Sold by His Brothers, Saved by His Lord | From Trial to Triumph Ep. 8

Sold by His Brothers, Saved by His Lord

From Trial to Triumph — Episode 8

The Travelers Find Yusuf in the Well

We begin with the discussion of the travelers finding Yusuf عليه السلام in the well. As the person who was going to draw the water lowered his bucket, he sees Yusuf عليه السلام latched on to it. At that moment, after he says يَا بُشْرَىٰ هَٰذَا غُلَامٌ, Allah says in the next ayah:

That they sold him for a very minimal, very cheap amount of daraahim — a currency. What is interesting here is that oftentimes people refer this verse to the Aziz of Misr — that the minister of Egypt purchased Yusuf for a very miserly amount of money. But the verse actually does not indicate the Aziz of Misr.

According to the strongest opinion, as is mentioned in Tafsir al-Alusi and Tafsir al-Qurtubi, this does not refer to the minister of Egypt — that is the next verse. This verse refers to the brothers of Yusuf. As they noticed, or somehow were able to discover, that someone had taken Yusuf, they followed. They found the people who had taken their brother. At that point, this incident takes place:

They went ahead and sold Yusuf. You want to take our brother? You can take him — but we have to make something out of it. Their goal was simply to be rid of him. They were happy that someone wanted to take Yusuf off their hands without it being their liability. So they said: you can take him, but you have to pay us something.

The Meaning of بَخْس

The word بَخْس in one tafsir means ظُلْم — that they sold him for an amount that was oppressive in nature, meaning he should never have been sold at all. بَخْس also means haram — the money they made from this sale was completely haram, because Yusuf was obviously a free person. And بَخْس also comes from the word نَقَص, meaning a deficient or insufficient amount. They sold him for a very low amount — not that any person should be sold for any amount, but Yusuf عليه السلام, being as great and unique and special as he was, was sold for dimes and nickels.

Ibn Abbas رضي الله عنه says they sold him for about 18 or 20 dirhams. In some narrations it says 12. For a very small amount of money, they sold him.

Why? Allah says:

Because they had no رَغْبَة — no desire to keep Yusuf. If someone came and took Yusuf off their hands for nothing, they would have been happy. The word زَهَد means to abstain or be absent of desire. They were abstaining from wanting to keep Yusuf with them. They didn't want to carry the weight of what they had done — throwing him into the well. The fact that he was taken and was never coming back: Alhamdulillah, he's gone. Our plan worked.

So وَكَانُوا فِيهِ مِنَ الزَّاهِدِينَ is referring to the brothers of Yusuf — they had absolutely no care, concern, or interest in keeping Yusuf around. It's like if you don't want your car or your phone, and someone offers you even a little for it — be my guest. I'd rather you take it off my hands. So they sold him:

They sold him for a cheap and miserly amount — دَرَاهِمَ مَعْدُودَةٍ, dirhams that you could count. About 18 dirhams, which the brothers divided among themselves — two each, since there were ten brothers (Binyamin was not part of it). The narration of 18 arises because the eldest brother refused to take his share. He said: I don't want anything. I don't want my hands to be dirty with this. It is also mentioned that alongside the dirhams, they threw in a pair of sandals. Such a cheap thing — to sell your own brother.

Yusuf's Farewell to His Brothers

The narration in Tafsir al-Qurtubi mentions something remarkable: as Yusuf عليه السلام was moving on and leaving his brothers for the final time, he turned back towards them and spoke to them. The moment he realized his brothers were selling him, he turned and began this conversation. They came to him and asked why he was there. He said:

(Tafsir al-Qurtubi, narration under Surah Yusuf, 12:20)

I came to say salam to you. He replied: I don't want your salam. But I want to say to you — you are selling a free man. You are taking the son of a prophet and selling him as though he were a slave. Don't you have any guilt? Don't you have a conscience? He continued speaking until the brothers told the buyer: please, take him away — we don't want to hear his voice, because they were now hearing the reality of what they were doing.

And before that, it is mentioned in Tafsir al-Alusi that he said to his brothers:

(Tafsir al-Alusi, narration under Surah Yusuf, 12:20)

May Allah protect you even though you have harmed me. May Allah preserve you even though you have wasted me. May Allah have mercy upon you even though you showed me no mercy.

