Yusuf Part 2: From the well to the palace!

In the last episode(click here to read), we saw how Yusuf (as) was dumped in a well by his brothers, and how the travelers saved him

Yousuf(As) in Egypt

As the travelers saved Yousuf(As), they chained him and took him to Egypt.

They traveled for many days and nights through the desert. And after many days of travel, they finally arrived in Egypt.

The travelers went to the market and put the prophet for auction

“Who will buy this handsome young boy?” they shouted

The news spread fast, and people gathered in hundreds to watch the unusually handsome young boy.

The Minister Bought Yousuf

After an auction, Aziz, the chief minister of Egypt bought the young prophet for a few silver coins.

When they reached the palace, the prophet was pleasantly surprised when the chief minister ordered his
men to remove his chains.

Aziz then told the prophet to never betray his trust and also promised him that he never be ill-treated.

“Make his stay comfortable here,” Aziz said to his wife.

“He is such an intelligent young man” Yusuf (as) felt at ease at last.

He knew that he had shelter, and he was well taken care of. He thanked Allah (SWT) over and over again.

It was not very long ago that he was cast into a deep dark well, with no hope of coming out alive. Then he was enslaved, and he was chained. But now, he could enjoy all the luxuries of the palace, and he had plenty of food to eat as well.

However, his heart ached with longing for his parents and his little brother Benyamin.

Yusuf (as) was made the personal attendant of the chief minister’s wife. He was obedient and ever-obliging. With his pleasant manners and charming behavior, He won everybody’s heart.

Yusuf’s (as) Attractiveness

Soon, Yusuf’s (as) beauty became the talk of the town. People referred to him as the most attractive man that they had ever seen!

His face carried immaculate beauty, it was the purity of his soul reflecting on his face!

As he grew older, he gained wisdom and knowledge. He soon became a good speaker, always captivating the audience.

His master realized that Yusuf(as) was the most honest, straightforward, and noble person
he had met in his life. And after some time, he was put in charge of the household, and the chief minister treated him like his son!

Zulaikha

The wife of the chief minister Zulaikha admired Yusuf (as) very much. As she watched him and listened
to him speak, her passion for the prophet increased by the day

The chief minister’s wife could not resist her temptations anymore, and it caused her sleepless nights. She was madly in love with the prophet!

Zulaikha could not control her passion any longer.

The Incident with Zulaikha

One day when the prophet was alone with her in the bedroom, she tried to kiss him!

But Yusuf (as) denied it, as he was an upright worshipper of Allah (SWT). He then walked away from her.

The prophet’s refusal heightened the passion of Zulaikha As he was moving towards the door, she ran after him and caught hold of his shirt!

While she was tugging, she tore his shirt, and she held the torn piece in her hand! Then the door opened suddenly, and there stood her husband and another relative of hers. Seeing her husband, the crooked woman immediately changed her tone.

“Your man tried to grab me,” she said showing him the torn piece of cloth

“you must put him in prison now”

She was now trying to accuse the prophet of molesting her! But the prophet denied it

“It was she who tried to grab me,” he said.

Aziz and her relative examined the shirt to find out who was saying the truth. They found that it was torn in the back. The chief minister then looked at his wife and said

“If he was the one to attack you, the shirt would have been torn in the front. But Yusuf’s shirt is torn
in the back, which means you are lying.” He said angrily

When Aziz realized that his wife had been lying, he apologized to the prophet for his wife’s indecent behavior. He then asked his wife to beg forgiveness from the prophet!

The news of the incident spread in the town like wildfire!

“Look at her,” some of them said, “she tried to seduce her slave!”

Others laughed at her behavior. Zulaikha was upset with people gossiping about her. She honestly believed that it was not easy for any woman to resist a man as handsome as Yusuf (as).

Zulaikha’s Banquet

To prove her helplessness, she planned to subject the women to the same temptation that she had faced She decided to invite all the women in her circle for a banquet at her palace! The banquet was reserved
exclusively for women.

Everyone who was invited turned up for the event, and most of them secretly hoped that they would get a chance to see Yusuf (as)!

Then suddenly Zulaikha decided to open the topic.

“Listen everyone” she spoke to the guests,

“I have heard of those who say that I am in love with my slave” At once everybody stopped what
they were doing and fixed their gaze on the Chief minister’s wife.

“I admit that he is a charming fellow. I do not deny that I love him, as I have loved him for a long time”

Everyone at the banquet was stunned to hear this confession, coming from none other than the wife
of the chief minister!

In the meantime, Zulaikha asked her servants to distribute the fruits among the guests.

After finishing the dinner, the guests began cutting their fruit It was at this moment that Zulaikha summoned Yusuf (as) to make an appearance.

Astonished Guests

He entered the hall gracefully with his gaze lowered.

When Zulaikha called him by name, he raised his head.

The guests were astonished and dumbfounded when they saw the face of Yusuf (as). His face was shining with angelic beauty. It reflected pure innocence, so much so that one could feel the peace in the depth of his soul!

They exclaimed in astonishment while they were cutting the fruit. As all of their eyes were on the prophet, the women began to cut their palms absent mindedly without feeling any pain!

One of the ladies gasped

“This is not a mortal being”, another stammered “He is a noble angel!”

All their attention were on the prophet, and no one noticed the blood flowing from their hands

Then Zulaikha stood up.

“Look at your hands” she said to them When the women looked at their hands, they realized that they were bleeding, and they wrapped their towel on top of it.

“It’s because of him that I have been blamed” she said.

“I do not deny that I tried to seduce him”.

“You too would have been enchanted by him, and see what happened to your hands!”

“If he refuses to obey my order again, then he shall be put in prison” she said to everyone

“Oh Lord,” the prophet calmly replied.

“I would rather go to prison, than committing a sin”

The prophet then quietly left the room, with his gaze lowered.

Conspiracy Against Yusuf

That night, Zulaikha convinced her husband that the only way to save her honor was by imprisoning the prophet.

The chief minister loved the prophet like a son, and he knew that he was innocent. He had never met another man who was so loyal to him.

It was with a heavy heart that Aziz ordered Yusuf (as) to be arrested and imprisoned. It was not an easy decision for him to put an innocent man behind the bars. However, he was left with no choice.

That day, the prophet was chained and put inside a prison. And this is where he had to face his third test!