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kashifdogar · **Yusuf ( - Peace Be Upon Him) in the Prison -** 01-11-2006

This month's story is a continuation of the story of Yusuf , who was abandoned in a deep pit by his brothers, found by a passing caravan, and sold into slavery in Egypt.

The Egyptian who bought Yusuf from the caravan gave him a position of responsibility in his household. As Yusuf grew to full manhood he became extremely handsome and the wife of his master fell hopelessly in love with him. One day, when she was alone in a room with him, she approached him with sinful intentions. As he attempted to flee from the room to avoid her advances, she grabbed his shirt from behind and tore it. At the door of the room they ran into the master of the household, who demanded to know what was happening. The wife accused Yusuf of chasing her and Yusuf denied it. One of the members of the household suggested a way to determine who was telling the truth. If Yusuf's shirt was torn in the front, then the wife had been resisting Yusuf . But if the shirt were torn in the back, then the wife had been pursuing Yusuf . Since the shirt had been torn from behind, Yusuf was shown to be telling the truth. The master told him to take no further notice of the matter, and he reprimanded his wife for having done something wrong.

Despite the husband's attempt to hush up the whole affair, gossip was soon spreading throughout the city that the wife had fallen in love with her servant. When she heard the malicious talk, the wife invited all the women of the town to a meal and gave each of them a knife to use. She then called Yusuf into the room. All the women were so overcome by the sight of the handsome young man that they cut their hands with the knives which they held. In this way the mistress of the house showed them why she had sought Yusuf and she vowed that if he did not yield to her wishes she would have him imprisoned.

Yusuf was an upright young man, and with the help of Allah he had been able to resist the advances of any woman. But he realized the weakness of his human nature and he knew that if so many women were pursuing him, he might very well yield to temptation. And so he prayed to Allah that he would rather be imprisoned than accept any of their invitations, but he needed Allah's help to turn away their attentions. And Allah heard his plea and turned their attentions from him.

But the men of the city, although acknowledging Yusuf's innocence, feared the commotion which his presence caused, and thus decided to have him imprisoned. There Yusuf remained for several years.

Insha Allah in the next issue of Iqraa we shall relate how Yusuf was cleared of the charges against him, and how he was raised to a position of eminence in the land of Egypt.

Yusuf's ( - Peace Be Upon Him) Release from Prison
In the past two issues of Iqraa, we have been narrating the story of Yusuf , which can be found in its entirety in the twelfth chapter of the Qur'an. We shall continue the story now. In the previous issue, Yusuf , having been unjustly accused of causing trouble among the women, had been thrown into prison. We will pick up the story at that point.

Two other young men entered the prison at about the same time as Yusuf . While in prison each of the two men had a dream. One dreamed that he was pressing grapes; the other that he was carrying bread on his head from which the birds were eating. Each was puzzled about the meaning of his dream, and asked Yusuf if he could interpret it.

Yusuf promised to interpret their dreams before their next meal was brought to them, but while he had their attention, he took advantage of the opportunity to perform some dawa. He told them about the supremacy of Allah and about belief in the Hereafter. He told them about the futility of worshipping gods other than Allah. He told them of the right religion about which many people do not know.

Only after he had given his message about Islam did he interpret the dreams. He said that the man who had dreamed that he was pressing grapes would be released and would be serving wine to his master, while the other man would be executed and the birds would eat from off his head. It happened as Yusuf had foretold, and Yusuf asked the man who was released to mention Yusuf to his master, in order that Yusuf might also be released. But the man forgot and Yusuf stayed in prison for a few more years.

The king of Egypt then had a dream, in which he saw seven fat cattle being devoured by seven lean cattle. He also saw seven green ears of corn and seven withered ears. None of the chiefs in his court could interpret the dream for him. At this point the king's servant, who had been Yusuf's cell mate, remembered Yusuf's ability to interpret the meaning of dreams. So he went to see Yusuf to ask about the dream.

Yusuf explained that for seven years the crops would be good, and that much of what had been harvested would be stored away. The seven good years would be followed by seven hard years in which most of what had been stored would be consumed. After that seven-year period of poor harvests, things would improve again.

