Exploring the Chapter of Joseph in the Holy Quran
Hesham Al-Awadi – Yusuf (AS) – 1
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The speakers discuss the challenges of surah mural and the importance of comfort, relief, and comfort in the household. They emphasize the importance of the household, family, and prison in their work, and stress the importance of the story's positive outcomes and potential for people to react to events in a positive way. The speakers also stress the importance of showcasing trust in relationships and building relationships in order to avoid negative consequences.
AI: Summary ©
Not model him salatu salam ala Shafi mazzoni center Muhammad wa ala alihi wa sahbihi wa sallam, brothers and sisters, I'm really extremely happy to see all of you today attending this reflection on surah Yusuf or the chapter of Joseph. And I would like at the outset to thank very much Islamic courses.com for the enormous effort they did in terms of organizing in terms of processing the coursepack. We all went through a lot of effort to get this done. And we hope that at the end of the day, Allah subhanaw, taala accepts this as a sincere work. And I would hope that you will have an interesting experience reflecting on surah Yusuf.
What is challenging about surah Yusuf is that it's quite a big story. It's quite a complicated story. The twists in the narrative are a lot. And that is quite challenging. What is even more challenging is to go bit by bit or verse by verse and try to reflect on it. That's quite impossible. And from the outset, this is not my intention. So my approach to pseudo use, if it's going to be thematic, it's not going to be to see it, it's not going to be interpretation. I believe that this is available perhaps in books, internet sites, professors that are not going to compete with in theology and religious studies. I'm not here to educate you about surah Yousuf, my approach is going
to be thematic. The reason of course, if I dwell into the verse by verse approach, the reason in which it will be impossible is that when I was actually researching for the topic, I went to all the good book shops in Britain and in Kuwait. And I found a fascinating book. So I would go to a bookshop in Kuwait, for example, I say, give me any book on the suit of use. And they will give me small booklets, small books, 100 pages. And of course, there are many scholars who spoke about it audio wise, program, TV, satellite, etc.
But I was amazed to realize that only a couple of years ago, two scholars wrote at two massive volumes book on surah. Youssef, which is called even the name is, to me, I was overwhelmed 1000 lessons from Surah, Yusuf 1000 lessons. So in the last couple of weeks, I was reading about 1000 pages, speed reading, of course, I'm not a genius and finishing author, but going through it very quickly making sure that I would be able to select these lessons that are relevant to us in the West, and formulate them into certain coherent themes. So perhaps what I'm telling you today is a result of some sort of reflection discussion with many people. But it's only perhaps 10%, of what
I've read in terms of references, particularly these two volumes book. And that's why I say this in every course, I say that I am the first beneficiary of these courses, you know, when I sometimes how it works with me psychologically is that I become interested in a subject, I know that I will be lazy reading about it. So I need an incentive. So I send an email to Islamic courses.com and say, let's do a course about it. So that the course becomes my incentive to go and research it. So it's an interest based course actually, it fulfills my interests. And of course, with it, you come into the picture, but I feel that I would not be able to do a good job until I am myself absorbed into
the subject taken excited by the subject and of course, feel that there is something that I can offer you. So I do feel that usif does offer us something, and I hope that you will find that useful. My real challenge on a personal level is to be able to articulate and communicate the sort of concerns that I have to sort of reflections and readings that I've received from reading about solar use. So if it comes it comes by the blessing of Allah has nothing to do with my personal power. And it comes perhaps because of your patience and desire and excitement to come and listen to me.
So in dealing with surah Yusuf, I'm going to divide it into four themes that I feel are important. The first theme in which I will be looking at is the household because the surah the narrative of the story begins if we were talking in terms of media or cameras, the camera of the narrator is focused and fixated in the house. So immediately we encounter a conversation between a son and a father in the household. So the home the house, the parents, the family is an important context, in which we begin to understand the following episodes or the following developments in the narrative. So the first theme will be about the household. Now the household to me, is not the kitchen and the
toilets and the bathroom and the bedrooms and the living know, the household to me represents and symbolizes family. So from that point, we can then begin to talk about the importance of family for you then to appreciate the personality of use if you see use it personally.
