Imam al-Sajjad (peace be upon him) — Abu Hamza al-Thumali said: One Friday I prayed the dawn prayer with Imam Zayn al-Abidin (peace be upon him) in the mosque of Madina, and when he had finished the prayer and its supplications he set off for his house, and I was with him. When we reached the house, he called his maidservant, whose name was Sukayna, and said to her: "Do not turn away any beggar who comes to my door — give him food, for today is Friday." I said to him: "Not everyone who asks is deserving." He said: "O Abu Hamza, I fear that some of those who ask us may indeed be deserving, and if we do not feed them and turn them away, there may come down upon us, the Ahl al-Bayt, what came down upon Yaqub (peace be upon him) and his family. Feed them! For Yaqub (peace be upon him) used to slaughter a sheep every day and give part of it in charity to the poor, and he and his household would eat part of it. Until one Friday evening at the time of iftar, a believing, fasting, travelling, needy, deserving beggar — one who had a station of nearness and rank with Allah the Exalted — came to his door and said: 'Feed the travelling, needy, hungry beggar from the surplus of your food!' He repeated this several times, and they heard him but did not believe his words. When he despaired and the darkness of night covered everything, he wept and said: إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَ إِنَّا إِلَیْهِ رَاجِعُونَ [Indeed we belong to Allah, and to Him we return.] (Baqara/156), and complained of his hunger to Allah the Exalted, and spent the night hungry, and in the morning he was still fasting, patient over his hunger, praising Allah. And Yaqub (peace be upon him) and his family slept that night with full bellies, and there was surplus food left over from their meal, and morning came. Allah the Exalted revealed to Yaqub (peace be upon him) in the morning of that very night: 'O Yaqub! You have humiliated a servant of Mine, and by that you have drawn My anger upon yourself, and you have made yourself deserving of My discipline and My punishment, and of the descent of My trial upon you and upon your children. O Yaqub (peace be upon him), indeed the most beloved of the prophets to Me, and the most honoured of them with Me, is the prophet who has mercy on the poor and needy among My servants and keeps their company and feeds them and is a refuge and shelter for them. O Yaqub (peace be upon him)! Did you not show mercy to My servant Dhimyal, who is a pure servant of Mine, striving to the utmost in My worship and content with little from the outward things of this world? Last night he passed by your door and called out to you and asked for food, saying, "Feed the travelling, needy beggar," but you did not feed him. He said the words of istirja, and tears flowed from his eyes, and he complained to Me, and spent the night hungry and gave Me praise and thanks, and passed the day fasting; while you, O Yaqub, and your household slept the night with full bellies, and the remainder of your night's food was left over until morning. O Yaqub (peace be upon him)! Do you not know that punishment and trial come more swiftly to My friends than to My enemies, and this is out of My grace and My favourable regard for My friends, and My gradual drawing-on and testing of My enemies? By My might! I shall surely send down My trial upon you, and I shall make you and your children a target for calamities and afflict you with My punishment. So prepare yourselves for My trial, and be content with My decree, and be patient in calamities.'"
