Allah says that Ya`qub said to his son Yusuf, `Just as Allah chose you to see
the eleven stars, the sun and the moon prostrate before you in a vision,
[وَكَذلِكَ
يَجْتَبِيكَ رَبُّكَ]
(Thus will your Lord choose you) designate and assign you to be a Prophet
from Him,
[وَيُعَلِّمُكَ مِن
تَأْوِيلِ الاٌّحَادِيثِ]
(and teach you the interpretation of Ahadith).' Mujahid and several other
scholars said that this part of the Ayah is in reference to the interpreting of
dreams. He said next,
[وَيُتِمُّ
نِعْمَتَهُ عَلَيْكَ]
(and perfect His favor on you), `by His Message and revelation to you.' This
is why Ya`qub said afterwards,
[كَمَآ أَتَمَّهَآ
عَلَى أَبَوَيْكَ مِن قَبْلُ إِبْرَهِيمَ]
(as He perfected it aforetime on your fathers, Ibrahim...), Allah's intimate
friend,
[وَإِسْحَـقَ]
(and Ishaq), Ibrahim's son,
[إِنَّ رَبَّكَ
عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌ]
(Verily, your Lord is All-Knowing, All-Wise.) Allah knows best whom to chose
for His Messages.
[لَّقَدْ كَانَ فِى
يُوسُفَ وَإِخْوَتِهِ ءايَـتٌ لِّلسَّآئِلِينَ - إِذْ قَالُواْ لَيُوسُفُ وَأَخُوهُ
أَحَبُّ إِلَى أَبِينَا مِنَّا وَنَحْنُ عُصْبَةٌ إِنَّ أَبَانَا لَفِى ضَلَلٍ
مُّبِينٍ - اقْتُلُواْ يُوسُفَ أَوِ اطْرَحُوهُ أَرْضًا يَخْلُ لَكُمْ وَجْهُ
أَبِيكُمْ وَتَكُونُواْ مِن بَعْدِهِ قَوْمًا صَـلِحِينَ - قَالَ قَآئِلٌ مِّنْهُمْ
لاَ تَقْتُلُواْ يُوسُفَ وَأَلْقُوهُ فِى غَيَابَةِ الْجُبِّ يَلْتَقِطْهُ بَعْضُ
السَّيَّارَةِ إِن كُنتُمْ فَـعِلِينَ ]
(7. Verily, in Yusuf and his brethren there were Ayat for those who ask.) (8.
When they said: "Truly, Yusuf and his brother are dearer to our father than we,
while we are `Usbah (a group). Really, our father is in a plain error.'') (9.
"Kill Yusuf or cast him out to some (other) land, so that the favor of your
father may be given to you alone, and after that you will be righteous folk.'')
(10. One from among them said: "Kill not Yusuf, but if you must do something,
throw him down to the bottom of a well; he will be picked up by some caravan of
travelers.'')