This is consistent with his personality — when he was the oppressed, when he was weak, he had a heart to forgive. And these were not empty words, because it was proven later, when he had power, that his response never changed. Oftentimes our response changes based upon our situation and our level of strength. You know when someone is genuine? When their response doesn't change based upon their situation. I am ready to forgive you even though I now have the power to do something about it. This was the character of Yusuf عليه السلام, just as it was the character of the Prophet ﷺ when he entered Mecca at Fath al-Makkah.

At His Mother's Grave

As they were travelling to Misr, the caravan passed through the land of Kinaan, where Yusuf was from. They passed by a cemetery. He asked the people of the caravan: Is it okay if we stop here? This is where my mother is buried. May I stop to say salam at her grave? They said: no problem, go ahead.

His mother had passed away — according to the most authentic narration — during the birth of Binyamin. So he sees her grave. Imagine: heartbroken, betrayed by your own family, no one to support you, wishing your mother were around.

The narration mentions:

(Tafsir al-Alusi, narration under Surah Yusuf, 12:20)

He did not have the power to hold himself back. رَمَى literally means to throw. He threw himself upon his mother's grave and began to cry, saying:

Oh mother, I wish you could just peek your head out from the dirt. Just look and see the state of your son. See that your son has become a slave.

My brothers were the ones who threw me into this well. There is no one here to help me, no one to forgive me.

As this was taking place, the caravan people began to cry — hearing Yusuf break down, not even knowing the full story behind it. They were just travelers who had picked up what they thought was a piece of merchandise on the road. And they wept.

Jibreel Descends — The Du'a That Shook the Heavens

At that point, Jibreel عليه السلام came down from the heavens and said: O Yusuf, stop. This is enough. And as Yusuf had been doing this:

He was taking the dirt from his mother's grave and holding it in his hands, weeping. Then he raised his hands to the heavens. This is a du'a that is rarely spoken about in the story of Yusuf — yet it is authentically mentioned in the books of tafsir:

O Allah, if I have committed a sin — and because of that sin You are making me struggle — I ask You, O Allah, through Your noble countenance, and through the sanctity and honor of my forefathers who were prophets — forgive me, free me, and have mercy upon me, O Most Merciful of the merciful.

Sometimes people think: I've done something wrong and that is why Allah has tested me. Though that mindset should motivate us, it should never paralyze us. It's okay to think, maybe I can do better. But it shouldn't remove our ability to rely upon Allah. Oh, I've done so much wrong, I can't rely upon Allah. No — it's the opposite.

There is also an academic discussion about tawassul — whether we are permitted to mention the names of others in our du'a — and that is a discussion for the classroom where two valid scholarly opinions exist. Anyone being stubborn about one means they haven't studied the other, because there is enough room for both to be heard within academic dialogue.

When he made his du'a:

(Tafsir al-Alusi, narration under Surah Yusuf, 12:20)

All the angels rushed to Allah, crying before Him. And Allah said: This is Yusuf, who will be a prophet of Mine, the son of prophets. He has called out to Me, and I am the Reliever of those who call. O Jibreel, go down and support him.

So Jibreel عليه السلام descended from the heavens and said:

(Tafsir al-Alusi, narration under Surah Yusuf, 12:20)

O friend of Allah — your Lord sends His salam upon you, and He says: take it easy. Hold back. For you have caused the angels of the seven heavens to weep. Do you want the sky to tear open because of your du'a?

He addressed him as يَا صِدِّيقَ اللَّهِ — O friend of Allah — connecting Yusuf back to his grandfather Ibrahim عليه السلام, the Khalilullah, whom Yusuf had just mentioned in his du'a. Siddiq is a rank of closeness to Allah, just as Khalil is — though Khalil is at an even higher level of friendship, the level that Ibrahim عليه السلام reached. This is also why Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه bore the title al-Siddiq.

مَهْلًا عَلَيْكَ — take it easy — not in your tears, but in your du'a. Hold back, take a step back. Why? Because your du'a is so powerful that all the angels in the seven heavens have begun to cry. That is why He is saying: Chill out. You've been heard.

This is like what happened at the Battle of Badr, where the Prophet ﷺ stood all night asking Allah for support — until his cloak fell from his shoulders, and Abu Bakr had to come and console him from behind. The angels began to cry in the heavens, and therefore Allah sent the angels in support of the Prophet ﷺ.

