Prophet Ya'qub

7/17/2019 Prophet Ya'qub

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2.1 INTRODUCTION

In this chapter, the researcher will highlight on the background of

Prophet YaÑqËb and his family. Since there is no account of theirbackground recorded in the ur!"n, se#eral ur!"nic scholars came to

interpret and e$plain the ur!"nic obscurity by bringing the ur!"n in

line with that of the %ible. &his leads to a great e$pand on the role and

character of Prophet YaÑqËb as they included the biblical narrati#e and

'udeo()hristian e$tensions.* +owe#er, the researcher will present

Islamic criticisms on these narrati#es to preser#e the honour of Prophet

YaÑqËb.

urther highlight will be done on the accounts of Prophet YaÑqËb

in the ur!"n. Precisely, Prophet YaÑqËb is mentioned by name in the

ur!"n si$teen times in ten di-erent sËrat . /e#ertheless, there are

only three signi0cant e#ents in#ol#ing Prophet Ya1qub directly in the

ur!"n2 the glad tidings to Prophet Ibr"h3m, the sequence of Prophet

YËsuf, and the con#ersation of Prophet YaÑqËb and his sons before his

death. 4 5hile the sequence of Prophet YËsuf in SËrat YËsuf is

* &he 6ncyclopaedia of Islam, #ol **, page 78

&he 6ncyclopaedia of Islam, #ol **, page 78

4 9hmad %ah:at, Sejarah Nabi-nabi Allah, 'akarta; Penerbit <antera,

==>, Page *88.



considered as the most signi0cant e#ent as Prophet YaÑqËb presented

a magni0cent parenting style on his children throughout the narrati#e.

<astly, this chapter will co#er the characteristics of Prophet YaÑqËb in

the ur!"n e$tracted from the three signi0cant e#ents. Instances,

9lmighty 9ll"h gi#es considerable number of appraisal and recognition

on Prophet YaÑqËb such as righteous ?sÉlih@, knowledgable ?ahl al-

Ñilm@, patient ?Îabr @, silent melancholy ?kaÐÊm@, optimist and seeker of

forgi#eness ?mustaghfr @,. &hese characteristics will be elaborated

further in the last subtopic of this chapter.



2.2 THE BACKGROUND OF PROPHET YAÑQÕB

&he details of the background of Prophet YaÑqËb and his family are

neither recorded by the ur!"n nor by the authentic hadÊth narrations. &he limited information leads certain scholars of tasÊr to include the

%iblical accounts in their writings such as 9l(Aabar3 in his TÉrÊkh, Ibn

Bath3r in his isas and +amka in his TasÊr al( A!har . In the study of

tasÊr and hadÊth, these narrations are called al-ri"É#at al-$srÉÊli##Ét .

&he acceptance of these narrations is debatable among the

scholars as they were doubtful of the reliability of these narrations.

&herefore, some opted to re:ect these narrations completely in order to

preser#e the honour of the Prophets and the authenticity of the facts

for there are many accounts in the %ible that tarnish the honour of the

Prophets. &his stance is in line with the saying of Prophet Cuhammad;

DEo not belie#e the People of the %ook, nor re:ect whatthey say. Father, say, D5e belie#e in 9lmighty 9ll"h and inwhat was sent to us.G8

+owe#er, there are certain circumstances where these narrations are

acceptable as long as they are not contrary to the faith and s#arÊÑat

of Islam such as the names of Prophet YaÑqËb1s family and

descendants that will be included in the upcoming subtopic.

8 athul %ari H; =, Ibn Bathir #ol *; 8**.



2.3.1 Prophet YaÑqËb’s Family

Prophet YaÑqËb was from the lineage of honourable fathers. +e was

the grandson of Prophet Ibr"h3m, the son of Prophet Is"q and thefather of Prophet YËsuf.7 9l(Aabar3 in his TÉrÊkh stated that according

to Ibn +umayd( Sal"mah( Ibn Ish"q, Prophet Ish"q bin Ibr"h3m,

Prophet YaÑqËb1s father married Fifqah bint %ethuel bin Ily"s, and she

bore him a pair of twin brothers, ÑJs the elder and YaÑqËb the

younger. &hen, ÑJs married the daughter of his paternal uncle,

%asmah bint Ism"3l bin Ibr"h3m, and she bore him al(FËm bin 6sau.

