سورة يوسف

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): I am astonished at my brother Yusuf (peace be upon him) — how did he seek help from the created rather than from the Creator?

Ali ibn Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him): When the one in charge of the king's wine wished to be released from prison, Yusuf (peace be upon him) said to him: اذْکُرْنِی عِنْدَ رَبِّکَ [Mention me before your lord], just as Allah the Mighty and Majestic says: فَأَنْساهُ الشَّیْطانُ ذِکْرَ رَبِّهِ [But Satan caused him to forget mentioning it to his lord].

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Tirbal narrates from Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) that he said: قالَ لِلَّذِی ظَنَّ أَنَّهُ ناجٍ مِنْهُمَا اذْکُرْنِی عِنْدَ رَبِّکَ [He said to the one of the two whom he thought would be saved: 'Mention me before your lord'], Yusuf (peace be upon him) did not implore Allah's threshold nor did he seek help from Him, and for this reason the Lord said: فَأَنسَاهُ الشَّیْطَانُ ذِکْرَ رَبِّهِ فَلَبِثَ فِی السِّجْنِ بِضْعَ سِنِینَ [But Satan caused him to forget mentioning it to his lord, so he remained in prison for several years]. At that very moment Allah revealed to Yusuf (peace be upon him): "O Yusuf (peace be upon him)! Who showed you that dream which you had seen? Who made you beloved to your father?" He said: "You, O my Lord!" Allah said: "Who directed that caravan towards you?" He said: "You, O my Lord!" Allah said: "Who taught you that supplication so that by reciting it you were saved from that well?" He said: "You, O my Lord!" Allah said: "Who delivered you from the plot and cunning of the women and rescued you?" He said: "You, O my Lord!" Allah said: "Who caused the infant's tongue to speak forth to declare your innocence?" He said: "You, O my Lord!" Allah said: "Who turned away from you the guile of the Aziz's wife and the women of Egypt?" He said: "You, O my Lord!" Allah said: "Who inspired you with the interpretation of the dream?" Yusuf (peace be upon him) said: "You, O my Lord!" Allah said: "Then how is it that you sought redress from others and did not turn to Me?! Why did you not come to My threshold for help so that I might bring you out of prison, and you went instead to one of My servants and placed your hope in him, that he might mention you before one of My servants whose death and life are in My grasp, and yet you did not turn to Me and did not seek redress?! Now, for this sin, remain in prison for several years, because for your own release you sent a servant to another servant."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Shu'ayb al-Aqarqufi narrates from Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) that he said: Jibra'il came to Yusuf (peace be upon him) and said to him, "The Lord of the Worlds sends His greetings to you and asks you: Who placed you in the form of the most beautiful of creatures?" The Imam (peace be upon him) said: Yusuf (peace be upon him) let out a cry and placed his cheek upon the earth and said, "You, O Lord!" Then Jibra'il said, "Allah says: Who made you, from among the sons of Yaqub (peace be upon him), the beloved of your father's heart?" The Imam (peace be upon him) said: Then Yusuf (peace be upon him) let out a cry and placed his face upon the earth and said, "You, O Lord!" Jibra'il said, "Allah says: When they threw you into the depths of the well and you were certain that you would die, who saved you?" The Imam said: Then Yusuf (peace be upon him) cried out and placed his cheek upon the earth and said, "You, O Lord!" He said: "Then Allah will punish you, because you sought help from another فَلَبِثَ فِی السِّجْنِ بِضْعَ سِنِینَ [so he remained in the prison a few years]." The Imam (peace be upon him) said: "When the period of imprisonment came to an end and Allah permitted him to pray for relief, Yusuf (peace be upon him) placed his face upon the earth and said, 'O Lord! Although my sins have caused me disgrace before You, yet by the honour that my righteous fathers—Ibrahim, Ishaq and Yaqub—have with You, I beseech You from Your court to deliver me from this state!' And Allah untied the knot of his affair." I said to the Imam (peace be upon him), "May I be your ransom! May we too pray with these very words?" He said: "Pray in this way: O Lord! Although my sins have caused me disgrace before You, yet by the honour of Your Prophet, the Prophet of Mercy, Muhammad, and Ali, Fatima, Hasan, Husayn and the Imams, I turn to Your court."

Ali ibn Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him): Sometimes a human being is called "rabb," as in the verse اذْکُرْنِی عِنْدَ رَبِّکَ [Remember me with your lord]. [This is because in the Arabic language] the owner of anything is called the rabb of that thing.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Allah the Exalted said to Yusuf (peace be upon him): "Was it not I who made you the beloved of your father and favoured you over all people with beauty and comeliness of face, and sent the caravan to bring you out of the well? Was it not I who turned away the plot of the women from you and preserved you from their harm? So why did you turn your attention to a creature and turn to him and ask him to deliver you from the prison? For that very reason you remained in the prison for several more years."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Now, on account of this sin, remain in the prison for several years; for you sent a servant to another servant to secure your release.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Ibn Yazid, in a marfu' hadith from Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him), in the commentary on the verse فَلَبِثَ فِی السِّجْنِ بِضْعَ سِنِینَ [so he remained in the prison a few years], has narrated that he said: "That is, he remained in that prison for seven years."