.... in a well and Allah salvaged him[1]
“When Joseph said to his father [Ya’qub], “O mu father, indeed I have seen[in a dream] eleven stars and the sun and the moon; I saw them prostrating to me.” He said to him, “O my son, do not relate your vision to your brothers or they will contrive [scheme] against you a plan. Indeed Satan, to man is a manifest enemy.” --- Qur’an chapter [Yusuf] 12 verses 4-5
According to Tafsir [Qur’anic exegesis] scholars: Yusuf had a dream before he became an adolescent that, 11 stars, representing his 11 brothers as well as the sun and the moon, representing his mother and father were prostrating in front of him. He became happy about what he saw and informed his father. Instantly, the father noticed that, he would be projected on a higher pedestal on earth and in the heaven, where his father and brothers would be submissive to him. The father however told him not to disclose this to his brothers, so they would not be envious of him, thereby scheme against him to cause his death.
In a narration of Tabarani, it was advised by some great people of wisdom that: “Seek assistance in fulfilling your needs in secrecy, for every blessed person is envied.” However, Yusuf did not heed to his father’s advice and he disclosed this good news to his brothers which did not please them at all as their father predicted.
So since they were jealous and envious to see him have brighter future than them, they vowed to move him to a far place that he could not return back home and killed him. So that, their father’s mind would be shifted away from him and hence shower them with his love and they would repent afterwards.
As Allah was narrating the incident to our beloved Prophet Muhammad[PBUH] in Qur’an chapter{Yusuf} where two of his brothers, Sham’un and Yahuza approached the father on behalf of all the eleven of his brothers, wanting to let Yusuf go to feed the flocks with them and said: [Qur’an {Yusuf}chapter, verses 11-14] : “O father, why do you not entrust us with Joseph while indeed, we will be his guardians.” [Jacob] said, “Indeed, it saddens me that you should take him, and I fear that a wolf would eat him while you are of him unaware.” They said, “If the wolf should eat him while we are a[strong] clan, indeed, we would then be losers.”
They clearly asked their father to let Yusuf accompany them so he would help them feed their flocks, to play around and have fun. However, at the back of their minds, they schemed only what Allah knows to do to him. Then their father Prophet Ya’qub replied them saying: It is hard for me to get far away from him [Yusuf] even for a day, because I entertain fears that, you would get busy playing and doing what you would be doing and the wolf would come and eat him away. And given his young age, he could not be able to defend himself and you be absent minded.
They answered him back saying: “If the wolf should eat him while we are a[strong] clan, indeed, we would then be losers.” They said, is not possible for the wolf to eat him since we are a large group, hence we are going to lose.
The People of the Book [Jews & Christians] claimed that: His father sent him behind then alone to catch them on the way, and a man directed him to their route. But this is part of their falsities and fallacies which infiltrated their religious/historic narratives. Because Prophet Ya’qub was so much concern about his security, so how could he send him alone?
The reality is that, he sent him together with his brothers when they succeeded in convincing him that, they would insure his safety and security. As Allah says in Qur’an chapter{Yusuf} 12 verses 15-18, “So when they took him[out] and agreed to put him into the bottom of the well...But We inspired to him, “You will surely inform them[someday] about this affair of theirs while they do not perceive [your identity].”
So right after they left their town Canaan, they started insulting him and making false allegations at him. Finally, they decided to throw him deep down a well, which people come to fetch water from regularly.
So when they threw him in the well, Allah sent down Angel Jibreed with wahy[revelation] to him that: Nevertheless, you are going to be rescued and freed from the grieve that you are facing now. And you will inform your brother about this negative act they did when you would be a king, at a point where they would need your help as they would be afraid of you.
So when they threw him in the well, left him behind and fled , they took his cloth and soiled or stained it with blood and return to their father night weeping. But they had forgotten to tear it or rip it, so it could look like how the wolf would use its claws and teeth to devour its victim, while making holes in the victim’s clothing. This aroused suspicion of their father, that their story did not hold water. And to this deceptive approach, some salafi philosophers had advised that: Do not be deceived by the cry of a pretender, for in any instances, he would happen to be the deceiver.