I said: "May I be your ransom! When did Yusuf (peace be upon him) see that dream?" He said: "On that very night in which Yaqub (peace be upon him) and his family slept with full bellies and Dhimyal slept hungry. When Yusuf (peace be upon him) saw the dream, in the morning he related it to his father Yaqub (peace be upon him), [saying that he had seen eleven stars and the sun and the moon prostrating to him]. Yaqub (peace be upon him) was deeply grieved by hearing this dream, and it had already been revealed to him: 'Be prepared for the trial.' So he said to Yusuf (peace be upon him): 'My dear son! Do not relate this dream of yours to your brothers, for I fear they may plot against you.' But Yusuf (peace be upon him) was heedless of his father's instruction and related the dream to his brothers." Imam al-Sajjad (peace be upon him) said: "The first trial that befell Yaqub (peace be upon him) and his family was envy. When the brothers heard Yusuf's dream from him, they envied him. And Yaqub's love and attachment to Yusuf (peace be upon him) increased, and he feared that the revelation which Allah had sent him — 'Prepare yourself for the trial' — was specifically about his son Yusuf (peace be upon him). So he showed him more affection than before. When the brothers saw such love from their father for Yusuf (peace be upon him) and observed that he was honouring him, this weighed heavily upon them, and they consulted among themselves and said: إِنَّ یُوسُفَ وَ أَخَاهُ أَحَبُّ إِلَی أَبِینَا مِنَّا وَ نَحْنُ عُصْبَةٌ إِنَّ أَبَانَا لَفِی ضَلَالٍ مُبِینٍ اقْتُلُوا یُوسُفَ أَوِ اطْرَحُوهُ أَرْضاً یَخْلُ لَکُمْ وَجْهُ أَبِیکُمْ وَ تَکُونُوا مِنْ بَعْدِهِ قَوْماً صَالِحِینَ [Yusuf and his brother (Benjamin) are more beloved to our father than we are, though we are a strong band. Truly our father is in clear error. Kill Yusuf, or cast him into some distant land, so that your father's attention may be turned solely to you, and after that (you will repent of your sin and) become righteous people.] (Yusuf/9-8). Then they came to their father Yaqub (peace be upon him) and said: یَا أَبَانَا مَا لَکَ لَا تَأْمَنَّا عَلَی یُوسُفَ وَ إِنَّا لَهُ لَنَاصِحُونَ أَرْسِلْهُ مَعَنَا غَداً یَرْتَعْ [O our father! Why do you not trust us about (our brother) Yusuf, when we are his well-wishers? Send him with us tomorrow (outside the town) so that he may eat well and enjoy himself; and we shall be his guardians.] (Yusuf/11-12). Yaqub (peace be upon him) said: إِنِّی لَیَحْزُنُنِی أَنْ تَذْهَبُوا بِهِ وَ أَخَافُ أَنْ یَأْکُلَهُ الذِّئْبُ [Truly it grieves me that you should take him away, and I fear that a wolf may eat him, while you are heedless of him!] (Yusuf/13). The reason he gave such an excuse was that he feared the trial revealed to him might concern Yusuf (peace be upon him), for he loved him more than his other children. But the divine decree and predestination overcame Yaqub's (peace be upon him) wish, and the command of the Lord took effect upon him, Yusuf (peace be upon him) and his brothers. Yaqub (peace be upon him) had no power to ward off the trial from himself, nor from Yusuf (peace be upon him) and his other son (Benjamin), and he handed him over to them, unwillingly at heart and awaiting the trial. When the sons of Yaqub (peace be upon him) left the house, Yaqub (peace be upon him) became restless and hurried after them and reached them, took Yusuf (peace be upon him) into his arms, wrapped his arms around his neck and wept bitterly, then handed him back to them. They set off swiftly and walked quickly, fearing their father might regret it and come and take Yusuf (peace be upon him) back and not give him again. They went on until they were out of sight, and headed towards the woodland, and entered a forest, and said to one another that they should kill Yusuf (peace be upon him) and throw him at the foot of one of these trees so that a wolf would eat him at night. The eldest of them said: لَا تَقْتُلُوا یُوسُفَ وَلَکِنْ أَلْقُوهُ فِی غَیَابَتِ الْجُبِّ یَلْتَقِطْهُ بَعْضُ السَّیَّارَةِ إِنْ کُنْتُمْ فَاعِلِینَ [Do not kill Yusuf! And if you must do something, cast him into the depths of the well, so that some caravan may pick him up (and take him with them to a distant land)!] (Yusuf/10). Following the counsel of the eldest brother, they cast Yusuf (peace be upon him) into the well, thinking he would drown. But when he reached the bottom of the well, he called out and said: 'O sons of Rumin, convey my greetings of peace to Yaqub (peace be upon him).' When the brothers heard his voice, some of them said we should stay here until we are certain he is dead. So they stayed until sunset, and at night they returned to their father with sorrowful faces, with a self-righteous appearance, and with false and contrived weeping and wailing and tearful eyes, and they said: یَا أَبَانَا إِنَّا ذَهَبْنَا نَسْتَبِقُ وَ تَرَکْنَا یُوسُفَ عِنْدَ مَتَاعِنَا فَأَکَلَهُ الذِّئْبُ [O our father! We went off racing, and left Yusuf with our belongings, and a wolf ate him.] (Yusuf/17). When Yaqub (peace be upon him) heard their words, he said the words of istirja and wept bitterly, and remembered the revelation Allah had sent him: 'Prepare yourself for the trial,' and he adopted patience and submitted to the trial and said to them: بَلْ سَوَّلَتْ لَکُمْ أَنْفُسُکُمْ أَمْراً [Rather, your own selves have made this matter attractive to you!] (Yusuf/18). This is nothing but talk that you say; otherwise Allah would not make the flesh of Yusuf (peace be upon him) food for a wolf before I see the interpretation of the truthful dream that Yusuf (peace be upon him) saw."