orphan Yousuf was not someone who was born and brought up. And he became religious at the age of 20, when he joined the Islamic Society at the university. Now he comes from a very well nurtured household very caring and warm, and caring parents. So the household is important. That's the first theme. And that's the first lecture. The second theme is the palace. The palace to me represents not just his encounter with the women in terms of sexual desires, and alluring and seduction. The palace to me represents all sorts of worldly temptations. And the palace could be the streets could be the market could be the internet could be the satellites could be the university campus halls of
residence, the palace to me represents any location or space that has temptations within it. So us is actually getting out of the household and is now fixated or located in the palace. So that's another thing. The third theme has to do with the prison. So use if now is taken to the prison, which is a totally different environment from either the household or the palace, I'm going to understand his presence in prison, in terms of him interacting with non Muslims. Yes, they were criminals, perhaps in prison. Some of them perhaps were innocent. But at the end of the day, they were perhaps the lowest classes of society, yet he interacted with them positively. In terms of
providing services, I look at his attempt to interpret the dreams of the two young boys that he met in prison as a way of providing services to non Muslims, something that the Muslims in the West should realize and benefit from the fourth theme, the fourth lecture, I called the reunion, in which after all these years of absence, and the breakdown of the family as if it were, we go back to the household, we go back to the family, so use it brings back his family, he brings back his brothers, he reconciles he patches up relations, and he reunites again with a family, which again, the story concludes, again with the family, as if the surah is always trying to emphasize the role of the
family and the importance of the family. These are the four themes. The final fifth theme, I called it uses the making of the character, what is it? What were the elements that made the character of use if I want to understand this person, what sort of elements what constituted his character, taught extended the parent play apart, what extended the environment play apart, to not extended his prophethood play apart, wisdom, knowledge, all these elements. And the reason the logic behind this is then for you to be able to benefit from the character because there is no point of me speaking about someone who we sit here glorifying because he was a great prophet, and you are normal human
beings, and there is no way that you can be like him. No, that's not the logic. That's not where I'm coming from. I'm coming from the approach or the angle of trying to de emphasize his prophethood and over emphasizes humanity to make him relevant to us humans. So the final fifth theme is use of the making of the character.
So let's now begin with the first theme, the first theme is the household. And I'm going to divide this into two parts. The first part in which I will make you appreciate the context first of surah Yusuf and in which context was it revealed and then we will zoom the camera into the household entering into this conversation between Youssef and his father.
So the main focus of lecture one is to set the scene with regards to Surah Yusuf in terms of the context of His revelation, and more importantly is to discuss the role of the household and the family relations. And at the end of lecture, there are some concluding remarks that sum up the main points that I have mentioned. Okay, the context of the Surah Surah was revealed in its entirety. And this is a rarity in the Quran. So a lot of the sutras were revealed in parts and in pieces, except the sort of use of was revealed in its entirety. So over 100 verses were revealed in its entirety, because the, the tone of the narrative does not afford you ripping it into pieces. So a conversation
between a father and a son has to be completed, and we need to see what happened next. This urgency in the tone of the surah is there, and that is only compatible with it being revealed in its entirety. So it was revealed in its entirety. Where was it revealed it was revealed in Mecca. So it was the entire logic of it. The entire environment of it, is that the Prophet is in Mecca. There is no Muslim community, established, institutionalized Muslim community didn't go to Medina yet. So it's really a lot of the environment of the surah is relevant and applicable to the situation of Muslims, perhaps in the west or in the east or wherever. It was also revealed where the Muslims were
in exile in bithynia, in Russia, so even Muslims who were not living in their homelands
We're aware of surah Youssef, and we're aware that a great surah was revealed. The sutra was revealed soon after the passing away of the wife of Prophet Mohammed deja, and his uncle Abu Talib. And both you have to understand why great supportive pillars for Russell seller, so much so that the same year in which both died in what's called diamond husband, or the year of sorrow, and sadness, actually uses as the name of course, it's Joseph, but use if even the letters are really compatible with the context of sadness, because even in Arabic When you say yeah, I suffer or Asif or I apologize, or Yeah, SFR you know, what a worry what a pain What a pity. The elephant, the scene and
the thought are so calm, so soothing, so comforting. So compatible with the context, unlike Sutras, that talks about helpfile hapa Maha oma document, the calf and the calf are so powerful letters. And if you're interested in the language, even in the letters, there isn't a lot of stuff and how often calf in use, if that is all seen an F and E, which means that in a context of sorrow, you need to comfort and this is exactly what Allah subhanaw taala was doing without a seller, he was revealing verses to comfort him because it wasn't compatible, to reveal another verse, maybe in Medina and and Baccarat and, and Merida and Amman and then the rest of it. So this was the context. But of course,
