Surah Yusuf #3

By revealing this Quran to you, we hereby narrate to you the best narratives while before this you were among those unaware (of it).

TAFSEER;

Pearls 

We will be narrating to you the best of all stories…”

Nahnu (the plural) occurs because of Allah and the angels.  “We recite to you the stories.” 

What stories?  Ahsana’l-qasas. “The best of all stories.”  What is a qisah?  

which means to follow the footsteps in the  sand . 

Why does a story come from following the footsteps? 

 You are walking in their footsteps and following them.  When I tell you the qisah, what happens to you?  You are living it.  Why does everybody love a story?  A story is mesmerizing.  A person never grows too old to listen to a story.  All of us are children in this regard, and we love stories.  Allah is saying, “We are going to give you the best of stories.”  It is called a qisah because we are walking the walk.  When we hear the story it is as if we are following their footsteps.  Allah is saying, “We will give you the best of stories.”

If you read any book of how to speak and how to give an effective talk, there is always a chapter dedicated to the story.  

 It is human nature that stories are attractive.  Stories are something that you like to listen to.  Also, the lessons in stories are manifested. It is not the same as saying, “Whoever is patient, masha’Allah he has good iman.”  When I show you a story, those stories remain with you, and you are affected by them more, which is human nature.  Allah ‘azza wa jall is telling us stories.

Another benefit of a story is that they are ‘aqeedah (theology) in action.  It is one thing to say that you put your trust in Allah, but when we hear the story of Ibrahim when he is going to be thrown into the fire and he puts his trust in Allah, it is theology shown in action.  ‘Aqeedah is manifested.

Another benefit of the story is that it is the reality of what has happened in the past.   We know this happened to the previous prophets, and so we sense it more.  

Another benefit is that stories teach us that Allah’s Sunnah is repetitive and what has happened in the past will happen again. 

  There is always a lesson to be learned.  The lessons of Allah and these rules of Allah are permanent.  When we hear these stories, the rules are reinforced.  One of the fundamental rules of the story of Yusuf is that righteousness will win in the end, and evil can never succeed in the long run.  This is one of the main themes of Surah Yusuf.  

Reading the stories of the prophets and reading the seerah of the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) is one of the greatest ways to increase iman.  Reading the stories of the sahabah brings about a sense of taqwa and iman and courage in us.  Stories are a part of the Qur’an and Sunnah and part of human nature.  This whole surah is a story.

Every story in the Qur’an is the best.  A second meaning that has been derived is the fact that Allah has mentioned this verse in Surah Yusuf is an indication that Surah Yusuf is the best of all stories.

  There are two meanings that we derive:  

1)  Qur’anic stories are better than all other non-Qur’anic stories, and the Qur’an re-emphasizes this; it is pretty obvious.

  2)  The story of Yusuf is the best of all of these stories.  This is why Allah begins the surah with “nahnu naqussu ‘alayka ahsana’l-qasas.”  “We are the Ones who will tell you the best of all qasas…”

“…bimaa awhaynaa ilayka…”

Bimaa means ‘because / through this revelation We have given you the Qur’an.’  In other words, ‘because We are revealing the Qur’an to you, it is Our duty to tell you the best of all stories even though before the Qur’an came down you were from the ghaafileen.’ 

 Ghaafil means you did not have knowledge.

  Ghaflah means to not have knowledge, and sometimes that ghaflah is intentional, and sometimes it is unintentional.  In this case, it is unintentional.  

The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) did not have access to knowledge.  Allah calls the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) ghaafil because he didn’t have the knowledge, not because he did not study but because he could not have studied.  Allah is saying, “Because We have revealed this Qur’an to you, it is Our duty to give you the best of stories.”

The Qur’an says:

“…though before this, you were of those who did it not know.”

Meaning that before We told you this story, you were not informed about it nor had you heard it from anyone.

REFLECTION ;

‣ The wisdom behind Alif Laam Meem is only known to Allah alone.

‣ Allah called the Quran “the Book” though it was not an actual book.

