Yousef (Joseph) 4
اَلْحَمْدُ لِلّهِ بِجَمِیعِ مَحَامِدِه کُلِّهَا عَلَی جَمِیعِ نِعَمِهِ کُلِّهَا… اَلْحَمْدُ لِلّهِ مالِکِ الْمُلْکِ مُجْرِی الْفُلْکِ مُسَخِّرِ الرِّیاحِ فالِقِ الاْصْباحِ دَیّانِ الدّینِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمینَ اَلْحَمْدُ لِلّهِ عَلی حِلْمِهِ بَعْدَ عِلمِهِ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلّهِ عَلی عَفْوِهِ بَعْدَ قُدْرَتِهِ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلّهِ عَلی طُولِ اَناتِهِ فی غَضَبِهِ وَهُوَ قادِرٌ عَلی ما یُریدُ
Praise is to God with all his praises, for all his blessings. . . Praise is to God, the owner of the property, the operator of the orbit, the bender of the wind, the glory of the morning, the religion of the beliefs, lord of the worlds; praise is to God for his dream after his knowledge and thank God for forgiveness after his power, and praise be to God for his long patience in his wrath and he is capable to do what he wills
و نشهد أن لا اله الا الله وحده لا شریک له، و أَنَّ محمداً عبده و رسوله ارسله بالهدی و دین الحق لیظهره علی الدین کله و لو کره المشرکون اوصیکم عبادالله و نفسی بتقوی الله و اتباع امره و نهیه، و اخوفکم من عقابه
And we bear witness that there is no god but God alone, without partner, and that Muhammad is his servant and messenger, he sent him with guidance and the religion of truth, that he might proclaim it over all religion, even if the polytheists hated it.
- Exercise is a necessity for childhood and youth, and may be the cause of ruin
In the story of the prophet Yousef, the conspirator brothers said to their father Ya’qoub:
أَرْسِلْهُ مَعَنَا غَدًا يَرْتَعْ وَيَلْعَبْ وَإِنَّا لَهُ لَحَافِظُونَ؛
Let him go with us tomorrow so that he may eat lots of fruits and play, and we will indeed take [good] care of him.’ (Yousef: 12)
Playing and having fun is essential for the healthy physical and mental development of children and young people. A child who does not play or exercise is either sick or will get sick. Ya’qub also paid attention to this point towards Yousef and the brothers took advantage of this.
However the same sport and recreation can be the cause of destruction and illness of the body and soul of children and young people. Just as Yousef’s brothers took advantage of this essential need and led him to destruction, profiteers in today’s world also lead children and youth to ruin in the same way. So the parents should be more careful about their children’s games and entertainment.
- Unwanted guidance of the enemy
Sometimes a person shows the way to hit his enemy without having a bad intention. In the case of Yousef and his brothers’ conspiracy, Ya’qoub said to his sons:
قَالَ إِنِّي لَيَحْزُنُنِي أَنْ تَذْهَبُوا بِهِ وَأَخَافُ أَنْ يَأْكُلَهُ الذِّئْبُ وَأَنْتُمْ عَنْهُ غَافِلُونَ؛
He said, ‘It really upsets me that you should take him away, and I fear the wolf may eat him while you are oblivious of him.’ (Yousef: 13)
The possibility of being eaten by a wolf was first raised by Ya’qoub and he put it in the minds of his sons, and later we see that Yousef’s brothers mentioned the same possibility to justify not bringing him along. They returned to their father with tears in their eyes: وَجَاءُوا أَبَاهُمْ عِشَاءً يَبْكُونَ؛ In the evening, they came weeping to their father. (Yousef: 16) and said to him: قَالُوا يَا أَبَانَا إِنَّا ذَهَبْنَا نَسْتَبِقُ وَتَرَكْنَا يُوسُفَ عِنْدَ مَتَاعِنَا فَأَكَلَهُ الذِّئْبُ وَمَا أَنْتَ بِمُؤْمِنٍ لَنَا وَلَوْ كُنَّا صَادِقِينَ؛ They said, ‘Father! We had gone racing and left Joseph with our things, whereat the wolf ate him. But you will not believe us even if we spoke truly.’ (Yousef: 17)
This trick did not occur to Yousef’s brothers, but they used Yaqoub’s words and justified their actions towards their brother. In the same way, in many cases, people unintentionally help and guide their enemy. Man knows his weaknesses better than others, and when the enemy of a man confronts him, he uses these weaknesses against him. Now, someone who is not careful with his words can guide his enemy to these weaknesses without having such an intention. Therefore, there is saying that: إن کان کلامک من فضة فسکوتک من ذهب؛ As much as your words are valuable (silver), your silence is more valuable (gold).