with all the revelation of all the sources, they have a specific reason, but then we take them in their generality. So the general aim of surah Yusuf is comfort, his constellation, and his relief. So it could also be applicable to anyone who lives away from home, who feels depressed, who is lonely, even if he is living in his own society at his own home with his own family. This feeling of loneliness has nothing to do with you being away from your family. Sometimes people do exactly feel lonely, because they are living with their family, all sorts of reasons. So when you read surah Yusuf, you find that there was someone somewhere who lived 1000s of years before you who had a
common experience with you? Is it jealousy? He experienced it? Is it hatred, he encountered it? Is it seduction and temptation? Is it evil? Is it malice, he experienced all that. So it is as if Allah subhanaw taala telling you and telling the Prophet also because the Prophet was accumulated a lot. After the death of his wife and the death of his own, he was accumulated a lot when he went to die, and the story is known and came back bleeding and starting making da and praying to Allah. It is in this context that surah Yusuf was revealed. And what is fascinating Actually, this is something that goes off track a little bit, but maybe we can tie it in very beautifully, is that after the
revelation of the surah, and it is within the arm and husband, a certain Mirage happened where also SOS lm was taken to heaven. And one of the fascinating things is that he saw us live in heaven. It's fascinating that you read about someone, and the following day you see him. So imagine if he sees him first and then the revelation is revealed, and it doesn't make use of Okay, this is profit use if he would not appreciate him. But when he read about usage, when he learned about use if then when he saw uses, he would say well, Chanel has
extremely beautiful. Now he can link the reality with a narrative. So all in all, this is the context. Then Allah subhanaw taala speaks to us about the surah by saying to us that it's the best of stories. It's accidental puzzles. We relate to you the best of stories through our revelations to you. Nana apostolica, Arsenal cosas Lima, ohana, la Cava peran are in contemptibly. Let me know coffee, we are going to narrate to you or Mohammed the best of stories. Okay, what is it that makes the story the best? Actually, the more of a story, you know, the interpreters I've said a lot about it. You know, why did Allah call the surah? The best surah? Many reasons.
But to me, what gets me excited about the surah is that because I perceive it to be an epic story. I don't want to mention things like Troy and 300 and Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings, but really it's an epic story. It has the angels in it. It has the devil in it. It has the animals in it, the wolves and the cow. It has all sorts of people, different social backgrounds, criminals, poor people, rich people, wealthy people, common people, women, men, good bat, political elites, all sorts of people with different social backgrounds. So it's like reading a psychology text about how do people behave? And do not expect that because you are the son of the Prophet, you are an angel,
because that Father Yaqoob Jacob had sons, some of them were thinking in Eve
terms and use of force thinking in good. So the same household could breed that people, the same household could breed good people, you could be twins, and one of the sisters is practicing. And the other is not. It doesn't say much necessarily about the household because there are other complications. There is the environment, there is the school there is the peer group, there is you the genetic makeup of you, and the receptivity of you. So it's a fascinating psychological journey into the lives of people and the lives of people who come from different social backgrounds.
In the surah, and this is why I also think it's the best of stories is that you see people reacting in different situations, different emotions, you see people dreaming, you see people awake, you see people happy. You see people in joy, you see people crying in tears until they get blind, you see people in jealousy and in deception, you see people changing turning points, you see people repenting, you see people who are free, you see people who are slaves, you see people who are outside, and you see people who are in prison,
you see people who are in love. And you see people who are in love, and are willing to commit adultery, and an affair, despite the fact that they are married. You see all sorts of people, actually what it creates in the mind of the Prophet and in the minds of a Muslim, a very sophisticated mind, and naive spiritual person who does not understand the complications of this world. It makes us feel that not only because you are bearded, or wearing hijab, that you are an angel walking on Earth, you could be the wife of the biggest personality in this country. And you could be having an affair with a slave, you could be a brother of a prophet and think about nothing
but killing your other own brother.
This is the sophistication This is the complication, in which the Quran tries to introduce and bear in mind that this is the first stage the early stages of the meccan period in the life of the Prophet. So imagine what sort of mind is Allah subhanaw taala creating in the mind of the prophet in the mind of the companions in the mind of the companions, who are in exile in Habesha and in the minds of the companions, who will later go and establish the Islamic State in Medina.
In it, there are other things to do with mechanisms, arts, skills and talents. So we are introduced to the art of upbringing how to upbring children, we are introduced to the art of Dawa, how do we introduce Islam to the non Muslims, we are introduced to political and economic management, how to manage state affairs, how to organize economic relations and situations at a time of famine, or at a time of abundancy. So that's to me why soda usage is
another thing that makes use of accidental causes as well the best of stories, is that because, really, really honestly, seriously, it has a happy ending. And when I say a happy ending, you say, well, all movies have happy endings. Yes, but look at the movies. What's the happy ending, the hero kills the villains and marries the princess. That's the happy ending.
