Prophet Yusuf (saw) - Innocent Interpreter

Prophet Yusuf (saw) ends up being sent to prison on the account of Zulaikha, the minister's wife. In prison he meets two men, the King's cook and cupbearer. They know immediately he does not belong there for there is an aura about his face. It is stated that Prophet Yusuf(saw) was instructed to practice niqab for people would lose themselves in his beauty. It is in prison that he is given the gift of interpreting dreams.

The cook and cupbearer both had their dreams interpreted which came true in the end. The cupbearer dreams of serving the King wine, and Prophet Yusuf(saw) knows that in the end, he will one day return to serve the King. He tells him to take the King a message of a wronged soul in prison, himself. The cupbearer returns to the King but Satan causes him to forget his message and thus Prophet Yusuf(saw) ends up in prison for a lot longer than expected.

One night the King has a dream. The dream was as follows:

"He sees himself on the banks of the Nile river. The water is receding before him, becoming mere mud. The fish begin to skip and jump in the mud. Seven fat cows come out of the river followed by seven lean cows. The seven lean ones devour the seven fat ones. The king is terrified. The seven ears of green grain grow on the riverbanks and disappear in the mud. One the same spot grow seven dray ears of grain."

The King becomes frightened and calls all his advisors, sorcerers, ministers, and priests to interpret the dream. They lay the matter to rest by simply saying its a nightmare, a mix of confusion, on a account of his getting older in age. The news of the dream reaches the cupbearer and he remembers Prophet Yusuf(saw). The King tells him to go find him and relay him the dream and ask for interpretation. Prophet Yusuf(saw) interprets it as such:

"There will be seven years of abundance. If the land is properly cultivated, there will be an excess of good harvest, more than the people will need. This should be stored. Thereafter, seven years of famine will follow, during which time the excess grain could be used."

He advised that during the famine they should save some grain to be planted for the next season. Prophet Yusuf(saw) then added, "After seven years of drought, there will be a year during which water will be plentiful. If the water is properly used, grapevines and olive trees will grow in abundance, providing plenty of grapes and olive oil."

The King is very astonished with Prophet Yusuf(saw). He asks for him to be freed and brought to him at once. Prophet Yusuf(saw) refuses to leave prison until his innocence is proven. Who knows what gossip might still have been lurking in the shadows while he was in prison? Who knows what will come of it should he be brought to the same place again?

The King asks for the wives of the minister and the wife of the Chief Minister, Al-Aziz, to be brought to him at once. He had heard the story and found Prophet Yusuf(saw) to be innocent but he wanted to hear everyone's story. They were all brought to the King and there they spoke in favor of Prophet Yusuf(saw) and said he was innocent. Zulaikha, wrinkled in appearance over time, blames herself for the wrongful accusation. She says she tried to tempt Prophet Yusuf(saw) and he took no action at all. She professes her adirmation, again, and it is clear how much she cares for him and over the years has adopted the very same religion Prophet Yusuf(saw) preached, monotheism.

This is where the mention of her disappears. She is not mentioned again, however, legends add a different twist to her story. One legend says that after her husband died, she married Prophet Yusuf(saw) and she was a virgin, having been the wife of an old minister, she had never been touched. Another legend says she went blind crying for Prophet Yusuf(saw) wandering through the streets of the town.

The King freed Prophet Yusuf(saw) proving his innocence and gave him a position in his kingdom. The King could immediately sense nobility in the Prophet(saw). Everything seemed to go as the Prophet(saw) said it would. When famine came, there was enough grain in reserve to be sold to nations at a fair price.

Prophet Yacub(saw) sends ten of his sons, save Benjamin, to Egypt to purchase provisions. Prophet Yusuf(saw) heard about the brothers who came from afar and did not speak the language and immediately recognized them as his brothers. They, however, did not for obvious reasons to them he was dead. Prophet Yusuf(saw) was very close to Benjamin. He meets the brothers civily. They say they are 11 brothers of a noble Prophet(saw) and the youngest brother is at home caring for their aging father. Prophet Yusuf(saw)'s eyes well up with tears. He instructs them to bring the brother next time and they will receive double rations. He tells his servant to place the bag of money his brothers had paid with back into the sacks of grain to go home with the brothers.

The brothers come back to their father and relay details of who they met. They ask to take Benjamin back with them. Their request is denied. Prophet Yacub(saw) says, "I entrusted you with Yusuf and see what happened to him. I will not let you take Benjamin." They find the money and they tell their father that Benjamin will be safe because the man has been kind enough to return the money they paid with.

Prophet Yacub(saw) agrees to let the brothers take Benjamin and swear an oath to bring him back. Prophet Yacub(saw) blesses their journey and tells them to enter the city through several different gates. Prophet Yusuf(saw) greets them heartily but suppresses the urge to embrace Benjamin. He prepares a feast and seats everyone in pairs. Benjamin he seats next to himself. Benjamin begins to cry. When asked why he says, "If my brother Yusuf was here I would have been paired with him."

That night in a room Prophet Yusuf(saw) asks Benjamin if he could take him as a brother. Benjamin thanks him for his kindness but says he could never take the place of his brother Yusuf. This is where I begin to cry. Prophet Yusuf(saw) breaks down in tears and he exclaims, "I am your brother."

The next day when sacks of grain are being loaded into bags, Prophet Yusuf(saw) orders his servant to place the King's gold cup into Benjamin's saddlebag. Before everyone is ready to leave there is an accusation of theivery. The sons state they are of a noble father and have no reason to steal. The punishment for stealing is decided by the sons. They say that where they are from the punishment sees the theif becoming the slave of the person they stole from. The cup of course is found in Benjamin's saddlebag. The sons are shocked and they are reminded of their promise to their father to return with Benjamin. They plead and beg but to no avail. Judah, the eldest, decides to remain until his father will allow him to come back. He will not break his promise and return without his brother. The others retreat. Prophet Yusuf(saw) is glad to see Judah has remained for he is a good-hearted brother and he makes sure that this brother is cared for as well.

The other brothers go back to their father with the sad news. Prophet Yacub(saw) is saddened and overtaken with grief for Yusuf and Benjamin. He cries until he goes blind. He asks the brothers to go back and look for Prophet Yusuf(saw). They meet with Prophet Yusuf(saw) and ask for money for the goods they brought with them. They tell him of their fathers condition and in the end Prophet Yusuf(saw) reveals himself to them. He gives them his shirt and instructs them to drape it over their father's face and he will regain his sight.

As the brothers in their travel, the father back in Palestine rises from his chair and goes outside. He says he can smell Prophet Yusuf(saw). The brothers do as they are told and Prophet Yacub(saw) can see again.

Prophet Yusuf(saw) arranges for his family to settle with him in Egypt. Before his death, he asks his brothers to burry him with their forefathers once they leave Egypt. He was 110 at the time of his death.