Authentic Story of Jureij the Monk and the Mention of Prophet Yūsuf’s Children
Source: Fatāwā ʿIlmiyyah (Tawḍīḥ al-Aḥkām), Vol. 2, p. 458
A questioner asked:
“I heard a story in our city’s mosque about a man named Jureij. He was praying when his mother called him, but he did not reply. After repeated calls without a response, his mother prayed against him, asking Allah to make him face disgrace. Later, a woman accused him of being the father of her child. Jureij repented to Allah and asked the infant who his father was, and the infant pointed to a shepherd. I want to know whether this story is true or false, whether it happened before or after Islam, and what the status of its narrators is.”
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, this incident is authentic and is proven through ṣaḥīḥ chains of narration. It occurred during the time of Banī Isrāʾīl, before Islam. All its narrations are reported through trustworthy narrators.
Narration:
Abū Hurayrah رضي الله عنه narrated:
A shepherd lived nearby.
The people came with axes and picks to destroy his hermitage while he was praying.
Jureij smiled, stroked the infant’s head, and asked:
“Who is your father?”
The baby replied: “The shepherd of the sheep.”
The people were astonished and said:
“We will rebuild your hermitage from gold and silver.”
Jureij said:
“No — rebuild it as it was, from clay.”
Then he returned to his worship.
References:
The same questioner asked:
“My cousin named his daughter ‘Mushāʾim’ claiming that Prophet Yūsuf عليه السلام had two daughters named Mushāʾim and ʿUmarāʾim. I want to know if Yūsuf عليه السلام really had two daughters, and whether these names are Arabic or Hebrew, because I was told he had two sons instead.”
Authentic historical reports mention that Prophet Yūsuf عليه السلام had two sons, not daughters:
➊ Efrāhīm
➋ Manashā
These names are mentioned without chains of transmission in Tārīkh Ibn Jarīr al-Ṭabarī, Vol. 1, p. 364.
As for the claim that he had two daughters named ‘ʿUmarāʾim’ and ‘Mushāʾim,’ there is no authentic narration proving their existence, nor is there any reliable source mentioning daughters for Yūsuf عليه السلام.
Conclusion: Since there is no valid evidence for the claim of daughters, it is best to remain silent on this matter.
ھذا ما عندي والله أعلم بالصواب
Source: Fatāwā ʿIlmiyyah (Tawḍīḥ al-Aḥkām), Vol. 2, p. 458Question 1 – The Story of Jureij the Monk
A questioner asked:
“I heard a story in our city’s mosque about a man named Jureij. He was praying when his mother called him, but he did not reply. After repeated calls without a response, his mother prayed against him, asking Allah to make him face disgrace. Later, a woman accused him of being the father of her child. Jureij repented to Allah and asked the infant who his father was, and the infant pointed to a shepherd. I want to know whether this story is true or false, whether it happened before or after Islam, and what the status of its narrators is.”
Answer:
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, this incident is authentic and is proven through ṣaḥīḥ chains of narration. It occurred during the time of Banī Isrāʾīl, before Islam. All its narrations are reported through trustworthy narrators.
Narration:
Abū Hurayrah رضي الله عنه narrated:
- Jureij was a devout monk who worshipped in his small hermitage.
- One day, his mother came and called:
“O Jureij, I am your mother — speak to me.”
He thought: “O my Lord, my mother or my prayer?” and continued his prayer. - The same thing happened the next day, and again he chose to continue praying.
- On the third day, his mother prayed:
“O Allah, he is my son, and he refuses to speak to me. O Allah, show him the faces of immoral women before his death.”
A shepherd lived nearby.
- A woman committed fornication with him and became pregnant.
- When the child was born, she claimed: “This child belongs to Jureij, the monk in the hermitage.”
The people came with axes and picks to destroy his hermitage while he was praying.
- When they brought him down, he asked why they had done it.
- They told him to ask the woman.
Jureij smiled, stroked the infant’s head, and asked:
“Who is your father?”
The baby replied: “The shepherd of the sheep.”
The people were astonished and said:
“We will rebuild your hermitage from gold and silver.”
Jureij said:
“No — rebuild it as it was, from clay.”
Then he returned to his worship.
References:
- Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī (3436)
- Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim (2550)
- Dār al-Salām numbering: 6508 (wording from Muslim)
Question 2 – Prophet Yūsuf’s Children
The same questioner asked:
“My cousin named his daughter ‘Mushāʾim’ claiming that Prophet Yūsuf عليه السلام had two daughters named Mushāʾim and ʿUmarāʾim. I want to know if Yūsuf عليه السلام really had two daughters, and whether these names are Arabic or Hebrew, because I was told he had two sons instead.”
Answer:
Authentic historical reports mention that Prophet Yūsuf عليه السلام had two sons, not daughters:
➊ Efrāhīm
➋ Manashā
These names are mentioned without chains of transmission in Tārīkh Ibn Jarīr al-Ṭabarī, Vol. 1, p. 364.
As for the claim that he had two daughters named ‘ʿUmarāʾim’ and ‘Mushāʾim,’ there is no authentic narration proving their existence, nor is there any reliable source mentioning daughters for Yūsuf عليه السلام.
Conclusion: Since there is no valid evidence for the claim of daughters, it is best to remain silent on this matter.
ھذا ما عندي والله أعلم بالصواب