When the king was told of this interpretation, he asked that Yusuf be brought to him from the prison. But Yusuf would not leave until his name had been cleared. The king summoned all the women and they told him that Yusuf had done nothing wrong. The wife of the chief who had pursued Yusuf confessed that it was she who had been at fault. When Yusuf was released, he was relieved that everyone now knew that he had done nothing deceitful. And he was grateful to Allah for forgiving any evil thoughts which he might have had.

The king called Yusuf to him, and, after they had spoken together for some time, the king was so impressed that he wanted to bestow on Yusuf a position of trust. Yusuf suggested that he be placed in charge of all the storehouses in the land, for he felt confident of his ability to administer them wisely.

Thus Allah rewarded Yusuf . He had risen from servant and prisoner to a very powerful position in the land of Egypt. In the next issue, we shall tell how Yusuf was reunited with his family.

Hadrat Yusuf's ( - Peace Be Upon Him) Reunion
This is the concluding installment of our story of Yusuf . In the previous issue of Iqraa, Yusuf had been released from prison where he had been wrongfully interred for several years. He had then been placed in charge of all the king's storehouses in Egypt.

As Yusuf had predicted, seven years of famine followed seven years of good harvest, but the storehouses of Egypt were full because of Yusuf's skillful management. People from all over flocked to Egypt to buy grain during the famine. Among them were Yusuf's brothers.

Yusuf knew his brothers at once but they did not recognize him. He gave them the grain which they had come to buy but warned them that they would get no more unless they brought a brother of theirs to him from their father. They agreed that they would try to convince their father to let them take their younger brother with them the next time they came. Then Yusuf had his servants put their money which they had used to purchase the grain back into the saddlebags of their camels so that they would find it when they returned home and would be sure to return for more grain when they saw how generously Yusuf had treated them.

Ya'qub , who still felt deeply the loss of his son Yusuf , was reluctant to let the brothers take his other young son. He made them pledge in the name of Allah that they would bring him back home unless they were made physically powerless to do so. He also cautioned them to enter the city in Egypt by different gates, perhaps so they wouldn't look like a gang of troublemakers. However, he knew that their fate depended on Allah's will and no precautions could go against what was willed by Allah.

When the brothers had returned to Yusuf for more provisions, Yusuf lodged his younger brother with himself, and revealed his identity to him. But he had to think of a way in which to keep his younger brother with him when the others returned home. Allah inspired him with the following plan.

When the brothers' camels had been loaded with grain, Yusuf had a cup placed in his younger brother's saddlebag. Then a cry was raised that someone had stolen the king's cup. The brothers denied that they had stolen anything. When asked what should happen if it were to prove otherwise, they said that they would hand over the person in whose possession the cup was found. A search of the saddlebags revealed the cup in the younger brother's bag. Then the big brothers said that it wasn't really surprising, because the boy's brother (i.e. Yusuf ) had also been a thief. But still Yusuf did not reveal his identity to them. The brothers asked that one of them be allowed to stay in the younger brother's place, so that their father would not grieve, but Yusuf replied that it would be unjust to keep back anyone except him in whose possession the cup had been.

The brothers returned to their father with the story of the theft, and his eyes turned white with grief from suppressing his sorrow. He sent them away to search for Yusuf and his brother, so they returned to Yusuf and asked for more grain, although they had but little money left. Then Yusuf revealed his identity to them and forgave them and asked Allah's forgiveness for all the wrong they had done to him and his brother. Then he gave them his shirt to place over his father's face to recover his sight. He told them to go home and return to Egypt with all of their families.

As their caravan was leaving Egypt, Ya'qub , still at home, smelled the perfume of Yusuf , but his household said he was getting senile. When the caravan arrived home with the shirt, Ya'qub's sight was restored. Then the entire family moved to Egypt. Yusuf raised his parents up on the throne to sit with him and they all bowed down in obeisance to him. In this way, Yusuf's childhood vision of the eleven planets and the sun and the moon prostrating themselves before him came true. This is how the Israelites came to settle in Egypt and lived there for many generations. The entire story of Yusuf can be found in Surah 12 of the Qur'an.