Imam al-Sajjad (peace be upon him) cut off his speech at this point, and when the next day came I came into his presence and said: "May I be your ransom! Yesterday you narrated the story of Yaqub (peace be upon him) and his sons, but you did not tell the rest of the story of Yusuf (peace be upon him) and his brothers." He said: "When morning came, the brothers of Yusuf (peace be upon him) said to one another: 'Come, let us go and see how Yusuf (peace be upon him) is — whether he is still alive or dead.' They set off and went, and when they reached the mouth of the well they saw a caravan [travelling from Midian to Egypt] that had halted near the well and had sent someone to draw water from it. The servant lowered the bucket into the well (Yusuf/19), and when he pulled it up he saw a boy clinging to the bucket. He said to his companions: یَا بُشْرَی هَذَا غُلَامٌ [Good news! Here is a (beautiful and lovable) boy!] (Yusuf/19). The brothers of Yusuf (peace be upon him) came forward and said: 'This is our slave who fell into this well yesterday, and we have come to take him out.' And they took Yusuf (peace be upon him) from them and went aside and said to Yusuf (peace be upon him): 'You must either acknowledge that you are our slave, so that we may sell you to the people of this caravan, or choose to be killed.' He said: 'Do not kill me, and do whatever you wish.' The brothers brought him to the caravan and said: 'Is there anyone among you who will buy this slave from us?' A man from the caravan said: 'I will buy him.' And he bought him for twenty dirhams. The brothers had no regard for his worth and sold him for a very small price. And the one who had bought Yusuf took him with him to Egypt and sold him to the king of Egypt. As Allah the Mighty and Majestic says: وَ قَالَ الَّذِی اشْتَرَاهُ مِنْ مِصْرَ لِامْرَأَتِهِ أَکْرِمِی مَثْوَاهُ عَسَی أَنْ یَنْفَعَنَا أَوْ نَتَّخِذَهُ وَلَداً [And the one who bought him from the land of Egypt (the Aziz of Egypt) said to his wife: 'Honour his stay; perhaps he will benefit us, or we may adopt him as a son.'] (Yusuf/21)."