5hile Prophet YaÑqËb married the two daughters of another paternal

uncle, <eah and Fahil.>

Fegarding Prophet YaÑqËb1s marriages, +amka in his e$planation

on Prophet YËsuf1s dream stated that Prophet YaÑqËb had two wi#es,

<iy" and Fah3l, and two concubines named Kilfah and %ilhah. %oth of

his wi#es were his cousins, the daughters of his paternal uncle, <aban. L

+owe#er, there are two #ersions of the story of Prophet YaÑqËbMs

second marriage with Fah3l. &he 0rst #ersion reports that Prophet

YaÑqËb married Fah3l after <iy" died, which has no issue of

7 ur!"n,*N; 8N

> 9l(&abari, page *48. &his information is deri#ed from Oenesis 4>.

L Oenesis 4>, +amka, 'u *, page *H=



:urisprudence among the scholars. In the other hand, the second

#ersion states that Prophet YaÑqËb married Fah3l when <iy" was still

ali#e. &his #ersion raises disagreement as it is forbidden in Islam for a

man to marry two sisters in a time. +owe#er, +amka stressed that this

tradition was permissible in the s#arÊÑat of the pre#ious Prophets as

described in the &orah.H rom the two wi#es and two concubines,

Prophet YaÑqËb was granted twel#e children by 9lmighty 9ll"h..N

2.3.2 Prophet YaÑqËb’s Twelve Sons

Prophet YaÑqËb1s had twel#e sons from four di-erent wi#es. +is sons

with <iy" were Fobil, SamÑËn, <"wi, YahËd", Js"khar, and Kablun.

5hile from Fah3l1s sla#e there were E"n and /aft"li, and from <iy"Qs

sla#e, Kilfah, Prophet YaÑqËb had '"d and 9sh3r. 5hile Fah3l was the

mother of Prophet YËsuf and %unyamin, who died after gi#ing birth to

%unyamin because of deli#ery complications. &he death of Fa3l

encouraged Prophet YaÑqËb to has a great a-ection towards them as

he had sympathy for them. 6#entually, his a-ection towards Prophet

YËsuf had caused :ealousy among his other sons.*=

H +amka, 'u *4, page 8=

N +amka, 'u *, page *H=.

*= Oenesis 4>, +amka, &afsir 9l(9har, :uu1 *, page *H*.



+owe#er, the report is re:ected by 9l(Aabar3 and some other

scholars as they insisted that the ur!"n clearly indicates that Prophet

YËsuf1s mother, Fah3l was ali#e by the time his dream comes true,

referring to the #erse *== in SËrat YËsuf. 9ccording to the Cuslims

scholars, this is the strongest #iew based on the e#idence. Since the

ur!"n are the primary source of Islamic law and faith, it is compulsory

for Cuslims to refer to the reports in the ur!"n in the 0rst place. In

fact, Cuslims are urged to ignore the reports from the %ible especially

in what contradicts the ur!"n.**

&herefore, the reports on the

background of Prophet YaÑqËb and his family are not reliable as they

are not recorded in the ur!"n. In fact, only those recorded in the ur

!"n such as the report on the glad tidings of his Prophet YaÑqËb are

reliable for Cuslims.

2.3 THE BIRTH OF PROPHET YAÑQÕB

&he earliest e#ent in the ur!"n in#ol#ing Prophet YaÑqËb is 'ibr3l1s

#isit to Prophet Ibr"h3m1s house to deli#er the glad tidings of the

impending birth of Prophet Ish"q and Prophet YaÑqËb, and the di#ine

promise of 9lmighty 9ll"h to make all of them among the righteous.

&here are three topics of discussion related to this e#ent2 0rstly the

glad tidings of the future birth of Prophet Ish"q and Prophet YaÑqËb,

secondly Sarah1s reaction towards the glad tidings, and thirdly the

** 9l(&abari #ol *>; > , Sahih &afsir Ibn Bathir, page >LN.



origin of Prophet YaÑqËb1s name. Signi0cantly, this e#ent was the

beginning of the great legacy of the Prophets from the lineage of

Prophet Ibr"h3m, the riend of &he Cerciful ?%halÊl AllÉh@.

2.3.1 The Glad Tidings

rom the ur!"nic perspecti#es, the birth of Prophet YaÑqËb has been

re#ealed by 9lmighty 9ll"h long before he was born. 9lmighty 9ll"h has

gi#en him the name through a re#elation to his grandfather, Prophet

Ibr"him. 9s the story narrates, Prophet Ibr"h3m and his wife, S"rah,

were hopeful of ha#ing their own o-spring. 9fter waiting for years, their

prayer was answered by 9lmighty 9ll"h when +e sent 'ibr3l to deli#er

good tidings to them of the future birth of their son, Prophet Ish"q and

their grandson, Prophet YaÑqËb in an e#ent which took place in their

house.*

D9nd certainly did Rur messengers come to Ibr"h3m withgood tidings2 they said, DPeace.G +e said, DPeace,G and didnot delay in bringing ?them@ a roasted calf. %ut when hesaw their hands not reaching for it, he distrusted them andfelt from them apprehension. &hey said, Dear not. 5e ha#ebeen sent to the people of <Ë.G*4

* +amka, &afsir 9l(9har, :uu1 * ; N(N7.