They lamented to their father [Qur’an chapter 12 {Yusuf} verse 17]: “saying that, “O our father, indeed we went racing each other and left Joseph with our possessions, and a wolf ate him. But you would not believe us, even if we were truthful.”
So they capitalized on the fear of their father from the onset and claimed that he was ate by a wolf, but what they rather did was, they slaughtered a small goat part of their flocks and smeared and soiled her build with his cloth, in order to ‘convince’ their father about his death my wolf attack. However, as already stated above, their lack of expertise in fabricating a lie got them exposed when the cloth appeared not to have had any hole in it. The father already knew how they all used to hate him, since it appeared to them that he would have a bright future ahead of him.
In another deceptive narrative by the[Ahlul Kitab] People of the Book[Jews & Christians]: Raubeel had asked his fellow brothers to send him to a remote place for him to send him back to their father, they ignored him and sold Yusuf to a caravan of tradesmen. So later when Raubeel came back at the late afternoon to take Yusuf back but could not find him. So he screamed and ripped his cloth. And his brother took one of their baby flocks and slaughtered it and smeared the blood with Yusuf’s cloth. So according to them, when their father Ya’qub noticed this, he torn off his cloth and put on a black belt and lived in sorrow of the loss of his son for many years. But this is part and parcel of the distortion and manipulation done to the Bible by the Christians of the past.
And according to historians, as Yusuf sat inside the well waiting for the rescue and relief from Allah, a convoy of travelers approached the well. They sent one of their own to fetch water from this it. Lo and behold, the person rather fetched out a man instead of water.
The Qur’anic [chapter 12, verse 19-22] narrative to our beloved Prophet Muhammad [PBUH] gives a vivid of this incident as follows: “And there came a company of travelers; then they sent their water drawer, and he let down his bucket. He said, “Good news! Here is a boy.” And they concealed him, [taking him] as merchandise [to be sold as a slave] and Allah was knowing of what they did. And they sold him for a reduced price – a few dirhams – and they were, concerning him, of those content with little. And the one from Egypt [the then minister in charge of supplies, whose title was al-‘Azeez.] who bought him said to his wife, “Make his residence comfortable. Perhaps he will benefit us, or we will adopt him as a son.” And thus, We [Allah] established Joseph in the land that We might teach him the interpretation of events [i.e., dreams]. And Allah is predominant over His affair, but most people do not know. And when he [Joseph] reached maturity, We [Allah] gave him judgment [judicial powers] and knowledge. And thus We reward the doers of good.” And according Ibn Mas’ud and Ibn Abbass, they sold him to the king of Egypt for 20 dirhams [the currency they used by then].
In his opinion, a renowned historian, Ibn Ishaq revealed that: The man who bought Yusuf from the tradesmen was one of the high ranking king’s entourage in his place and his name was Qatfeer bun Rauheeb. And the then King of Egypt was Al-rayyan bunul Waleed, a tribesman of Amaleeq. While the name of the king’s wife was “Raheel” buntu Ramaayeel, others also said her name was Zuleekha.
The King’s wife seduced handsome Yusuf and he rejected her but he was imprisoned
So Yusuf was living in the King’s house permanently, enjoying the respect and honor of the king and his wife. Until the Satan [Shaitan] influenced the mind of his wife to seduce the young and innocent Yusuf. She approached him and exposed herself to him on several occasions. She realized how exceptionally handsome he was. It was even said that, apart from Prophet Muhammad, Prophet Yusuf was the most handsome, elegant and charismatic among all the Prophets and Messengers of Allah.
She adopted all means of seduction that could easily tempt any young man with vibrant and vivacious sexual energy, but upon all that, Yusuf would resist and reject her flirtatious advances.
