We have all been there, stuck in a prison and wondering why life has brought us to a standstill. Many times a palace may feel like a prison, you have everything at a touch of a screen, a swipe of an app, and yet, you feel a gripping void, a heightened state of anxiety or, at the bemoaning emotion of dismay.
The Quran is a book revealed to make perspectives in life clear. Surah Yousuf is the best of stories, meaning that it contains information and lessons relevant for all of humankind. It is an informative Surah that highlights hardships and valuable teaching encompassing lust, envy, trials, sibling rivalry, favouritism, and unfair punishment.
The article will focus on two features. The power of lust and the importance of patience.
We can all relate to Prophet Yousuf (peace be upon him). We may be Yousuf right now facing a challenge we can’t overcome. Prophets have taught us valuable lessons that strengthen our faith and discipline, bearing in mind that they are not different to us, but mere mortals with the same needs and genetic design. They felt pain, endured suffering, and encountered timeless tests. They exhibited courage and valour.
Prophet Yousuf faced a serious of painful trials. Being tested by his brothers who threw him in a bottomless pit, to falsely being accused of sexually assaulting a married woman, and being wrongly imprisoned and implicated for an act he did not commit.
Lust. A powerful emotion. A raw, carnal desire that evokes the primal pull of a human being. It can feel destructive yet revolutionary, a twisted paradox. The story between Zulekha and Prophet Yousuf is one that holds relevance. It is a tale of attempted seduction. Zulaikha is mentioned in the Quran as the “wife of Aziz” . Yousuf lived for years in the house of Zulaikha, a woman of beauty, power and influence. Day in and day out, Zulaikha was exposed to his physical allure, a composition so stunning. Zulaikha suppressed her desire for Prophet Yousuf until she could no longer control it. She waited until her husband left the home. Her husband employed Prophet Yusuf after he was abandoned by his brothers. Alone with Prophet Yousuf , she locked the doors and called him to fulfill her lust. He moved away and was caught and blamed as she accused him of rape.
Let’s start with an age old story of a married person who feels pangs of desire left unfulfilled. They see a blossoming youth, a vision embodying leopard like grace, and, irrespective of marital status, try to make inappropriate advances. This Surah shows how Prophet Yousuf was victimised and objectified in a professional setting. How relevant is this in current circumstances given the level of sexual harassment that takes place for men and women in the workplace, the whole #metoo was and is a craze.
Lust, a tempting desire, and one that everyone feels. Even Yousuf, a handsome young man prayed to God to help him because he felt helpless, and knew he couldn’t overestimate his piety as the probability of him succumbing to his needs bore a very strong likelihood.
Surah 12 Verse 33-34 reads
‘Joseph prayed, “My Lord! If You do not turn them away from me, I might yield to them and fall into ignorance.”
‘So his Lord responded to him, turning them away from him. Surely He is the All-Hearing, All-Knowing.’
In essence, the Surah explains how fragile a human being is. Even the Prophet felt that he needed divine protection. He was tempted, as most humans are and will be. But if we have the hand of God, the severity of the situation is eased. And sometimes feeling that temptation for another person is necessary, even if they are beholden to another. Maybe it’s a longing of the soul that yearns to feel vulnerable. It’s the everyday autopilot life that an individual is accustomed to, and every once in a while someone takes a glimpse in our direction to value our perspective. The life we may not have experienced. Do we give in? Or do we reflect and welcome this emotion as vital for introspection. It’s easy to give into temptation, but it’s hard to move away from it. The harder the trial, the greater the blessing. That trial is a pathway to get closer to ourselves, to set a boundary, a standard, and when we honour it for the sake of justice we feel a sense of value, and the Universe rewards us. We chose honesty and justice in the face of succumbing to our desire. And that in itself is the trial, so that we could appreciate what we already had, and value it with a renewed lense.
That situation is Allah asking you to seek Him. For He gave you those feelings as a test, or a gateway to look within and question. It’s easy to judge when one errs and falls short; but have we realised that this powerful emotion visits everyone at every interval in their life? Even if they are married or not. It is also a beautiful sentiment to feel, and realise that in those moments only the higher power can help you by creating situations where that person or feeling is numbed.
The second lesson is patience. A prison may give more peace than a palace. Through isolation, a person reflects and introspects. If divinely protected they realise that they would pick solitude over a situation or person which isn’t conducive or beneficial to them.
The dream we had, the vision we hoped our life would take a turn for, may sometimes feel like a prison. When will we get our next break? But it is in those very times our patience is being moulded and our character is being fine tuned to give us exactly what we were destined for. It’s in times of adversity do we realise the real test of what our capabilities and capacities are, and, we reach the palace through the hand of God. For He is with the patient.
During Prophet Yousuf’s time in prison, he embraced this period as that of enlightenment. It was a time for him to unleash his serenity and connect to his wisdom and his gifts. He could interpret dreams. He prophesized that there would be seven years of abundance in the land of Egypt followed by seven years of famine. He went from Prison to a Palace and worked for Pharoah.
Prophet Yousuf was elevated in rank and given the responsibilities of overlooking all the food supplies of Egypt. The key character qualities of a great leader which took years of suffering to build into Yousuf are patience and knowing that God will always reward you for doing the right thing and upholding the tenets of rightenousness.
God’s timing was perfect. Prophet Yousuf’s interpretation of dreams was a national treasure. Prophet Yousuf was exalted to the position God had promised many years ago. He was ready to face and overcome the great tests that success brings.
Each individual goes through trials and tests. It may last a decade, it may become a lifestyle we are accustomed to, but one thing is for sure, God does bless us with more than we could imagine If we gracefully remember Him through every endeavor. During our tests, we learn skills that we apply when our dream comes to fruition. In those tests we learn the significance of pain which breeds patience. Once the storm has passed, and the pain subsides, we are ready for the responsibility and the dream that came to pass.
In the wise words of Samuel Rutherford ‘Praise God for the hammer, the file and the furnace. The hammer molds us, the file sharpens us, and the fire tempers us’.
