Surah Yusuf: Introduction and Thematic Explanation

The following is excerpted from Inner Dimensions from the Order of the Surahs in the Qur’an by Imam Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti and from The Endless Banquet: A Thematic Explanation of the Qur’an (Volume II) by Shaykh Hamzah Abdul Malik.

Juz 12: “Inevitable Outcomes”

Ayat 1-20

In Surah Yunus and Surah Hud, Allah has given us meta-narratives of the paths of belief and disbelief through the summarized stories of entire nations, In Surah Yusuf, Allah now presents the same narrative condensed into the story of a single individual. These ayat will take us through a detailed exposition of the story of Prophet Yusuf عليه السلام. The story will allow us to witness an example of how the undercurrent of Divine justice irresistibly manifests itself in people’s lives, regardless of how much they try to avoid it.

The story of Prophet Yusuf عليه السلام can be divided into four general stages. In this section, Allah introduces the first stage: his childhood. Here, Allah sets the stage by showing us the seeds of belief that have been placed in the heart of Prophet Yusuf عليه السلام, while the seeds of disbelief begin to take root in his brothers, initially in the form of jealousy.

Similar to the beginning of most conflicts between good and evil, the story begins with the wrongdoers plotting to undermine the one who is good. In this case, his brothers plot to abandon Prophet Yusuf عليه السلام and leave him to be discovered by strangers. Instead of accepting the decree of Allah, by acknowledging the Prophetic privilege of their brother and the Prophetic guidance of their father, they decided to fight against it. In parallel, they devised an elaborate scheme to justify their actions. The story that unfolds here is just a small example of the general behavior of nations that reject their Prophets. Nevertheless, in keeping with previous examples, Allah is not deceived by their plots and reveals them to His Prophet ﷺ. Despite knowing this bitter truth, the Prophets عليهم السلام always remain patient.

Ayat 21-35

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We now enter into the second stage of Prophet Yusuf’s عليه السلام story: his youth. Here, we find that Allah turned the misfortune he suffered (i.e. estrangement and enslavement) into an opportunity to establish himself in an environment safe from his brothers. This also gave him the freedom to develop his spiritual abilities. In this, we see that what might look like the success of the disbelievers is, in reality, a means of facilitating success for the believer.

Nevertheless, we find that Prophet Yusuf عليه السلام is still not free of the transgressions of disbelievers. At this point, he is not tested by the jealousy of his brothers, but rather, by the lust of the mistress of the house he resides in as she attempts to force him to disobey Allah against his will.

Here we can identify parallels with the behavior of disbelievers when they are unable to expel the Prophets and their followers and attempt to lure them instead. Just as the mistress resorted to forcing her will on Prophet Yusuf عليه السلام when her allurements failed, similarly, disbelieving nations will eventually resort to more aggressive tactics when they fail to convince believers into abandoning their religious guidance and lifestyle. If it were not for just and reasonable leaders that prevent this from happening, society would eventually be ruined. In this story, we find that the head of the household was reasonable enough to see through the schemes of his wife, and he rightfully took the side of the Prophet عليه السلام.

Yet, we also learn that even a reasonable leader does not have the power to fully protect the believer from the harm of an unjust society, and so we find that Prophet Yusuf عليه السلام is eventually imprisoned when his opponents can no longer tolerate his piety. This is not uncommon in many oppressive societies where piety starts being considered a crime when the pious unapologetically challenge the immoral fabric of the nation.

We learn that even a reasonable leader does not have the power to fully protect the believer from the harm of an unjust society, and so we find that Prophet Yusuf عليه السلام is eventually imprisoned when his opponents can no longer tolerate his piety.

Ayat 36-51

In this section we enter into the third stage: his isolation. Among several stories of Prophets and pious believers we find that there is a period when they are isolated from society. We find this in the story of Musa عليه السلام when he is a fugitive, the People of the Cave, the story of Maryam before the birth of ‘Isa عليه السلام, and more. In this aspect, the life of Prophet Yusuf عليه السلام was no different.

During this stage of isolation, we learn how Prophet Yusuf عليه السلام is refining himself and expanding his spiritual depth. Once again, Allah shows us that even in this seemingly unfortunate situation, there is a hidden blessing. Here, we will learn that in their attempts to suppress Prophet Yusuf عليه السلام, they instead provided him with the keys to liberating himself. Through this he was able to liberate himself not only from jail, but also from slavery altogether. Moreover, he was able to position himself such that he became among the most powerful men in one of the most powerful nations at the time.

In this section, Allah teaches us a lesson on how to serve those who are at the bottom of the social order. Moreover, He educates us on how Divine success lies in humility, patience, and dedication to the truth, regardless of its consequences in this world. As we see in these ayat, the dedication exemplified by Prophet Yusuf عليه السلام in sharing guidance and serving his fellow inmates was the seed that led him directly to his freedom.

Here, we will learn that in their attempts to suppress Prophet Yusuf عليه السلام, they instead provided him with the keys to liberating himself. Through this he was able to liberate himself not only from jail, but also from slavery altogether.

