The Story of Prophet Joseph ON HOLD

Chapter 1

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Especially Merciful.

As stated in my Introduction, my book on The Story of Prophet Joseph will be based entirely on the final scripture to humanity, the Quran.

I believe that for you to deeply appreciate the importance of the Arabic language for which the Quran was revealed in, it is important that I briefly explain the history of this amazing language for those of you who are not cognizant of it.

Arabic is a Semitic language like Hebrew and Aramaic, and like its sister languages, it has a unique alphabet and grammar system. Arabic is such an incredibly rich linguistic communication tool, and the English translations of this holy book do not do justice to the miracle that the Quran is.

The Quran is the greatest miracle of Prophet Mohammad ﷺ. Let me write that again. The Quran is the greatest miracle of Prophet Mohammad ﷺ. The next question to ask is WHY? Why not a miracle like that given to Prophets before him. The next question could be, what is IN this holy book that makes it just that – a miracle. This answer only becomes evident when the reader can comprehend the message of the book. That understanding, OF the message, informs his/her actions in life on a practical level.

For an example, let us take the simple act of stopping for a RED light while driving or walking down a street. You might have learned in elementary school how to recite off-hand red means stop, yellow means to pause (or slow down), and green means go. However, it is only when you comprehend the meaning BEHIND the colors that understanding then INFORMS your behavior that prompts you stop at red, pause at yellow and go at green. Arabic, as I have stated before, is the language that the Quran was revealed in. There are millions of children and adults who have memorized the entire Quran and can recite it off head, from any page when asked. Does this mean that the reciters understand everything recited and are able to live their lives through the lessons learned in the Quran? Sadly, this is not the case. In some ways, we have become parrots of Quran reciters. Able to recite, but lacking knowledge of what they are saying. In addition, there are also others, who are not cognizant of this book and that there is a whole chapter, named after Prophet Yusuf, in the Quran.

These are some of the primary reasons for my writing this book. I sincerely hope that through reading the epic story of Prophet Joseph A.S., that it stimulates you to want to delve deeper into understanding the incredible miracle that the Creator left within the pages of this 4th and last holy book to humanity – The Quran.

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Brief Historical Information

The Quran was revealed, through inspiration, to the final Messenger to mankind Prophet Mohammad ﷺ, 1442 years ago by the Angel Gabriel. The Prophet Mohammad ﷺ was 40 years old when he received the first revelation. The period of revelation began in 610 CE and extended for twenty-three years, ending in 632 CE. Muslims believe that it is the 4th holy book revealed from (God) Allah ﷻ. The other revealed scriptures are the Torah (given to Moses A.S.), the Gospel (given to Jesus A.S.), the Psalms (given to David A.S.), and the Scrolls (given to Abraham A.S.).

The story of Prophet Joseph A.S. is in the 12th surah or chapter in the Quran and it is composed of 111 ayahs or verses.

The format I intend to use in each chapter:

I intend to present the story one ayah or verse at a time. I will commence with the English translation of an entire verse, followed by the tafsir (or interpretation) of the renowned scholar Ibn Kathir, and round up with relevant comments from the tafsir of Nouman Ali Khan.