It all began with a dream.
About 1800 years before Isa عليه السلام, in Kan’aan, Palestine, a young Yusuf عليه السلام went to his father and told him about an unusual dream he had. He had seen the sun, the moon and 11 stars prostrating to him.
His father was Yaqub عليه السلام, a Prophet. He understood that this was a true dream and interpreted it. The sun and moon symbolized Yusuf’s parents. The stars were his 11 brothers. Yusuf عليه السلام had 1 full brother, Benyamin, and 10 paternal half-brothers.
Yaqub عليه السلام realized that this dream meant that Allah ﷻ was going to choose Yusuf and take him to great heights. It meant that Yusuf was going to rise to such a level that all these people would become submissive to him.
Parents are aware of their kids’ weaknesses right? So Yaqub warned Yusuf to not mention the dream to his brothers. He feared that the brothers would try to hurt him out of jealousy.
قَالَ يَا بُنَيَّ لَا تَقْصُصْ رُؤْيَاكَ عَلَىٰ إِخْوَتِكَ فَيَكِيدُوا لَكَ كَيْدًا إِنَّ الشَّيْطَانَ لِلْإِنسَانِ عَدُوٌّ مُّبِينٌ
( Yusuf : 5 )
“He said, “O my son, do not relate your vision to your brothers or they will contrive against you a plan. Indeed Satan, to man, is a manifest enemy.”
And Yaqub was right to fear. Yusuf’s brothers felt that their father loved Yusuf and Benyamin more than them. “Our father is making a mistake.” They felt the solution was to get rid of Yusuf. So they made a plan.
اقْتُلُوا يُوسُفَ أَوِ اطْرَحُوهُ أَرْضًا يَخْلُ لَكُمْ وَجْهُ أَبِيكُمْ وَتَكُونُوا مِن بَعْدِهِ قَوْمًا صَالِحِينَ
( Yusuf : 9 )
“Kill Yusuf (Joseph) or cast him out to [another] land; the countenance of your father will [then] be only for you, and you will be after that a righteous people.”
Lessons
- Build a strong connection with your children, so that they will trust you with their concerns. Speak to them with love and kindness.
- Only tell your dreams to people you trust.
- Don’t make problems for yourself. Avoid boasting about your blessings.
Prophet ﷺ said, “Seek help for fulfilling needs by being discrete [i.e., when you make plans, do not announce it to everyone], for every owner of a blessing is envied.
[Sahih al-Jami’]
- Shaytan is a clear and open enemy to you. He wants separation between people. Be on guard from his attacks.
- Yaqub was concerned with maintaining peace between his sons. Take an active role to make sure that problems are avoided within family and friendships. Work to resolve conflicts.
- The brothers intended to do Tawbah even before committing the sin. People do this to make it easier for them to do the sin. Stay away from this behavior!
- The brothers blamed Yusuf for the poor relationship they had with their father. They didn’t stop to think that maybe they were doing something wrong. Maybe it was their own bad behavior. We must reflect on our self before blaming others for our problems.
Musings of a Muslimah 