S. Yusuf Coherence Session 2: 103-110

 

1. The pronoun for "you" here is "ANTA" which is a singular masculine. So, Allah is directly talking to the Prophet(SAW) and by extension, to us.

2. In these Ayahs, Allah is continuously criticizing the audience of the Prophet(SAW).

3. The most common form of "SHIRK" in Makkah at that time was associating daughters, angels, and saints with Allah so that they could falsely feel safe even though they were messing up.

4. This shows us that people who do "SHIRK" become clueless because it makes them feel falsely secure.

5. The words of the Prophet(SAW) in Ayah 108 are an echo of his(SAW)'s father Ibrahim(AS).

6. In Ayah 109, Allah is telling that the practice of sending messengers to a nation is not new. It has happened many times before.

5. The Quraysh used to travel by the ruins of Aad, Thamud, and Egypt when trading. So, they must have wondered what happened to these people. 

6. The Qur'an came and told them what happened to them and now, in Ayah 109, Allah is calling upon that knowledge and asking them if they have not seen what happened to those people.

7. The ruins of Egypt especially are a great reminder because those houses have survived millennia without being destroyed. The question then arises "Where are the inhabitants who built these homes?" But they are gone. So, the argument made by Allah here is "What is the use of a surviving home if you are not going to survive?"

8. At the end, Allah shifts suddenly from the third person to the second person. That is supposed to be a warning(wake-up call).

9. So, basically, this passage(Ayah 103-110) is about showing how lost these people are and it's about destroying the false sense of security that the Quraysh have. It apparently doesn't have anything to do with Surah Yusuf.

10. If you took Ayah 103 and Ayah 111, they look like one conversation. But Ayah 103 to Ayah 110 don't connect.

11. The last time Allah directly addressed the Prophet(SAW) was when He told him(SAW) that he(SAW) wasn't there when "they schemed." Immediately after Allah starts talking about the Quraysh. 

12. Allah is letting him(SAW) know that it is not just Yusuf(AS)'s brothers who are scheming. His(SAW)'s family(tribe) is also scheming and that his(SAW)'s other family(Jews) from Ibrahim(AS) are scheming too. They are acting like the original sons of Israel. The Prophet(SAW) is being told that this is history repeating itself.

13. The Prophet(SAW) is being made aware that this message will be for the whole world. In Yusuf(AS)'s story, his(AS)'s message impacted the fate of the world(Egypt) and so did the Prophet(SAW)'s message will impact the world even more greatly.

14. Then the Prophet(SAW) is told not to be hard on himself(SAW), how many signs have these Quraysh passed over(just like the brothers of Yusuf(AS) passed over).

15. And most of them believe in Allah but do "SHIRK", some elements of this are found in the brothers of Yusuf(AS).

16. Then comes the false sense of security, the brothers of Yusuf(AS) also said "Who can touch us and we are a bunch?" In other places of the Qur'an, we see that the Quraysh too had this mentality. So, Allah addresses that in Ayah 107.

17. In Ayah 108, the Prophet(SAW) is being told to declare that this is his(SAW)'s path and that he(SAW) is not from the "MUSHRIKEEN". Yusuf(AS) told something very similar to that when he(AS) was in prison.

18. So, there is a connection in Ayah 103, and Allah has very strategically connected the elements of Yusuf(AS)'s story with the struggles of the Prophet(SAW) in this passage.

19. At the end of Yusuf(AS)'s story, the brothers redeemed themselves. At the end of Surah Yusuf, after giving such a stern warning, Allah is telling that there is hope for you all too if you just think about the stories and learn lessons from them.

20. So, this is how this passage is placed in the light of the Surah. Now let us zoom in and see how the Ayahs in the passage are arranged.

وَمَآ أَكْثَرُ ٱلنَّاسِ وَلَوْ حَرَصْتَ بِمُؤْمِنِينَ

And most people will not believe—no matter how keen you are— Surah Yusuf, Ayah 103.

حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا ٱسْتَيْـَٔسَ ٱلرُّسُلُ وَظَنُّوٓا۟ أَنَّهُمْ قَدْ كُذِبُوا۟ جَآءَهُمْ نَصْرُنَا فَنُجِّىَ مَن نَّشَآءُ ۖ وَلَا يُرَدُّ بَأْسُنَا عَنِ ٱلْقَوْمِ ٱلْمُجْرِمِينَ

And when the messengers despaired and their people thought the messengers had been denied help, Our help came to them. We then saved whoever We willed, and Our punishment is never averted from the wicked people. Surah Yusuf, Ayah 110.

