Surah Yusuf (12) — Ayah 101

(Ayah101) ➊ { رَبِّ قَدْ اٰتَيْتَنِيْ مِنَ الْمُلْكِ … :} In the previous verse, Yusuf (peace be upon him) mentioned the favors of Allah Almighty. From here, he addresses Allah Almighty with His attribute of Lordship, and by mentioning further blessings, he prays for that thing which is greater than all these blessings, and despite having so many blessings, Yusuf (peace be upon him) is most concerned about this, and in reality, the main concern should be this. He submitted: O the One who nurtures me by taking care of me every moment, fulfilling all my needs! You have given me a share of the kingdom ({’’ مِنْ ‘‘} means "some," because he was the finance minister, and even if someone is a king, he only has a part of kingship; the entire kingship belongs to only one Being. { ’’ تَبٰرَكَ الَّذِيْ بِيَدِهِ الْمُلْكُ ‘‘}) and You have taught me some of the understanding of the reality of matters (here too, {’’مِنْ‘‘} is in the meaning of "some," because only one Being knows the reality of every matter. {’’ وَمَا يَعْلَمُ تَاْوِيْلَهٗ اِلَّا اللّٰهُ ‘‘}, here in {’’ تَاْوِيْلِ الْاَحَادِيْثِ ‘‘} the interpretation of dreams, judgment of cases, and knowledge of divine revelation are all included), You alone are my friend and helper in this world and the Hereafter, my final request is that when You cause me to die, I am obedient to You at that time, because the entire foundation of eternal life depends on this. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: [ إِنَّمَا الْأَعْمَالُ بِالْخَوَاتِيْمِ] [ بخاري، الرقاق، باب الأعمال بالخواتیم … : ۶۴۹۳ ] "The deeds depend upon their endings." In this is a lesson for us that no matter how high a rank a person attains in the world, he must always be concerned about the Hereafter, because that is everlasting and every position in the world is perishable.

➋ {وَ اَلْحِقْنِيْ بِالصّٰلِحِيْنَ:} Among the righteous, along with the general righteous, the highest level of righteous, i.e., the Prophets, are also included, as Allah Almighty said about Yahya (peace be upon him): «{وَ سَيِّدًا وَّ حَصُوْرًا وَّ نَبِيًّا مِّنَ الصّٰلِحِيْنَ}» [ آل عمران : ۳۹ ] "And he will be a leader, and very self-restrained, and a Prophet, among the righteous (pious people)." Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) says that I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: [ مَا مِنْ نَبِيٍّ يَمْرَضُ إِلاَّ خُيِّرَ بَيْنَ الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةِ وَكَانَ فِيْ شَكْوَاهُ الَّذِيْ قُبِضَ فِيْهِ أَخَذَتْهٗ بُحَّةٌ شَدِيْدَةٌ، فَسَمِعْتُهٗ يَقُوْلُ: «مَعَ الَّذِيْنَ اَنْعَمَ اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِمْ مِّنَ النَّبِيّٖنَ وَ الصِّدِّيْقِيْنَ وَ الشُّهَدَآءِ وَ الصّٰلِحِيْنَ» فَعَلِمْتُ أَنَّهٗ خُيِّرَ] [بخاری، التفسیر، باب «فأولئک مع الذین …» : ۴۵۸۶ ] "No Prophet falls ill in his final illness until he is given the choice between this world and the Hereafter, so when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was in the illness in which he passed away, he had severe pain in his throat, so I heard him saying: «{مَعَ الَّذِيْنَ اَنْعَمَ اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِمْ مِّنَ النَّبِيّٖنَ وَ الصِّدِّيْقِيْنَ۠ وَ الشُّهَدَآءِ وَ الصّٰلِحِيْنَ}» [النساء : ۶۹ ] 'I want to be with those upon whom Allah has bestowed His favor, from among the Prophets, the truthful, the martyrs, and the righteous,' so I understood that now he has been given the choice." It is clear that the desire and prayer to be included among the righteous on the Day of Judgment was not made only by Yusuf (peace be upon him), but also by the leader of all the children of Adam. May Allah Almighty, by His boundless grace and mercy, grant us this blessing as well. (Ameen)

