The Story of Joseph in the Quran
Maulana Dr. Waffie Mohammed
Surah Joseph is the twelfth Chapter of the Holy Qur'an, and is the only Chapter which deals with the life and mission of a single personality. This Chapter was revealed at Makkah just before the Prophet (pboh) migrated to Madinah, and after the death of his dear wife Khadija and his uncle. Joseph was the son of Jacob who was the son of Isaac who was the son of Abraham.
When the question was asked to the Prophet (pboh), i.e. tell us about Joseph? He replied to them that he had no knowledge, as he had not received any revelation about this Messenger of Allah so far about him.
The revelation of Surah Joseph had the opposite effect to what was anticipated by the Jews, as it turned out that they felt embarrassed when the whole mission about Joseph's life was revealed to them. Baihaiqi reported that many of them accepted Islam as a result of the revelation of this Chapter as they found that it contained all the facts as they knew them plus more than what is mentioned in the Bible.
The revelation of the entire life of Joseph establishes a fact that Prophet Muhammad (pboh) was not taught by any mortal, as this Chapter has much more about Joseph than what the Jews knew. Besides, it gives a completely different philosophy of the purpose of migration of Jacob and his family. For example, you will find that the story in the Bible tends to establish a bias in favour of the Israelites as being superior to the Egyptians. Joseph is depicted as a selfish monarch snatching away the wealth of the people of Egypt, and putting his family in key positions in the administration of Egypt.
This Chapter is important as it establishes some similarities between the lives of Joseph and Prophet Muhammad (pboh). It identifies the problems that a person faces in the different stages in life; and it places on record the migration of Jacob and his family to Egypt, from where the twelve tribes of Israel really became a reality. It is called ahsanul qasas; meaning the best of narrations.