21. When a messenger hears that most people will not believe, then he might become hopeless.

22. If they are so decisive in disbelieving, then Allah too is decisive in punishing them. So, Ayah 103 is connected to 110.

 ۚوَمَا تَسْـَٔلُهُمْ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ أَجْرٍ
even though you are not asking them for a reward for this. Surah Yusuf, Ayah 104(first part).

وَلَدَارُ ٱلْءَاخِرَةِ خَيْرٌ لِّلَّذِينَ ٱتَّقَوْا۟ ۗ أَفَلَا تَعْقِلُونَ
And surely the Home of the Hereafter is far better for those mindful. Will you not then understand? Surah Yusuf, Ayah 109(last part).

23. The Messenger(SAW) is not asking for any earning in this life, he(SAW) is going to get compensation in the Afterlife.

24. The Messenger(SAW) doesn't want you to have earnings in this life if it compromises your earning(house) in the Afterlife. So, Ayah 104(first part) is connected to Ayah 109(last part).

إِنْ هُوَ إِلَّا ذِكْرٌ لِّلْعَٰلَمِينَ
It is only a reminder to the whole world. Surah Yusuf, Ayah 104(last part).
And
وَكَأَيِّن مِّنْ ءَايَةٍ فِى ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ يَمُرُّونَ عَلَيْهَا وَهُمْ عَنْهَا مُعْرِضُونَ
How many signs in the heavens and the earth do they pass by with indifference. Surah Yusuf, Ayah 105.

وَمَآ أَرْسَلْنَا مِن قَبْلِكَ إِلَّا رِجَالًا نُّوحِىٓ إِلَيْهِم مِّنْ أَهْلِ ٱلْقُرَىٰٓ ۗ أَفَلَمْ يَسِيرُوا۟ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ فَيَنظُرُوا۟ كَيْفَ كَانَ عَٰقِبَةُ ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ ۗ

We only sent before you, men inspired by Us from among the people of each society. Have the deniers not traveled through the land to see what was the end of those before them? Surah Yusuf, Ayah 109.

25. The people are constantly ignoring remainders and the consequence of that ignoring is these ruins

26. The ruins are the remainders of the earth that these people are ignoring. Most of the punishments came from the sky. So, Ayah 104(last part) and Ayah 105 are connected to Ayah 109(first part).

وَمَا يُؤْمِنُ أَكْثَرُهُم بِٱللَّهِ إِلَّا وَهُم مُّشْرِكُونَ

And most of them do not believe in Allah without associating others with Him. Surah Yusuf, Ayah 106.

قُلْ هَٰذِهِۦ سَبِيلِىٓ أَدْعُوٓا۟ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ ۚ عَلَىٰ بَصِيرَةٍ أَنَا۠ وَمَنِ ٱتَّبَعَنِى ۖ وَسُبْحَٰنَ ٱللَّهِ وَمَآ أَنَا۠ مِنَ ٱلْمُشْرِكِينَ

Say, “This is my way. I invite to Allah with insight—I and those who follow me. Glory be to Allah, and I am not one of the polytheists.” Surah Yusuf, Ayah 108.

27. Most people even when they believe in Allah, will do "SHIRK". But the Prophet(SAW) won't.

28. The Quraysh are described, in the Qur'an, as people who believed in Allah but they did "SHIRK". The Prophet(SAW) believes in Allah but he(SAW) will never do "SHIRK". That is the difference between the Quraysh's belief and the Prophet(SAW)'s belief. So, Ayah 106 is connected to Ayah 108.

أَفَأَمِنُوٓا۟ أَن تَأْتِيَهُمْ غَٰشِيَةٌ مِّنْ عَذَابِ ٱللَّهِ
Do they feel secure that an overwhelming torment from Allah will not overtake them? Surah Yusuf, Ayah 107(first part).

أَوْ تَأْتِيَهُمُ ٱلسَّاعَةُ بَغْتَةً وَهُمْ لَا يَشْعُرُونَ
or that the Hour will not take them by surprise when they least expect? Surah Yusuf, Ayah 107(last part).

29. In the Qur'an there are three kinds of punishment - Destruction in this life, Day of Judgement, and Hell-Fire. Hell-Fire can be seen as the last part of the Day of Judgement.

30. In this Ayah, the first part refers to the destruction in this life and the last part refers to the Day of Judgement. Thus, Ayah 107(first part) is connected to Ayah 107(last part).