Yusuf responded:

I have no need of that. I don't want any of that. I'm just struggling with this situation. And Jibreel عليه السلام consoled him. Imagine — the one who comes to console you is Jibreel. Just as he would come to console the Prophet ﷺ, he came to console Yusuf عليه السلام.

All of this is happening beneath the single ayah:

He was sold. And I'm speaking out loud when I say: I'm not sure what was more difficult for Yusuf to handle — the fact that his brothers threw him in a well, or the fact that his brothers sold him as a slave. Like, I understand that you don't want me around. But then to make me a slave? You know who I am. We are from the same family. How could you feel comfortable making me a slave?

So he experiences betrayal once — being thrown into a well. Then he experiences it again — his brothers making a few dirhams off his sale. وَكَانُوا فِيهِ مِنَ الزَّاهِدِينَ — they had no interest in keeping him.

The Journey to Misr — Why Egypt?

The travelers continue until they reach Misr. Why did they go to Egypt? This is one of the reasons why this surah was revealed. The people of Mecca, who were not learned in the scriptures, asked the Jews and the Christians to give them questions that would expose the Prophet as a false prophet. Among the questions was: How did Bani Israel go from Sham to Egypt? How did the people of Kinaan, Palestine, Lebanon end up in Misr? To answer that question, Allah revealed this entire surah.

This is how Yusuf's family began their journey in Misr. If Yusuf had never gone to Misr, we would not have Bani Israel in Misr. If there were no Bani Israel in Misr, there would be no Musa in Misr — for Musa was from the children of Yaqub. We may not have had a pharaoh who was destroyed. All of this was being designed by Allah behind the scenes.

And if we zoom into our own lives too much, we lose our trust in Qadr. But when we zoom out and reflect — Allah put me in that situation, and because of that situation I also received this — we start having more trust in Allah. But if a person always holds a negative view of Allah's Qadr, there is no way they can trust it. Because they have a constant negative thought about it.

Nonetheless, he is taken to Misr. And why Misr specifically? Misr was the economic capital of the world at that time. It is the only city outside of Mecca that is mentioned in the Quran by the same name it still holds today — Misr. Where other countries and cities are mentioned by other names — like Yemen or Sheba — Misr is mentioned as Misr.

Being the finance minister of Egypt at that time meant you were the finance minister of the entire region. This is why Fir'aun would say:

Misr was the grand kingdom of that time — like what people say today about the leader of the free world, or wherever the global economy runs from. So the caravan took Yusuf to Misr because they had other goods to sell there, and they said: we have one more item. Let's make sure to sell him in Egypt — that's where we'll get the best price.

The Aziz of Misr Purchases Yusuf

They reach Misr, come to the marketplace to sell their goods — and with them, in air quotes, this "slave" for sale. The Aziz of Misr — the finance minister, the treasurer of Egypt — sees Yusuf عليه السلام. And he decides: I'm going to purchase him. Though it was very clear that Yusuf was young and looked weak — this was after leaving a well, traveling for many days in the back of a caravan. He looked weak. Yet the Aziz saw something in him and said: I'm going to buy Yusuf.

The Three People of Greatest Farsightedness

Abdullah ibn Mas'ud رضي الله عنه says that there are three people in history who had the greatest firasah — that far-sightedness, that ability to see beyond what everyone else can perceive. Like a scout who can watch a kid playing basketball in middle school and already see where that child will be in ten years.

Number one: The Aziz of Misr. When someone wants to purchase a slave, they want someone strong — someone who can do labor, carry a load, manage. Yusuf at that point did not possess that. Yet the Aziz saw beyond the surface. He said: I see something special. And he purchased him.

Number two: The daughter of Shu'aib عليه السلام, who came back and told her father:

Indeed the best one you can hire is the one who is strong and trustworthy. These two qualities cannot be substituted. الْقَوِيُّ — competent and capable in their field. الْأَمِينُ — trustworthy. Because you can have people who are capable but untrustworthy — and that brings no benefit. And sometimes you have people who are trustworthy but lack the skill set. Both together is rare. Yet this young woman saw it all — in a minimal interaction — and said to her father: I see something great in this person. Go ahead and hire him.

At that time, Musa عليه السلام was a fugitive. Who hires a fugitive? No one. Forget who marries one — who even hires one? He had no references, no recommendation letter, no work history. Yet she saw a man in this brief encounter, and she said: hire him.