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kashifdogar Member Status: Offline Posts: 49 Reputation: 26 Rep Power: 0 Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Pakistan Gender: Way of Life: Muslim	Yusuf ( - Peace Be Upon Him) in the Prison - 01-11-2006 This month's story is a continuation of the story of Yusuf , who was abandoned in a deep pit by his brothers, found by a passing caravan, and sold into slavery in Egypt. The Egyptian who bought Yusuf from the caravan gave him a position of responsibility in his household. As Yusuf grew to full manhood he became extremely handsome and the wife of his master fell hopelessly in love with him. One day, when she was alone in a room with him, she approached him with sinful intentions. As he attempted to flee from the room to avoid her advances, she grabbed his shirt from behind and tore it. At the door of the room they ran into the master of the household, who demanded to know what was happening. The wife accused Yusuf of chasing her and Yusuf denied it. One of the members of the household suggested a way to determine who was telling the truth. If Yusuf's shirt was torn in the front, then the wife had been resisting Yusuf . But if the shirt were torn in the back, then the wife had been pursuing Yusuf . Since the shirt had been torn from behind, Yusuf was shown to be telling the truth. The master told him to take no further notice of the matter, and he reprimanded his wife for having done something wrong. Despite the husband's attempt to hush up the whole affair, gossip was soon spreading throughout the city that the wife had fallen in love with her servant. When she heard the malicious talk, the wife invited all the women of the town to a meal and gave each of them a knife to use. She then called Yusuf into the room. All the women were so overcome by the sight of the handsome young man that they cut their hands with the knives which they held. In this way the mistress of the house showed them why she had sought Yusuf and she vowed that if he did not yield to her wishes she would have him imprisoned. Yusuf was an upright young man, and with the help of Allah he had been able to resist the advances of any woman. But he realized the weakness of his human nature and he knew that if so many women were pursuing him, he might very well yield to temptation. And so he prayed to Allah that he would rather be imprisoned than accept any of their invitations, but he needed Allah's help to turn away their attentions. And Allah heard his plea and turned their attentions from him. But the men of the city, although acknowledging Yusuf's innocence, feared the commotion which his presence caused, and thus decided to have him imprisoned. There Yusuf remained for several years. Insha Allah in the next issue of Iqraa we shall relate how Yusuf was cleared of the charges against him, and how he was raised to a position of eminence in the land of Egypt. Yusuf's ( - Peace Be Upon Him) Release from Prison In the past two issues of Iqraa, we have been narrating the story of Yusuf , which can be found in its entirety in the twelfth chapter of the Qur'an. We shall continue the story now. In the previous issue, Yusuf , having been unjustly accused of causing trouble among the women, had been thrown into prison. We will pick up the story at that point. Two other young men entered the prison at about the same time as Yusuf . While in prison each of the two men had a dream. One dreamed that he was pressing grapes; the other that he was carrying bread on his head from which the birds were eating. Each was puzzled about the meaning of his dream, and asked Yusuf if he could interpret it. Yusuf promised to interpret their dreams before their next meal was brought to them, but while he had their attention, he took advantage of the opportunity to perform some dawa. He told them about the supremacy of Allah and about belief in the Hereafter. He told them about the futility of worshipping gods other than Allah. He told them of the right religion about which many people do not know. Only after he had given his message about Islam did he interpret the dreams. He said that the man who had dreamed that he was pressing grapes would be released and would be serving wine to his master, while the other man would be executed and the birds would eat from off his head. It happened as Yusuf had foretold, and Yusuf asked the man who was released to mention Yusuf to his master, in order that Yusuf might also be released. But the man forgot and Yusuf stayed in prison for a few more years. The king of Egypt then had a dream, in which he saw seven fat cattle being devoured by seven lean cattle. He also saw seven green ears of corn and seven withered ears. None of the chiefs in his court could interpret the dream for him. At this point the king's servant, who had been Yusuf's cell mate, remembered Yusuf's ability to interpret the meaning of dreams. So he went to see Yusuf to ask about the dream. Yusuf explained that for seven years the crops would be good, and that much of what had been harvested would be stored away. The seven good years would be followed by seven hard years in which most of what