*4 ur!"n **; >N



9ccording to +amka, the good tidings of Prophet Ish"q and Prophet

YaÑqËb were di#ine co#enants between 9lmighty 9ll"h and Prophet

Ibr"h3m. 9s a blessing for their boundless patience, they were granted

double happiness with glad tidings of their grandson in addition. *8

D9nd his wife was standing, and she smiled. &hen 5e ga#eher good tidings of Ish"q and after Ish"q, YaÑqËb.G*7

9s the ur!"n narrates, 'ibr3l, the most prominent messenger

angel, who deli#ers the re#elation of 9lmighty 9ll"h to the Prophets,

came to the house of Prophet Ibr"h3m in one 0ne day as a guest.

9ppearing as a man with a strange character, the angel has made

Sarah pondering. She was wondering why the guest did not take the

meals that she prepared. 6#entually, the guest introduced himself as

'ibr3l informing that he was sent to deli#er glad tidings of the future

birth of their son named Ish"q and grandson named YaÑqËb, inaddition.*> &he glad tidings made Sarah laughs spontaneously for

uncertain reasons.

*8 +amka, &afsir 9l(9har, :u *L ; >8

*7 +ud **; L*

*> +amka, &afsir 9l(9har, 'u **, pages N8(N7.



2.3.2Sarah’s a!ghter

9s the #erse narrates, Sarah laughed when she heard about the glad

tidings of the upcoming birth of Prophet Ish"q and Prophet YaÑqËb. &he scholars ha#e gi#en #arious e$planations on the reason of Sarah1s

smile. +owe#er, referring to the #erse L of SËrat +ud, Ñ9bb"s

CahmËd al(Ñ9qqad in his book &uha al-'Éhik al-(u)hik has written the

best e$planation on her laughter;

D<aughter and smile can appear suddenly on se#eralconditions such as the change of feeling from fear to calmand when hearing the good news of something that has nohope and une$pected, like the birth of a child after the ageof menopause. Prophet Ibr"h3m and his wife almost losttheir hope to get a descent after waiting for ages. &he gladtidings triggered the soul of a wide #ariety of feelings of surprised, happy, unbelie#able, and gratitude.G*L

Cost scholars agreed that she was surprised to know that she

will be pregnant while she was already menopause, thus he laughed

spontaneously. 5hereas Ibn Bathir quoting at"dah said, she laughed

of happiness for the mission of the angels to destroy the people of <Ë

who were well known of their homose$ual beha#iour.*H In the other

hand, Ibn Bathir in his commentary quoting the words of Cuhammad

bin ays said, Sarah laughed when the angel said that they were going

*L Ñ9bb"s CahmËd al(Ñ9qqad , &uha al-'Éhik al-(u)hik, Ear al(Batib

al(9rabi, *N>8, page 78.

*H &afsir Ibn Bathir, Tol 7 page H



to the people of <Ë as she thought that they were among the sinful

people.*N Eespite of Sarah1s spontaneous laughter, she would ne#er

e$pect that she was going to be a grandmother of a great Prophet

named YaÑqËb.

2.3.3 The "rigin o# Prophet YaÑqËb’s $ame

In the 9rabic literature, the word #aÑ*Ëb is deri#ed from the word

Ma*aba1 which means coming afterwards,= as Prophet YaÑqËb came

after Prophet Ish"q and Prophet Ibr"h3m, thus he was the successor of

the pre#ious Prophets before him. +e inherited the prophethood from

his father, Prophet Ish"q and his grandfather, Prophet Ibr"h3m.

Instances, #aÑ*Ëb is a suitable name gi#en by 9lmighty 9llah to him in

accordance with his stature as an e$emplary father of twel#e and a

Prophet as well. &herefore, the word #aÑ*Ëb clearly refers to a father

of many children ?kathÊr al(d!uri##at @. &his meaning is signi0cant for

Prophet YaÑqËb as he was a father of twel#e and there were Prophets

who were selected among his descendants.

