Yaqub ibn Ishaq ibn Ibrahim ibn Tarakh ( , ), later given the name Israil (, ), is recognized by Muslims as an Islamic prophet. He is held to have preached the same monotheism as his forefathers: Abraham, Ishmael, and Isaac.
Jacob is mentioned sixteen times in the Quran. Two further references to "Israil" are believed to be mentions of Jacob. According to the Bible, Jacob was born in Canaan, the land where his father Isaac and grandfather Abraham had settled. Specifically, Genesis mentions that Isaac lived in Beersheba (Genesis 25:27), which is where his twin sons, Esau and Jacob, were born.
At that time, the name "Israel" did not yet exist as a country. It was later, after his struggle with an angel, that Jacob was given the name Israel, and his descendants, the twelve tribes, would form the people of Israel and settle in the land of Canaan, which would later become the nation of Israel. In the majority of these references, Jacob, identified as a son of Isaac, is mentioned alongside fellow Hebrews as an ancient and pious prophet who stayed in the "company of the elect" and asserted the tawhid (The oneness of God) throughout his life. In Islam, as in Judaism and Christianity, it is stated that Jacob had twelve sons, who went on to father the Twelve Tribes of Israel. Jacob plays a significant role in the story of his son Joseph. The Quran further makes it clear that God made a covenant with Jacob, and that Jacob was made a faithful leader by divine command. His grandfather Abraham, his father Isaac, his uncle Ishmael, and his son Joseph are all recognized as Islamic prophets.
In the Quran
Jacob is mentioned by name in the Quran sixteen times. the earliest event involving Jacob in the Quran is that of the angels giving "glad tidings" to Abraham and Sarah of the future birth of a prophetic son by the name of Isaac as well as a prophetic grandson by the name of Jacob. The Quran states:
The Quran also mentions that Abraham taught the faith of pure monotheism to his sons, Ishmael and Isaac, as well as Jacob. The Quran records Abraham telling Ishmael, Isaac and Jacob: "Oh my sons! God hath chosen the Faith for you; then die not except in the Faith of Islam." The Quran also mentions the gifts given to Jacob as well as the strength of his faith, which became stronger as he became older. The Quran mentions that Jacob was "guided"; given "knowledge"; "inspired"; and was given a "tongue of truthfulness to be heard". The Quran later states the following regarding Jacob:
Jacob and his sons
Jacob's next significant mention in the Quran is in the narrative of the chapter (surah) Yusuf:
:Q12.4 Joseph tells his father of his vision of eleven stars and the sun and the moon bowing down to him
:5 Jacob warns Joseph against the jealousy of his brethren
:6 Jacob understands the dream to signify Joseph's future prophetic character
:7 Joseph's story is a sign of God's providence
:8 Joseph's brethren are jealous of him and of Benjamin
:9 They counsel together to kill or to expatriate him
:10 One of them advises putting him into a well
:11–12 They beg their father to send Joseph with them
:13 Jacob hesitates through fear that Joseph may be devoured by a wolf
:14–15 Joseph's brethren, receiving their father's consent, take him with them and put him in a well
:15 God sends a revelation to Joseph in the well
:16–17 The brethren bring to Jacob the report that Joseph had been devoured by a wolf
:18 Jacob does not believe the story of his sons
:19–20 Certain travelers find Joseph and carry him into bondage
:63–66 Jacob reluctantly permits Benjamin to go to Egypt with his brethren
:80–82 After consultation, Benjamin’s brethren all return to Jacob but one
:83– Jacob refuses to credit their story, yet puts his trust in God
:84–86 Jacob grieves for Joseph and yet tells of his hope
:87 Jacob sends his sons to inquire after Joseph
:88-90 Joseph makes himself known to his brethren
:91–93 He pardons his brethren and sends his inner garment to his father to restore his sight
:94–97 Jacob foretells the finding of Joseph and receives his sight
:98–99 He asks pardon for his wicked sons
:100 Joseph receives his parents unto him in Egypt
:101 Jacob and his sons and wife all do obeisance to Joseph
:102 Joseph praises God for his mercies and professes the Muslim faith