had been stored would be consumed. After that seven-year period of poor harvests, things would improve again. When the king was told of this interpretation, he asked that Yusuf be brought to him from the prison. But Yusuf would not leave until his name had been cleared. The king summoned all the women and they told him that Yusuf had done nothing wrong. The wife of the chief who had pursued Yusuf confessed that it was she who had been at fault. When Yusuf was released, he was relieved that everyone now knew that he had done nothing deceitful. And he was grateful to Allah for forgiving any evil thoughts which he might have had. The king called Yusuf to him, and, after they had spoken together for some time, the king was so impressed that he wanted to bestow on Yusuf a position of trust. Yusuf suggested that he be placed in charge of all the storehouses in the land, for he felt confident of his ability to administer them wisely. Thus Allah rewarded Yusuf . He had risen from servant and prisoner to a very powerful position in the land of Egypt. In the next issue, we shall tell how Yusuf was reunited with his family. Hadrat Yusuf's ( - Peace Be Upon Him) Reunion This is the concluding installment of our story of Yusuf . In the previous issue of Iqraa, Yusuf had been released from prison where he had been wrongfully interred for several years. He had then been placed in charge of all the king's storehouses in Egypt. As Yusuf had predicted, seven years of famine followed seven years of good harvest, but the storehouses of Egypt were full because of Yusuf's skillful management. People from all over flocked to Egypt to buy grain during the famine. Among them were Yusuf's brothers. Yusuf knew his brothers at once but they did not recognize him. He gave them the grain which they had come to buy but warned them that they would get no more unless they brought a brother of theirs to him from their father. They agreed that they would try to convince their father to let them take their younger brother with them the next time they came. Then Yusuf had his servants put their money which they had used to purchase the grain back into the saddlebags of their camels so that they would find it when they returned home and would be sure to return for more grain when they saw how generously Yusuf had treated them. Ya'qub , who still felt deeply the loss of his son Yusuf , was reluctant to let the brothers take his other young son. He made them pledge in the name of Allah that they would bring him back home unless they were made physically powerless to do so. He also cautioned them to enter the city in Egypt by different gates, perhaps so they wouldn't look like a gang of troublemakers. However, he knew that their fate depended on Allah's will and no precautions could go against what was willed by Allah. When the brothers had returned to Yusuf for more provisions, Yusuf lodged his younger brother with himself, and revealed his identity to him. But he had to think of a way in which to keep his younger brother with him when the others returned home. Allah inspired him with the following plan. When the brothers' camels had been loaded with grain, Yusuf had a cup placed in his younger brother's saddlebag. Then a cry was raised that someone had stolen the king's cup. The brothers denied that they had stolen anything. When asked what should happen if it were to prove otherwise, they said that they would hand over the person in whose possession the cup was found. A search of the saddlebags revealed the cup in the younger brother's bag. Then the big brothers said that it wasn't really surprising, because the boy's brother (i.e. Yusuf ) had also been a thief. But still Yusuf did not reveal his identity to them. The brothers asked that one of them be allowed to stay in the younger brother's place, so that their father would not grieve, but Yusuf replied that it would be unjust to keep back anyone except him in whose possession the cup had been. The brothers returned to their father with the story of the theft, and his eyes turned white with grief from suppressing his sorrow. He sent them away to search for Yusuf and his brother, so they returned to Yusuf and asked for more grain, although they had but little money left. Then Yusuf revealed his identity to them and forgave them and asked Allah's forgiveness for all the wrong they had done to him and his brother. Then he gave them his shirt to place over his father's face to recover his sight. He told them to go home and return to Egypt with all of their families. As their caravan was leaving Egypt, Ya'qub , still at home, smelled the perfume of Yusuf , but his household said he was getting senile. When the caravan arrived home with the shirt, Ya'qub's sight was restored. Then the entire family moved to Egypt. Yusuf raised his parents up on the throne to sit with him and they all bowed down in obeisance to him. In this way, Yusuf's childhood vision of the eleven planets and the sun and the moon prostrating themselves before him came true. This is how the Israelites came to settle in Egypt and lived there for many generations. The entire story of Yusuf can be found in Surah 12 of the Qur'an.