012- YŪSUF
YŪSUF
Yūsuf
The third in a series of six sūrahs whose opening verses include the letters alif, lām, and rāʾ and speak of the Book, Yūsuf belongs to the Makkan period. The sūrah is concerned primarily with recounting the entire story of the prophet Joseph (who is also referred to in 6:84 and 40:34) and constitutes the longest and most continuous single narrative in the Quran (vv. 3–101). The general outline of Joseph’s life and times accounted here corresponds to Genesis 37:1–46:7, although there are several significant differences between the Quranic and Biblical accounts. The story of Joseph is said to have been revealed to the Prophet when some Jewish scholars in Makkah had persuaded the Makkan idolaters to ask the Prophet about certain details pertaining to Joseph’s life and legacy. According to another report, God revealed the story of Joseph to the Prophet after his Companions had asked him to provide them with a story.
As the most beautiful of stories (v. 3) begins, Joseph discloses a special dream he had to his father, Jacob, who warns Joseph not to convey his dream to his brothers (vv. 4–5), who are exceedingly jealous of him (v. 8). The brothers plot to be rid of Joseph and manage to convince Jacob to allow Joseph to go with them into the wilderness (vv. 9–14). Once left in their care, Joseph is taken into the desert by his brothers and cast into a well (v. 15). Joseph is eventually rescued by a caravan (v. 19) and purchased in Egypt by a high-ranking official (v. 21), identified with the Biblical figure Potiphar (see 12:21–22c).
While Joseph is under Potiphar’s care, Potiphar’s wife, Zulaykhā (not mentioned by name), falls in love with him and attempts to seduce him, but Joseph does not succumb to her advances (vv. 23–25). After false accusations before Potiphar (v. 25) and widespread rumors throughout Egypt of what had transpired between Joseph and Zulaykhā (v. 30), Joseph is cast into prison (v. 35). Joseph is later exonerated, released from prison, and appointed to high office in Egyptian society (vv. 50– 56). By the end of the tale, Joseph’s parents and brothers come to Egypt to stay with him (v. 99), and the dream he had at the beginning of the story is fulfilled (v. 100).
Perhaps more than any other Quranic narrative, the story of Joseph has supplied material for an astonishing array of artistic, literary, and spiritual works in the Islamic tradition. The figure of Joseph himself, who is said to have possessed exceptional physical beauty, is often associated in Islamic literature with the reflection of Divine Beauty, patience in times of adversity, and the art of dream interpretation. The commentaries on this sūrah reflect this rich tradition and incorporate into their accounts material that is often folkloric and imaginative. The incident between Joseph and Zulaykhā has formed the basis for a variety of mystical and literary romances, one of the most well known of which is a lengthy Persian poem entitled Joseph and Zulaykhā (Yūsuf wa Zulaykhā) by the famous Sufi poet ʿAbd al-Raḥmān Jāmī (d. 898/1492). The philosopher and founder of the School of Illumination, Shihāb al-Dīn al-Suhrawardī (d. 587/1191), also uses the motifs and symbols from the story of Joseph in his philosophical treatise On the Reality of Love (alRisālah fī ḥaqīqat al-ʿishq) in order to explain the metaphysical significance of love and its relation to beauty and joy on the one hand and sadness and longing on the other. Many interpret the story of Joseph symbolically and spiritually as an account of the separation of the human soul from its Divine Origin and its return to It. At the highest level of interpretation it has often been seen as an exalted love tale that speaks about the relationship between the human lover and the Divine Beloved. As al-Maybudī says in his Quran commentary, “How beautiful the story of Joseph is! It is a story of lover and beloved, a report of separation and union. [From it,] the pain-stricken one ought to read of those who are pain-stricken, and the lover ought to receive news of the pain of love and the burning desire of lovers.”
(source: “The Study Quran” a new translation and commentary by Seyyed Hossein Nasr)
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