Prophet / MessengerPhase 1 · Adam to IsaMain personality

Prophet Yusuf (AS)

يوسف

Son of Yaqub; Egypt (traditional; date disputed) date disputed

The son of Yaqub whose life, from the well to the storehouses of Egypt, is told in Surah Yusuf as 'the best of stories'. He is the model of chastity, patience in trials, and forgiveness.

Biography

Surah Yusuf (12) narrates his life as one continuous story, which the Quran calls 'the best of stories' (12:3). As a boy he dreamed of eleven stars, the sun and the moon prostrating to him (12:4). His jealous brothers threw him into a well (12:15); travellers took him and sold him for a few dirhams in Egypt (12:20), where he was raised in the house of al-'Aziz (12:21).

The wife of al-'Aziz attempted to seduce him; he refused, saying 'I seek refuge in Allah' (12:23-24), and preferred prison to sin (12:33). In prison he called his fellow inmates to Tawheed (12:39-40) and interpreted their dreams. Later he interpreted the king's dream of seven fat and seven lean cows, planned for the famine, was cleared of wrongdoing, and was placed over the storehouses of the land (12:47-56).

When his brothers came for grain, he eventually revealed himself and forgave them: 'No blame upon you today' (12:92). His parents and brothers came to Egypt and the dream was fulfilled (12:100). In the Mi'raj the Prophet ﷺ met him in the third heaven and said he had been given half of beauty (Sahih Muslim 162). The Prophet ﷺ described him as 'the noble, son of the noble, son of the noble, son of the noble: Yusuf son of Yaqub son of Ishaq son of Ibrahim' (Sahih Bukhari, Kitab Ahadith al-Anbiya).

The Quran calls Egypt's ruler 'king' (malik) in Yusuf's time and 'Pharaoh' (fir'awn) in Musa's time, a distinction some writers note as historically apt. The period (e.g. the Hyksos era) is debated.

Sources & explanation

۞ Qur'an

12:3 12:4 12:7 12:15 12:20 12:21 12:22 12:23 12:24 12:25 12:33 12:36 12:39 12:40 12:41 12:47 12:54 12:55 12:56 12:90 12:92 12:100 12:101 12:111 6:84 40:34

Links open quran.com.

📜 Hadith verified on sunnah.com

Sahih al-Bukhari 3207 Sahih

The Mi'raj: the Prophet ﷺ met Adam, Yahya and Isa, Yusuf, Idris, Harun, Musa and Ibrahim in successive heavens.
Sahih Muslim 162a Sahih

The Isra and Mi'raj in Sahih Muslim, including meeting Yusuf ('granted half of beauty'), Idris, Harun, Musa and Ibrahim.
Sahih al-Bukhari 3382 Sahih

'The honourable son of the honourable son of the honourable son of the honourable: Yusuf son of Ya'qub son of Ishaq son of Ibrahim.'

💬 Explanation Unverified

Engineer Muhammad Ali Mirza's perspective

Methodological note (not a direct quote): Engineer Muhammad Ali Mirza's widely known approach is to build narratives primarily on the Quran and Sahih Hadith, to set aside Israiliyat (Judeo-Christian lore absorbed into later tafsir) and weak or fabricated narrations, and to avoid sectarian framing. Applied to this node: Surah Yusuf and Sahih Hadith are the basis; Israiliyat such as the name 'Zulaykha', a later marriage to her, and exaggerated descriptions would be marked as unverified tradition.

Empires in their lifetime

Middle Kingdom of Egypt c. 2055 – c. 1650 BCE
One of the periods proposed for Yusuf's time in Egypt; the dating is disputed.
Hyksos (Fifteenth Dynasty) c. 1650 – c. 1550 BCE
Some writers place Yusuf under the Hyksos, noting the Qur'an calls the ruler "king" (malik) rather than Pharaoh; disputed.