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Insha’Allah this will be a series of lessons we can learn from the Qur’anic story of Yusuf (as). The lessons will not be in order of the story, but will be chosen randomly. Prior knowledge of the surah and story will help the reader contextualize the points given. The information on tafsir is taken mainly from the English translations of Tafheem ul-Qur’an by Sayyid Abdul ‘Ala Mawdudi and Ma’ariful Qur’an by Mufti Shafi’ Uthmani.

Ayat 36-42

Two other slaves also entered into the prison along with him. One day one of them said, “I have dreamt that I am pressing grapes into wine,” and the other said, “I have dreamt that I am carrying loaves of bread on my head, of which birds are eating. ” Then both of them said, “Tell us their interpretations, for we have seen that you arc a righteous man. “

Joseph replied, “I will tell you their interpretations before the food you get comes to you. This ability of making interpretations is a part of the knowledge that my Lord has bestowed on me. The fact is that I do not follow the ways of those people who do not believe in Allah, and deny the Hereafter.

I follow the Way of my forefathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob: it is not for us to associate anyone with Allah as partner. This is Allah’s bounty upon us and upon all mankind (that He has not made us the servants of any other than Himself), yet most people are not grateful.

O my fellow prisoners, say, which, is better: various gods or the One Omnipotent Allah?

The gods you worship other than Him are nothing more than mere names you and your forefathers have invented, for Allah has sent down no authority for them. Sovereignty belongs to none but Allah. He has commanded that you shall not worship anyone but Him. This is the right and straight Way, but most people do not know this.

My fellow prisoners, here are the interpretations of your dreams. One of you will serve wine to his lord (the king of Egypt): as for the other, he shall be crucified and birds will eat of his head. Thus has that matter been decreed whereof you enquired. “

Then to the one who he thought would be released. Joseph said, “Mention me to your lord (the king of Egypt)”. But Satan made him so neglectful that he forgot to mention him to his lord, and so Joseph remained in the prison for several years.

There are multiple points we can learn from these few ayat concerning Yusuf’s time in prison:

1. The fact that both men said “we have seen that you are a righteous man” points to two likely facts: 1.) It was well-known within the community that Yusuf was innocent and his enduring patience with the situation was noted by many.  2.) Yusuf (as) not only continued worshipping Allah individually but extended his prophetic duties toward other inmates by caring and comforting them, giving words of advice such as hope and patience, and just overal moral adab. All of the inmates grew to love and respect Yusuf (as) by his actions and guidance and it is also noted in some tafasir and the Bible that Yusuf was even beloved by the prison guard for the same reasons.
2. Even though Yusuf was in prison, a place full of criminals and those who would assumedly have bad character, he still treated them with respect and care to the point where they all loved him. This teaches us that we should not pass judgment as to what they may become of sinners. Change is possible, especially through Islam. Always treat them with the same compassion and concern as you would anyone else.
3. Prophet Yusuf found an opportunity to propogate Islam when he was asked to interpret dreams. This reminds us that one of our main obligations in life is dawah and we should use all opportunities (albeit those in the right time, place, context, and with wisdom) to spread the message.
4. The message that Prophet Yusuf (as) spread was the basic foundation of Islam (meaning the religion practiced by the prophets in that relevant period) which was tawheed or the oneness of Allah. Do not bog the people down with details of aqidah or shariah when first introducing them to the deen. Start with the basics. Also, by using questioning, it sparks the contemplation of the person to truly seek the Truth.
5. It was interpreted by Yusuf (as) that the man who dreamt of the birds eating bread from his head was to be crucified and that birds would eat from his head. Even though it would seem most obvious which interpretation went to which man, the news was indirectly given to each man by saying “one of you will….the other shall…” He did not directly address the men or use their names as to be most tactful and ease the bad news of the dream to that particular man. From this we should learn to do the same in any bad news we have to share, especially that of death.
6. Yusuf (as) took the initiative to free himself from prison, as he was falsely accused and imprisoned. We need to have the balance between tawakkul (reliance on Allah) and working to achieve things. We cannot expect Allah (swt) to grant our wishes by merely sitting around. We need to do our part to make things happen and then leave the rest to Allah. On the same hand we should not think that our actions are fulfilled by ourselves, as it is only with the help and permission of Allah.

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