From the series: When the Solution Is the Impossible
Prof. Dr. Faid Mohammed Said
1. The Beginning of the Story: A Child’s Vision That Draws the Map of an Entire Destiny
Yusuf was a child. In the eyes of his brothers, he was merely a boy competing with them. But in the scale of Allah, he was a prophet for whom a story unlike any other was being shaped.
He said to his father: “Indeed, I saw eleven stars…”
That vision was the seed of kingship, the seed of light, the seed of elevation. Yet—as with every stage of this journey—the path to empowerment does not begin in palaces, but through trials. The first of these trials was jealousy… then plotting… then the well.
2. The Well: The Place Where Stories Are Supposed to End… Yet Here They Begin
His brothers cast him into the depths of the well, thinking they had buried his future. But what people assumed was the end was, in truth, the beginning.
Allah says: “And We inspired him: ‘You will surely inform them of this affair of theirs…’”
This inspiration was not yet prophethood, but reassurance—a subtle sign saying: “What people do to you today… one day you will explain it back to them.”
It is the first moment of the “impossible solution”: a child in a dark well… and a promise of future light understood only by his heart.
3. The House of the ‘Aziz: Elevation That Carries Another Trial Within It
Yusuf emerged from the well into the house of the ‘Aziz—from darkness into comfort. Yet not every comfort is safety, and not every blessing comes without a test.
He entered a new phase of trial: the test of position, the test of beauty, the test of a woman of power, the test of threat and accusation.
The Qur’an says: “And she, in whose house he was, tried to seduce him…”
This was no ordinary test. It was the test of a young man—alone, a stranger, and vulnerable.
Yet Yusuf, as Allah knew him, chose prison over sin.
Here lies the paradox:
Sin was the short road to worldly ease…
but prison was the long road to kingship.
4. Prison: Where People’s Lives Stop… and the Destiny of Prophets Begins
Yusuf entered prison not as a punishment, but as a divine gift wrapped in pain.
In prison:
- People learned his honesty
- His gift of interpreting dreams became known
- Two hearts entered his life that would lead him to the king
- His character was refined for the empowerment that was to come
Yusuf said: “My Lord, prison is dearer to me…”
Not love of prison itself, but love of the path Allah chose.
Here appears one of the greatest principles of this journey:
Allah may make prison a path to the throne…
because the throne suits only hearts refined by suffering.
5. The Vision: When the First Message from Heaven Opens Closed Doors
Yusuf interpreted the dreams of his two fellow prisoners. One of them returned to the king—and thus the thread began.
Then came the king’s own dream:
Seven fat cows eaten by seven lean ones—a vision that baffled the interpreters.
But Yusuf—of whom Allah says: “When he reached maturity, We gave him wisdom and knowledge”—
interpreted it through reason, revelation, and economic insight together.
Here the “impossible” takes on a new form:
from a prison cell…
Yusuf’s words become the foundation of an entire state policy.
6. Yusuf’s Vindication: When Justice Descends from Heaven After Earth’s Doors Close
Yusuf does not leave prison immediately. Instead, he insists on being cleared:
“Return to your lord and ask him about the women…”
He wanted to leave with his record clean—firm and transparent. When the truth emerged and the ‘Aziz said: “Now the truth has become manifest,” Yusuf left prison not as a convict or an accused man, but as prophets emerge from trials: pure, honoured, and dignified.
7. Empowerment: When the Prisoner Becomes the Minister of the Economy
Yusuf said to the king: “Appoint me over the storehouses of the land.”
He did not say, “Give me a position,”
nor did he say, “Compensate me.”
He said: place me where I can serve, protect, plan, and lead the nation.
So Allah says: “And thus We established Yusuf in the land.”
From the well… to prison… to kingship.
This was not a logical transition nor a political rise—it was a map of destiny drawn only by Allah.
8. The Meeting with the Brothers: When Wounds Turn into Wisdom, and Hatred into Forgiveness
The brothers came.
They did not recognise him—but Yusuf recognised them. They came seeking food, from the very one they had deprived of food when they cast him into the well.
Yet Yusuf did not take revenge, nor reproach, nor expose them. He said to his brother: “Indeed, I am your brother, so do not grieve.”
And when the truth was revealed, he said to them: “No blame will there be upon you today.”
The same words spoken by the Prophet ﷺ at the conquest of Makkah.
Such is prophethood:
It carries no resentment,
harbours no bitterness,
but opens the door to reform.
9. The Final Meeting: The Completion of a Circle That Began with a Child’s Vision
His parents and brothers prostrated, and the vision was fulfilled after long decades.
Yusuf then spoke one of the most beautiful summaries of destiny in the Qur’an:
“My Lord has made it come true.”
Then he uttered the crown of the entire journey:
“Indeed, my Lord is Gentle in what He wills.”
Gentleness is to reach kingship through prison,
honour through humiliation,
happiness through pain,
and safety through the impossible.
10. Why the Story of Yusuf in This Journey?
Because it represents:
- The psychological impossible (the injustice of brothers)
- The social impossible (the accusation of the ‘Aziz’s wife)
- The political impossible (imprisonment)
- The economic impossible (famine)
- The emotional impossible (separation)
Yet it also represents the greatest meaning of relief: how Allah turns the impossible into the most beautiful of possibilities.
Yusuf is the complete “map of the impossible”: from the well, through prison, to kingship.
11. Conclusion: Yusuf—When Pain Becomes the Path to Light
When we read the story of Yusuf, we understand that the impossible is not an obstacle, but a catalyst—not an end, but a beginning.
Allah does not raise a person suddenly;
He refines the heart through trials
until it becomes worthy of the blessing.
And the “prison” people fear
may be the most sacred bridge by which one crosses to empowerment.
Thus the story of Yusuf is completed in this journey:
When the solution is the impossible…
Allah turns the well into a palace,
tears into kingship,
and prison into the road to glory.
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