The Qur’an [chapter 12{Yusuf}verses 23-29] narrates that: “And she[the king’s wife], in whose house he was, sought to seduce him. She closed the doors and said, “Come, you.” “He said, “[I seek] the refuge of Allah. Indeed, he[her husband] is my master, who has made good my residence. Indeed, wrongdoers will not succeed.” And she certainly determined [to seduce] him, and he would have inclined to her had he not seen the proof[i.e., sign] of his Lord. And thus [it was] that We should avert from him evil and immorality. Indeed, he was of Our chosen servants. And they both raced to the door, and she tore his shirt from the back, and they found her husband at the door. She said, “What is the recompense of the one who intended evil for your wife but that he imprisoned or a painful punishment?” [Joseph] said, “It was she who sought to seduce me.” And a witness from her family testified, “If his shirt is torn from the front, then she has told the truth, and he is of the liars. But if his shirt is torn from the back, then she has lied, and he is of the truthful.” So when he[her husband] saw his shirt torn from the back, he said, “Indeed, it is of your{women’s} plan[scheme]. Indeed, your plan is great [vehement]”. Joseph, ignore this [conceal it as if it had not happened]. And [my wife] ask forgiveness for your sin. Indeed, you were of the sinful.”
How other women were stunned by Yusuf’s elegance and cut their hands as they looked at him
When the women in town started spreading rumor about her and slandering her, due to her amorous advances towards the king’s slave, she thought that, women as they were, they would certainly have such similar natural urge towards him, by virtue of his exceptional and extra ordinary handsomeness and physical attraction. So she invited them all and gave them knives to cut fruits and vegetables and then ordered for Yusuf to appear before them.
Allah narrates in Qur’an chapter 12{Yusuf} verses 30-34 that: “And the women in the city said, “The wife of al’Azeez,[the king] is seeking to seduce her slave boy; he has impassioned her with love. Indeed, we see her [to be] in clear error.” So when she heard of their scheming [back-stabbing], she sent for them and prepared for them a banquet and gave each one of them a knife and said [to Joseph], “Come out before them.” And when they saw him, they greatly admired him and cut their hands [out of distraction, because their minds concentrating at him with much desire, losing their focus] and said, “Perfect is Allah! [in his ability to create him with such beauty]. This is not a man; this is none but a noble angle. She said, “This is the one about whom you blamed me. And I certainly sought to seduce him, but he firmly refused; and if he will not do what I order him, he will surely be imprisoned and will be of those debased. He said, “My Lord, prison is more to my liking than that to which they invite me. And if You do not avert from me their plan, I might incline toward them and [thus] be of the ignorant.” So his Lord responded to him and averted from him their plan. Indeed, He is the Hearing, the Knowing.”
And these women prosed to serve him and do his wishes but he reject their request. “So his Lord responded to him and averted from him their plan. Indeed, He is the Hearing, the Knowing.”
In his characterization of this event, Abadallah Yusuf Ali, the renowned Qur’anic commentator wrote: Yusuf was hated by his brothers and sold into slavery; they were sending him into the land of Egypt, where he was to rule men. He loved his father dearly and was separated from him, and his mother had died early; but his affection was not blunted, but drawn to a keener edge when his benevolent work benefited millions in Egypt, and in the world. His own visions of starts, sun, and moon prostrating themselves before him, was no idle dream of a selfish fool, but the prefiguration of power, which, used rightly, was to make his own power and dignity were sanctified through him. He was to understand the hidden meaning of what seemed futilities, blunderings, snares, evil-plotting, love gone wrong, and power used tyrannically. He was to interpret truth to those who would never have reached it otherwise.
The Aziz[king] had treated Joseph with honor; he was more his guest and son than his slave. In trying to seduce Joseph in these circumstances, he wife was guilty of a crime against Joseph’s own honor and dignity…The Aziz’s wife was seeking satisfaction of her own selfish passion, and was in treason against Joseph’s pure soul and his high destiny. It was inevitable that Joseph should repel the advances made by the wife of the courtier.
Joseph’s plea in rejecting her advances is threefold: ‘[1] I owe a duty, and so do you, to your husband, the Aziz; [2] the kindness, courtesy, and honor, with which he has treated me entitled him to more than mere gratitude from me; [3] in any case, do you not see that you are harboring a guilty passion, and that no good can come out of guilt? We must all obey laws, human and divine.’
