“Yûsuf’s story was meant to comfort the Prophet, but it was also meant to bring relief to the believers. The Companions were suffering through mental, physical and emotional persecution. It was incredibly painful and difficult for them and they asked the Prophet for stories; they were looking for uplifting. And that comfort came in the form of the story of Yûsuf, revealed to Prophet Muhammad.

Yûsuf was abandoned by his brothers: Not only did they contemplate murdering him, but they also forced their young brother into a well and deserted him. He was sold into slavery. He consistently dealt with the flirtations of his master’s wife, culminating in her unabashed calling him to have a sexual relationship with her. He was the subject of gossip in an entire town; he dealt with the interest of an entire group of women; he was thrown into jail and then forgotten there. He dealt with trial upon trial, test upon test. When one difficulty passed, in its place came another. And yet, in the end (as we will discuss, inshâ’Allah, in this tafsîr series), he not only became a ruler, but also he was reunited with his entire family in love, in dignity and honor, and in wholesome acceptance by the very brothers who forced him out of their lives.”