Here, the happy ending is that everyone was happy, even the villains, because the villains by the end of the story ceased to be villains, they changed, they repented, the women that seduced him changed. The brothers that wanted one day to kill him, grew up, matured, and changed and repented so much so that they became a some of us sitting, say profits, they were chosen to be profits. And that's why the 12 sons of Israel, Israel, who was Yaqoob became the profits to the house of Israel. They changed everyone should know why no villains, and not necessarily use if got married to the princess with a woman who seduced him. Although some of us didn't say that this happened. It doesn't
have to happen. Not all love relations have to end up in marriage. I'm not saying have a love affair. I'm not saying that. What I'm saying is that not all emotions need to necessarily translate into institutional relationships based on marriage, there is compatibility and there are other things that someone has to bear in mind. So all at the end of the day was happy. Yusef was released from prison Yaqoob could see again, and the family to me that's the best happiness, the family reunited again, the brothers said to us if we are sorry, we apologize. We didn't mean it.
By Allah, Allah has favored you upon us. And he said, I forgive you forget about it. Let's begin a new life. Now. This is what is fascinating about surah Yusuf. And of course, the surah concludes in such a way as to tell you that the real happiness I'm reading these days, self help books, to learn about certain ideas, and all of them emphasize on the need for spirituality. The West now is fed up with this consumer culture, material culture, it was applicable during the Industrial Revolution. It was applicable when they wanted to get away from the power of the church, and they have tried it now being away from the church for the last 200 years what has happened, what has happened, people
Living a miserable life. I don't want to generalize. I'm sure that there are people who are living the most happy life but as a trend as a pattern, those writers are always saying that we need a form of spirituality, of course, what form of spirituality they don't touch that, you know, they hear they say, okay, it's up to you Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity, voluntary work, doing something that you feel that makes you a human being doing services for the community. They don't say Islam necessarily, but that's not the point. The point is that at least they are recognizing the importance of spirituality. So Allah subhanaw taala, at the end of the surah shows us that the real
happiness was when everyone reconnected back with Allah. Actually, the chapter ends with a Doha that Yousuf makes to Allah subhanaw taala, he withdraws himself from all the family from all the power from all the attractions of this dunya and connects with Allah and say, oh, Allah, when I die, accept me as a Muslim. That's all what he wants, after all this busy life that he went through, he doesn't want anything now, but to die as a Muslim.
So let's zoom now into the household. Let's now trace and track the conversation, what happens in the household.
And as I said, I cannot go through the verse one by one, this is going to be exhausting for me and also for you. So I'm going to focus on certain verses. And of course, if you are interested, you can go home and read the verses in their entirety of the surah in its entirety. So use of said to his father, or my father, I saw 11 stars and the sun and the moon, I saw them frustrating for me, I said, Oh, my son, relate not your dream to your brothers, that they will arrange a plot against you. Verily shaytan is a clear enemy of man. And thus your Lord will choose you and teach you the interpretations of dream and perfect his favor on you. And on the offspring of Yaqoob, as he
perfected it before on your father's Ibrahim and his heart, verily, you load is all knowing, all wise.
A very brief conversation between a son who was perhaps at the age of 11, or 12, not even a teenager, and between a father, a father that was quite old, was quite senior in age. So immediately, we have a generational gap. But yet we do have a conversation that is of an intimate nature. What does this tell you?
It tells you that there is a strong bond between the Son and the father. And this is exactly one of the most important points that I want to highlight. And that is to what extent two sons and daughters of today in the technical work, have a connection with their fathers and their mothers.
Your father and your mother might not know a lot about iPads and computers and internet. Yet, Allah subhanaw taala chooses to symbolize the importance and significance with the sun and the moon. Because that is exactly what the use of so he sold the sun and the moon prostrating to him. So it is as of Allah saying to you, that the sun and the moon, you can't live without them. Your parents you can't live without them. You cannot afford to upset the sun and the moon. You cannot afford to upset your parents. Now the mufa serene disagree as who was the sun and who was the moon halala. The Mufasa didn't didn't leave anything who was the son who was I don't know, how do we know this but?