‣ The Quran is clear guidance from Allah.

‣ Allah addressed the Arabs and said to them “you may understand”.

‣ Allah favored the Arabic language over other languages.

‣ Allah only tells the best of stories.

‣ Quran is for those who reflect.

‣ The prophet of Allah did not know much of this before Allah blessed him with the

revelation.

POINTS TO NOTE;

In conclusion, these points illustrate that the Qur’an, as far as telling stories and historical narratives, has utilized the best manner to educate man. Not only the Divine stories, but all the things of Allah are also the best /ahsan/, because:

1 – He is the Best Creator.

2 – He has sent down the Best of Books.

3 – He has produced the best of features.

4 – He has the best of religions.

5 – He provides the best of rewards.

6 – And finally, having such a background, He has demanded the best of actions from man.

At any rate, the story of Yusuf is the best of stories for the following reasons:

A) It is the most relevant to our experience.

B) It deals with the struggle against one’s innermost self which is the greatest of struggles.

C) The hero of the story is Yusuf, a youth who possesses all human virtues in himself (patience, faith, piety, modesty, wisdom, trustfulness, forgiveness and kindness).

D) All persons of the story have a happy ending. 

For example ,Yusuf attains a high political position, 

the brothers repent,

 his father regains his lost sight, 

the famine stricken country is saved; 

complains and envies are converted into the full gratification of love.

LESSON;

The Qur’an contains the best lessons for mankind to follow 

–each story told to us by Allah tala in the Qur’an [Nuh, Nimrod, Musa, Yusuf]

–all contain a lot of lessons for us 

–because history repeats itself 

–human nature doesn’t change; only technology does

Surah Yusuf #2

“We have sent this Qur’an down as an Arabic Qur’an so that you may understand.”

TAFSEER;

A question that many Muslims ask is: ‘why does Allah refer to Himself in the plural?’  In fact, many non-Muslims ask this question.  There are two primary interpretations of this.  The first of them is that the ‘We’ is a royal plural, the plural of majesty, and the plural of ‘izzah.  It is allowed in the Arabic language that a singular person (one man) will say ‘we’ when he is worthy of it, meaning king or royalty.   In Arabic, this is called the royal plural.  It is a permissible interpretation.

Taymiyyah has another interpretation and says that every time there is a plural in the Qur’an, it is a reference to Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) along with the command of the angels. That is why – and this is interesting – Ibn Taymiyyah says that never in the Qur’an does Allah say ‘worship us,’ but He always says ‘worship Me.’  Allah says, “We revealed the Book” because the Book comes down via Jibreel.  Allah says, “We send the rain” because every single drop of rain has an angel taking it right to where Allah said it is going to go.  Allah says, “We are the ones who blow the winds” because the angels are the ones who take the winds.  When Allah says “We”, He means, “I am doing this and I am telling the angels to execute this command.”  The Qur’an comes down at the Command of Allah by the hands of Jibreel.  Jibreel is the one who brings it down.  This is one interpretation as well, and it has a good basis to it.

Anzalah means ‘to descend.’  Nazalah means to go down / to descend.  This shows that the Qur’an physically came down. What does it mean?

Firstly, that Jibreel came down with the recitation of the Qur’an.  Literally, the Qur’an is coming down with Jibreel in his memory, and Jibreel is reciting it to the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam).  Secondly, According to one hadeeth, which is authentic, on laylat al-qadr, Allah says “inna anzalnahu fi laylat al-qadr,” There is a physical descent of a divine copy of the Qur’an, and so Allah says anzalah.   This is also one of the many evidences that Allah is above us, which is why the Qur’an is coming down.  If the Allah was not above us, then the Qur’an would not need to come down and nor would the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) have to go up in isra’ wa’l-miraj to speak to Him.  The Qur’an is coming down.  “We have sent down this Qur’an.”

inna anzalnahu Qur’anan arabiyyan…”

“We have revealed this as an Arabic Qur’an.”  This is a very, very interesting verse.  There are exactly 11 verses in the Qur’an that characterize the Qur’an as being Arabic.   Allah describes the Qur’an as being an Arabic Qur’an.