5hereas from the %iblical perspecti#es, the word #aÑ*Ëb deri#es

from Ña*b, which means heel based on the story of the twins1

*N Ibid.

= 9l(Carb"w3, Idris. "mus al(Carb"wi, 'uu1 &hani, Earul /u1man,

Buala <umpur, *NNH, page 4>.



struggling in their mother1s womb. It is narrated that when Fifqah was

about to deli#er the twins, they were quarreling in the womb to emerge

to the world 0rst. Prophet YaÑqËb played dirty by pulling his brother1s

heel. * )hristians and 'ews belie#e this e#ent is the origin of how

Prophet YaÑqËb recei#ed his name. +owe#er, this #iew is re:ected by

Cuslims for the story portrays Prophet YaÑqËb as a decei#er while he

was a truthful Prophet.

2.4 PROPHET YAÑQÕB’S WILL AND TESTAENT TO HIS

CHILDREN

9nother signi0cant e#ent in#ol#ing Prophet YaÑqËb in the ur!"n that

con0rms Islam as the religion of Prophet YaÑqËb and his descendants

is the will of Prophet YaÑqËb to his children. 5hen he was about to die

lying on his death bed, he called his sons and held con#ersation withthem regarding their faith after he passed away. &heir con#ersation is

recorded in the following #erse of the ur!"n;

D&he same did ?Prophet@ Ibr"h3m en:oin upon his sons, andalso ?Prophet@ YaÑqËb ?saying@; R my sons, 9llah haschosen for you the true religion, therefore die not sa#e asmen who ha#e surrendered ?unto +im@ or were you present

when death came to ?Prophet@ YaÑqËb when he said to hissons; 5hat will you worship after meU &hey said; 5e shallworship your Ood, Ood of your fathers, ?Prophet@ Ibr"h3mand Is"q, Rne Ood and unto +im we ha#e surrendered.G

* Oenesis 7; >



+is children replied the query by promising him a co#enant that

they will remain belie#ers and worshippers of 9lmighty 9ll"h, Ood of

their fathers, e#en after their father death. &his means that they will

single 9lmighty 9ll"h out in di#inity, submit to +im in obedience and

they would ne#er associate anything or anyone with +im. rom this

#erse, indeed, Islam is the religions of all the Prophets e#en their

respecti#e laws di-ered.4

9s the #erses narrate, Prophet YaÑqËb bequeathed the will of

Prophet Ibrahim to his sons as well. &he testament deli#ered by his

grandfather, Prophet Ibr"h3m, to the entire o-spring including Prophet

Ish"q, Prophet Ism"Ñ3l and the others was then deli#ered by Prophet

YaÑqËb to his sons. 9lthough it was deli#ered in the form of questions

instead of an order, the content remains the same as Prophet YaÑqËb

e$pected his sons to remain faithful to 9lmighty 9ll"h e#en after hisdeath as a continuation of Prophet Ibr"h3m1s will to the entire

descendants.8 9s the heir of Prophet YaÑqËb1s prophethood, 9lmighty

ur!"n ; *4(*44.

4 Ibn Bathir, &afsir Ibn Bathir, Sa0ur(Fahman al(Cubarakpuri, Fiyadh,

Earussalam, ==4, #ol *, page 8=H.

8 +amka, Tasir al-A!har , 'uu1 *, pages N7(NL.



9ll"h has honoured Prophet YËsuf by perpetuating his beautiful story in

a whole SËrat YËsuf of the ur!"n.

2.4 PROPHET YAÑQÕB IN SÕRAT YÕSUF

&he most signi0cant e#ent in#ol#ing Prophet YaÑqËb in the ur!"n can

be learn in the story of Prophet YËsuf of SËrat YËsuf. 9lthough Prophet

YaÑqËb is mentioned by name only three times throughout the

narration, he is referred to indirectly another twenty(0#e times. +is

e$ceptional parenting style shines throughout the beautiful narrati#e.

+is prophetic nature is ob#ious from his understanding of Prophet

YËsuf1s future importance, his calm response to the pseudo(death of

Prophet YËsuf, and in his response to the sons1 predicament in 6gypt.

9lmighty 9ll"h presents the beautiful story of Prophet YaÑqËb and his

sons accordingly in the whole SËrat YËsuf in chronological order.

