Yusuf (, ) is a prophet and messenger of God mentioned in the Qur'an and corresponds to Joseph, a person from the Hebrew and Christian Bible who was said to have lived in Egypt before the New Kingdom. Amongst Jacob's children, Yusuf reportedly had the gift of prophecy through dreams. Although the narratives of other prophets are presented in a number of surah, Joseph's complete narrative appears in only one: Yusuf. Said to be the most detailed narrative in the Quran, it mentions details that do not appear in its biblical counterpart. The narrative begins with Joseph revealing a dream to his father, which Jacob recognizes.
In the Qur'an
thumb|upright=1.2|alt=A painting on white tiles|Joseph at [[Zuleikha's party. Decorated tiles in the Takyeh Moaven-ol-Molk in Kermanshah, Iran]]
The story of Joseph in the Qurʾān is a continuous narrative in its twelfth chapter, named Surah Yusuf (). There are over one hundred verses in this chapter, encompassing many years; they "present an amazing variety of sciences and characters in a tightly-knit plot, and offer a dramatic illustration of some of the fundamental themes of the Qurʾān." The Qur'an notes the story's importance in the third verse: "and We narrate unto you ()" (Qur'an, 12:3). Most scholars believe that this refers to Joseph's story; others, including al-Tabari, believe that it refers to the Qur'an as a whole.
<span class="anchor" id="Joseph before the dream"></span> Before the dream
Muhammad at-Ṭabari provides detailed commentary on the narrative in his chapter on Joseph, relaying the opinions of other well-known scholars. In al-Ṭabari's chapter, the physical beauty of Joseph and his mother Rahyl is introduced; they were said to have had "more beauty than any other human being." His father, Jacob, had given him to his (Jacob's) oldest sister to be raised. Al-Ṭabari writes that there was no greater love than what Joseph's aunt felt for him, since she raised him as her own; reluctant to return him to Jacob, she kept him until her death. According to al-Ṭabari, she could do this because of a belt given to her by her father, Isaac: "If someone else acquired it by guile from the person who was supposed to have it, then he would become absolutely subject to the will of the rightful owner."
According to Ibn Kathir, Jacob knows that Joseph will become important in this world and the next. He recognizes that the stars represent his brothers; the sun and moon represent himself and Joseph's mother, Rachel (). Jacob tells Joseph to keep the dream secret to protect him from the jealousy of his brothers, who are unhappy with Jacob's love for Joseph.
Joseph does not tell his brothers about his dream (unlike the Hebrew Bible version), but they remain very jealous. Al-Ṭabari writes that they said to each other, "Verily Joseph and his brother (Benjamin) are dearer to our father than we are, though we may be a troop (). By <nowiki/>'usbah () they meant a strong group, for they were ten in number. They said, "Our father is plainly in a state of aberration."
Plot against him
left|thumb|Yusuf being lowered into a well by his brothers from a Persian 1577 [[Qiṣaṣ al-Anbiyāʾ manuscript.]]
The Qur'an continues with Joseph's brothers plotting to kill him: "In Joseph and his brothers are signs for those who seek answers" (Qur'an, 12:7). Joseph's brothers said about him: "He is more loved by our father than we are, and we are a group. Our father is in clear error. Let us kill Joseph or cast him to the ground, so that your father's face will be toward you, and after him you will be a community of the truthful". One brother argued against killing him and suggested throwing him into a well, said to be (); a caravan might rescue and enslave him: "Slay not Joseph, but if ye must do something, throw him down to the bottom of the well: he will be picked up by some caravan of travelers". Islamic scholar Mujahid ibn Jabr identifies the brother as Simeon. Another scholar, al-Suddi, identifies him as Judah; Qatadah writes that it was the eldest, Reuben:thumb|upright=1.2|alt=Joseph seated on a scale|Selling Joseph as a slave. Painted tiles in the Takyeh Moaven–ol–molk, Kermanshah, [[Iran]]
Al-Ṭabari writes that Judah stops the brothers from further harming Joseph, and brings him food. in the Quran and Potiphar in the Bible. 'Aziz is also known as Qatafir or Qittin.
