Surah Yusuf is the only surah devoted entirely to the story of the prophet Yusuf, peace be upon him: it is the longest story in the Qur’an. It is one of the Mi’in given to the Prophet ﷺ in place of the Psalms, and Umar ibn al-Khattab recited it so often in the dawn prayer that some learnt it from him. Revealed to console the Prophet ﷺ, it shows how gently Allah guides His allies to a happy end.
It is the only surah devoted to the story of Yusuf, which is not told elsewhere; no prophet’s story is told in the Qur’an at such length: it is the longest story in the Qur’an.
It is one of the Mi’in given to the Prophet ﷺ in place of the Psalms, according to the hadith of Wathilah ibn al-Asqa’.
Abdullah ibn Amir ibn Rabi’ah said he learnt Surah Yusuf and Surah Al-Hajj only from Umar, so often did he recite them in the dawn prayer; Umar sometimes recited it in the first rak’ah, so that the people could gather.
Authentic (sahih)Abd ar-Razzaq (2714) and Ibn Abi Shaybah (1/389) Authentic (sahih)Al-Bukhari (3700)
It was revealed during a hard period for the Prophet ﷺ, after the death of his uncle Abu Talib and his wife Khadijah, and was one of his greatest consolations. Ibn Ashur notes that its revelation, before any contact with the Jews of Medina, is a great miracle: Allah informed him of the history of earlier peoples.
Arabic text, translation, reference and authenticity grade of each hadith.
أعطيت مكان التوراة السبع الطوال، ومكان الزبور المئين، ومكان الإنجيل المثاني، وفضلت بالمفصل.
I was given the seven long ones in place of the Torah, the Mi’in in place of the Psalms and the Mathani in place of the Gospel, and I was favoured with the Mufassal.
ما حفظت سورة يوسف وسورة الحج إلا من عمر، من كثرة ما كان يقرؤهما في صلاة الفجر فقال: كان يقرأهما قراءة بطيئة.
I only learnt Surah Yusuf and Surah Al-Hajj from Umar, so often did he recite them in the dawn prayer; and he added: he recited them slowly.
وكان إذا مر بين الصفين قال: استووا حتى إذا لم ير فيهم خللًا تقدم فكبر، وربما قرأ سورة يوسف أو النحل أو نحو ذلك في الركعة الأولى حتى يجتمع الناس
When he passed between the rows he would say: “Straighten up!”; when he saw no gap among them he would step forward and say the takbir. Sometimes he would recite Surah Yusuf, An-Nahl or the like in the first rak’ah, so that the people could gather.
Main purpose: To draw lessons from the gentleness with which Allah guides His allies, establishes them and grants them a happy end.
Surah Yusuf is Meccan; twelfth in the order of the Qur’an and fifty-third in the order of revelation, it was revealed after Hud and has one hundred and eleven verses. Its only name is “Yusuf”, as it tells his story with his brothers, the governor’s wife and the king of Egypt; his name occurs elsewhere only twice. The sound view is that it is wholly Meccan. According to a report from Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas, the Companions said: “O Messenger of Allah, if only you would tell us stories!”, and it was revealed.
The full Arabic text: introduction, virtues, themes, and a study of the chain and authenticity of each hadith.
