Hazrat Yousuf (AS) : Life Story and Lesson
Hazrat Yousuf was the son of Prophet Yaqub (AS). He had eleven brothers and he was the youngest among them. He possessed magnificent manners and character. The stroy of Prophet Yousuf (AS) is beautifully described in the chapter of Quran named "Surah Yousuf".
The Dream of Hazrat Yousuf
Hazrat Yousuf saw a dream of eleven stars, Sun and the moon prostrating him. He told his father about this dream. As said in Holy Quran,
Yusuf said to his father: "O my father! I did see eleven stars and the sun and the moon: I saw them prostrate themselves to me!
—Qur'an 12:4[12]
Hazrat Yousuf realized that this dream narrates the destination and greatness of his son so he cautioned him to not tell his brothers about this dream. His brothers were jealous of him so they planned to get rid of him. Whenever they took their goats for gazing, they ask their father if Yousuf could come with us but he always rejected saying he's too young. But when Hazrat Yousuf was about the age of 16, they insisted Hazrat Yaqub and he finally agreed their request. When they reached a dry well, they removed the shirt of Hazrat Yousuf and threw him into it. They heartlessly ignored the voice of their younger brother and left him to die of hunger.
On their way home, they stained the shirt of Hazrat Yousuf with the blood of sheep. They reached home weeping and told their father that when they were a bit away, a wolf came and ate their brother. Hazrat Yaqub rejected to believe them but he could do nothing but to be patient and await to Allah to reunite him with his beloved son.
Hazrat Yousuf (AS) in Egypt
Meanwhile, a carvan was passing through the well. They stopped to drink water from it but shocked to saw Hazrat Yousuf there. They pulled him out and took him to the market of Egypt where they sold him as a slave to The Aziz (Governor of Egypt and Chief Officer of the King), whose name was Fotifaar. He offered a price that none other could match. He brought Hazrat Yousuf with him and told his wife Zuleikha that they might adopt him as their son. Zuleikha was impressed by the beauty of Hazrat Yousuf and she wanted to possess an illegal relationship with him. When her husband was away, she locked herself with Hazrat Yousuf and tried to seduce him but he refused as he's the Prophet of Allah. He backed away from her and ran towards the door, she while trying to stop him ripped his shirt from behind. Hazrat Yousuf met the Aziz at the door. She after watching her husband blamed Hazrat Yousuf. Before the Aziz could harm Hazrat Yousuf, a baby spoke up from the cradle and therefore the Holy Qur'an says:
"And a witness from her own household testified, "If his shirt is torn from the front, then she speaks the truth and he is of the liars. And if his shirt is torn from behind, then she lies and he is of the truthful ones". Surah Yusuf, 12:26,27
Shirt was obviously ripped from behind. Aziz was very angry on his wife for attempting such a shameful act. But despite of the fact that Hazrat Yousuf was innocent, he imprisoned him in order to save his respect.
Dream of the King of Egypt
His dream is narrated in Holy Quran as,
The king dreamt that seven lean cows were eating seven fat ones and that there were seven green ears of corn and seven dry ones. He asked the nobles to tell him the meaning of his dream if they were able to. They replied, "It is a confused dream and we do not know the meaning of such dreams." Surah Yusuf, 12:43,44
The king was very concerned about his dream and want to get the full meaning of it. He told his wise men to thought on it seriously. Nobody was able to tell the meaning of his dream. Hazrat Yousuf interpreted his dream because of his special abilities given to him by Allah. He said,
For seven years the crops will yield abundant food-grain for the people of Egypt. After that there'll be a famine for seven years during which all the food-grain lying within the storehouses are going to be finished and other people will starve. Therefore, the people should attempt to grow the maximum amount extra grain as possible in order that it might stand them in good stead during the time of famine".
The king was very much impressed from the interpretation of his dream so he ordered to free Hazrat Yousuf from the prison Thus, Prophet Yusuf (AS) was released from the cell with dignity and respect. According to Holy Quran,
The king ordered his men to bring Yusuf before him; he wanted to grant him a high office. The king said to him, "From now on you will be an honoured and trusted person amongst us." Yusuf said, "Put me in charge of the treasuries of the land, I know how to manage them." Surah Yusuf, 12:54,55
So in this way Hazrat Yousuf became the Aziz of Egypt and was very much committed to his duty. He was determined that when the famine arrived, nobody should starve.
Life lesson from this Story
There's numerous lessons that we can learn from the story of Hazrat Yousuf (AS). Our life is full of challenges, there's not a single person on earth who hasn't faced any hardships. Allah tested his people from difficulties. So during the hard times, we should never lose hope and faith in Allah Almighty. We should be patient and show resilience. We have a great example of Hazrat Yousuf that Allah saved him from the well and made him the Aziz of Egypt. We should learn that, by having faith in Allah we can achieve anything no matter how strenuous it is. Allah said in Holy Quran,
Or do you think that you will enter Paradise while such [trial] has not yet come to you as came to those who passed on before you? They were touched by poverty and hardship and were shaken until [even their] messenger and those who believed with him said, "When is the help of Allah?" Unquestionably, the help of Allah is near. (Surah Al-Baqara, Verse 214)