JUZ TWELVE
The twelfth juz begins at verse six of Surah Hud and ends at verse fifty-two of Surah Yusuf. The core theme that runs throughout this juz is the stories of the prophets. Both surahs are focused on stories of the prophets but with very different outcomes.
Surah Hud focuses on the stories of the destroyed nations who refused to listen to their messengers and were punished in this world. Surah Yusuf focuses on the story of Yusuf who attained success in both worlds. The first surah was sent as a warning to the Quraysh, and the second as glad tidings to the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم .Together, they achieve the balance between warnings and glad tidings.
Surah Hud is an important surah that should make us all reflect. It is so powerful that reflecting on it caused visible aging on the face of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم . Ibn ʿAbbas narrates that once the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم appeared looking older. Abu Bakr said, “O Messenger of Allah! You have become gray.” He replied, “I have gone gray from Surah Ḥud, al-Waqiʿah,
al-Mursalat, ʿAmma Yatasaʾalun and Idha al-shamsu Kuwwirat.”
Surah Hud serves as a warning to all, initially the Quraysh, but to us as well. The stories in this surah focus on nations that rebelled against the prophets and were destroyed for it. The Muslim nation is not immune to this. We can be stripped of our blessings and punished in both worlds if we choose to live a life similar to these nations.
The first story mentioned in this surah is the story of Prophet Nuḥ which runs from verse twenty-five to forty-one. The story of Nuḥ and the flood is well known to everyone, not only Muslims. It was the first time that Allah destroyed a nation for their sins, and it has been recorded in the histories of every major nation.
This is followed by the stories of Hud, Salih, Lut, and Shuʿayb and their nations. Each of these stories follows a similar format and they are often repeated together throughout the Qur’an. These nations were not chosen at random; they all existed in or near Arabia and the Arabs were familiar with their histories. The destruction of their nations was a reminder to the Quraysh and everybody that nobody can escape Divine Justice.
The final story in this surah is the story of Musa with a strong focus on the downfall of the Pharaoh. This ties in perfectly with the theme of the surah. Even the mighty king of Egypt who thought himself a god could not escape Allah’s Power and Justice. As the theme of punishment and destruction runs strongly throughout this surah, it is clear to see why it would cause the Prophet to worry about his nation.
There is another beautiful theme that flows through these three surahs. Surah Yunus gives us an example of a prophet who left his people, then returned to them. Surah Hud
gives us examples of prophets who stayed with their nations until their nations were destroyed. Surah Yusuf gives us an example of a prophet who was cast out by his people but they eventually returned to him. These three surahs, placed one after the other, show us the variety of reactions to the messages of the prophets.
The rest of this juz focuses on Surah Yusuf which is unique in many ways. It is the only story of a prophet told in one flowing manner in just one surah. It is considered by many the best of stories. It was revealed at a time when the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم needed comfort and optimism (after Taʾif) and it is one of the most oft-recited and reflected-on surahs in the Qur’an today.
A powerful theme that runs throughout this surah concerns family. We see the Prophet Yusuf facing the rejection of his family, and their eventual reconciliation after he rises to power. This mirrors the story of the Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم .Neither Yunus or Hud had to deal with their families rejecting them. Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم at the time of the revelation of Surah Yusuf had just lost the protection of his tribe. His uncle
Abu Talib had passed away, and Abu Lahab had taken over the tribe. For the first time, the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم faced persecution without tribal support and this surah was sent to give him hope. As Yusuf eventually rose to power in Egypt, Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم was destined to rise to power in Madinah too.
The theme of jealousy also runs throughout this surah, and again mirrors the struggles of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم .As Yusuf had to deal with the jealousy of his brothers, entire tribes rejected the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم because he was not from their tribe and they were jealous that the
revelation had been sent to an orphan from Banu Hashim instead.
The parallels between the two stories continue throughout the surah. Yusuf went through various stages in his life journey: favorite child, abandoned in a well, slavery, imprisonment, and eventually minister. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم went through similar phases: favorite, hated, exiled, leader, conqueror. The story reminds us that not all of Yusuf’s brothers were evil. Likewise, the family of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم included both allies and enemies. Yusuf rejected temptation and was ready to face imprisonment instead. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم rejected multiple bribes and offers and accepted exile instead.
The above similarities show us why this surah was revealed at that time. It provided the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم with hope through the story of a great man who went through similar trials. Just as Yusuf eventually was successful, it was a sign that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم would also one day be successful in his mission.
By Dr. Omar Suleiman & Sh. Ismail Kamdar
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