Number three: Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه. As he was about to leave this world and deciding who would be the next khalifa, he took shura from people. All of the elite companions — the Ashra Mubashara and the leaders of the Ansar — came and when Abu Bakr gave his recommendation of Umar, they all said no. He's going to be too rough on us. You were kind and gentle. Make Uthman the khalifa. Make someone else. Every single one. Yet Abu Bakr saw what no one else could see in Umar. And that's how that moment became one of the defining moments of Islamic history.

There's a lesson here that is rarely spoken about in the story of Yusuf. We are so used to looking at the surface of people that it becomes difficult for us to see their potential. To the extent that at times it is even difficult for parents to see the potential in their own children — because we're so focused on the now and the present that the potential of a person becomes blurry.

We need to become people who, when given the responsibility and the autonomy to see who to place where, can see potential. Don't just look at someone in a given moment and say: this person can only do this. Yesterday we spoke about Bilal رضي الله عنه — the Prophet ﷺ saw potential in him that nobody else saw. That this slave would one day become the chief of staff of his entire office. He saw that potential.

It can happen with board members, with elders — well, this person has no potential. But see what can take place and support them in that. Because if we only see people where they are, we shouldn't be where we are either. Someone saw potential in each one of us and gave us a chance — at university, at a job, at studying where we studied. Someone invested in us.

And being able to see the potential in someone requires love — either love for that person, or love for what you are serving. The Prophet ﷺ loved his deen and he loved the individuals — so he saw the potential in people, that they could one day serve as well. This is firasah. It comes when you know your field, when you are skilled in it, and when you have love for it.

Honor His Stay — أَكْرِمِي مَثْوَاهُ

After purchasing Yusuf, the Aziz comes to his wife — known as Zulaikha — and says:

Honor his stay. Give him privacy. Take care of him. Which master ever says: honor my slave? The tafsir mentions: treat him as you would treat your own child. Clothe him as people clothe their children. Feed him — because normally a slave would be made to dress and eat differently. This connects to our beautiful tradition: the Prophet ﷺ taught the companions that if you have someone under your care, make them eat with you in your own plate. And if they don't eat with you, at least give them a bite from your own hands — to show love, to show: our circumstances do not make one of us better or worse than the other.

And then the Aziz says: عَسَىٰ أَن يَنفَعَنَا — perhaps one day he can benefit us. I know today he looks like a weak young boy without much to offer. But one day he will benefit us. أَوْ نَتَّخِذَهُ وَلَدًا — or we can take him in as our own child, since they had no children.

This touches on an important point. Adoption is encouraged in Islam. It is beyond us why it is such a taboo to take a child and bring them into your home. The responsibility and liability are understandable — but it is not something the Sharia frowns upon. What is not permitted is tabanni — changing the child's name and erasing their lineage. And there is profound wisdom in that. What did slave owners do when they brought enslaved people to America? The very first thing was to change their names — to remove their identity. This person will never know who their father is. They will never know their lineage. They will never know where they're from. That makes a person feel deeply weak and vulnerable. That is what is impermissible. Everyone should know where they come from and who they are. But to bring a child in, to raise them, to love them — that is encouraged.

Allah Opens the Earth for Yusuf

And thus We established Yusuf in the land — and We taught him the interpretation of events. And Allah is dominant over His affairs, but most people do not know.

The word مَكَان means to make space. مَكَّنَّا لِيُوسُفَ فِي الْأَرْضِ — this is how We opened up space for Yusuf on the earth. Despite his brothers attempting to eliminate him, despite him appearing to everyone as just another slave destined for humiliation — Allah says: No, no, no. See what I did? I made the Aziz of Misr purchase him. I made the Aziz of Misr honor him. We opened up the earth for Yusuf.

وَلِنُعَلِّمَهُ مِن تَأْوِيلِ الْأَحَادِيثِ — And We taught him the interpretation of dreams. The greatest, most revered skill of that era. In our time it might be medicine or entrepreneurship. At the time of Yusuf, the ability to interpret dreams was the most valued skill — which is why later, when the Pharaoh had a panic attack over a dream, they all turned to its interpretation. Some narrations go further: not only did Allah teach him to interpret dreams, but to interpret the reality he was in — to see the goodness within what was happening to him.

Allah is Dominant Over All Affairs

Then Allah closes this verse with:

غَالِبٌ means dominant. He is not attempting to be in control — He is dominant in the control He has over all matters. Nothing is too small for Allah to care about. Nothing is too big for Allah to lose control of.

