Turning Hardship into Light | Ep. 6 – From Trial to Triumph

Turning Hardship into Light — From Trial to Triumph

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ. الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ. وَصَلَاةُ وَسَلَامُ عَلَى أَشْرَفِ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ وَالْمُرْسَلِينَ، سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ خَاتَمِ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ وَالْعَالَمِينَ.

We'll continue from ayah number 15, inshallah, and then we'll move forward.

The Brothers Take Yusuf to the Well

Allah says:

When they took Yusuf عليه السلام in the way that they took him — and I mentioned this in the last session that we had before our Hajj break — as they carried him, each one of them carried Yusuf عليه السلام on their shoulders.

The word that was used earlier was يَرْتَع. The word يَرْتَع actually comes from the concept of رِعَايَة, which means to take care of someone. The Prophet ﷺ says:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 893; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1829)

Every one of you are a shepherd, and each of you are responsible for their herd. In other words, everyone is responsible for someone, and you're liable for the way that they are treated by you and around you. So when they use the word يَرْتَع — "we will take care of this child, we will nurture him, we will make sure that he is protected, like how a shepherd protects his herd so that no harm can come his way" — that's what يَرْتَع means.

So now as they're carrying him, as Imam Qurtubi narrates, each one of the brothers carried Yusuf — when one would get tired, the next brother would pick him up. This was throughout the time where the father could see the brothers and the view was clear to him. The moment the view of Ya'qub was cut off — he couldn't see them anymore — they threw him on the ground, to the point that he almost injured and broke his back. This is how they took him and carried him, pushing him forward, hurting him, harming him.

The ayah says "when they took him," but behind this word it's not that they just took him. They forced him. They bullied him, until the point that they reached the well. And they agreed — they were all in equal agreement, except for the older brother, Yahuda — that they would throw him inside the well.

I mentioned this last time as well: the word in Arabic (غَيَابَتِ الْجُبِّ) evokes the concept of a dark, uninhabited well. No one goes there. No one accesses this well. There's no one living around it. It's like a jungle — just as a jungle gives you a feeling of loneliness and fear, the same thing is found in this type of a well.

Divine Inspiration in the Darkest Moment

Allah says: "And We revealed towards him." Does this mean that Yusuf became a prophet at this point? Because the concept of وَحْي is present even for those who are not prophets. Allah says He gave وَحْي to even a honeybee — this concept of inspiration.

Yes, وَحْي refers to revelation, but it also refers to being inspired by Allah. For example, Allah gave وَحْي — inspired the mother of Musa — to go ahead and feed and nurture Musa عليه السلام, until the point that when she feels afraid for him, to put him inside the water.

So this word وَحْي — yes, revelation is for prophets, but being inspired by Allah is something that even you and I can experience. One of the reasons why we do Istikhara is that we are able to get inspired by Allah through an inclination of ours, especially if we are able to do it in the correct manner.

Types of Inspiration: Divine and Devilish

There are different types of thoughts — different types of forces that can try to inspire you. There is a force of goodness, which is وَحْي and إِلْهَام — an inclination that comes from a pure source from Allah. But there is also the force of Shaytan and the force of evil, which is وَسْوَسَة and هَمَزَة.

وَسْوَسَة and هَمَزَة are also thoughts that people may think of as inspiration from Allah. A person may say, "I feel inspired — I feel inspired to do this, I felt inspired to say this, I felt inspired to dress like this." That "inspired" doesn't mean it's from Allah. It could be from Shaytan as well. And the only way to determine whether it came from Allah or from Shaytan is to check whether or not it fulfills the commandments of Allah or goes against the commandments of Allah.

There is no prophet after the Prophet ﷺ, so our inspiration cannot be contrary to the revelation that came to him. People are able to, in certain moments — in this moment where Yusuf was thrown in the well with no one around him, no family, no loved ones, in this moment of absolute loneliness and fear — Allah inspired him.

Often times, a person finds Allah when they're alone. Often times, a person finds Allah when their hearts are broken. Often times, a person finds Allah when they realize that the people around them — who perhaps were supposed to be kind to them — turn out to be the opposite. That's where a person finds Allah. That's when Allah inspires. Sometimes when people who are supposed to help you, guide you, turn out to backstab you, Allah is there to inspire you, Allah is there to guide you.

When we say Allah is there to inspire us, we're not expecting an angel to come swooping down and give us some special revelation. It simply means the heart feels guided. The heart feels content. Ultimately, the goal of every person living in this world is to be able to pacify this heart of theirs. If the heart is at comfort, then the entire body is able to survive. But when the heart is anxious, uneasy, fearful — even the most healthy and secure person feels uncomfortable.