Joseph's story in the Quran opens with a dream that Joseph had one night, after which he ran to his father Jacob, saying: "Behold! Joseph said to his father: "O my father! I did see eleven planets and the sun and the moon: I saw them prostrate themselves to me!" " Jacob's face filled with delight at what he had heard from the young Joseph, and the ageing prophet immediately understood what the dream meant. Jacob could foresee that his son would grow up to be the next prophet in the line of Abraham and it would be Joseph who would keep the message of Islam alive in the coming years. Jacob's older sons, however, felt that their father loved Joseph and Benjamin, Jacob's youngest son, more than them. Jacob knew about their jealousy and warned the young Joseph about it. Joseph's ten older brothers then decided to kill him. As the Quran narrates their discussion:
One of the brothers (usually understood to be Reuben) however, felt that instead of slaying Joseph(Yusuf) they should instead drop him into a well, so that a caravan may come and pick him up. Thus, they asked their father whether they could take the young Joseph out to play with them, on the condition that they would keep watch over him. Although Jacob feared that a wolf would devour his son, the rebellious older sons forcefully took Joseph away and threw him into the well. When the sons came back to Jacob that night, they pretended to weep and they further told him that the wolf had devoured Joseph. To trick their father, they stained Joseph's(Yusuf) shirt with false blood, but Jacob, who had been gifted with knowledge, knew this was a false concoction that they had devised. Although Jacob did worry over the loss of Joseph, he remained steadfast to God throughout his grief. Although Jacob frequently complained to God One day, Jacob decided to send his sons on an errand, telling them to go to Egypt in search of Joseph and Benjamin. His sons, for the first time, listened to him and departed for Egypt. When one of Jacob's sons returned to Canaan with the good news of Joseph and Benjamin in Egypt, he came with a shirt that Joseph had given him, which he had told him to cast over their father's face, to remove Jacob's blindness and grief. Thus, the son followed the instructions and did as Joseph said, restoring Jacob's physical and mental vision.
Once Jacob's sight had been restored, the whole family began their trek to Egypt, to meet Joseph and the other sons again. Once they arrived, the father and son met each other with great love and were reunited in peace once again. The now powerful Joseph provided a home for his parents with himself and, as the Quran says, raised them high on a 'throne of dignity'. It was now that the whole family, together, could turn to God through the prophetic offices of both Jacob and Joseph.
Jacob's last advice to his people
The whole of the Children of Israel were called to bow down to faith in Islam (Submission to God) before Jacob died. Jacob wanted to make sure that his children die only in Islam, and, therefore, took one last promise from them. When he asked them who they would worship after his death, they replied that they would continue in Islam and bow down to and worship God. Although the death-bed scene relates to Jewish tradition, and mentioned in the Book of Genesis, the Quran mentions it to emphasize the notion that Abraham, Isaac, Ishmael, and Jacob were all Muslims, as they bowed down in full faith to God and God alone. The Quran narrates:
Prophetic legacy
Jacob is very special in Islam for carrying on the legacy left by his forefathers. Muslims believe God bestowed His utmost grace upon Jacob and chose him to be among the most exalted men. The Quran frequently mentions Jacob as a man of might and vision and stresses he was of the company of the good and elect. As the Quran says:
Ali ibn Abi Talib, when asked about the prophets who were bestowed special names, narrates in Hadith that Ya'qub ibn Ishaq was known by his people as Isra'il.
Instances in the Bible involving Jacob wrestling with an angel are not mentioned in the Quran, but are discussed in Muslim commentaries, as is the vision of Jacob's Ladder. Jacob tricking Isaac into blessing him by impersonating his twin, Esau, is also not in the Quran, but is in Muslim commentaries.