Synopsis

• After throwing Yusuf into the well, Yusuf’s brothers faked his death by staining his shirt with blood, however, Yaqub was not convinced.
• Yusuf was picked up by a group of travelers who sold him as a slave to the Chief Minister of Egypt.

Verses 16–18: Faking Yusuf’s Death

16: Then they returned to their father in the evening, weeping.

17: They cried, “Our father! We went racing and left Yusuf with our belongings, and a wolf devoured him! But you will not believe us, no matter how truthful we are.”

18: And they brought his shirt, stained with false blood. He responded, “No! Your souls must have tempted you to do something ˹evil˺. So ˹I can only endure with˺ beautiful patience! It is Allah’s help that I seek to bear your claims.”

Verses 19–20: Yusuf Sold into Slavery

19: And there came some travellers, and they sent their water-boy who let down his bucket into the well. He cried out, “Oh, what a great find! Here is a boy!” And they took him secretly ˹to be sold˺ as merchandise, but Allah is All-Knowing of what they did.

20: They ˹later˺ sold him for a cheap price, just a few silver coins—only wanting to get rid of him.

Verses 21–22: Yusuf in Egypt

21: The man from Egypt who bought him said to his wife, “Take good care of him, perhaps he may be useful to us or we may adopt him as a son.” This is how We established Yusuf in the land, so that We might teach him the interpretation of dreams. Allah’s Will always prevails, but most people do not know.

22: And when he reached maturity, We gave him wisdom and knowledge. This is how We reward the good-doers.

Reflections

Do not feel secure while sinning

The scholars state that Yusuf’s brothers forgot to rip his shirt as they stained it with blood— as if a wolf could ravage a person to death without leaving any teeth or claw marks on his clothes.

This serves as a powerful reminder that no one should feel secure while sinning because there is no such thing as a perfect crime.

This lesson will be revisited in Section 4: Temptation & Integrity.

A beautiful patience

In response to hearing tragic news, Yaqub responded with "Fa sabrun jameel." This is translated as “I can only endure with beautiful patience,” or “so patience is most fitting.”

Ibn Taymiyyah wrote that Allah instructed the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) to practice the following:

• Beautiful withdrawal (73:10): when one disengages from others without offending.
• Beautiful forgiveness (15:85): when the pardon contains no reprimand.
• Beautiful patience (70:5): when one does not seek any sympathy from the people, does not complain to them, and takes one’s grief only to Allah.

At the end of verse 18, Yaqub also stated, “Wallahu musta’an.” This is translated as “It is Allah’s help that I seek.” or “Allah is the one relied on for strength.” Yaqub’s words remind us that in the face of calamity, we should turn to Allah first and foremost.

Action Item: Take a moment to turn your worrying thoughts into prayer and then trust that Allah will manage your affairs perfectly.

Action Item: Memorize this prayer and recite it frequently

وَٱللَّهُ ٱلْمُسْتَعَانُ

Transliteration: Wallahu almusta’an

Translation: It is Allah’s help that I seek