There are some people who are great at managing small tasks but fall apart when given a large project. There are others who handle large operations brilliantly but can't manage the everyday office details. وَاللَّهُ غَالِبٌ عَلَىٰ أَمْرِهِ — there is nothing too small or too big for Allah.

Luqman tells his son: O my son, if it were even the weight of a mustard seed, hidden within a rock or in the heavens or in the earth, Allah will bring it forth. Nothing too small. Allah hears the footsteps of the ant walking in the darkness of the night where no eye can see.

So وَاللَّهُ غَالِبٌ عَلَىٰ أَمْرِهِ means for you and me: that matter I am struggling with — though people may make me feel it is insignificant — Allah cares about it. The Prophet ﷺ taught the Sahaba, and Aisha رضي الله عنها narrates, that the Prophet ﷺ taught us to make du'a even for our shoelaces. There is nothing too small to ask Allah for. Sometimes we think Allah has office hours — the best time is tahajjud, yes — but there is no bad time. There are better times, but no bad times. Even after a sin, your du'a works. Even Shaytan made a du'a after the gravest sin anyone can commit — O Allah, let me live until the Day of Resurrection — and that du'a was accepted.

There is no bad time to make du'a. There are better times. But there is no bad time. Like how people say there is no bad time to invest in blue-chip stocks — there are better times to invest, but they always move upward. Similarly, غَالِبٌ عَلَىٰ أَمْرِهِ — there is nothing too mundane for Allah to have control of.

Everything happens through Allah's decision and decree. But most people think that they are in control. And when a person thinks they're in control, one of two things happens: they become very anxious when they can't get it done, or very arrogant when they do get it done. Both are harmful.

They think because they are pressing the button, they control it. Allah says: no. I am controlling that button. The people of Ibrahim thought they were in control when they threw him into the fire. Allah says: you are not in control. I am in control.

My father gives this example: a child is asked, how does water come from the pipe? He turns the tap on — water comes. So the child thinks: water comes when I turn the tap. Then he walks into a furniture showroom and sees display taps. He turns one on, expecting water. Of course nothing comes. That's how we think we're in control. If I press this button, if I buy this house, if I get that job — I did it.

Allah is saying: وَلَٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ. Most people think they're in control. The reality is, behind that tap, there are pipes dug into the ground connecting to the city, connecting to the source of water. The control is not in the tap. The control is in what the tap is connected to.

Similarly, the control is not in us. The control is built upon our connection to Allah. And that connection is what the pipes have to the source of water. It's not the tap that brings the water — it's the connection of the tap to the source.

All goodness is in Allah's hands. It's not the job that gives you the money — it's your relationship with Allah. This may sound difficult to accept — but even the work that I have is because of my relationship with Allah.

As for what non-Muslims have in this world — the system of rizq for this dunya is not the same for Muslims and non-Muslims. Allah says:

Let not those who disbelieve think that Our granting them respite is good for them. We only grant them respite so that they may increase in sin. Don't think I allow the people of dunya — the disbelievers — to have dunya because I love them. I let them have it because this is all they will ever have. And in one tafsir it is said: it would not be 'adl — it would not be just — for Allah to punish them in dunya and also punish them in akhira. So Allah lets them enjoy in dunya while they will face accountability in the akhira. The system by which non-Muslims gain rizq in relation to Allah is not the same as for Muslims. In terms of akhlaq — lying, dishonesty — that's the same, because that's part of the law of this world. But not the law of the akhira.

And all of this is under وَاللَّهُ غَالِبٌ عَلَىٰ أَمْرِهِ — Allah is dominant in all of His affairs. However, most people don't recognize it, and they think they are in control.

This is mentioned at the end of this passage because one could think: Yusuf being thrown into a well — he's finished. Yusuf being sold as a slave — he's finished. But Allah is saying: No, no, no. You think the puzzles are falling into place the way you want. What's actually happening is what I want to happen. And he is going to become the minister of Egypt in a few years.

Closing

May Allah allow us to continue benefiting from the beautiful wisdom that our mufassirun extract from this surah. We have covered about 21 verses alhamdulillah, which is a fair amount, and we will keep moving along insha'Allah — continuing with 3-4 ayat every week.

JazakAllah khair. May Allah bless you all.

Assalamu 'alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh.