear of Allâh overpowered the call of
fulfilling desires. Thus, he is from amongst those

 "who feared standing before his Lord, and restrained
himself from impure evil desires, and lusts."


And also from amongst the

 "seven whom Allah will shade in His Shade on the Day when
there is no shade except His Shade: a man who is called by
a woman of beauty and position [for illegal intercourse],
but be says: `I fear Allâh."


13. Whenever îmân enters the heart and one makes his whole
affair sincerely for Allâh sake, Allâh will indeed repel
and defend one from all types of evil and vulgarity because
of one's îmân and sincerity due to Allâh's statement,

 "Thus it was, that We might turn away from him evil and
illegal sexual intercourse. Surely, he was one of Our
sincere slaves."


14. Whenever the servant sees a situation that might be one
of fitnah or cause of sin, he should flee as far as
possible from it to save himself from sin.

15. Yûsuf was beautiful both externally and internally. As
for his external beauty, it made the king's wife did what
she did, and it made the other women cut their hands while
proclaiming,

 "How perfect is Allâh (or Allâh forbid)! No man is this!
This is none other than a noble angel!"


His internal beauty was because of his great chastity and
self-restraint in spite the many enticement there were to
commit sin. This is why the king's wife said,

 "I did seek to seduce him, but he refused."


16. When there is an atmosphere for sin, the servant should
always return unto Allâh and distance himself from his own
strength and power based on the statement of Yûsuf,

 “Unless You turn away their plot from me, I will feel
inclined towards them and be one (of those who commit sin
and deserve blame) of the ignorants.”


17. Knowledge and intelligence leads one who possesses it
to do good acts and prevents him from evil. Ignorance on
the other hand, calls the one who is ignorant to conform to
his desires, even if it is harmful to him.

18. Just as the servant worships Allâh during times of
ease, similarly he should also worship him during times of
hardship. For Yûsuf (peace be upon him) was constantly
calling to Allâh, thus when he entered the prison he
continued to make da’wah. He called the two young men to
at-tawhîd and he warned them against as-shirk. Hence, from
his quick-wittedness he saw that they were responsive to
his da’wah, whereby they said to him,

 "We think you are one of the Muhsinun (doers of good)."


So this was a golden opportunity for da’wah that he seized
by calling them to Allâh before interpreting their dreams
so his goal (of calling them to Islâm) would be more
fruitful. Thus, firstly he made it clear to them that what
they notice of him from his noble character and in-depth
knowledge is all are sult belief in Allâh and singling him
out for worship (tawhîd), and he abandoned the path of
those who do not believe in Allâh and the last day. So he
first gave them da’wah through his actions, then he gave
them da’wah by his speech illustrating to them the
corruption of shirk and the reality of at-tahwhîd.

19. The importance of priorities. For when he was asked by
the two young men to interpret their dreams, they were
other matters of importance that they were in greater need
of knowing before their questions were to be answered. This
is a sign of a teacher possessing great intelligence, and
the ability to correctly guide and teach, for when Yûsuf
was asked by the two young men about their dreams, he first
called them to Allâh before interpreting their dreams.

20. It is not considered depending on others (instead of
Allâh), if one happens to get into a difficult situation
and one seeks the assistance of someone whom he thinks can
alleviate his situation, for this person there is no blame
on him if he does this. This is because it has always been
the custom of people to seek each other assistance in such
matters. Hence, Yûsuf said to the one whom he knew would be
saved,

 "Mention me to your lord (i.e. your king, so as to get me
out of the prison)."


21. The one who teaches should always try to have complete
sincerity when he teaches, and he should not use his
position as a means to obtain wealth, status or personal
benefit. Furthermore, he should not withhold from spreading
knowledge or giving advice even if the one whom he taught
or advised did not do what he (the teacher) requested. For
indeed Yûsuf (peace be upon him) advised one of the young
men to mention his situation to the king, but he forgot and
did not mention him. However, when the time came when he
was in need of him, he sent someone to get Yûsuf. In spite
of this, Yûsuf did not chastise him for forgetting to
mention his situation to the king, rather he gave him a
complete answer to his question.

22. There is no blame on a person for defending himself
against a false accusation. Rather this is something
praiseworthy. As Yûsuf refused to leave the prison until
his innocence was proven.

23. Dream interpretation is a branch of the Islamic
sciences, and a person is rewarded for studying and
teaching it. Dream interpretation also comes under category
of giving fatâwa, for he said to the two young men,

 "Thus is the case judged concerning which you both did
inquire."


(tas'taftiyân - sought a fatwa) The king said,

 "Explain (aftûnî - give me a fatwa) of my dream",


and the young man said to Yûsuf,

 "Explain to us (aftinâ - give us a fatwa) regarding (the
dream) of seven fat cows."