If you want to speak, say it like sugar; wait out of greed and prevent this halva;
One word can destroy a world and may make a lion out of a dead fox;
- Types of tears
Tears are one of the signs of spiritual changes and transformations in humans. A person who is in a special emotional state, has falling tears from his eyes. Therefore, tears can be a sign of different situations:
- Tears of joy: tears that flow from the eyes due to happiness. Like the tears that a hero may have on the podium, or the tears that flow from a mother’s eyes after the birth of a child. The holy Qur’an describes the shedding of tears by Christians after encountering the teachings of Islam as tears of joy and says: وَإِذَا سَمِعُوا مَا أُنْزِلَ إِلَى الرَّسُولِ تَرَى أَعْیُنَهُمْ تَفِیضُ مِنَ الدَّمْعِ مِمَّا عَرَفُوا مِنَ الْحَقِّ یَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَا آمَنَّا فَاکْتُبْنَا مَعَ الشَّاهِدِینَ؛ When they hear what has been revealed to the Apostle, you see their eyes fill with tears because of the truth that they recognize. They say, ‘Our Lord, we believe; so write us down among the witnesses. (Ma’ede: 83)
- Tears of sadness and sorrow: this situation happens a lot in humans, so crying and tears in all cultures are usually a sign of sadness and sorrow. The holy Qur’an says that sometimes the poor companions of the Messenger of God came and asked the holy prophet for horses and facilities to accompany him. When he said them that they didn’t have facilities and as a result they could not accompany them, they would get upset and cry: الَّذِينَ إِذَا مَا أَتَوْكَ لِتَحْمِلَهُمْ قُلْتَ لَا أَجِدُ مَا أَحْمِلُكُمْ عَلَيْهِ تَوَلَّوْا وَأَعْيُنُهُمْ تَفِيضُ مِنَ الدَّمْعِ حَزَنًا أَلَّا يَجِدُوا مَا يُنْفِقُونَ؛ Nor [is there any blame] on those to whom, when they came to you to provide them with a mount, you said, ‘I do not find any mount for you,’ and they turned back, their eyes flowing with tears, grieved because they did not find any means to spend. (To’be: 92)
- Tears of fear: They are tears from fear. Crying here indicates helplessness in facing the problems. Faithful people believe in divine power; they do not get easily defeated by small things and worthless problems, they only fear God. Of course, because of their own behavior and the result of their actions, they get afraid and cry. The holy Qur’an says about this type of tears: إِنَّمَا یُؤْمِنُ بِآیَاتِنَا الَّذِینَ إِذَا ذُکِّرُوا بِهَا خَرُّوا سُجَّدًا وَسَبَّحُوا بِحَمْدِ رَبِّهِمْ وَهُمْ لَا یَسْتَکْبِرُونَ؛ Only those believe in Our signs who, when they are reminded of them, fall down in prostration and celebrate the praise of their Lord, and they are not arrogant. (Sajde: 15)
- False tears: The tears of Yousef’s brothers, who came to the father and cried after he was thrown into the well. The holy Qur’an says: وَجَاءُوا أَبَاهُمْ عِشَاءً يَبْكُونَ؛ In the evening, they came weeping to their father. (Yousef: 16)
Our tears in the month of Muharram are the sum of all three kinds of tears. The scenes of war that took place in Karbala are the recitation of what sets fire to the heart of every free person. There are also tears of joy that we once again have the opportunity to mourn for Imam Hussein; however, there are many people who are not alive in this Muharram and do not have the opportunity to mourn for Imam Hussein. And it is also a tear of fear, when we attend meetings and pay attention to the words of the scholars; we remember our own deeds and our sins. This is a divine blessing to use the spirituality of the mourning gatherings for Imam Hussein and seek God’s acceptance to our repentance.