 33 Lessons from Soorah Yoosuf - Shaykh Abdurahmaan Ibn Naasir As-
Sa'dee (Lessons 1-10)
As-Shaykh Abdurahmaan Ibn Naasir As-Sa'dee states in his tafseer
"Tayseer Al-Kareem Ar-Rahmaan" (pg. 408 - 412)
Regarding the last ayah of soorah Yoosuf wherein Allaah subhaanahu
wa ta aa'la says,
"Indeed in their stories, there is a lesson for men of
understanding:"
This story is from the best of stories because of what it relates
from the varying phases of life; from trial to tribulation, from
being tested to being blessed, from humiliation to grandeur, from
slavery to kingship, from division to unity, from grief to joy, from
superfluity to famine, from famine to glut, from hardship to ease,
and from denial to affirmation. So blessed be the One who revealed
it in the best manner possible.
From amongst the lessons derived from this surah are:
1. The knowledge of interpreting dreams is a very important branch
of knowledge that Allaah gives to whom he pleases from His servants.
And most of them (dreams) are based on symbols that are ambiguous in
meaning and in description. For indeed the significance of the sun,
the moon and twelve stars bowing to Yusuf, is that these lights are
the beauty of the sky, and from them emanates benefit. Likewise the
prophets and the scholars are the beauty of this earth, and by them
mankind is guided through darkness just as they do by the light of
the stars, the sun and the moon. Moreover, since the source of this
light is his mother and father, hence it is very befitt ing that the
moon and the sun symbolize his parents, for from them emanate the
greatest light from which he and his brothers are off-springs. Thus,
the sun, which is a feminine noun, symbolizes his mother and the
moon, which is a masculine noun, symbolizes his father, and the
stars symbolize his brothers.
2. The significance of the dream of his fellow prison mate who saw
himself pressing wine, is that the one who does such work is usually
the servant of someone else. Thus he interpreted it to mean that
this prison mate would be a servant for the king, and this would
guarantee his freedom from prison. Regarding the significance of the
dream of the one who saw birds eating bread from the top of his
head, Yusuf interpreted this dream as a indication that he will be
crucified because the skull protects the brains and once a person is
crucified and left in the open, the brains will become exposed, thus
the bird will eat it.
3. Therein are evidences of the truthfulness of the prophethood of
Prophet Muhammad (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam), for he narrated to
his people this long story and he never read the previous books nor
learned from any one.
4. One should distance oneself as much as possible from situations
that can lead to an evil outcome. Also the permissibility of not
disclosing what one fears might harm them based on the statement of
Yacub to Yusuf, "He (the father) said: "O my son! Relate not your
vision to your brothers, lest they arrange a plot against you."
5. The permissibility of a person mentioning to someone else, as a
means of sincere advice, a matter that is disliked based on the
ayah, "Lest they arrange a plot against you."
6. The blessing that Allaah bestows upon the servant is not simply
restricted to that particular individual, rather it is a blessing
that encompasses him, his family and his friends. And whatever good
is obtained is because of that person based on the statement of
Allaah, "Thus will your Lord choose you and teach you the
interpretation of dreams (and other things) and perfect His Favour
on you and on the offspring of Ya'qûb (Jacob), as He perfected it on
your fathers, Ibrahîm (Abraham) and Ishaaq (Isaac) aforetime!
Verily, your Lord i s All-Knowing, All-Wise."
7. The importance of being cautious of the evil results of sins,
because one sin often leads to many others. For the brothers of
Yusuf tried varying plots when they wanted to separate him from his
father; they lied many times, they falsified the blood on the shirt,
they came at night pretending to cry, and all of this is as a result
of one sin, one thing leading to a next.
8. The matter that really counts in the life of the servant is the
successful ending and not the deficient beginning. For the children
of Yacub did what they did in the beginning which was a very
reprehensible act, then their affair ended in sincere repentance,
complete forgiveness from Yusuf and their father, and du'a was made
for them to be forgiven and have mercy upon.
9. Some evil are lesser then others and committing the least or
lesser evil is always better. For when the brothers of Yusuf agreed
to kill him or throw him in the well, one of them said, "Kill not
Yoosuf (Joseph), but if you must do something, throw him down to the
bottom of a well." Thus his suggestion was better in comparison with
those of his brothers (in spite of it still being an evil one) and
because of this he lessened the greatness of the sin they committed.
10. There is no sin on a person that buys, sells, or uses anything
that is considered as merchandise according to prevailing business
practices. Nor is the one who is not aware how this merchandise was
obtained guilty of any sin. For the brothers of Yusuf sold him,
which was a haraam, impermissible transaction, then he was found by
a caravan of people who took him to Egypt and sold him there as a
slave, and in spite of all this Allah referred to him
as "merchandise."
(to be continued)
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