Lessons from Surah Yusuf

Yasir Qadhi

• Publisher: Kube Publishing Ltd
• Year: 2021
• ISBN:
  9781847741394
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Islamic Theology

Surah Yusuf, a chapter of the Qur'an (Koran), was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad at a critical juncture of his life. This was the time when he had gone through ten to eleven years of ridicule and rejection in Makkah, a time when he lost his wife and partner, Khadija, a time when he lost his dear uncle Abu Talib. Allah revealed this precious surah to strengthen the Prophet Muhammad's heart. To remind him that he lives in the footsteps of the great prophets of the past and that Allah's help and support is there.

This surah is full of meaningful messages of patience, reliance on Allah and how to overcome hardship and betrayal. It was also educational, teaching the Prophet Muhammad the answers to queries that were posed to him by the local Jews and Muslims. Finally this surah was a timely morale booster for the Prophet and his companions in a time of need.

Yasir Qadhi has clearly divided the surah into related themes, as per the revelations, so that the reader can easily understand and grasp the great wealth of knowledge relayed through this surah to all.

PART ONE

The Family of Ya[qub

In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate

Alif-Lam-Ra.

These are the verses of the clear Book.

Surah Yusuf begins with the letters ‘Alif-Lam-Ra...’ They are called huruf al-muqatta[at, or broken letters, by the scholars of tafsir, because they are disjointed and do not form words. In some instances, a surah begins with a single letter, like Surah Qaf, or Surah Qalam. Some have two letters, like Surah Ya Sin, and some have more. We will never know their true meaning, but our scholars have given over fifteen opinions as to why Allah revealed the disjointed letters at the beginning of some surahs.

What is noteworthy is that almost every time Allah begins a surah with one or more disjointed letters, the next verse praises the Qur’an. Some scholars have, therefore, deduced that the huruf al-muqatta’at denote the majesty of the Qur’an. The early scholars noticed that the huruf al-muqatta’at use fourteen letters of the Arabic alphabet, precisely half of the total. Some scholars contended that through these letters, Allah challenged the Quraysh by indicating that the Qur’an is composed of letters from the alphabet of their language, yet they are unable to produce anything like it.

There are five ‘Verses of Challenge’ in the Qur’an, in which Allah dares the disbelievers to produce something similar to it. He says, ‘If all humans and jinn were to come together to produce the equivalent of this Qur’an, they could not produce its equal, no matter how they supported each other.’⁴ In other verses, we find, ‘…produce ten surahs like it…’⁵ and ‘…produce one surah like it…’⁶ There may be a linkage between the huruf al-muqatta’at and these ‘Verses of Challenge’, proving that the Qur’an is inimitable.

‘…These are the verses...’ Tilka is a definite Arabic article which means ‘this or these,’ and is used to denote something that is far away, in contrast to the word hadhihi, which indicates a near object. Why does Allah reference the Qur’an with a pronoun that denotes something far away when the Qur’an is in our hands? The scholars say that this is to show us the status of the Qur’an as something exalted. The Qur’an is not ‘far away’ physically, but it is majestic and noble and, therefore, transcendent in status.

The fact that here Allah calls them ‘verses or ayat ’ and in other places surah, as in–‘Whenever a surah is revealed…’– shows that it is He Who divided the Qur’an into parts. Many other scriptures, including the New Testament, have human-made divisions. An ayah also means a sign, an indication, or a miracle. Allah calls the miracle of creation an ayah, and the verses of the Qur’an an ayah, to signify the eloquence of the Qur’anic language. Every verse of the Qur’an has a message, and every verse is a miracle.

‘…of the clear Book.’ The phrase ‘kitab mubin’ occurs quite a few times in the Qur’an. The word mubin means ‘clear’, and it is a description of the Book or Kitab. Allah refers to the Qur’an by many names, and the two most common are Kitab and Qur’an. They complement each other’s meaning: the Kitab is the Revelation in writing, whereas the Qur’an is its oral form meant for recitation. The Qur’an is written down and recited simultaneously. It was written down by the commandment of Allah, Who also recited it to archangel Jibril. Allah has preserved the Qur’an through both mediums. Other religious texts were written down by scribes long after the time of their prophets, and today the original message, for the most part, is lost.

The word mubin could have two connotations. The first is that the Qur’an is a clear Book, as declared at the beginning of Surah al-Baqarah, ‘This is the Book! There is no doubt about it…,’ meaning there is no ambiguity in this Book. It means that anybody, rich or poor, who approaches the Qur’an, will be able to receive its message. No doubt, the interpretation requires knowledge, but simple guidance can be obtained immediately, by anyone, even from a translation. In this sense, the Book is mubin (clear).

Another possible meaning of kitab mubin is that, given its miraculous nature, it should be clear as day that it is from Allah. Under this meaning, mubin refers to the source of the Book – Allah Himself. There is no other religious text that is as unambiguous and demarcated from beginning to end, ...