Abu Hamza said: I asked Imam Zayn al-Abidin (peace be upon him): "How old was Yusuf (peace be upon him) when they cast him into the well?" He said: "Nine years old." I said: "How far was it between the home of Yaqub (peace be upon him) and Egypt?" He said: "Twelve days' journey." And Yusuf (peace be upon him) was the most beautiful person of his time in charm and appearance. [Rail, known as Zulaykha, the wife of the Aziz of Egypt, took great pains in raising Yusuf and cared for him with the utmost attention until] he reached the age of maturity. The wife of the king fell in love with him and expressed her love to him and called him to herself, but he refused and said: "Allah forbid! I am from a household that does not commit adultery." Zulaykha shut the doors tight and clung to him and said: 'Do not be afraid,' and threw herself upon him. Yusuf (peace be upon him) freed himself from Zulaykha and fled, and opened the doors, but Zulaykha caught up with him from behind and grabbed his shirt from the back and pulled until it tore. While they were struggling, Zulaykha's husband arrived and saw them in that state; وَ أَلْفَیَا سَیِّدَهَا لَدَی الْبَابِ [and they found her master at the door!]. That woman said: مَا جَزَاءُ مَنْ أَرَادَ بِأَهْلِکَ سُوءاً إِلَّا أَنْ یُسْجَنَ أَوْ عَذَابٌ أَلِیمٌ [What is the punishment for one who intended evil towards your wife except that he should be imprisoned, or a painful punishment?] (Yusuf/25). The king resolved to punish Yusuf (peace be upon him). Yusuf (peace be upon him) said: "By the Allah of Yaqub (peace be upon him)! I have not intended any evil or treachery towards your wife [and it is not as Zulaykha says]; rather she called me to herself with insistence! (Yusuf/26). Ask this child which of us intended what against the other." Allah made the suckling infant speak to state the matter and settle the judgment, and he said: "O king! Look at Yusuf's (peace be upon him) shirt: if it is torn from the front, then Yusuf (peace be upon him) intended the treachery, and if it is torn from the back, then Zulaykha intended it towards Yusuf (peace be upon him)." When the king heard this from the child, he was greatly frightened and troubled, and he looked at Yusuf's (peace be upon him) shirt and saw that it was torn from behind. He said to Zulaykha: إِنَّهُ مِنْ کَیْدِکُنَّ إِنَّ کَیْدَکُنَّ عَظِیمٌ [This is of your (women's) scheming; truly your scheming is great.] (Yusuf/28). Then he turned to Yusuf (peace be upon him) and said: أَعْرِضْ عَنْ هَذَا [Overlook this matter.] (Yusuf/29), and keep it hidden so that no one hears it [and it does not lead to scandal]. But Yusuf (peace be upon him) related the matter to others until it spread, and the women of Egypt [began to reproach Zulaykha and] said: امْرَأَتُ الْعَزِیزِ تُرَاوِدُ فَتَاهَا عَنْ نَفْسِهِ [The wife of the Aziz is soliciting her young man (her slave)!] (Yusuf/30). When this news reached Zulaykha, she invited the women [of the nobles of the town] to the royal palace and prepared a gathering, and readied the utensils for reception and food and fruit, and brought them citrons and gave each of them a knife [to cut the fruit] (Yusuf/31). And she [went out of the room and] said to Yusuf (peace be upon him): "Enter their gathering." When their eyes fell upon him, they considered him very great [and beautiful], and [inattentively] cut their own hands (Yusuf/31), and said: 'Far be it that this youth be of human kind!' And [the wife of the Aziz] said: هَذَا الَّذِی لُمْتُنَّنِی فِیهِ [This is the one over whose (love) you blamed me!] (Yusuf/32). When those women rose from Zulaykha's gathering and returned to their homes, each of them secretly sent a messenger to Yusuf (peace be upon him) and pleaded and requested him to come to her, but he refused and said: "O my Lord! Prison is dearer to me than what these women call me to; and if You do not turn their scheming away from me, I shall incline to them and be among the ignorant!" (Yusuf/33). Allah the Exalted answered his supplication and saved him from the scheming of the women. When the story of Yusuf (peace be upon him) with Zulaykha, and the demands of the other women upon him, spread through Egypt, the king — though he had heard from the child that Yusuf (peace be upon him) was innocent — resolved to imprison him and sent him to prison. And after a time, two other men were placed in the prison for offences they had committed, as Allah the Exalted has related their story in the Quran." Abu Hamza said: "When Imam Zayn al-Abidin (peace be upon him) reached this point in his speech, he said no more."