Thus, it is not permissible interpret dream except with
(shari'ah) knowledge.

24. As long as a person is not pretentious or dishonest, he
should not be criticized if one informs others about his
praiseworthy qualities, if he intends by this to bring
about a general benefit based on the statement of Yûsuf,

 "Set me over the storehouses of the land; I will indeed
guard them with full knowledge."


Likewise, leadership is not something that is blameworthy
if the one who is in charge fulfils the rights of Allâh and
the rights of His servants to the best of his ability.

25. Allâh is very generous to his servants by giving them
the best of this life and the next. The means of achieving
the best of the next life is by having îmân and taqwa. The
servant should always ask Allâh for his rewards and
bounties and he should not be disappointed whenever he sees
the people enjoying the pleasures of this world whereby he
is unable to partake. Rather he should ask Allâh for His
great reward and bounties in the next life based on His
statement,

 "And verily, the reward of the Hereafter is better for
those who believe and used to fear Allâh and keep their
duty to Him."


26. It is from the "sunnah" of the prophets to host guest
and treat them honorably based on the statement of Yûsuf,

 "See you not that I give full measure, and that I am the
best of the hosts?"


27. Having negative thoughts about someone is not something
that is always prohibited if there are accompanying
evidences to support this suspicion. For verily, Yaqûb said
to his sons after they came to him claiming that a wolf ate
Yûsuf,

 " Nay, but your ownselves have made up a tale."


And he said regarding their next brother,

 "Can I entrust him to you except as I entrusted his
brother (Yûsuf) to you aforetime?"


28. If one does not want another person to be aware of
something one has or something one intends to do, one
should use a subtle means of distraction that does not
contain any lies. As Yûsuf did when he put the golden bowl
into his brother's bag, and he then took the golden bowl
out of his brother's bag leading them think that their
brother is the one who stole it. After which he said,

 "Allâh forbid, that we should take anyone but him with
whom we found our property."


Notice he did not say, "We found our property with him", or
"He stole our property." Rather, he made a general
statement that can apply to this situation as well as
others, and there is nothing  wrong with what he did. For
all he did was made them think that their brother stole the
golden bowl, so that his youngest brother can remain with
him, as was objective.

29. It is not permissible for a person to bear witness
except to that which he has sure knowledge of. He acquires
this knowledge either by witnessing it himself or by being
informed by a trustworthy person based on the statement of
the Yûsuf's brothers,

 "We testify not except according to what we know."


30. The permissibility of informing others of the
difficulties one is enduring, as long as this is not done
in a manner that indicates one is annoyed with the decree
of Allâh, for the brothers of Yûsuf complained,

 "O ruler of the land! A hard time has hit us and our
family,"


and Yûsuf did not object to their statement.

31. The merits of tawqah and sabr (patience), for every
good in this life and the next is as result of tawqah and
sabr based on the statement of Allâh,

 "Allâh has indeed been gracious to us. Verily, he who
fears Allâh and is patient, then surely, Allâh makes not
the reward of the Muhsinûn (good-doers) to be lost."


32. The one whom Allâh has blessed after being in a state
of poverty or distress should acknowledge the bounties of
Allah upon him by constantly remembering his previous
condition. Thus he would be able to thank Allâh every time
he remembers his previous condition, as Yûsuf (peace be
upon him) said,

 "He was indeed good to me, when He took me out of the
prison, and brought you (all here) out of the bedouin-life,
after Shaitan had sown enmity between me and my brothers."



33. The servant should always exalt Allâh for making him
remain steadfast upon îmân by constantly doing those deeds
that causes one's îmân to remain firm. Also one should
always ask Allâh to have successful ending by perfecting
His Favor upon one based on the du'â of Yûsuf (peace be
upon him),

 "My Lord! You have indeed bestowed on me of the
sovereignty, and taught me the interpretation of dreams;
The Creator of the heavens and the earth! You are my Wali
(Protector, Helper, Supporter, Guardian, etc.) in this
world and in the Hereafter, cause me to die as a Muslim,
and join me with the righteous."

This is by the will of Allâh, this is what He has made
possible for me to mention regarding the benefits and
lessons obtained from this blessed story, however for the
one who contemplates, he is guaranteed to find other
benefits from the sûrah than those mentioned. So we ask
Allâh the Most High, to bless us with beneficial knowledge
and actions that are acceptable to Him, indeed He is the
Most Generous, the Most Gracious.

Courtesy of:-
Shaykh 'Abdur-Rahmân ibn Nâsir as-Sa'dî
(d. 1383 AH )
Translated by Yahya Adel Ibrahîm

The very best of good wishes,
Musa A.Pembo
Glasgow,
Scotland,
U.K.

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