As with Prophet Yusuf (A.S.), spending years in prison was more liberating for me than physical freedom--during my teen years. I think about that dark period in my life every time I read this story. The words remind me of the safety and freedom I found with Allah behind jail &amp; prison walls. 

That's why this verse  resonates with me so deeply.

Imprisonment is a grim thought for anyone. That's why Yusuf's (A.S.) preference for jail is so meaningful. You're stripped of the simple things that we take for granted in life.  You no longer get to go where you want, eat what you want, see your loved ones, or simply enjoy the small privacies of daily living. Being imprisoned is hard, to say the least, but as Yusuf's (A.S.) words and experience demonstrate, real liberation is liberation from your sin and desires. Being led by your desires is the real imprisonment because you're not physically imprisoned, you're mentally and spiritually imprisoned and that, my dear brothers and sisters, is the ultimate imprisonment. 

When I found myself looking at a 15-25 year sentence at the age of 16, I realized that my mind had been shackled long before my body had been. Being imprisoned allowed me to see that the real prison was the  sinful lifestyle of  gangs, parties, and materialism I had been participating in outside in the real world. 

Stripped away from my physical freedoms, I rediscovered my peace with Allah and it did not matter how many years I'd be sentenced to because the freedom I found through faith and my discovery of  Allah's mercy  and kindness was  greater than any physical confinement. It reminded me that I had a purpose that could not be stopped by my environment.  After all, life does not end because you committed a sin or a crime, or because you're incarcerated. 

Essentially,  mental and spiritual freedom will carry you farther than physical freedom. When you're put in a situation like I was, or when you reflect on the beautiful example of Yusuf (A.S.), you get to see the true value of taking care of your soul. 



I must add that the comparison above between Yusuf (A.S.) and I by no means equate our experiences. While I was incarcerated for very terrible things I had done, Yusuf (A.S.) was protecting himself from sin. His story simply reminds me that spiritual freedom is far more desirable than physical freedom--if it comes down to it.

Jazaak Allah khair sister may Allah bless you with the right path and give you force to face the difficulties with patience Ameen 

There is so much we won't ever know about the great Allah. Here Yusuf prayed to his lord to get rid of the indecent acts of women around him and make him firm on the right path. Allah answered his dua by making him stay in jail for several years. In this way, he was protected from filth and wrongdoings of the women. SubhanAllah was imprisoned to get protection, and it was the answer to his dua. He was patient and satisfied with what Allah decreed for him. 
Quick lesson learnt:  
We always wish for something or whenever we want to get rid of some situations in life very badly. We pray to Allah about it. We must rest assured that his decree might not look exactly what we asked for, but it will definitely protect us from what we want to escape in life. Yusuf was in jail for years to get protection from filth, and once he was out, he was throned as the King. 
May Allah guide us to the paths of the prophet and their way of dealing with situations which are most pleasing to Allah.

#YusufTaughtMe #inspiredbyYusuf

Subhan Allah... prophet Yusuf PBUH is the pure example of chastity العفّة .. he prefers prison to falling for desire, and he called upon Allah swt to protect him, admitting he is weak in front of this temptation... how many of us can do the same ?

النبي يوسف عليه السلام مثال للعفة .. فضّل الشجن على ما يدعونه اليهن ولجأ إلى الله منه واعترف بضعف نفسه أمام هذا الأمر  ... فالسجن افضل من رضوخ النفس للفاحشة  .. فكم منا له ان يفعل هذا؟

While Musa AS chased by Pharoah, and Ibrahim AS was thrown into the fire, an Ayoub AS with illness, and all prophets faced challenges, i sometimes feel that Yusuf's may have been the hardest... a woman beautiful and so powerful that her family is unable to hold her accountable, perhaps she always gets what she wants and a young man so vulnerable living in her residence being threatened if he does not surrender to something every man desires. Yes, Subhan Allah asking Allah to support him through his vulnerability and help him take years in prison than commit such a sin. May Allah swt help us uphold truth and avoid sins with such sincerity and resilience.

desperately trying to get as much as i can from Yusuf's state of mind that made him feel jail is more beloved to him than disobeying Allah.

This makes me think about the layers of protection that Allah has created for us through Islam. They may appear oppressive to someone who doesn't understand Islam.
Sometimes when a woman converts to Islam, family and friends are shocked that she would voluntarily do that to herself, as though she is voluntarily throwing herself in jail. When in reality she is freeing herself.

يوسف -عليه السلام- اختار السجن على المعصية؛ فهكذا ينبغي للعبد إذا ابتُلي بين أمرين: إما فعل معصية وإما عقوبة دنيوية، أن يختار العقوبة الدنيوية على مواقعة الذنب الموجب للعقوبة الشديدة في الدنيا والآخرة؛ ولهذا من علامات الإيمان أن يكره العبد أن يعود في الكفر بعد إذ أنقذه الله منه كما يكره أن يلقى في النار. السعدي:409.
السؤال: إذا خُيِّرَ الشخص بين فعل معصية وعقوبة دنيوية، فماذا يختار؟

في قول يوسف:... عبرتان؛ إحداهما: اختيار السجن والبلاء على الذنوب والمعاصي. و الثانية: طلب سؤال الله ودعائه أن يثبت القلب على دينه ويصرفه إلى طاعته، وإلا فإذا لم يثبت القلب صبا إلى الآمرين بالذنوب وصار من الجاهلين؛ ففي هذا توكل على الله واستعانة به أن يثبت القلب على الإيمان والطاعة، وفيه صبر على المحنة والبلاء والأذى الحاصل إذا ثبت على الإيمان والطاعة. ابن تيمية:4/39.
السؤال: في الآية الكريمة عبر عظيمة، استخرج بعضها.