2.%.1 Prophet YËs!#’s &ream and The 'ealo!s (rothers

9s the story narrates in SËrat YËsuf, Prophet YusËf had a strange

dream one night. +e told his father, Prophet YaÑqËb, about the dream

that he saw ele#en stars and the sun and the moon were prostrating to

him. Prophet YaÑqËb knew the interpretation thus warned him not to



narrate the dream to his half(blood brothers for their :ealousy might

:eopardie him. 7

Ceanwhile, the :ealousy of Prophet YËsuf1s brothers aroused as

they noticed their father1s fa#oritism towards Prophet YËsuf.

Subsequently, they planned an e#il conspiracy to kill Yusuf as they

were hopeful of their father1s a-ection after their brother1s death. &hey

promised to repent to 9lmighty 9ll"h after the plan was accomplished.

+owe#er, one of the brothers decided to send YËsuf away rather than

murder him.>

2.4.2T!" E#$% C&'()$*+,-

&he brothers started the e#il plan by trying to con#ince Prophet YaÑqËb

to let Yusuf :oin them for an outing. Prophet Ya!qËb was doubtful o#er

their unusual request as he smelled something 0shy. In the end, he let

him go with a sense of hea#y heart. Euring the outing, the brothers

worked out their plan by throwing Prophet YËsuf into a well. &hey took

his shirt, tear it and stained it with animal blood. &hen, they went

home with the shirt and ga#e it to their father as e#idence that a wolf

7 ur!"n *; 8(7

> ur!"n *;H(*=



had murdered their brother.L +owe#er, Prophet YaÑqËb knew that they

were trying to decei#e him.H

9fter being mistreated, Prophet YËsuf begged his brothers to let

him out of the well, but 9lmighty 9ll"h had a better plan for him. 9

cara#an of tra#elers dropped by the well and tried to retrie#e water.

5hen their bucket was being lowered, Prophet YËsuf held onto the

bucket and was pulled out. &hey were surprised to see him, and then

they brought him to 6gypt to be sold as a sla#e.N In 6gypt, the good(

looking Prophet YËsuf attracted people1s attention in the sla#e market.

6#entually, a go#ernment oVcer of 6gypt bought him to be a ser#ant

of his house.4=

2.%.3 The &esire o# )!lay*ha towards Prophet YËs!#

Wnfortunately, the wife of the oVcer, Kulaykha, aggressi#ely began to

desire Prophet YËsuf, thus she tried to seduce him one day.4* 5hen he

tried to escape through the door, she chased him and grabbed his

L ur!"n *; *H

H ur!"n *; *N

N ibid

4= YËsuf *; =(*



shirt. &he oVcer was seeing this incident, thus she immediately

accused Prophet YËsuf of trying to seduce her.4 Prophet YËsuf denied

the accusation and defended himself. 5hen his shirt was e$amined, it

is found that the tear was seen at the back of the shirt, pro#ing that

Prophet YËsuf was not guilty. 44

In an attempt to :ustify his desire to Prophet YËsuf, Kulaykha held

a ceremony to show her handsome ser#ant to her friends. 5hen the

women were cutting fruit, Prophet YËsuf appeared before them. &hey

were unconsciously cutting through their 0ngers for being into$icated

of his handsomeness. Prophet YËsuf was trapped in this situation, thus

he asked 9llah for a way out. Surely, 9llah had +is own plan. 48

2.%.+ Prophet YËs!# in The Prison

6#entually, Prophet YËsuf was imprisoned for allegedly seducing

Kulaykha. +e was held with two other inmates, the king1s cook and the

king1s cupbearer. In the prison, Prophet YËsuf helped both of them by

4* YËsuf *;4(8.

4 YËsuf *; 7.

44 Yusuf *; >(N.

48 ur!"n *; 4*(48.



gi#ing his interpretations of their dreams. In return, he requested the

cupbearer to mention his circumstance to the king once he was

released. Wnfortunately, the cupbearer forgot about Prophet YËsuf1s

request and he only realied it after se#eral years when the king had a

dream to be interpreted. Prophet YËsuf interpreted the king1s dream,

and then he was released after his name was cleared.

&he king1s dream re#ealed that they will be granted se#en years

of prosperity and followed by se#en years of drought. 9s recognition,

Prophet YËsuf was appointed as the economy ad#isor to encounter the

upcoming drought. 6$ceptionally, he managed to pro#ide adequate

crops supplies for the people of surrounding regions. +is ten brothers

were among those came to him for crops.47 &hen, he made a plan to

see his brother, %unyamin, who was left with their father. &herefore, he

refused to pro#ide %unyamin1s pro#ision as he hoped that they willbring %unyamin along for the ne$t trip.4>