➌ Some people have taken evidence from {’’ تَوَفَّنِيْ مُسْلِمًا ‘‘} that Yusuf (peace be upon him) prayed for death, so praying for death is permissible, whereas this meaning is not correct. Whenever there is any restriction, such as a condition or attribute, with any command or prohibition, that restriction is intended. For example, {’’لَا تَشْرَبْ قَائِمًا‘‘} does not mean "do not drink," but it means "do not drink while standing," and in { ’’ كُلْ بِيَمِيْنِكَ وَكُلْ مِمَّا يَلِيْكَ‘‘ } the command is not to "eat," but it is "if you eat, then eat with your right hand and not from here and there, but from in front of you." Similarly, {’’ تَوَفَّنِيْ مُسْلِمًا ‘‘} means "whenever You cause me to die, cause me to die in a state of being Muslim (obedient)." Likewise, in {’’ فَصَلِّ لِرَبِّكَ وَ انْحَرْ ‘‘}, the command is not for prayer and sacrifice, that is found in many other verses, but the meaning is "when you pray, pray only for your Lord, and likewise, sacrifice only for Him, do not associate anyone else in it."

➍ It is narrated from Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "None of you should ever wish for death because of any hardship that befalls him, but if he must wish for it, then let him say: [ اَللّٰهُمَّ أَحْيِنِيْ مَا كَانَتِ الْحَيَاةُ خَيْرًا لِّيْ وَتَوَفَّنِيْ إِذَا كَانَتِ الْوَفَاةُ خَيْرًا لِّيْ ] [ بخاری، المرض، باب تمنی المریض الموت : ۵۶۷۱۔ مسلم : ۲۶۸۰ ] 'O Allah! Keep me alive as long as life is better for me, and cause me to die when death is better for me.'" From this hadith, it is clear that praying for death due to any hardship or illness is prohibited, but when there is fear of tribulation in religion, then one can make this prayer, as Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Allah Almighty said, O Muhammad! When you pray, say: [ اَللّٰهُمَّ إِنِّيْ أَسْأَلُكَ فِعْلَ الْخَيْرَاتِ وَتَرْكَ الْمُنْكَرَاتِ وَ حُبَّ الْمَسَاكِيْنِ وَ إِذَا أَرَدْتَّ بِعِبَادِكَ فِتْنَةً فَاقْبِضْنِيْ إِلَيْكَ غَيْرَ مَفْتُوْنٍ ] [ ترمذی، تفسیر القرآن، باب ومن سورۃ صٓ : ۳۲۳۳، و صححہ الألبانی ] 'O Allah! I ask You for the ability to do good deeds, to avoid evil deeds, and for the love of the poor, and when You intend any trial (test) for Your servants, then cause me to die without being afflicted by that trial.'" And as Maryam (peace be upon her) said: « {يٰلَيْتَنِيْ مِتُّ قَبْلَ هٰذَا وَ كُنْتُ نَسْيًا مَّنْسِيًّا} » [ مریم : ۲۳ ] "Oh, would that I had died before this and had become forgotten, lost in oblivion." Hafiz Ibn Kathir has narrated here from Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that at the end of his rule, when he saw that matters were not coming together in his favor and the situation was becoming more severe, he said: {’’ اَللّٰهُمَّ خُذْنِيْ إِلَيْكَ فَقَدْ سَئِمْتُهُمْ وَ سَئِمُوْنِيْ‘‘} "O Allah! Take me to Yourself, for I am weary of them and they are weary of me." And when Imam Bukhari faced trials and his matter with the Amir of Khurasan deteriorated, he prayed: {’’ اَللّٰهُمَّ تَوَفَّنِيْ إِلَيْكَ‘‘} "O Allah! Take me to Yourself." Hafiz Ibn Kathir has not mentioned the chain of these historical narrations. (And Allah knows best)

➎ Here the story of Yusuf (peace be upon him) ends. This is the only story in the Noble Qur'an that is narrated all together in one place, but the beauty is that every detail that was not needed for the purpose of guidance at this point has been omitted. Now, ahead, a few lessons derived from this story will be mentioned.