* يمكنك وضع إجابتك عن الأسئلة في التعليقات حتى تعمّ الفائدة

* للمزيد عن هذه الآية في مصحف تدبر وعمل: https://altadabbur.com/#aya=12_33

#وقفة_تدبرية

We tend to think of Du'a only in terms of us pinpointing a specific want and asking Allah SWT for it. However, studying the following examples show us that, at certain times, simply describing your distressed state to Allah SWT in the most humble terms is enough to elicit a quick answer from Him.

بسم اللّٰہ الرحمٰن الرحیم
 
I want to reflect on these ayaat explaining an incident in the story of Yusuf alayhis salam, when wife of al-Azeez became talk of the town. It's mentioned in the Quran as,

'Some women of the city gossiped, 'The Chief Minister’s wife is trying to seduce her slave-boy. Love for him has plagued her heart. Indeed, we see that she is clearly mistaken'. 

Judging others of sins

Women of the city , after knowing about wife of Azeez, made her a topic of their discussion. They judged her and even passed their verdict about her as being clearly mistaken. What's wrong here is that whenever someone's wrongdoings unfold before us, we shouldn't judge them because judging another person of any wrongdoing or sin comes from a place of considering one's self as 'immune' to that sin. Same women, who mocked and gossiped about wife of Azeez later on cut their hands, upon seeing a glimpse of Yusuf alayhis salam. Boonaa Mohammed said: 'If you're looking for faults use a mirror, not a telescope.' 
People who constantly look for the faults of others and make it a topic of their gossip, deprive themselves of an opportunity to look within, find their own flaws, and to know their own vulnerabilities of falling. Hence, they fall, without recognizing they already have, only to become a topic of discussion for some other people like them. 

Fitna and how the righteous approach it

I learned from this story that one should never deliberately expose one's self to any situation involving any kind of 'fitna', a test of faith.  We human beings are all fallibles. We are inherently weak. We shouldn't rely on our own sense of 'piety' or 'restraint' in this regard. That would be a clear overestimation of one's self control and it might turn around to be a deadly mistake! 
In this story, women of the city, at first, talked against the wife of Azeez and condemned her actions but later on they accepted her invitation and in this way exposed themselves to a 'test' which she was clearly not passing at that time. And then, these women ended up supporting her for something which they considered a 'clear mistake' earlier! 
However, Yusuf alayhis salam approaches this situation in such a meaningful way. It gives me perspective about life. When he found himself surrounded by fitna, he didn't rely on his own sense of restraint, despite being the most innocent and righteous person among them all. Yusuf alayhis salam didn't overestimate his ability to deal with this test and chose to 'leave' that place. He said, 

'I might yield to them and fall into ignorance.' 
He understood the human nature and preferred prison over a test of faith and dignity. Yusuf alayhis salam has set a beautiful standard for the believers to follow. 
May Allah SWT protect us from ending up on the wrong side of history. Ameen.

Wa Alaikum Assalam. 
ان شاءاللہ 

Aways remember, when you spend your time looking for faults in others and highlighting them, Allah saw can cause you to fall in bigger faults due to your arrogance. The woman mocked the Aziz's wife for her attempt to seduce Yousef As, but they ended up cutting their hands accidentally while admiring his beauty,  and then proceeding to attempt to seduce him as well. And when Yousef AS, years later, mentioned the story to the messenger of the King,  it seemed like the old story had spread and become a well known event amongst the Egyptians, and the women who had cut their hands were famous for it.

(فاستعصم) أي: طلب العصمة، وامتنع مما أرادت منه. (أصبُ إليهن) أي: [أمِلْ]؛ وكلامه هذا تضرع إلى الله. ابن جزي:1/415.
السؤال: ما الذي ينبغي عمله لمن تعرض لفتنة أو ابتلاء؟

* يمكنك وضع إجابتك عن الأسئلة في التعليقات حتى تعمّ الفائدة

* للمزيد عن هذه الآية في مصحف تدبر وعمل: https://altadabbur.com/#aya=12_32

#وقفة_تدبرية

An Islamic wisdom tells us 'No one experiencing sadness will read Surat Yusuf except that they will find relief'.  So why Surat Yusuf ?

Amidst all the trials, heartbreak, lies and struggles, Prophet Yusuf continuously and consistently is described as from the 'muhsineen' (those who embody moral excellence).

His brothers throwing him into a well, his separation from his father for decades, his selling into slavery and his persecution in prison for a crime he didn't commit didn't harden his heart or change his character.

He remained from the muhsineen, he forgave when he had a choice from a position of power, he saved a nation from hunger and after it all, he remembered that despite his great suffering, Allah was good to him.

In the face of grief, trials and struggle may we be gifted with the ability to show Ihsan. 

To keep showing up with our best when the world gives us its worst.

Because Allah, in His infinite generosity and grace, has always been good to us. 

And because He loves the muhsineen (those who engage in Ihsan). 

May we be of them.  Ameen.