La Tahzan — Do Not Grieve

When the heart is at ease — this is why لَا تَحْزَن. لَا تَحْزَن means "let the anxiety go." When the Prophet ﷺ was inside the Cave of Thawr and the enemies had come and reached the mouth of the cave, Abu Bakr commented: "Ya Rasulullah, if they look down, they will see us here." The Prophet ﷺ replied:

Don't fear. Don't be sad. Don't grieve. Because if the heart is in control — despite what you have experienced — you'll still be able to pray to Allah. You'll still be able to read your Qur'an daily. You'll still be able to correctly deal with people even though you feel hurt.

A person who doesn't have Allah in their life will believe that the heart will be pacified if the body is taken care of — the more I can feed the body, the more the heart will be fulfilled. So this person will try to buy things, take vacations, but the heart is still not content. A believer understands that the only thing that fills the heart — yes, we can do all of those things as well — but that which truly fills the heart: even when I'm in a marketplace, the Prophet ﷺ taught us the du'a of the market — what ذِكْر should I read when I'm shopping? What ذِكْر should I read when I am enjoying myself? How do I incorporate Allah into every moment?

Allah's Reassurance to Yusuf in the Well

أَوْحَيْنَا — in this moment of complete fear, this child has no idea what is to come. Allah says: I got you. أَوْحَيْنَا إِلَيْهِ. We find Allah in moments like this as well, and this can only happen if the heart turns towards Allah.

Verily, surely you will inform them about the matter that just took place — whilst they won't know what is happening. Allah is telling Yusuf عليه السلام in this short moment of inspiration that a time will come and a day will come where you will have the upper hand.

Allah understands that we're all so weak. Sometimes when I don't get accepted into a specific program, or I don't get that job, we still require some type of comfort from Allah. Allah couldn't let Yusuf struggle and not inform him of anything — and Allah would have been just in doing so. But human beings, because we're weak, there's a level of comfort that we require. We're مَأْنُوس. إِنْسَان comes from the root letters of أُنْس. We require compassion. We require this relationship that we have with our spouses, our children, our father, our mother, our friends. This gives us أُنْس. So Allah is giving him أُنْس: look, a day will come that you will inform them of بِأَمْرِهِمْ هَذَا — of all of this.

The Word Naba' — Significant News

In the word نَبَأ in Arabic — for example, we have:

The word نَبَأ means two things — it has two unique elements. There are other words in Arabic that also mean news; خَبَر is one of them, which is perhaps more common. But نَبَأ is also the word that is the base of نَبِيّ — of prophets.

The two unique elements of نَبَأ are: number one, that there is only one access point for this information — only one source. That's why they're called نَبِيّ. عَنِ النَّبَإِ الْعَظِيمِ is referring to the Day of Judgment, because the only access to this information independently and solely is Allah. Everything else — Allah also gave that knowledge to people. But there are five things He kept for Himself that no one else has access to.

So over here: no one else will have access to this story except for you, Yusuf. That's نَبَأ. The second unique element is that نَبَأ always refers to significant news. If you have access to something trivial and mundane, you don't use the word نَبَأ for that. نَبَأ is something significant — and this is significant: that you will be able to inform them of their betrayal against you.

The Du'a Taught by Jibreel in the Well

The story I mentioned in the last session — he started speaking to his brothers and the brothers started responding back. Then Jibreel came and taught him multiple du'as, some lengthy, some short. As he's making these du'as and calling out to his brothers, Yusuf عليه السلام says to them:

When you are together, remember that I'm alone. When you start eating, remember that I'm hungry. When you have drinks, remember that I'm going to be thirsty. He's speaking to them and trying to make them feel guilty — "perhaps you should take me out of this well."

Finally, Jibreel comes to him and says:

Forget about these people — now you call only towards Allah. Then he taught him this du'a and said to him:

O the One who is the comfort for those who are isolated. O the One who is the companion for those who have no companions. O the One who provides shelter for every person who is afraid. O the One who can remove any calamity from those who are afflicted. O the One who knows about each person who is calling towards Him in solitude. O the One to whom all complaints ultimately reach. O the One present in every gathering. O the Ever-Living, O the Self-Sustaining.

After he makes this du'a, the angels in the heavens start speaking to each other and turn towards Allah and say:

O Allah, we hear this voice, we hear this prayer — the voice is a voice of a child, but the prayer is like the prayer of a prophet. No one would know how to make this prayer unless they were a prophet. No one would call upon You with such sincerity unless they were a prophet. But the voice is the voice of a child.