Scholars of Islam cite this point as central to Joseph's story. Joseph rises to a high position in Al-'Aziz's household and, when his brothers later come to Egypt, they do not recognize him. He reaches manhood, and 'Aziz's wife tries to seduce him. Al-Tabari and others note that Joseph is also attracted to her, and al-Ṭabari writes that he does not succumb to her because when they were alone, the "figure of Jacob appeared to him, standing in the house and biting his fingers ... God turned him away from his desire for evil by giving him a sign that he should not do it."
Zulaikha, the wife of Al-'Aziz, rips the back of Joseph's shirt as they race one another to the door where her husband is waiting. She tries to blame Joseph, suggesting that he had attacked her, but Joseph's account of Zulaikha's attempted seduction is confirmed by a member of the household; Azīz believed Joseph and told his wife to beg forgiveness." According to some scholars, after 'Aziz's death, Joseph reportedly marries Zulaikha. In the biblical story of Joseph, "king" () and "pharaoh" are used interchangeably in Genesis 39 to 41.
The following verses from Genesis exhibit the alternation of the use of pharaoh and king:
Family reunion
left|thumb|Islamic illustration of Yusuf defending Egypt's grain stores with 40,000 [[cavalrymen against the famine-struck armies of a king Rayyan of Hit]]
Joseph became powerful; Ibn Kathir writes that the king of Egypt had faith in him, and the people loved and revered him. He was reportedly 30 years old when he was summoned to the king. "The king addressed him in 70 languages, and each time Joseph answered him in that language".thumb|Upon his return Yusuf (left) is embraced and kissed by his father, Yaqub, who believed his son had died.However, knowing they lied in the past, he does not believe them, accusing them of evil-doing, and goes blind from weeping for his missing sons. Forty years after Joseph was taken from his father, Jacob still misses him, in which the brothers exasperatedly remark, "By Allah! You will not cease to remember Joseph until you lose your health or [even] your life!" (). Jacob sends the brothers back to find out about Benjamin and Joseph. Upon their return, they plead for supplies despite not having any money. Joseph then asks, "Do you remember what you did to Joseph and his brother when you were ignorant?" (). The brothers, realizing his true identity, admit their wrongdoing, and Joseph forgives them. He then gives them one of his shirts to offer Jacob.
Joseph's entire family arrives in Egypt, and he raises his parents to his throne beside him as a sign of affection and esteem. His childhood dream comes true when he sees his parents and eleven brothers prostrating themselves before him in love, welcome and respect. Ibn Kathir writes that his mother had died, but al-Ṭabari says that she was alive.
Legacy
thumb|Miniature depicting Joseph with his father Jacob and brothers in Egypt from [[Zubdat-al Tawarikh in the Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum in Istanbul, dedicated to Sultan Murad III in 1583]]
Joseph is revered in Islamic history. Descended from the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, he also has the gift of prophecy. According to Kisai, one of the foremost biographers of the Quranic prophets, Joseph was given a staff of light with five branches. On the first branch was written "Abraham, friend of God," on the second, "Isaac, pure of God," on the third, "Ishmael, sacrifice of God", on the fourth, "Jacob, Israelite of God," and on the fifth, "Joseph, Righteous of God."
The Quranic story of Joseph may be one of the book's most detailed accounts of the life of a prophet. Joseph symbolizes beauty, and is admired as a preacher of Islam who is strongly committed to God and tries to persuade people to follow the path of righteousness. The Quran recounts Joseph's declaration of faith:
Joseph is described as having the three characteristics of the ideal statesman: pastoral ability (developed when he was young and in charge of his father's flocks); household management (from his time in Potiphar's house) and self-control, as seen on a number of occasions: "He was pious and God fearing, full of temperance, ready to forgive, and displayed goodness to all people."
Commentaries
Joseph is largely absent from the hadith. Discussions, interpretations and retellings of his life may be found in tafsir, histories by al-Ṭabarī, Ibn Kat̲h̲īr and others, and in the poetry and pietistic literature of a number of religions. According to Ja'far al-Sadiq, a great-grandson of Muhammad and prominent source of hadith, Joseph was righteous and moral.