And who was the mother and who was the father? Some said that the father was the son. Other said no, not the father was the moon. Those who say this is for the sisters happiness, I will make you happy in a minute that the mother was the sun, because the sun provides womb care, beauty, embracing Hello, my son, how are you? I'll make you happy now. No, no, no, the sun is the Father. He provides light guidance, supervision, all the rest of it. Okay, I'm not sure how the moon will relate to either mothers or fathers. But yeah, there are those who said that the Father is either the moon
or the mother is either the moon but I'll just talk about the sun. But all in all, we are at the outset introduced to the importance of the parents. But we are also introduced to a conversation taking place between a son and a father and a conversation of an intimate nature. He's going telling his father, he's not telling a friend. He's not picking up the mobile and calling his buddy. He's not going in an internet chatroom and emailing someone about a dream that he saw, or an anxiety that he encounters. No, he's going straight away to his father and talking to him about a dream.
But there is something else other than the love in the relationship between the Son and the father. And that is trust. You see, Yusef is going to communicate a dream to his father because he knows that his father is a prophet. And he knows that his father is able to interpret dreams. And in general terms, he knows that his father is able therefore to address his concern and give them a solution to his problem. And this is exactly an advice to parents.
That you should always in addition to love, which is important sweets and gifts, and how are you, my son and everything, the kisses and they, but on a more intellectual level, you should always try to win the trust of your sons and daughters. And the way to do that is to be able to adapt, which is difficult, I know. But this is a challenge, which is able to adapt to the changes that generations are going through. And yes, you might have been born in the 50s and the 60s. And at that time, there were no iPods and mobiles and internet. But there are courses, night courses, part time courses, there are all sorts of things that teaches you even how to send an email. This is important, I
think, so that you are aware, not necessarily spying on your son and daughter and going to their bedrooms, and being shocked at what they see. That's not the point. But at least to be able to understand the common vocab that they use to communicate.
I'm a professor of history. And when I mark essays, I am shocked. Because all what I read in essays are text messaging languages. So you lived, they don't say why or you, it's you. It's the text messaging vocab. I know that and of course, I cross it. And I did use marks because I want them to learn the proper writing. Because think about how English will be after 1000 years if we enter into this text, vocab. And people have already written about the erosion of the English language because of technology. But the parents as well have to be able to understand what they use thoughts for, for him then don't understand what more dangerous symbols stand for.
So the important thing in the family relationship here is love and his trust.
And look at the advice now that Yaqoob gives. First of all, he tells him not to narrate this story, this dream to your brother's he understood that this dream is unique. This dream is about him becoming elusive, becoming a potential profit. Because it was so specific I saw 11 stars sun and the moon prostrating to me this is a 12 years old boy speaking. How on earth can a son prostrate? Imagine we prostrate like this? How can a circle thing prostrate frustrate this side? This side? This side this side? I don't know. But he knew. You see, he didn't tell him I saw the sun and the moon doing funny things. He said I saw 11 stars and he's very numerically specific. They were not 12
or 10. And number two, I saw the sun and the moon prostrating.
And then the father understood that this person is unique. And his love was even for him was even endorsed more and more. And he said to him do not tolerate this dream to you brothers. But you see what is amazing. What is interesting is that he did not create the father that is and this is the role of the parents. He did not create a hatred relationship between yourself and his brothers by saying do not narrate the story. To your brothers, you brothers are evil, they will kill you on day if you tell them this. No. He channeled the energy of hatred, if any, to a common enemy. And that is shaytan the problem or Youssef, I'm not telling you not to narrate the story to you, or the dream to
your brothers because they are evil. No, the problem is not the brothers, the problem is shaved down. And what is fascinating in this advice is that the Father is going away from the specifics of the problem into giving a general solution to all sorts of problems that you will encounter in the real world. Because when you use if you are in the well, it's not your brothers that you will encounter because they will be away from you. It's the darkness. It's the evil it's the shape on Oh, you say when you're in the palace, you the brothers are in Palestine and you are in Egypt. But there will be a woman there tempting you they will she will not be jealous. This jealousy of your brothers
has ended. It's now sexual invitation it's love. It's such a fun is always there when you are in the prison with criminals because you were accused in justly of committing an affair with this woman. The problem is not this woman or the brothers. It's the shaytaan. So parents need to equip their sons and daughters with the lens with a paradigm with a framework, the real one, the abstract, the general one, the applicable one that will be then usable throughout life even when he gets married when he has children and when he passes away. So the parent did not immerse himself into the specificity of the situation, but spoke in general terms. And the first thing in the verse in which
he says, And Allah selects you in the same way that he selected and chose your father and your grandfather, the APU, of course usif is the son of Jaco Jaco is the son of Isaac or his heart. His heart is the son of Abraham or Abraham.