2.%., The -nity o# Prophet YaÑqËb’s Family

In the ne$t trip, the brothers returned with %unyamin. 9s a part of

Prophet YËsuf1s plan, %unyamin was detained for stealing. &hey

47 ur!"n *; 7H(>

4> ur!"n *;>4(>L



returned to Prophet YaÑqËb, and then they came back to reclaim

%unyamin as ordered by their father. inally, Prophet Yusuf re#ealed his

true identity to them. +e forga#e them and asked them to gi#e his shirt

to their father. Prophet YaÑqËb claimed his sight back for he felt

grateful to be reunited with his long lost son and his whole family

e#entually.4L &he unity of Prophet YaÑqËb1s family was a blessing from

9lmighty 9ll"h for his honourable #irtues and characteristics as

mentioned in the ur!"n.

2. THE CHARACTERISTICS OF PROPHET YAÑQÕB IN THE QUR

/0N

%asically, Prophet YaÑqËb possessed four compulsory #irtues ?al-ÎiÉt

al-"Éjibat @ as the other Prophets. &hese #irtues are ÎiddÊ* ?truthful@4H,

amÉnah ?trustworthy@4N

, tablÊgh ?deli#er@8=

and a+Énah ?intelligent@8*

.

9mong these four #irtues, siddi* is placed on the highest priority for

4L ur!"n *; H*(*==

4H ur!"n *N; 8*

4N ur!"n >; *=>( *=L

8= ur!"n 7; >L

8* ur!"n ; 7H



the Porphets should be truthful men who only speak the truth as they

were accounted to deli#er the message of the true religion to the

people. &herefore it is impossible for them to ha#e the contrary

characteristics to those mandatory #irtues2 al-%i!b ?decei#er@, al-

khi#Énat ?betrayal@, al-kitmÉn ?hiding@ and al-balÉdah ?unintelligent@,

as can be found in the %iblical narrations.

Ceanwhile, the urQ"n speci0cally records considerable number

of appraisal and recognition on him for his #irtues.. 9dditionally,

9lmighty 9ll"h gi#es compliments to Prophet YaÑqËb in the ur1"n for

his outstanding patience and wisdom in parenting. Instances, the ur

!"n mentions Prophet YaÑqËb as righteous ?sÉlih@, knowledgable ?ahl

al-Ñilm@, patient ?Îabr @, silent melancholy ?kaÐÊm@, optimist and the

seeker of forgi#eness ?mustaghfr @ as mentioned below.

2.+.1 ighteo!s / ØÉli Í 0

Prophet YaÑqËb was a righteous man who came from the righteous

lineage. +is grandfather, Prophet Ibr"h3m was a righteous man, as

well as his father, Prophet Isaq. Prophet Ibrah3m once prayed to

9lmighty 9llah to grant him from the righteous children as mentionedin the ur!"n;

DCy Ood, grant me from the righteous.G8

8 ur!"n 4L; *==



9fter waiting for years, 9lmighty 9ll"h 0nally responded his prayer by

sending good tidings of the future birth of Prophet Ish"q and Prophet

Ya1qËb, the righteous ones, to the old parents.

D9nd 5e ga#e him Ish"q and YaÑqËb in addition, and all ?of them@ 5e made righteous.G84

9s assured by 9lmighty 9ll"h, Prophet Ibr"him, Prophet Ism"Ñ3l,

Prophet Ish"q, Prophet YaÑqËb and Prophet YËsuf were the righteous

Prophets who called their people to the true religion of Islam. 9lmighty

9ll"h ne#er breaks his promise to his ser#ants for the righteous

descendants of Prophet Ibrahim will ha#e a special place besides +im.

&hey were the chosen ones and the righteous men who were by

9lmighty 9ll"h as +is messengers.88

In addition, 9llah made them as the leaders ?imÉm@ that led

under +is order. +e made them the leaders for the people. &his

recognition was the answer of Prophet Ibrahim1s prayer when he 0rst

lifted as a messenger, which he asked from 9llah to make his

descendants the righteous men. 87

84 ur!"n *; L

88 +amka, &afsir 9l(9har, 'uu1 *L, page >8(>7.

87 ibid



rom the #erse, 9lmighty 9llah stresses that Prophet Ya1qub and

his fathers were among the righteous both in the world a-airs and

religion. &he word ÎÉlih in the #erse may refer to two aspects. irstly,

9lmighty 9llah sent re#elations to them through good deeds and

#irtues, thus they became the righteous men. Secondly, 9lmighty 9llah

called them as the righteous men because they were always in the

right path.8> In instance, they were regarded as the righteous men as

they were always guided by 9lmighty 9ll"h through the di#ine

knowledge.