Joseph is a model of virtue and wisdom in spiritual literature, extolled in Ṣūfī works such as Abū Naṣr al-Sarrād̲j̲'s K. al-Lumaʿ as a paragon of forgiveness. "He also epitomizes the chastity that is based on complete trust in God, for it was his absolute piety that prompted God to personally intervene to prevent him from the transgression of succumbing to sexual temptation." Joseph is an archetype of wisdom and faith, although still human (as in his interactions with his brothers in Egypt). His beauty is frequently noted, especially in post-Qurānic literature. According to Firestone in the Encyclopaedia of Islam, "His beauty was so exceptional that the behavior of the wife of al-ʿAzīz is forgiven, or at least mitigated, because of the unavoidably uncontrollable love and passion that his countenance would rouse in her. Such portrayals are found in many genres of Islamic literatures, but are most famous in Nūr al-Dīn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān Dijāmī's [q.v.] Yūsuf wa Zulayk̲h̲ā, which incorporates many of the motifs and attributes associated with his beauty in earlier works."
Persian commentaries
Farsi tafsir vary in the extent to which they include explanatory discussions and Arabic questions, and some Persian commentaries on Joseph resemble their Arabic counterparts. Other commentaries consist mainly of a translation of the verses and storytelling, unlike al–Tabari's style. Mystical readings of Joseph from the six6th century AH (12th century CE) tafsir of Maybundi are examples of this influence.
Storytelling becomes more prominent in Persian tafsir, which are known for their colorful, dramatic depiction of scenes in the narrative. Often described as "lively," it can be seen in Joseph's interactions with his brothers. Another example of Persian expansion of the story is when the brothers realize that Joseph is going to keep Benjamin in Egypt. One of the brothers, often Reuben, threatens Joseph that he will yell so loudly that every pregnant woman would immediately give birth.
Sufi commentaries
Sufi tradition focuses on the lessons and deeper meanings "that may be elicited from the Qur'anic verses and the story of Joseph provides them with ample scope to draw lessons of mystical, ethical and theological and metaphysical significance." Similar styles of meter and form translated easily between the two. The poet D̲j̲āmī is known for his reflections on stories such as Yusuf and Zulaikha, which were made accessible in Hebrew transliteration and are preserved.
Medieval Muslim retellings of Sūrat Yūsuf
The story of Joseph has been widely retold and influential in the Muslim world. The story has attracted extra elements which have become common in Islamic tradition. For example, the wolf whom Joseph's brothers accuse of killing Joseph miraculously speaks to Jacob, revealing the true story. In the versions known as Yūsuf and Zulkaykha, Joseph eventually marries his one-time seductress, the wife of Potiphar.
The following retellings of Joseph's story are based fairly closely on the Quranic Sūrat Yūsuf, unlike the more divergent Yūsuf and Zulkaykha narratives, and are stand-alone texts, unlike the Qiṣaṣ al-anbiyāʾ, which recount Joseph's life as part of a larger collection of prophets' biographies.
{| class="wikitable"
!author (where known)
!title
!date (CE)
!language
!modern translation
|-
|Qul Ğəliy
|Kyssa'i Yusuf
|1233 (supposedly)
|Old Tatar
|English
|-
|Şeyyad Ḥamza
|Destān-ı Yūsuf
|thirteenth-century
|Turkish
|English
|-
|
|Poema de Yuçuf
|fourteenth-century
|Aragonese
|
|-
|
|The Story of Joseph in Arabic Verse
|Middle Arabic
|Arabic
|English
|-
|al-Awsī
|Zahr al-kumām fī qiṣṣat Yūsuf ʿalayhi al-salām
|before 1350
|Arabic
|
|-
|
|Story of Joseph in Geneva, Bibliothèque de Genève, MS oriental 13
|seventeenth-century
|Arabic
|French
|}
Gender and sexuality
The story of Joseph provides insight into Quranic models of sexuality and gender and an understanding of hegemonic masculinity. A prophet very different from other prophets in the Quran is encountered in the surah, but all prophets are chosen to guide other humans to God.