She was blinded with passion, and his plea had no effect on her. He was human after all, and her passionate love and her beauty placed a great temptation in his path. But he had a sure refuge,- his faith in Allah. His spiritual eyes saw something that her eyes, blinded by passion, did not see. She thought no one saw when the doors were closed. He knew that Allah was there. That made him strong and proof against temptation.
Discovery of the jubb[well] of Yusuf and the Hieroglyphic writings vindicates the Qur’an
The first traveler to bring forth a detailed architectural account of the site was Burckhardt in 1812.
He wrote as follows:… I was obliged to lodge at the public coffee house. We left the town early in the morning, and descended the side of the mountain towards the lake; here the ground is for the greater part uncultivated and without trees. At two hours and a quarter is khan Djob Yousef, or the khan of Joseph’s Well, situated in a narrow plain. The khan is falling rapidly into ruin; near it is a large Bucket. Here is shown the well into which Joseph was let down by his brothers; it is in a small court-yard by the side of the Khan, is about three feet in diameter, and at least thirty feet deep. I was told that the bottom is hewn in the rock: its sides were well lined with masonry as far as I could see into it, and the water never dries up, a circumstance which makes it difficult to believe that this was the well into which Joseph was thrown. The whole of the mountain in the vicinity is covered with large pieces of black stone; but the main body of the rock is calcareous. The country people relate that the tears of Jacob dropping upon the ground while he was in search of his son turned the white stones black, and they in consequence call these stones Jacob’s tears. Joseph’s well is held in veneration by Turks as well as Christians; the former have a small chapel just by it, and caravan travelers seldom pass here without saying a few prayers in honor of Yousef. The khan is on the great road from Akka to Damascus. It is inhabited by a dozen Moggrebyn soldiers, with their families, who cultivate the fields near it.
An at the end of the 19th century, the Frenchman, Champ Leon, was able to read and interpret the Hieroglyphic writings and came to discover that Prophet Yusuf[Joseph], peace be upon him, lived in ancient Egypt during the era of shepherd king[Hexus] from 1730 B.C. to 1580 B.C.
These are pictures of the archeological discovery of the jubb or well of Yusuf [Joseph] and the Hieroglyphic writings in ancient Egypt that vindicate the Qur’an account of this narrative.
Husseini Yushau BabalWaiz, is the Research & Outreach Coordinator at the Center for Media & Peace Initiatives Inc. New York, Author of three books, including "Islam Promotes Tolerance & Prohibits Terrorism-Reviving the Islamic Advocacy of Mercy and Magnanimity to Mankind" & Tutor in Arabic & Islamic Studies in New York, babalwaiz71@gmail.com.
NB: Folks, this is the fourteen in the new series entitled: "Delving Deep Inside the Islamic Historic Memory Lane", which will be running for months, even years, aimed at showcasing the amazing historical phenomena that happened in the pre and post Islamic world. Next week, we will post part two[2] of the story of Prophet Yusuf.
Which will showcase his life in prison, how he became dream interpreter and later became the king and finally joined by his envious brothers and mother and father, which manifested to them the reality of his dream [11 stars representing his brothers and the sun and the moon symbolizing his father and mother, prostrating to him. So please read, comment, forward and share to as many people as possible on social media.
References:
Bibayah wal Nihayah[The beginning & the End] of Abil Fadah Imam Hafiz Ibn Kathir
Qisasil Qur'an-Min Adam Alihi Salamu Ilaa Ashabul Feel[Tales of the Qur'an- From Adam Peace be upon Him to the Companions of the Elephants], by, Dr. Muhammad Bakr Ismael
Qisasil Anbiyah,[Tales of the Prophets] by Abil Fadah, Imam Hafiz Ibn Kathir
The Unchallengeable Miracles of the Qur’an, by Yusuf Al-Hajj Ahmad The Holy Qur’an-Interpretation & Commentary, by Abdallah Yusuf Ali
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