This shows us as well that the Qur’an has been revealed in the language that Allah ‘azza wa jall spoke.   From Jibreel to the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) and from the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) to the sahabah up until this day we have a continuous chain, non-stop, and it is from Allah ‘azza wa jall the recitation begins.  This means that when Allah says, “We have revealed an Arabic Qur’an,” then that recitation was done in Arabic as well.   When you recite the Qur’an, you feel that it is an amazing speech and divine speech.

We  believe that this recitation was recited by Allah ‘azza wa jall; therefore, when we recite it, there is something divine about the Qur’an.  The Qur’an must be respected –

la’alakum ta’qiloon.”  (“So that you may understand…”)

So that you may understand what?

The sentence is not complete.  Why?

When you leave it blank, it means “so that you may understand [everything]”, and it doesn’t need to be limited.  This also shows us that there is a reason why Allah chose the language of the Arabs, which is because His Prophet is an Arab prophet and his immediate people are an Arab people.  This tells us very frankly that the Arabic language is the most eloquent language.  The opinion of Imam Al-Shafi‘i and Ibn Taymiyyah and many scholars, including non-Arabs, is that the Arabic language is the best language.

Why is Allah beginning this surah by mentioning that He has revealed the Qur’an to the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam)?

 One of the reasons Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) is mentioning this is to remind the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) of the favors that He has given to him.  This is a standard motif of the Qur’an.  Surah Al-Dhuha:  “Your Lord has not left you, nor has He abandoned you…Didn’t We find you as an orphan and take care of you?”   It is human nature that when you are spiritually down, you need somebody to cheer you up.  Allah ‘azza wa jall is telling the greatest positive thing:  He has revealed the Qur’an to him (one person), and this is the greatest blessing.

REFLECTIONS;

Indeed, We have sent it down as an Arabic Qur’an that you might understand. ‣ “We” shows status of Allah, it’s the royal we.

‣ This is one of the verses of the Quran that affirms the o’olow (علو) of Allah • Where is above? Above for Allah, and we can’t deny it

‣ Allah’s quality are appropriate for him only

– It’s only a quality and attribute appropriate for Allah • Allah sees, has hands, has a face, hears

– Only appropriate to Allah and unique to Allah

– Making Allah’s attributes human-like is a sin

‣ Why did Allah reveal the Quran in the Arabic language?

• Allah chose the Arabic language because of its beauty and Allah knew that this was a rich language (can use one word to describe complicated things that would take many more words in other languages)

AUTHENTIC TAWHEED;

HADITH: The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “God said, ‘The offspring of Adam abuse time, (even though) I am Time.'”

The Qur’an was revealed in Arabic because it is a specific book

–

–in Arabic, words are either feminine or masculine so it’s a specific language

Arabic is the Sunnah of Allah so it’s superior to all languages

–other languages are inferior to it

–He (swt) revealed the Qur’an in the best language, Arabic

–by His favorite angel, Jibreel

–to His favorite Messenger, Muhammad (saws)

–in the most sacred city, Makkah

–in the holiest month, Ramadan

Surah Yusuf #1

With the name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Very-Merciful 

الر ۚ تِلْكَ آيَاتُ الْكِتَابِ الْمُبِينِ

Alif Laam Ra. These are the verses of the enlightening Book.

Surah Yusuf #1

TAFSEER

“Alif-laam-ra…”
Huroof Al-Muqatta’at (Broken Letters)

This surah begins with the letters alif-laam-ra.  We all know that there are a number of surahs in the Qur’an that begin with letters.  Alif-laam-meem, ha-meem, ‘ayn-seen-qaaf, noon, qaaf, kaf-ha-ya–‘ayn-saad, ta-ha, ya-seen.  These letters are called huroof al-muqatta’at (broken letters) by the scholars of tafsir.  They are called the broken letters because they do not form words. 

One opinion is that we will never know what these huroof al-muqatta’at mean.  This is a valid opinion in so far as that we will never know for sure and only Allah knows for sure.

Why did Allah reveal these letters?

There must be a wisdom.  We can try to think of wisdoms of why Allah (subhanahuwata’ala) revealed these letters at the beginning of these surahs.

One thing that we notice which is very interesting is that almost all the time in the Qur’an when Allah begins a surah with these letters, the very next phrase has something to do with the Qur’an.

Think about all of the surahs you know.  
Ya-sin. Wa’l-Qur’an al-hakeem.
 Kaf-ha-ya–‘ayn-saad.  Dhikru rahmatirabbika… 
“This is what I am telling you in the Book.”  Alif-laam-meem.  Dhaalika kitabu la raybafeehi… Alif-laam-ra. Tilka aayaatu’l–kitabi’l–mubeen.  Ha-meem. Wa’l-kitabil–mubeen.

There are some exceptions where it is not the second verse but it is the third or fourth verse.  Every single time Allah mentions huroof al-muqatta’at within the first few verses, something to do with the Qur’an is mentioned.  Therefore, it would make sense that these huroof al-muqatta’at have something to do with this magnificent Qur’an.  Every time, the Qur’an is praised after the huroof al-muqatta’at.  It is logical to make some connection.

“…these are the verses of the clear / lucid Book.”

Tilka is an Arabic word which means ‘this/these.’  There is a difference between tilka and haadhihi, which both mean ‘this/these.’  Haadhihi is used for something close. 
Tilka is used for something far away.

Allah (subhanahuwata’ala) is talking about the Qur’an with the far away word
Allah ‘azza wajall talks about the Qur’an in the pronoun that refers to something far away.  

Why does Allah mention the far away pronoun when the Qur’an is in our hands?  
To show the status of the Qur’an is exalted and to show that the Qur’an is worthy of being something majestic.  
Even if you have it, we should thank Allah that we have it, but its status is a high and noble status.  Allah says, “Tilka aayaatu’l–kitabi’l–mubeen.”

An ayah is a verse.  This shows us that Allah has Himself divided the Qur’an into ayat. 

Allah mentions the word surah and the word ayah.     An ayah also means a sign / indication / miracle.  A verse is a sign, and a verse is a miracle.  Allah uses the term that is loaded with meaning. 

What does ayah mean? 
Allah calls the miracles of creation ayah.  Allah says that in your creation there is an ayah, and in the sun and the moon there is an ayah.  Allah calls the verses of the Qur’an an ayah.  It is not a coincidence, and Allah knows what He is saying, and no one is more eloquent than Allah.  The meaning here is that every verse of the Qur’an has a message for you and an indication and a miracle.

Mubeen is a description of the book.  Allah calls the Qur’an many different names, but there are two names that are the most common Kitab and Qur’an are complementary to each other and put together tell us what this book is.  Kitab means something that is written down, and Qur’an means something that is recited.  The Qur’an is something that is written down and recited simultaneously.  No other book from Allah has been preserved to this level.  

Al-mubeen can have two meanings.  The first meaning is the Book itself is a clear Book.

What does it mean that the Book is clear? 
It means that anybody who approaches the Qur’an will be able to get some message from it and find some level of benefit from it.  It is not something that only the elite have access to and is not something that only the scholars should read.

Even the basic, average Muslim can benefit from the Qur’an.  There is no doubt that the average Muslim can only benefit a certain level, and the more they grow in knowledge, the more they can benefit.  Another meaning of Allah calling the kitabmubeen is that this Book is a clear message from Allah, and you do not have any doubt where it is from.

Allah is saying that this is a mubeen Book – you know the origin, you know the source, and everything is clear about it. There is no question mark.   You need nothing else besides this surah.  This indicates the importance of this surah.  

REFLECTIONS
Verse 1:
Alif, Lam, Ra. These are the verses of the clear Book.
• There are 14 letters used in al-mokta’at throughout the Quran
‣ There’s an opinion that these particular letters are mentioned as a challenge to the Arabs
• Listen up, you guys think you’re so eloquent and so good at literature, bring something
• This was the wisdom of Allah (to show them what they’re appreciating it)
– This during the time of the prophet, it’s a challenge to make something like this (you can’t, it’s only by the power of Allah)
• An ayah is a miracle because every word of Allah is a miracle
• How do we know that this is a challenge? 
Because of what comes after the letters.
– Alef, lam, rah, These are the verses of the clear book.
– Ketab (book) -comes form kaf, teh, and beh, means coming together, or put together in one place
– Clear in its rulings and clarifying
– The Quran is clear guidance from Allah subhanahowata’ala
• The miracle of the Quran is that you can’t get rid of it

AUTHENTIC TAUHEED;

Alif-Lam-Ra. [These letters are one of the miracles of the Qur’an, and none but Allah (Alone) knows their meanings].  

Al-Ahzab 33:70 Verily, We have sent it down as an Arabic Quran in order that you may understand

Al-Ahzab 33:71 He will direct you to do righteous good deeds and will forgive you your sins. And whosoever obeys Allah and His Messenger (SAW) he has indeed achieved a great achievement (i.e. he will be saved from the Hell-fire and made to enter Paradise). 

“Whoever reads Soorat al-Kahf on the day of Jumu’ah, will have a light that will shine from him from one Friday to the next.” (Narrated by al-Haakim, 2/399; al-Bayhaqi, 3/249)

Al-Ahzab 33:70 O you who believe! Keep your duty to Allah and fear Him, and speak (always) the truth. 

–Allah doesn’t mince His words, so neither should we! 
–people who mince their words are considered to reject faith in Allah tala and Islam 
–so when explaining tawheed, we must be clear 
–the Prophet (saws) did not mince his words

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “By the One in Whose hand is my soul, no one of this nation, Jew or Christian, hears of me then dies not believing in that with which I have been sent, but he will be one of the people of Hell.” (Narrated by Muslim in his Saheeh from the hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah)

LESSON;
Speaking clearly:
–when we speak, speak clearly and to the point 
–when we give dawah, we’re not allowed to mince our words 
–so speak clearly and to the point 

Reasons to speak clearly:
— if we’re not clear, we can put someone’s hereafter in jeopardy

3 reasons why it’s haraam to ‘beat around the bush’:
1. you fear others than Allah tala 
2. you waste time 
3. you give the wrong impression

Introduction to Surah Yusuf

Surah Yusuf, Chapter 12

(Revealed in Mecca) 111 verses in 12 Sections

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ

In The Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

The Magnitude and Glory of the Qur’an

The Content of the Surah

Before beginning our discussion of the verses of this Surah, it is necessary to point out some of the points:

  1. All of the verses of this Surah, except a few, concern the beautiful, instructive biography of Hadrat Yusuf (as) and this is the reason why this Surah is called “Yusuf.” And, it is also, for this reason, that out of the 27 times that the name of Yusuf has been mentioned in the Qur’an, 25 of them are found in this Surah. The other two suras in which his name has been mentioned are in verse 34 of Surah Al-Ghafir, and in verse 84 of Surah Al-’An‘am
  2. Focusing our attention on the verses of this Surah reveals the fact that the Holy Qur’an is a miracle in all its dimensions, and the champions it presents in its stories are real, not imaginary and unique in their class.
  3. The unique quality about the story of Prophet Yusuf [علیہ السلام] is that it has been narrated in one go in the Quran, and Allah has described it as “Ahsan Al-Qasas” – the most beautiful of stories. This is because it has a beautiful example of human nature that can guarantee us success should we choose to adopt and follow it in our personal lives.
  4. The way it has been narrated, providing dialogue and details of what happened to Prophet Yusuf at the different phases of his life, throws light on the ways people dealt with him throughout his young years, and how his consistently good reactions to their actions ultimately worked in his favor and led to his success.

Yusuf was one of twelve sons of Prophet Yaqoub [علیہ السلام]. His ten older brothers felt envious of the love and affection felt for him and his younger brother by their father.