11. 1. That is, the sovereignty of the land of Egypt was granted, as detailed earlier.

11. 2. Prophet Yusuf (peace be upon him) was a messenger of Allah, upon whom revelation would descend from Allah and to whom special matters were taught. Thus, in the light of this prophetic knowledge, prophets would also interpret dreams correctly. However, it appears that Prophet Yusuf (peace be upon him) had a special mastery in the art of interpretation, as seen earlier in the interpretation of the dreams of his fellow prisoners and the dream of the seven fat cows.

11. 3. By remembering the favors Allah bestowed upon Prophet Yusuf (peace be upon him) and mentioning other attributes of Allah, he is supplicating that when death comes to him, it comes in a state of Islam and that he be joined with the righteous. By this are meant the forefathers of Prophet Yusuf (peace be upon him), such as Ibrahim and Ishaq (peace be upon them) and others. Some people have misunderstood this supplication to mean that Prophet Yusuf (peace be upon him) prayed for death, whereas this is not a prayer for death but a prayer for steadfastness upon Islam until the end.

101. “My Lord! You have granted me authority and taught me the interpretation of dreams. Creator of the heavens and the earth! You are my Protector in this world and the Hereafter [96]. Let me die as a Muslim and join me with the righteous.”

[96]
The Supplication of Sayyiduna Yusufؑ for Himself:

After addressing his father and brothers, Sayyiduna Yusufؑ turned towards that Being who had bestowed all these favors upon him. First, he acknowledged those favors due to which he had attained all kinds of worldly and religious goodness, then he engaged in praise and supplication for himself. And the truth is that the more a servant of Allah recognizes Allah’s favors, the more he becomes engaged in praising and glorifying Allah. His heart bows in gratitude for Allah’s greatness and His kindness. His love and faith in his Lord continue to increase. After praise and glorification, he again acknowledged that You alone are my Guardian, Helper, Protector, and Keeper. Therefore, keep me steadfast in Your obedience. When death comes to me, let it come in a state of obedience to You, and after death, join me with the righteous, that is, my forefathers Sayyiduna Ibrahimؑ, Sayyiduna Ismailؑ, Sayyiduna Ishaqؑ, and Sayyiduna Yaqubؑ. Also, by this, all righteous people can be meant, as is evident from the generality of the words. As long as Sayyiduna Yaqubؑ was alive, Sayyiduna Yusufؑ continued to rule. But when his father passed away, he relinquished power of his own accord. The bequests that Sayyiduna Yaqubؑ made to his sons at the time of his death have already been mentioned in Surah Al-Baqarah. Among them was also this: that my body should be taken to Shaam and buried there with my forefathers. Accordingly, Sayyiduna Yusufؑ himself came to Shaam to bury him and returned after the burial. Once, he (Sayyiduna Yusufؑ) said that a time will come when Bani Israel will leave Egypt, and at that time, they should take his body with them. Thus, about five hundred years later, when Sayyiduna Musaؑ led Bani Israel out of Egypt, they also took the coffin of Sayyiduna Yusufؑ with them.

The Legend of Sayyiduna Yusufؑ Marrying Zulaikha:

Some commentators have also written that Zulaikha later became a Muslim and Sayyiduna Yusufؑ married her. But the extent of contrivance and artificiality with which this is attempted to be proven from Israelite traditions itself shows how much truth there can be in it. The Quran and Hadith are completely silent on this matter. Besides, it is not befitting for any prophet to marry a woman like Zulaikha, who was immodest and deceitful.