سورة غافر

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Muhammad ibn Muslim narrated from Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) that he said: Yusuf (peace be upon him) became the hujjah (proof) after Ya'qub (peace be upon him). I asked: "So was Yusuf (peace be upon him) both a messenger and a prophet?" He replied: "Yes! Have you not heard that Allah the Exalted said: وَ لَقَدْ جاءَکُمْ یُوسُفُ مِنْ قَبْلُ بِالْبَیِّناتِ [And certainly Yusuf came to you before with clear arguments]".

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Allah the Blessed and Exalted took a covenant from Adam ... and between Musa and Yusuf (peace be upon them) there were prophets.

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): When Yusuf (peace be upon him) was on the verge of death, he gathered his companions and household, praised and glorified Allah, and informed them of a calamity that would befall them, in which men would be killed, the bellies of pregnant women would be split open, and the heads of children would be severed from their bodies, until Allah would make the truth manifest through a riser (qa'im) from the descendants of Lawi ibn Ya'qub, a man of wheatish complexion and tall stature. He then described his attributes to them. They clung to that [and believed in it], and a period of occultation (ghayba) and hardship came upon the Children of Israel. They remained waiting for the qa'im for four hundred years, until the good news of his birth was given to them and they saw the signs of his appearance. Thereupon they were struck with even greater calamities, and blows of wood and stone rained down upon them. They sought a jurist (faqih) whose words they trusted, but he had hidden himself and used to correspond with them. They wrote to him: "In these times of hardship and calamity we rely upon your words." So he took them out to a wilderness and, on a moonlit night, spoke to them about the qa'im, his attributes, and the nearness of the time of his rising. While they were in this state, Musa (peace be upon him) appeared before them in the guise and form of his youth. He had left Pharaoh's palace and was strolling outside it. Musa (peace be upon him) separated from his caravan and came towards them riding a mule. He was wearing a silken cloak at that time. When the jurist saw him, he recognised him by his attributes. So he stood up and went to him, fell at his feet and kissed them. Then he said: "Praise be to Allah who did not take my soul before I reached your presence." When his companions saw him do this, they realised that he was the master of their affair. So they fell at his feet and bowed before him. He only replied: "I ask Allah to hasten your relief (faraj)." After that he became absent again and went to the city of Madyan and stayed for a while with Shu'ayb (peace be upon him). His second occultation was more difficult for him than the first and lasted more than fifty years, and the tribulation and calamity upon them intensified, and the jurist disappeared from view. They sent a message to him: "We do not have the strength to endure your occultation." So he went to a wilderness and summoned them and gave them reassurance and informed them that Allah had revealed to him that after forty years He would bring about a relief in their affair. They all said: "al-Hamdu lillah [Praise be to Allah]." Allah revealed to him: Tell them: because of their gratitude and their saying al-Hamdu lillah, I have set it at thirty years. They replied: "All blessings are from Allah." Allah revealed to him: Tell them: "The relief and opening will come to them after twenty years." They said: "Good and blessing are only from the Lord." Allah revealed to him: "Tell them: after ten years the opening and relief in their affair will come." They all said: "Only Allah removes tribulation and calamity." Allah revealed to him: "Tell them: do not move from your place, for I have decreed the coming of relief and opening for you." While they were in this state, Musa (peace be upon him) appeared before them riding a donkey. The jurist wished to make his companions recognise what they were seeing. Musa (peace be upon him) came towards them until he stood beside them and greeted them. The jurist said to him: "What is your name?" He answered: "Musa (peace be upon him)!" The jurist asked: "What is your father's name?" Musa (peace be upon him) answered: "Imran!" The jurist asked: "What is your grandfather's name?" Musa (peace be upon him) answered: "Fahith ibn Lawi ibn Ya'qub." The jurist asked: "What have you brought with you?" He answered: "I have brought a message (risala) from Allah." The jurist stood up and kissed the hand of Musa (peace be upon him). He sat among them, gave them reassurance, and gave them instructions. Then he divided them into several groups. From that time until their relief — namely the drowning of Pharaoh — was a span of forty years.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): When Yusuf (peace be upon him) was on his deathbed, he gathered the household of Yaqub (peace be upon him), who were eighty men, and said: 'These Copts will overpower you and will subject you to the most severe torments. Allah will deliver you from their clutches through a man from the descendants of Lawi ibn Yaqub, whose name is Musa ibn Imran (peace be upon him). He is a tall young man, with curly hair and of a wheat-brown complexion.' For this reason, the Children of Israel used to name their sons Imran, and the Imrans in turn would name their sons Musa (peace be upon him). Abu Basir narrates from Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) that he said: 'Before the emergence and uprising of Musa (peace be upon him), fifty liars from the Children of Israel rose up, and all of them were named Musa ibn Imran.' It reached Pharaoh that the Children of Israel would, through him, shake his rule and would obey and submit to him. The soothsayers and magicians said to Pharaoh: 'The destruction of your religion and your people will be at the hands of a child who will be born this year among the Children of Israel.' For this reason, he appointed midwives over the women and ordered that every child born in that year be killed. He also assigned a midwife to the mother of Musa (peace be upon him). Then he recounted the hadith in full, as was mentioned at the beginning of Surah al-Qasas.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Abu Basir said: Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: The free man is free in all his states. If a misfortune befalls him, he shows patience in the face of it; and if many hardships surround him and he is taken captive, treated harshly, and the ease of his life turns to difficulty — just as Yusuf (peace be upon him) was afflicted — he will not be broken under the burden of hardships, and the change of situation will cause no harm to his being free. Whether he is taken into slavery and captivity, subjected to oppression and injustice, afflicted with the darkness of the well and loneliness within it, or Allah bestows His favour upon him and turns the tyrannical and oppressive ruler into his servant, and sends him to a place and, through him, shows mercy and grace to a people. Patience likewise brings goodness and blessing in its wake. So be patient, and accustom your souls to patience, that you may be rewarded.

Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him): فَما زِلْتُمْ فی شَکٍّ مِمَّا جاءَکُمْ بِه [But you ever remained in doubt as to what he brought] — meaning, [you remained in doubt] concerning the worship of Allah, who is One and has no partner.