Yusuf, from prison to palace

The story of Yusuf is told in a whole surah of the Qur'an, surah 12, which bears his name.

The dream. When he was young, Yusuf had a dream: eleven stars, the sun and the moon were bowing down to him. His father, the prophet Ya'qub, told him not to tell his brothers (12:4-5).

The well. His brothers were jealous, because their father loved Yusuf very much. They took him away and threw him to the bottom of a well. Then they came home crying and told their father that a wolf had eaten him. Ya'qub knew it was not true, and he said: "Patience, beautiful patience" (fa ṣabrun jamiil) (12:8-18).

In Egypt. Travellers found Yusuf in the well and sold him in Egypt, to an important man (12:19-21). Yusuf grew up in his house. One day, he was asked to do something wrong; he refused, because he feared Allah (12:23). Even so, he was put in prison, unjustly (12:33-35).

The prison. In prison, Yusuf stayed kind and spoke about Allah to his companions. Allah had taught him to explain dreams (12:36-41).

The king's dream. The king of Egypt dreamed of seven fat cows eaten by seven thin cows, and of seven green ears of corn and seven dry ones. No one understood. Yusuf explained it: seven good years, then seven years of famine; wheat must be stored during the good years (12:43-49). The king recognised his innocence and put him in charge of the country's stores (12:50-56).

The brothers come back. During the famine, his brothers came to Egypt for food, without recognising him (12:58). In the end, Yusuf told them who he was. They were ashamed. And Yusuf forgave them: لَا تَثْرِيبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الْيَوْمَ Laa tathriiba 'alaykumu l-yawm "No blame on you today. May Allah forgive you" (12:92).

The whole family came to Egypt, and his parents and his eleven brothers bowed before him: the childhood dream came true (12:99-100).

What I learn: even when everything goes wrong, Allah is preparing something good. I stay patient like Ya'qub, and I forgive like Yusuf.

Understanding the lesson

Explanation The story of Yusuf shows that Allah often prepares a great good behind very hard moments. The well, slavery, prison: each step looked like a disaster, and yet each one brought him closer to the palace and to meeting his family again. At the end, Yusuf says: "My Lord is subtle in what He wills" (meaning of part of 12:100).

The brothers' jealousy teaches us to be careful with this feeling: it pushed brothers into a very big wrong. When we feel jealous, we talk about it and ask Allah to clean our heart.

Yusuf also knew how to say no to what was wrong, even when it was hard and no one would have known, because he knew Allah saw him.

And when he became powerful, he could have taken revenge on his brothers. He chose to forgive them, without even blaming them. He was also a good organiser: by storing grain during the good years, he saved many people from hunger.

Lessons to draw from it • When something sad happens to me, I stay patient and trust Allah. • If I feel jealous, I talk about it and ask Allah to calm my heart. • I say no to what is wrong, even when no one sees me. • I forgive those who hurt me, especially when they are sorry.

Key points to remember • Ya'qub said: "Patience, beautiful patience" (12:18). • Yusuf forgave his brothers: لَا تَثْرِيبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الْيَوْمَ (12:92).

The main message With patience and forgiveness, Yusuf went from the well to the palace: Allah prepares good, even when we cannot see it yet.