The Deeper Lesson: Every Well Is Different

We learn from this as well that even in those moments — why would Allah teach us a story of a brother being thrown into a well all alone? Not because we will be thrown into a well, but because all wells will be different. For some of us it might be getting laid off. For some of us it might be struggling with your children and feeling like you're in a well because literally no one can help you. There are times when people who are close to us betray us, and in that moment Allah is teaching us through the story of Yusuf عليه السلام: regardless of what type of betrayal you dealt with — and of course there is nothing worse than betrayal from those who are close to you — Allah will inspire us to make our own du'a. Allah will inspire us to find our own openings.

It is a sign of a munafiq that you cannot trust them. The Prophet ﷺ said that before the time of the Day of Judgment, amongst the most common signs is that you will not find people that you can trust — not with your wealth, you can't even trust them with your secrets. The Prophet ﷺ said:

(Sunan Abi Dawud, Hadith 4869)

The gatherings are entrusted — whatever is spoken in that gathering should not be shared anywhere else. And that is not something which has to be stated; that is the default. If it took place in a closed room, it was supposed to stay in that closed room as well. But if people do experience betrayal, Yusuf عليه السلام taught us that at that point Allah will inspire us to make our own du'a, and Allah will inspire us to find openings for ourselves.

The Brothers Return to Their Father

They come back late at night. Why would they come back at night? Because the sinners find their opening at night time to sin, whereas the believers find an opportunity to obey Allah inside of their homes. This is why the Prophet ﷺ says:

(Musnad Ahmad, Hadith 3672; also narrated in various collections)

There is nothing good to be done after Isha — no idle talk, no benefit. Especially right now in the summer because Isha is so late, there is not much we can do, so when a person is outside after Isha there is not much goodness to come from it. Of course, if someone is involved in acts of obedience — visiting people, serving people, praying Isha in the masjid, reading Qur'an, studying knowledge — this is all virtuous. But if there is no virtuous thing to do, then we should be in our homes at that time.

People are working, some people have night shift — that's perfectly fine. But these brothers come back at night time. This is when the devils come out. We know how to tell children not to play outside after Maghrib, but we forget that we are not immune to the impact of the shayateen as well. Yes, children can be physically impacted, but adults feel them as well — we are spiritually impacted if we are spending time out at night after Isha.

Again, I am not saying this as if we are not allowed to be out. But the idea is: if we are out at some random time, in a coffee shop, sitting with people speaking — perhaps we should find that somewhat detestable according to our Shari'ah. That's not that encouraged. There is nothing good coming from that at that time. That is not a time to make decisions that can save the Ummah — you can't be smoking hookah and speaking about how we can liberate Palestine, because then you won't wake up for Fajr. What liberation is there if one can't liberate their soul from disobeying Allah in the morning?

That's what happens late at night. The shayateen are out there — that's their time to attack. Conversations of نَمِيمَة and غِيبَة — gossiping, backbiting, conversations about people — they happen at night time because everyone's guard is down. It's better not to have those gatherings.

A believer finds those opportunities in the middle of the night to pray to Allah — that's what they want to do.

They come at night time in the state of crying. Not every teardrop is a sign of remorse — anyone can cry for us, anyone can post for us. That doesn't mean much. It's about whether or not it can actually transform us. So they're crying and acting as if they are actually sad.

Judging by Appearances — Not Assuming the Worst

That we went out and we were competing — نَسْتَبِق means we were racing, we were competing in sports. This comes from the word سَبَقَ, which means to proceed. "We were competing in different games and different sports, and we left Yusuf with all of our luggage — because he is much younger than us and couldn't compete with us, we just asked him to stay there. And as he was there, a wolf came by and devoured him."

This is how they spoke to their father, but in the تَفْسِير the details mentioned are far more descriptive. It is narrated that when Ya'qub عليه السلام saw the sons show up and heard them cry, he said: مَا بِكُمْ؟ — "What's going on? Why are you crying?" And as they're struggling to respond, the father surveys the children.

When you love someone, you can find them in a pack of a million. Hajj is probably the best example of that — people are able to find their loved ones despite there being a million people walking. That's what love does. The father loves Yusuf more than anything else in this world, and his heart is looking for him and his eyes are searching for him. When he doesn't find him, he says:

أَيْنَ ثَمَرَةُ فُؤَادِي؟ أَيْنَ قُرَّةُ عَيْنِي؟ — "Where is the source of comfort of my heart? Where is the coolness of my eyes?"

