Prophet Yousuf: A Leader in Egypt
The Dream of the King
Years passed and Prophet Yousuf was still in prison. He accepted what Allah chose for him and continued worship- ping him all the time. One day, the king of Egypt had a dream. He saw seven skinny cows eating seven fat ones. He also saw seven green spikes of grain and seven dry ones. The king woke up and was puzzled. He didn't know what that strange dream meant.
He asked the people to interpret this dream for him. They said, "It's just a dream, and we are not experts at Interpreting dreams."
Then the servant who was in the prison remembered Yousuf. He said, "I can bring you the interpretation. Send me to the prison, I know someone there who can explain dreams very well. His name is Yousuf." The king agreed.
The servant went to Yousuf and said, "Yousuf, man of truth, tell us about (the dream of the king). Yousuf did not ask to be set free from prison in return for his interpretation. He didn't ask for anything at all. He had learned his lesson to only ask Allah for help. He interpreted the dream, and warned that there were huge troubles coming to Egypt soon. He even suggested solutions for the future of the land.
He said, "There will be seven years of great harvest. With the grace of Allah and farmers' hard work, the people should get plenty of crops. From the harvest, they should use only a little for food. The rest should be kept in its spikes, stored and preserved against pests."
Yousuf then told them that another seven barren years would follow. In those years rain would be very scarce and people would be short of food. So, he told the people of Egypt to be careful. Even during the famine, they should not eat all the grain. He also advised them to save a little for seed, so that they could plant seeds when it rained again to grow more wheat. "About a year later," Yousuf also said, "the people would have much water in which they would be able to harvest and press grapes and olives."
The servant reported all this to the king. The king was greatly impressed and wanted to see Yousuf. The king met with Yousuf, and he could see his wisdom, truth, and inno- cence. The king chose Yousuf to be the treasurer of Egypt. He was selected to prepare Egypt for the great famine. He would be the new Azeez of Egypt.
The New Azeez of Egypt
Prophet Yousuf was correct in his prediction. Seven years of great farming seasons came and they were followed by another seven years of dread- ful famine. However, under the direction of Yousuf, food and seed had been saved from the years of good harvest.
In the years of depression, Yousuf's brothers came from Palestine to Egypt to sell their goods and buy food. Yousuf, the Azeez of Egypt, recog- nized them, but they did not know him. He gave them their share of wheat and food. He told them if they came next year, they should bring with them their youngest brother.
He tried to tempt them. He told them, "You see that I have been generous and provided the best hospitality."
When they resisted, he threatened them. "If you do not bring him, I will not give you anything, and you shall not even approach me. "They said they would try to con- vince their father to send their brother with them. Yousuf made his servants put back their goods which they brought to trade in their sad- dle-bags, without their knowl edge!
The brothers went home and told Ya'qoub that they were forbidden from having goods next year, unless he serit their youngest brother, Benjamin, with them. Prophet Ya'qoub said, "Why should I trust you with anything after I trusted you with Yousuf? But God is the best to care for him, and He is the Most Merciful of those who show mercy." Ya'qoub refused to let them take Benjamin unless they swore in God's name, that they would keep him safe. The brothers swore, and Ya'qoub agreed.
Yousuf and Benjamin Together Again
When the brothers came with Benjamin, they were eleven all together. Yousuf gave them five rooms, and took Benjamin to stay with him. He told him, "I am your brother Yousuf. Don't be sad about their treatment of you and me," he said. Now Yousuf and Benjamin were very happy together after being apart for many years.
Yousuf played a trick on his brothers to keep Benjamin with him. When the brothers were leaving for Palestine, he gave them a camel load of goods. He also ordered one of his servants to hide the king's cup in Benjamin's camel's saddle-bag. Then someone shouted, "You travelers are thieves!"
They came asking, "What do you miss?"
"The king's cup," said the king's men. The brothers insisted that they did not steal anything.
"You know we did not come here to steal."
The king's men asked, "And what should be the penalty of the person in whose saddle- bag the cup is found?" The brothers said, "He should be taken as a slave." That was the law in Palestine where they lived. Yousuf wanted this because in the king's law in Egypt, the penal- ty would be death. This way Yousuf could keep his brother with him for a while. Yousuf ordered his servants to start searching the other brothers' baggage first, to put off any suspicion. Finally, they found it in Benjamin's luggage.
Prophet Ya'qoub Becomes Blind
Benjamin's brothers were surprised and felt ashamed. They told Yousuf that Benjamin was their half broth- er. They also said that Benjamin's full brother, by whom they meant Yousuf, had stolen before. "If he stole, then his brother has stolen before him," they claimed. Yousuf felt bad, because his brothers were still liars.
The brothers consulted amongst themselves about what to do. The oldest brother said, "Don't you know that we gave our father an oath in God's name? So, I will not leave this land until my father permits me or God commands me."
They went home and told their father that Benjamin was being held by Al-Azeez for stealing. They swore they that were right, and that he could ask any of the other caravans about their story, Ya'qoub did not believe them at all because they lied to him before. When a person lies, even once, peo- ple have difficulty believing him after that.
Prophet Ya'qoub asked God to grant him patience and bring back all of his missing sons in the end. "Allah is indeed full of knowledge and wisdom," he said. Then he tumed away from them and saying, "How great is my grief for Yousuf!" and his eyes became white with sorrow. He went blind and fell into a sad silence.
Ya'qoub told them to go back and inquire about Yousuf and his brother, and to never give up hope. He said, "Never give up hope in God's mercy. Truly no one gives up on God's mercy, except those who have no faith."
The Great Surprise
The brothers went back to Egypt again and complained to Al-Azeez (Yousuf). They told hím how much trouble their family was in. They had only brought a few goods with them because they had noth- ing left. They also asked Al- azeez to pay them decently. They prayed that he would treat that as charity. Yousuf did not want to humiliate the brothers anymore. Although they hurt him badly before, he had pity on them. He decided to reveal his secret. He asked them, "Do you know what you did to Yousuf and to his brother before? "
They were stunned to hear Al-Azeez mention the name of Yousuf. They stared at him very hard and shouted "Are you indeed Yousuf?"
He said, "Yes, I am, and this is my brother." Yousuf ges- tured to Benjamin. The broth- ers knew that God had pre- ferred Yousuf over them. They confessed that they had been guilty of sin.
Yousuf said, "May Allah for- give you. He is the most Merciful of those who show mercy." He gave them his shirt to cast on his father's face. He said this would make his eyesight come back. That was a miracle performed by Allah through a prophet. Yousuf asked them to bring his parents and all their relatives to Egypt. They went home, this time with joyful news.
This time when they brought Yousuf's shirt to Ya'qoub, it was not stained with blood. It was to prove their story and restore their father's sight. Ya'qoub said, "Didn't I say to you that I know from God what you don't know?" The other brothers asked Ya'qoub to ask God to forgive them for their deeds. He promised that he would.
The Happy Reunion
Prophet Ya'qoub, his wife and sons went to Egypt to meet Prophet Yousuf. Yousuf received them with great love in his palace. He brought his parents next to him. His par- ents and his brothers (eleven of them) prostrated to him. That was the custom in Egypt. He said to his father, "That was the interpretation of my vision when I was so young. God was good to me when He took me out of prison and brought you all here out of the desert, even after Shaytan made enmity between me and my brothers."
Then Yousuf made this beautiful Dua'a:
رب قد آتيتني من الملك وعلمتني من تأويل الأحاديث فاطر السموات والأرض أنت وليي في الدنيا والآخرة توفني مسلما وألحقني بالصالحين
"Oh my Lord! You have indeed granted me some power and taught me some- thing of the interpretation, of dreams and events! You are the Creator of the heavens and the Earth. You are my protector in this world, and in the Hereafter. Take my soul at death as a Muslim, and unite me with the righteous."
The Death of Ya'qoub and Yousuf
Ya'qoub became very old and fell ill. When he was on his death-bed, he asked his sons what they would worship once he was gone. They answered, "We shall worship your Lord, the Lord of your fathers, Ibraheem, Isma'eel and Is'haq." Yousuf also passed away in Egypt. Before he died, he requested his family to bury him in Egypt. However he asked them to move his remains to Palestine, the Holy Land, whenever possible.
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