2.+.2 nowledgable

9lmighty 9ll"h describes Prophet YaÑqËb as a possessor of knowledge

?ahl al-Ñilm@. +is utmost wisdom particularly in the story of Prophet

YËsuf recei#ed compliment in the ur!"n;

D9nd indeed, he was a possessor of knowledge because of what 5e had taught him, but most of the people do notknow.G8L

&he #erse refers to Prophet YaÑqËb1s wisdom while he ordered his sons

to enter 6gypt from di-erent gates to ensure their safety. Ibn Bath3r

and +amka agreed that the order was a di#ine knowledge granted by

8> Wqail +ussain Wqail, aÑ*Ëb "a Ësu min ah# al-ur.Én, page =

8L ur!"n *; >H.



9lmighty 9ll"h to him.8H +is prohibition of entering 6gypt from di-erent

gates was a measure of precaution to pre#ent them from a spiritual

disease called Mal(ain/0 because of their good(looking appearance.7=

Coreo#er, it was also to pre#ent any pre:udice and suspicion among

the people of 6gypt as if the brothers ha#e e#il plans to the folks.7*

In instance, the #erse is 9lmighty 9llah1s compliment to Prophet

YaÑqËb for his wisdom and the measure that he took to preser#e the

safety of his sons.7 /onetheless, it was 9lmighty 9ll"h1s command to

take the best measure guided by the granted knowledge to deal with

any e#entuality. 74 In addition, it was 9lmighty 9ll"h who granted

patience into Prophet YaÑqËb1s heart to keep guiding and protecting

8H Ibn Bathir, #ol 7, page >L, +amka, 'uu1 *4, page =.

8N Al-ÑAin is the en#ious eyes that can #ictimise the target.

7= Ibn Bathir, Shahih Tasir $bn %athir, 'uu1 *4; >77, +amka, Tasir al-

A!har, :uu1 *4, page =,

7* uraish Shihab, #ol >, page 8H8.

7 Wqail +usain Wqail, page 4.

74 ibid



his sons e#enthough they were sinful of separating him from his

belo#ed son, Prophet YaÑqËb.

2.+.3 Patient / Ø abr 0

Prophet YaÑqËb had gone through hard tests in his li#e as a Prophet as

well as a father of twel#e. +e encountered hard tribulation triggered by

his own sons for se#eral occasions. &he hardest one was the Mdemise1

of his belo#ed child, Prophet YËsuf for forty years.78 Ironically, the

demise was a conspiracy created by the :ealous brothers to eliminate

the pity child from their father1s sight. ascinatingly, Prophet YaÑqËb

has presented a character full of patience and wisdom in encountering

his child absurd and rebellious beha#iours.77 &he patience presented by

Prophet YaÑqËb was a spontaneous reaction which came from his pure

heart. &his is stated in the following #erse;

?Prophet YaÑqËb@ said, DFather, your souls ha#e enticedyou to something, so patience is most 0tting. Perhaps 9llahwill bring them to me all together. Indeed it is +e who is theBnowing, the 5ise.G7>

Patience is one of the main principles in Prophet YaÑqËb1s parenting

style, which further elaboration of this principle will be presented in the

78 9ccording to 9l(&abari, some said 8= years while some said H=

years.

77 Canal +atab.

7> ur!"n *; H4



ne$t chapter of this study. &his characteristic made him able to control

his grief and sorrow in silent melancholy ?kaÐÊm@.

2.+.% Silent elanholy / Ka ÐÊm0

&he patience of Prophet YaÑqËb leads him to hide his sorrow

deep down in his heart. Father than #oicing his grief out in front

of his sons, he turned away from them. +e chose to keep it tight

in his heart and whisper it to 9lmighty 9ll"h and mentioned in

the #erse;

D9nd he turned away from them, and said; D+ow great ismy grief for YËsuf.G 9nd his eyes became white withsorrow, and he fell into silent melancholy.G7L

&he word kaÐÊm is a deri#ati#e of kaÐama which means tying

something tightly.7H In the conte$t of the #erse, Prophet YaÑqËb tied his

grief in silence. &he grief enters through human1s heart2 subsequently

it Xares up and pushes the body to do inappropriate actions. If one ties

the grief tightly in his heart, he is capable to control himself from

committing wrongdoings. Cuslims are urged to uphold the feelings by

seeking 9lmighty 9llah1s fa#our in the way of patience. Coreo#er,

7L ur!"n *; H8

7H Idris al(Carbawi, amus 9l(Carbawi, 'uu1 &hani; Buala <umpur;

Earul /u1man, *NNH, page 4>.