What is the Father doing him? He's acting
Creating a strong well rooted identity, Youssef,
you belong to a noble family, you should act normally. This is important because the sun now will go outside the household, he will interact with children, he will interact with school boys who will see satellite TV channels, he will look at magazines, he will see all sorts of ideas. And what will he encounter an identity crisis? Who am I? Am I a Muslim? Am I an Arab? Am I British? Am I black? Am I white? Am I male? Am I homosexual? What's the difference between my gender and my sexuality? Are they the same thing? Or are they different? I am confused.
But from the outset, he's telling us if no, don't get it wrong, you are a potential profit. Your father is a prophet. Your grandfather is a prophet. And you cry and grandfather is a profit so you know where you're coming from? have roots and have pride in your past and have pride in your family lineage? How is this relevant to us in the West? Simply put, you are representative of Mohammed sossalamander West. That's it. As simple as that. Yes, you are not the son of Mohammed, your grand grand grandfather is not Mohammed unless you're a saint or Hashemite.
But at least being a Muslim, you are connected to them at least more than Abu lahab, who is connected lineage, why to a prophet Mohammed, he is not connected with him at the Day of Judgment. So also Salim will be pleased and happy with you when he sees that you presented a good, fair, balanced, moderate Muslim character in the West, because that's how he was. And you are representing him in the West. So that's how we can correlate this to the advice that Yaqoob mentioned. Are you fed up? Shall we continue? Are you willing to take this struggle? It's a big journey. This is only the few verses I told you 1000 lessons. So we have done 500 Now
let's move on, into another scene. So the curtain closes on the Father and the Son speaking, and another curtain opens. And now we have scheming, plotting brothers 10 sitting in secret and plotting,
verily unusable, abusive, and his brother and there were signs for the inquiries when they said surely Yousef and his brother are loved more by our father,
then we and we are a party, really, our Father is in plain error.
Kill us, if all cussed him out to some land, so that the favor of your father might be given to you alone. And after that, you will be righteous folk. One of them said don't kill us if What if you must do something, then throw him down to the bottom of a world that he will be picked up by some caravan of travelers?
You know, to me, this is a very negative way of thinking.
This is very negative. I mean, forget about moral or immoral. Let's talk about it from a logical point of view. It's it's negative, it's destructive. You know why? Because those brothers are always thinking of the other. They are not thinking about the role, their sense of responsibility. They could have said and look Subhanallah they are 1010 minds 10 brains, but they are throughout the story like sheep, that are always moving as a united book in evil. Which, if anything shows that not necessarily numbers means something, especially if all are thinking in the same through the same paradigm.
It's destructive and negative. You know why? Because they are always thinking about the other. Okay, they have a problem. The problem is that our father, do not love us, as he loves us. So kill us, get rid of us.
But this is a very negative way of thinking of it a more positive way would be why does our father love us? What is it in usif?
That makes him beloved by our father, because certainly and surely these type of characters and traits in us are not in us. So can we actually develop them to be Beloved, like us if and actually this way of thinking is in many Muslim minds, you know, okay, I have problems with george bush go and kill. I have problem with Yeah, Palestine is an unsolved problem go and assassinate. I have a problem with the Prime Minister of Britain go and bomb Glasgow airport.
Why, inshallah, because if we bomb it inshallah, British policies towards the Muslims will improve while the country has happened.
Hear they thought that by killing you safe by getting him away from the sight of his father, you see how they understood that that love is a visual relationship, that if I see you on a daily basis, I will fall in love with you. So if I take you out of the picture, and bring my face, my beautiful face into the picture, you will fall in love with me, it doesn't work like that. Because Yeah, code for 40 years continue to remember uses so much so that he lost his sight. After 40 years, he did not interestingly lose his sight immediately after Yusef was upset. He lost it after four years. What does that mean? It means that the level of uses did not decrease did not even continue as it was, it
in fact, exponentially increased despite the absence, so they got it wrong. And Muslims in the West have to cease to get it wrong. You should not continue to act like the brothers abusive.
I got overexcited, sorry. Let's go back.
So that's a negative way of looking at it. But nonetheless, they were thinking in these terms. And not only were they negative in the way in which they were thinking, but this negative way of thinking led them to what I call sequential sins, impregnated sins, a sin that has a sin within it, and a sin that has another sin within it. It's not as easy as killing us, if you're going to plan you're going to plot you're going to lie, you're going to bring his shirt with it is a blood of a sheep saying that he has been eaten by the wolf.
