The woman in whose house he was living tried to seduce him: she bolted the doors and said, ‘Come to me,’ and he replied, ‘God forbid! My master has been good to me; wrongdoers never prosper.’
She made for him, and he would have made for her if he had not seen the sign of his Lord. We did this in order to keep evil and indecency away from him, for he was truly one of Our chosen servants (12:23-24) Continue reading One of Our Chosen Servants
When he reached maturity, We gave him judgement and knowledge: this is how We reward the people of excellence (12:22).
‘Maturity’ begins at puberty and reaches completion between the ages of 30 and 40. Sayyiduna Yusuf had reached a point at which he was fit to receive expansive knowledge and wisdom. The word translated as judgement (hukm) here could signify prophethood, wisdom or leadership. Continue reading The Reward for Excellence
They hid him like a piece of merchandise – Allah was well aware of what they did (12:19)
Allah had complete knowledge both of what Yusuf’s brothers had done and now what these travellers were doing with Yusuf. He was doing all this in order to raise the rank of His servant in this life and the next. Do not think for a moment that anything happens outside the knowledge of Allah. Continue reading I Know That You Know
‘But perfect patience (is my state): Allah is the One whose support I seek to bear what you are saying’ (12:18)
When Sayyiduna Ya’qub received the news that Sayyiduna Yusuf had not returned, his response was one of perfect patience (sabr jamil).
The Prophet ﷺ described perfect patience as being a state in which a person makes no complaint to anyone other than Allah. The one who complains does not have perfect patience. Continue reading Perfect Patience
Another of them said, ‘Do not kill Yusuf, but, if you must, throw him into the hidden depths of a well where some caravan may pick him up’ (12:10)
One of Yusuf’s brothers dissuaded the others from going as far as killing Yusuf. This was all part of Allah’s plan, as He had decreed that Yusuf would have a long life. Continue reading Who is in Control?
“Kill Yusuf or banish him to another land, and your father’s attention will be free to turn to you. After that you can be righteous” (12:8).
This was Yusuf’s brothers’ plan but what did they gain? The years passed and they didn’t achieve their goal. Their father was not happy with them. He remained in a state of sadness and their life remained difficult. In fact, they only got what they wanted when they recognised Yusuf’s status and submitted to him decades later. Continue reading Bad Decisions and the Lower Self
“Although we are many, Yusuf and his brother are dearer to our father than we are – our father is clearly in the wrong” (12:8)
We find that the Prophets may love certain individuals more than others. That individual may be a wife or a child or a companion. This is because their love is for Allah’s sake. The more the individual possesses attributes beloved to Allah, the more that prophet will love them. No one would deny that the Prophet ﷺ loved Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman and Ali more than other Companions. Continue reading No Ordinary Love
‘My dear son, tell your brothers nothing of this dream, or they may plot to harm you – the Devil is man’s sworn enemy.’ (12:5)
When Yusuf told his father Yaqub (peace be upon them both) of his dream, his father feared that envy would cause Yusuf’s brothers to harm him. Continue reading Jealousy: the Devil’s Scorpion
Just as no one is permitted to enter the prayer until they have removed all physical impurities, no one is admitted into the divine presence until they have removed all spiritual impurities.
Every child is born with a pure heart but as time goes by the heart becomes polluted by what it is exposed to. Continue reading Insights into Purification: Purity of the Heart
A Summary of Lesson Three of Sayyidi Habib Umar bin Hafiz’s commentary on “Miftah al-Sarair” (“Key to the Inner Secrets”) by his ancestor, Shaykh Abu Bakr bin Salim. The book contains essential advice for every seeker. Continue reading Key to the Inner Secrets – Lesson Three – Abandoning Love of the Dunya