قُرَّةُ عَيْن means: when I look at this person or this thing, it brings comfort to me, it makes me forget about all my difficulties. The Prophet ﷺ says:

(Sunan al-Nasa'i, Hadith 3940; also narrated in Musnad Ahmad)

The coolness of my eyes — that which removes the discomfort I am experiencing — is found in prayer. This is why at any moment in his life when something difficult came his way, the Prophet ﷺ would rush towards prayer, because for him that was قُرَّةُ عَيْن. Like if you have someone you are very close to — when you're struggling, you just want to hug that person. That's قُرَّةُ عَيْن for that individual.

أَيْنَ قُرَّةُ عَيْنِي؟ أَيْنَ قِطْعَةُ قَلْبِي؟ — "Where is the coolness of my eyes? Where is the peace of my heart?" And they respond, saying: أَكَلَهُ الذِّئْبُ وَمَاتَ — "A wolf ate him and he's dead." In that moment, he screams and passes out. They try to bring him back, he comes back to consciousness, and again he asks one more time where his son is. They say the same thing, and he passes out a second time. This happens three times.

Spirituality Does Not Eliminate Pain — It Accelerates Recovery

Spirituality and religiosity don't stop a person from experiencing the heartache and pain like anyone else would experience it. What it does is accelerate the response time — the response that is beloved to Allah. But the actual moment of pain is present in each and every one of us the same way. The heartache of a prophet losing his son is like any father losing his son. It's not that because he was a prophet his love for Allah would overwhelm his sadness of losing his son — no. The loss is a loss, but spirituality accelerates the recovery.

It's an insurance policy. Having salat in your life and having Allah in your life is an insurance policy — for the آخِرَة for sure, but even for the dunya. We ask Allah for عَافِيَة and ease our entire lives. But when we do experience a moment we weren't prepared for — what does an insurance policy do? You pay your premium every single month, and you might never actually need it. But if one day you tear your ACL while playing basketball or soccer, and you're going to be charged $15,000 or $20,000 for a surgery — you're not worried, because you've been paying your insurance policy.

Similarly, there will be a moment in my life where Allah will challenge and test me. But if I haven't built a relationship with Allah till that point — if I haven't been paying my dues through five daily prayers, through my daily recitation — then I won't have something to pull me back up. Because at that moment, either you drown or you're able to survive. No one thrives in the moment of difficulty; they thrive afterwards. In the moment of difficulty, it's about survival. And how can you survive? How can you protect your tongue? When you first hear about the loss of a loved one, it's about survival — but then afterwards we can thrive. That's when the insurance policy kicks in.

The Brothers Try to Gaslight Their Father

The sons actually go ahead and try to gaslight their dad — the Qur'an speaks about this. They said: "Oh father, you won't believe us even though we are truthful." They can't even convince themselves that they're telling the truth, but they're telling their father: "You won't believe us." And this is actually something children do a lot with their parents. Sometimes when you're speaking to someone and they pass a comment — someone says, "Oh, you didn't know that?" — even that is unnecessary. Calculate your words. You don't need to say that. We don't look for every opportunity to try to claim superiority over another person.

And don't do that with your parents — who may not know the culture the same way, who may not know certain aspects of our reality the same way. We sometimes start a statement with "You wouldn't know this anyway..." — like, don't say that to your elderly 60-year-old father and mother. "You won't understand it anyway, there's no point in me explaining it to you." Say that to your friends, fine — not your parents.

The Shirt That Exposed the Lie

At this point the father went ahead and said, "Okay — can we bury Yusuf? Can we give him the honor? The last right of a believer is to give him an honorable جَنَازَة — to bury him. This is the right of a believer, and that's what brings the most comfort to the family."

This is why the Prophet ﷺ says there are three things that you don't delay: salat when the time comes in; marriage when you find the right partner; and جَنَازَة — we do it as quickly as possible given the circumstances. Because this brings comfort to the person who has passed, and from experience it also brings a great amount of comfort to the families as well. When you experience it, you understand — this is why جَنَازَة is supposed to be done: you are allowing the person to continue their journey.

A home better than this home, and a family better than their previous family. So the idea of جَنَازَة is: we have to do it. "Where is my son's body so I can perform the جَنَازَة?" The wolf ate the entire body — even the bones. So they took a shirt, slaughtered a goat or a ram, put the blood of that animal on the shirt, and brought it to the father. The father said:

"I have never come across a wolf more intelligent than this one — the wolf ate the entire body of my son including the bones, but did not tear the shirt one bit." And this is when he realized that these people were making a plot against Yusuf. There was nothing else he could do at this point.

We'll start from here inshallah. We'll continue from ayah number 19 inshallah.