So yeah, changing British policies, I'm going to commit fraud, I'm going to lie, I'm going to buy weapons, I'm going to learn how to do bombs, sequential sins, Sins of the sense of the sins, and you enter into a total sphere of immorality. And you psychologically begin to justify that, because the ends justify the means that metallian way of thinking, that is a dangerous way of thinking. So be constructive act sensibly and responsibly. They thought that the problem will be solved by removing us from the sight of the Father. And then the curtain shuts. And we are introduced into the third and perhaps the final scene in which the curtain opens again, and the brothers are sitting with
their father. So the beginning of the chapter was the Son, the good son with the Father shuts the curtain, open another curtain, a secret conference, in a secret meeting,
shuts, the third curtain opens, the brothers are sitting with the Father. Of course, there are gaps in their narrative which Allah subhanaw taala does not narrate either, because they are logically deductible or to engage you in the text in stretching your imagination and trying to see what could have happened.
And this Enigma in the Quran is fascinating because it allows the human mind to think within, of course, given sets of boundaries.
So they went to the Father and said, Oh, our Father, why don't you trust us with us? When we are His Will wishes, send them with us tomorrow to enjoy himself and play and we will take care of him.
He said, It saddens me that you should take him away. And I fear that the wolf, the wolf, not you, the wolf, may eat him, while you are unaware of him. They said if the wolf eats him, and we are a party, then we are of no use.
Then when they took him away, and all agreed that he should be put in the dark well, and we revealed to him necessarily, you shall inform them of this doing while they shall not be knowing. And the first goes on, I just want to zoom the camera now into this conversation between again the brothers and the father, or the sons and the parents, which links in again, beautifully with the parenting politics, our parenting relationship that I'm talking to you about.
Of course, it seems that the brothers have tried many times to persuade the father to allow us to go with them. And the father would always say no, because look, the beginning of the conversation is why is it that you don't trust us with us? If so, it doesn't make sense that from the beginning, why don't you trust us with the use of send them on us know, maybe that's the third, fourth or fifth time in which he's saying no, no, no, no. Then they squeezed their mind in thinking about a better plot. And the plot was as follows. Oh, Jacobo, our Father.
Yousef is too young. You are too old. You always keep him with you. You always make him live the senior environment of old people.
He's quite young.
He needs to play. He needs to have recreation. He needs to go at least Saturday, Sunday and to the park. So you send them with us because actually we are going racing, so that should be fun for him. He will eat he will drink and he will play. You will love him so much, don't you? So Wouldn't you like that he is happy and joyful.
It makes perfect sense. Makes perfect sense.
And he said, Yes, okay, fine, but you take care of him? Well, initially, he says, Yeah, but I am worried that the wolf might eat him is he he's not worried from the wolf, the father is so miskeen actually, it's so depressing to perceive enemies within the house, you know, to have enemies outside the house, to have people misbehaving badly outside in the underground, in work in school. But to have the misbehaving 24 hours, even when you are asleep in your bedroom, that's how it's not just neighbors from *, even families are from him sometimes.
Yet, yet, he did not bring it up by saying, I fear you. And this is important in the parents and relationship, excuse me, when I say son, I also include daughter, but if I do forgive, it's not gender biased, or anything. So son, and daughter are included. All what I'm interested in is the parent and the children relationship, despite the agenda, so he didn't say, I am worried that you might kill him, or that you might intend evil with him. I'm worried from the wolf. And this is amazing in the relationship between parents and children is that parents should always try to show trust in their children, you might know that your child smokes,
you might know that the child is involved in drugs, or all sorts of evil things. I'm not saying you condone that. But what I'm saying is that your relationship with him, should be formulated in such a way, so as not to break this kind of trust, which will not solve his problem, but will sever relationships even further. And this is a deep way of looking at it. Because we are coupe or Jacob was a prophet, he was not that naive. He knew that there was a plot. And that's why when they came back with the news, he didn't overreact. It is as if he expected it. But what's of concern to us is how he reacted with the demand. So you can give into your son's demands. But try not to break the
trust between you and done. So you'll be cautious. That's my point, but not judgmental. Don't judge your sons and your daughters. And by being judgmental, I mean, open your mouth smell, are you smoking, checking the pocket of going to his bedroom, checking the internet, you don't need to do that. Because you need to show him or her that I trust you. And that even if I'm not aware of what you're doing, suffice it to say that Allah is aware. And that's enough. And that's important to be implanted in the children from a young age. You know, I always talk about my daughters, etc. But this is exactly what I do. I always say to my daughter, even if I'm not there, even if your mother
is not there, Allah is watching. And this could be served by stories, narrations, etc. It's difficult, because the child might continue to lie because he feels you you are physically there who is alive, can't perceive a lot. And it's difficult, I know, but with consistent narration and engagement and the child will, hopefully. And the other point is that he at the end of the day agreed to send the he could have said no, no, no, no, no, no, no.