Cuslims are also urged to remember +is grace to him for all this while,

until the hardship and tribulation seems lighter than his grace. 7N

urthermore, the #erse e$plains Prophet YaÑqËb no ordinary

reaction towards the news of Prophet YËsuf1s demise. 5hen he heard

that Yusuf was died, he turned away from his sons to be alone. +e only

e$pressed his sorrow o#er Prophet YËsuf to 9lmighty 9ll"h.

Subsequently, the sorrow has a-ected his #ision until his eyes became

white. rom the medical perspecti#e, emotion does a-ect the health of

the body.>=

uraish Shihab e$plains that Prophet Yaqub left his sons to take

his time alone and complained to 9lmighty 9llah +ow great is my grief

o#er the loss of Yusuf. 9nd because of lot of continuous crying before

the repeated e#ent, he lost his eyesight or his sight became weaker.

+owe#er, he was capable to hold his sorrow e#en how hard he was

tested and he would not do forbidden things. >*

9t the end of the story, Yusuf knew that his father has cried so

much in sorrow o#er the loss of Yusuf for years until weakening his

eyesight. 5hen his father swipe the shirt to his face, his soul became

7N uraish Shihab, Tol >, pages 8NH(8NN

>= uraish Shihab, Tol >, pages 8L>(8NL

>* ibid



calm and his heart became e$cited and happy. &his calmness and

happiness slowly eliminate the weakness in his body and strengthen it.

)onsequently, he got his sight back.> Prophet YaÑqËb1s optimistic

nature was fruitful as he e#entually reunited with his belo#ed son,

Prophet YaÑqËb.

2.+.+ "ptimisti

9l(ur!"n also described Prophet YaÑqËb as an optimist for he always

put his trust on 9lmighty 9ll"h. +is optimistic pre#ailed in his

continuous hope and e-ort to 0nd his long lost son, Prophet YËsuf,

e#en after forty years as mentioned in #erse;

DR my sons go and 0nd out about 'oseph and his brotherand despair not of relief from 9llah. Indeed, no onedespairs of relief from 9llah e$cept the disbelie#ing

people.G

>4

Prophet YaÑqËb1s strong heart brought him to optimistic and increased

his trust to 9lmighty 9ll"h. &he more tribulation came, the stronger

Prophet Ya1qub became to face those hardships as he belie#ed that

9lmighty 9ll"h1s fa#our will come. 9nalogically, the tribulation is like

> ibid

>4 ur!"n *; HL



the presence of night. 9s the sky becomes darker, the sooner the day

will come.>8 9bdul "dir al('ail"ni said in (aatih al-1haib;

DEo not rush. If you wish for the day to come when the

night is still dark, you will be waiting too long because thenight will come darker until dawn. +owe#er, rest assuredthat the sun will de0nitely rise whether you wish for it ornot. &hen, if you wish the night to be back by then, surelyyour hope is futile for it has already passed.G>7

2.+., See*er o# Forgiveness / Mustaghfir 0

9l(ur!"n describes Prophet YaÑqËb as a seeker of forgi#eness

?mustaghfr @. &his #irtue is found on the ending of the beautiful story of

Prophet YaÑqËb and his sons in SËrat Ësu . 9s the story unfolds, the

brothers of Prophet YËsuf 0nally realied their mistakes towards

Prophet YËsuf and asked for his forgi#eness. Prophet YËsuf openly

accepted their apology. +owe#er, they felt that their repentance is

incomplete e#en though they ha#e been forgi#en by their brother until

they seek 9ll"h1s forgi#eness. +ence, they asked their father to seek

for forgi#eness to 9lmighty 9ll"h for their sin. Prophet YaÑqËb ful0lled

their request as mentioned in the #erse;

&hey said, DR our father, ask for us forgi#eness of our sins2indeed, we ha#e been sinners. +e said, I will ask

forgi#eness for you from my <ord. Indeed, it is +e who isthe orgi#ing, the Cerciful.G>>

>8 uraish Shihab, Tol >, page 8NN

>7 ibid



&his #erse presents the gentleness of Prophet YaÑqËb1s heart to

forgi#e his sinful sons and ask for their forgi#eness from 9lmighty 9ll"h

e#enthough he was hurt by their disobedience. +is grief and

disappointment towards the brothers for forty years ended when he

recei#ed the good news of his long lost son, Prophet YaÑqËb thus he

forga#e their mistakes.

>> ur!"n *; NL

Prophet Ya'qub

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