Similarly, once all the efforts of the disbelievers’ schemes against the righteous have been exhausted, the believers will find their victory in the most unexpected ways. If they trust in the plan set forth by Allah while patiently waiting for His decree, they will find themselves in a better position than they previously were. Moreover, they might even win over their opponents, as we see in the final stage of the story of Prophet Yusuf عليه السلام detailed in the following Juz.

Juz 13: “Victory of the Believer”

Ayat 52-111

Continuing on the theme of the previous Juz, we enter into the last stage of the story of Prophet Yusuf عليه السلام: his victory.

In these ayat, Allah shows us that truth always manifests itself at the end and we see the woman finally admit to the innocence of Prophet Yusuf عليه السلام. Moreover, in a surprising turn of events, even the main antagonist of this part of the story personally apologizes to the Prophet عليه السلام and courageously becomes one of his greatest advocates. Allah shows us that He made this situation inevitable by creating a worldly need that could only be fulfilled by the vindication of Prophet Yusuf عليه السلام. Thus, here we witness how Divine justice works in mysterious ways to draw people to guidance in a manner that only Divine wisdom can facilitate.

Once Prophet Yusuf عليه السلام is vindicated and takes his prestigious role as the treasurer of Egypt, we witness the wisdom of Allah yet again, in the form of the drought which produces another tangible need. This need brings the original opponents of Prophet Yusuf عليه السلام to his very doorstep. Here we see how the Prophet uses his position to force the truth to be exposed not through him, but through them.

We can observe similarities between the strategy he adopted to influence the woman to free him from prison and that with which he influenced his brothers to admit their plot against him. In both cases, he waited for Allah to place him in an indispensable role where the need for him was unquestionable. He then used that position of advantage and control to create the opportunity to expose the truth. We also came across this approach previously when Prophet Yusuf عليه السلام was in prison. He employed this strategy when the inmates needed him to interpret their dreams by converting the situation into an opportunity to deliver his message of worshiping Allah.

in a surprising turn of events, even the main antagonist of this part of the story personally apologizes to the Prophet عليه السلام and courageously becomes one of his greatest advocates.

Hence, in this section, we see the details of how, with a stroke of genius inspired by Allah, Prophet Yusuf عليه السلام devises an elaborate plan to save his younger brother from suffering the same fate that he did, while at the same time reuniting him with his father عليه السلام. Ultimately, these actions placed his older brothers in a humbling position that left them no choice but to admit to what they had done to him and to seek forgiveness.

In the end, we learn that by following Prophet Yusuf عليه السلام, his brothers were not only ennobled spiritually, but also materially. Furthermore, the actions that transpired showed that their own egos were the sole reason for their humiliation. We also learn that despite how bad their crimes were, Allah and His Prophet عليه السلام still forgave them. Such a forgiving end is what is promised to all individuals who return to Allah, regardless of how terrible their sins have been. So long as they repent before their death, there is always an opportunity to reap the benefits of faith. This concludes the extensive example Allah gives us of the inevitability of the success of belief and the failure of disbelief.

Now that Allah has demonstrated the manifestation of His decree, He then addresses the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ directly, explaining the morals of the story. The main lesson is that most people will choose to disbelieve and ignore the natural miracles He presents to them on a daily basis, and this is how human behavior has remained throughout history. Therefore, people of faith should simply be patient with the decree of Allah. They should continue to follow His guidance and look forward to attaining their reward because His promise will never fail.

Connections Between Surah Yusuf and Other Surahs In the Qur’an

Imam al-Suyuti writes in Inner Dimensions from the Order of the Surahs in the Qur'an:

This passage is excerpted from Imam Ghazali Publishing’s translation of Imam al-Suyuti’s *Asrar Tartib al-Qur’an*, published in 2024 as *Inner Dimensions from the Order of the Surahs in the Qur’an*.

The reason it was placed after Surah Hud, in addition to the aforementioned six reasons, is that His words at the beginning of this surah,

‘We will tell you the best of stories’ (Yusuf 12:3)

Correspond to the end of the previous surah:

‘And each of the stories that we relate of the Messengers is that by which We make your heart firm’ (Hud 11:120)

Also, in surah Hūd it was mentioned:

‘Thus, We gave glad tidings to her for Isḥāq, and after Isḥāq, Ya’qub’ (Hud 11:71)

And:

‘May the mercy of Allah and His blessings be upon you, O, people of the house’ (Hud 11:73)

In this surah, the relationship of Ya’qub with his sons, and that of his son, who is from the people of his house, with his brothers is mentioned. That is an explanation of that which was abbreviated in surah Hud.

Likewise, He says:

‘And He will complete His blessing upon you and upon the family of Ya’qub, as He completed it beforehand upon your fathers Ibrahim and Ishaq’ (Yusuf 12:6)

That corresponds to His words in Hud,

‘May the mercy of Allah and His blessings be upon you, O, people of the house’ (Hud 11:73)

We have narrated on the authority of Ibn ‘Abbas and Jabir ibn Zayd, on the order of the revelation, that Yunus was revealed, then Hud, then Yusuf. So that is another example of the appropriateness of the ordering of three surahs, because of their being revealed in that order.