And that would have aggravated ill feelings towards us. So he was aiming at the end of the day, to make the brothers happy to make use of happy and to lessen the tension and the jealousy between the brothers and use it and the way he thought he would do that is by allowing us to go with them. And finally, I'm going to leave you here with us if in the darkness of the well, for us then to appreciate what happened next. So when they took him away, they all agreed to throw him down to the bottom of the well. Now the English translation here for job
from the hub will be he wijmo hai Lu philia batil. Job is translated here as well. Now in Arabic, there are four well tours I'm not going here to teach you Arabic but suffice it to say just because there is a point I want to make, is that well in Arabic could be
or could be bit better is more common with the Quran does not say bitter, it says Do you know the difference between a Jew benefit, the Jew is deeper, is a deeper well than a bit. So actually we are talking about a boy who is perhaps 60 meters down, down, down. So he's on the ground and the ground, no escalators, no air conditioning. I'm not trying to create fears now in your mind. But really I want you to appreciate the hardship that usif went through because of his brothers, then to be amazed
as to why he forgiven them, because he's a great person. And that's the making of his character.
The job is quite dark, and scholars say although for sitting say that the job was done deep deep these days.
By the way, used to be duck, not necessarily because they had water but on the hope that when the rain comes it collects a little water so sometimes the rain comes and sometimes it doesn't so it's not always full with water otherwise you would have sunken died. They say that there was little water to reach Perhaps he's nice. That's how awkward The situation was. So that's number one. But I want you to bear in mind the entire situation. Imagine if you would, we are talking about 12 years old boy. We are talking about him being underground in a job and not in a bit in our you know the difference. We are talking about him being in darkness. And it's really frightening when you are in
the dark. And if you so silence of the lamb where the end maybe this is not appropriate. But let me become crazy a little bit Judy foster comes and wants to kill this villain. She is in the dark and she can't see anything and the villains able to see her with an infrared Pinocchio's. And it's really very scary. And when I think about Joseph, it's like that. He can't even see his fingers. He's crying probably Of course. He's 12 years. He's not a 60 wise man, saying inshallah Allah will save me. He's a child. So darkness. And you would also imagine that he was naked or semi naked because they took the shirt they remember, the shirt actually is fascinating. It plays three roles
in the chapter. So this is the first time in which we are introduced to the shirt. We will be introduced to the shirt twice, and the rest of the narrative. Anyway, the shirt is taken from him so he's naked. So he's naked on the ground in the cold in the darkness, no food, no sandwiches, no snacks, no lunchbox, nothing.
And they say this is perhaps the interesting bit they say that the job is not properly walled. It's doesn't have cement and wall and it's just digging, digging, digging. So you can imagine he is in this tightness of the job. What would you imagine coming from the sand, all sorts of insects
there is nothing to prevent them it's not like in the tube you don't see a crap in the underground here. For example, a snake you might see my says something I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Because some sisters and brothers perhaps have problems with mice, but with us if you would expect anything and everything. And he was lonely Of course because taken in contrast, now he was embraced, kissed Beloved, now he's lonely. Now there is no father, there is nothing there is no sun and moon.
The fascinating thing in all that is that this was his immediate first difficult test. The fascinating thing is that he passed this test successfully. He went out of the world and he was taken as a slave. Did he become paranoid from the darkness and mice? Did he become traumatically destroyed having nightmares about his experience in the job. So you can tell from the outset that he was a healthy strong bro tough person exactly because of the wisdom that was instilled in his mind through his father. So with regards to the home number one, the story begins at the home to emphasize the role played by the family in the making of the main players character, and that's
Yousif. to parents importance is symbolized in them being the sun and the moon in the lives of their children. Three, zooming into the household we are introduced to a strong relationship between the father and his son. This relationship is based on love, care, trust and advice. For the father, who is also a prophet is a role model to his son, who shares with him his intimate secrets, and sometimes confusions such as dreams. Five, parents should be aware of their children and their developments at school and as future responsible adults. Six, a deep rooted sense of identity is essential in the process of bringing up children to avoid a long period and perhaps unresolved
crisis identity.
Seven parents should aim to be just an avoid promoting feelings of jealousy between brothers. Wives of a single man should not transform ill feelings to the brothers and should always bear in mind that family unity is more lasting, if not more beneficial than fragmented relations. Ate father and sons relation is also based on care and trust. And on not being judgmental. This helps develop a more confident and more self esteemed personality. This is the household and now we shift our brother Yousef into the palace shala the second lecture hall