http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMqKE3k77DA
IN THIS SURAH we are told of three different dreams, all of which had come true.The first was when Joseph himself saw a vision of the sun, the moon, and eleven stars prostrating themselves before him. He related that dream to his father, as we have seen at the beginning of the surah, and we are yet to be told of its meaning. The second occasion was during his imprisonment.
And two young men went to prison with him. One of them said: "I dreamed that I was pressing wine. The other said: I dreamed that I was carrying upon my head bread whereof the birds were eating. Announce unto us the interpretation, for we see thee of those good (at interpretation) "(36).
The third one was the Egyptian king's dream which will be discussed alter. Dreams are psychic phenomena related to the spiritual side of human behavior. Despite their visionary and premonitory attributes, dreams of themselves cannot be taken as omens of good or bad fortune. They are indication of a quality of an extraordinary perception in the human disposition which enables certain individuals to see things in the future, with such clarity and in such detail, that others can not. I have personally known of a man who, before travelling from Cairo to his home town in the Egyptian countryside, had a vivid dream of the funeral of one of his relatives. When he arrived there he witnessed the scene in real life exactly as he had seen in the dream. I have known people who have had premonitions of all kinds without any apparent reason or explanation. The German philosopher, Kant, is said to have seen a fire more than a hundred miles away, while the following story involving the second Caliph, 'Umar ibn al-Khattab, and one of his army leaders, Sariyah, is well known and fully documented in Islamic history books. While 'Umar was giving a speech at a mosque in madinah he was heard calling in a loud voice: " Sariyah! Watch the mountain!" He was reported to have seen the enemy fighters poised to launch a surprise attack against the Muslims army from behind a mountain, and involuntarily warned his commander. The commander , a long distance away, was able to hear 'Umar's voice and take appropriate action to starve off the attack.
These phenomena are neither predictable nor governed by fixed rules. Suffice it to say that they do exist and that they did indeed occur with respect to Joseph. Having listened to the dreams of his two fellow prisoners, Joseph reassured them saying:
The food which ye are given (daily) shall not come unto you but I shall tell you the interpretation ere it cometh unto you. This is of that which my Lord hath taught me. Lo! I have forsaken the religion of folk who believe not in Allah and are disbelievers in the Hereafter. (37) And I have followed the religion of my fathers, Abraham and Isaac and Jacob. It never was for us to attribute aught as partner to Allah. This is of the bounty of Allah unto us (the seed of Abraham) and unto mankind; but most men give not thanks. (38)
Joseph was proud of the faith he had inherited from his forefathers. It was that faith which had sustained him through the ordeals and the temptations he had had to face in his life, including his unjustified imprisonment. He could not let the opportunity go by, though, without telling those two inmates about his belief. He said: ""O my fellow-prisoners! Are divers lords better, or Allah the One, Almighty? ""(39). Any other so-called god is but a figment of imagination and a hollow entity, adding up to nothing. Joseph interpreted the dream s of his two fellow prisoners as indicating two different fates, saying:
O my two fellow-prisoners! As for one of you, he will pour out wine for his lord to drink; and as for the other, he will be crucified so that the birds will eat from his head. Thus is the case judged concerning which ye did inquire. (41) And he said unto him of the twain who he knew would be released: Mention me in the presence of thy lord. But Satan caused him to forget to mention it to his lord, so he (Joseph) stayed in prison for some years. (42)
Once that prisoner was released, he became immersed in the life outside and forgot the innocent man he left behind languishing in the prison.
In the third dream the king had a disturbing vision and urgently sought its interpretation. Joseph former prison companion remembered him and asked to be taken to him in prison to have the king's dream interpreted. He asked him: "Joseph! O thou truthful one! Expound for us the seven fat kine which seven lean were eating and the seven green ears of corn and other (seven) dry, that I may return unto the people, so that they may know " (46).
Joseph obliged, and the king was informed of the meaning of his dream and asked for Joseph to be brought to him. Joseph, however, refused to go to see the king before his innocence was established and he was completely cleared of the crime for which he had been wrongly accused and imprisoned. Joseph's case involving the Egyptian chief's wife was reopened and her lady friends, who were privy to what really happened, were called in to answer the king who asked them: "What happened when ye asked an evil act of Joseph? They answered: Allah Blameless! We know no evil of him. Said the wife of the ruler: Now the truth is out. I asked of him an evil act, and he is surely of the truthful " (51).
At that point, Joseph turned to the king to assert his innocence, saying: "" I asked for) this, that he (my lord) may know that I betrayed him not in secret, and that surely Allah guideth not the snare of the betrayers "" (52).
Upon hearing this the Pharaoh immediately decided that Joseph would be the right man to put in charge of some of the state's affairs during the difficult economic period awaiting his kingdom, as his dream had indicated.
And the king said: "Bring him unto me that I may attach him to my person. And when he had talked with him he said: Lo! thou art to-day in our presence established and trusted " (54).
Joseph was offered an important public position in the Pharaoh's government, and chose to take charge of its treasury affairs.
He said: Set me over the storehouses of the land. Lo! I am a skilled custodian. (55) Thus gave We power to Joseph in the land. He was the owner of it where he pleased. We reach with Our mercy whom We will. We lose not the reward of the good. (56)
It is important to note here that Joseph has pointed out both the moral as well as the corporeal qualities that were necessary to qualify him for the post he had agreed to accept. In other words, he was not merely virtuous and trustworthy man, but was also competent and capable of assuming fully his responsibilities over the state's resources. Morever Joseph was able to propose himself for a role in public office because there was no other person in Egypt at that time as suitable and qualified for the post as he was. The public interest could only be best served by appointing a strong and honest person to take up the responsibilities that the position demanded.
Examining the early history of Islam, we come across the case of the well-known Muslim soldier, Khalid al-Walid, who put himself forward to lead the Muslim troops in the battle of al- Yarmuk in 635 AC. Khalid had seen that none of the other warriors present at the time possessed his qualities and combat experience and he therefore chose to command the troops himself, leading them to numerous successive victories. Throughout history, experience has shown that placing the wrong men at the head of important military expeditions almost always leads to disastrous results in the field of battle. On the first day he took command, Khalid drew up a fresh plan of attack, reorganized the Muslim army, rallied all available forces and went on to acheive a resounding victory against the Byzantines, driving them out and spearheading the Muslim conquest of the whole of the Fertile Crescent.
Seeking leadership or public office is a grave matter if undertaken for reasons of self aggrandizement and greed for power, privilege or domination. History is replete with the examples of many great nations that have been led to ruin and humiliation by despotic and power hungry individuals.
Muhammad al-Ghazali
[ 1917 - 1996 ]
Excerpt from " A Thematic Commentary On The Qur'an "
Reflection and commentary by Shaykh Yasir Qadhi:-
Part 9 : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXUpVLoYh2c&feature=relmfu
Part 10 : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2w4uNo2aEMw&feature=relmfu
Part 11: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6JVr6IDors&feature=relmfu
Part 12: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rxp3E3fDzUU&feature=relmfu
Part 13 : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHblLz7wWeU&feature=relmfu
No comments:
Post a Comment