12th of Rabi’ Al-Awwal
Suuratul Yuusuf Verse 38.
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وَٱتَّبَعْتُ مِلَّةَ ءَابَآءِىٓ إِبْرَٰهِيمَ وَإِسْحَـٰقَ وَيَعْقُوبَ ۚ مَا كَانَ لَنَآ أَن نُّشْرِكَ بِٱللَّـهِ مِن شَىْءٍ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ مِن فَضْلِ ٱللَّـهِ عَلَيْنَا وَعَلَى ٱلنَّاسِ وَلَـٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ ٱلنَّاسِ لَا يَشْكُرُونَ ﴿٣٨
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38. “And I have followed the religion of my fathers , – Ibrahim (Abraham), Ishaque (Isaac) and Ya’qub (Jacob), and never could we attribute any partners whatsoever to Allah. This is from the Grace of Allah to us and to mankind, but most men thank not (i.e. they neither believe in Allah, nor worship Him).
O two companions of the prison! Are many different lords (gods) better or Allah, the One, the Irresistible?”
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Tafsir Ibn Kathir Volume 5
Yusuf said that,
﴿وَاتَّبَعْتُ مِلَّةَ ءَابَآءِي إِبْرَهِيمَ وَإِسْحَـقَ وَيَعْقُوبَ﴾
“And I have followed the religion of my fathers, – Ibrahim, Ishaq and Ya`qub”
Yusuf said, `I have avoided the way of disbelief and polytheism, and followed the way of these honorable Messengers,’ may Allah’s peace and blessings be on them. This, indeed, is the way of he who seeks the path of guidance and follows the way of the Messengers, all the while shunning the path of deviation. It is he whose heart Allah will guide, teaching him what he did not know beforehand. It is he whom Allah will make an Imam who is imitated in the way of righteousness, and a caller to the path of goodness. Yusuf said next,
﴿مَا كَانَ لَنَآ أَن نُّشْرِكَ بِاللَّهِ مِن شَىْءٍ ذلِكَ مِن فَضْلِ اللَّهِ عَلَيْنَا وَعَلَى النَّاسِ﴾
“and never could we attribute any partners whatsoever to Allah. This is from the grace of Allah to us and to mankind”
This Tawhid -Monotheism-, affirming that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah alone without partners,
﴿مِن فَضْلِ اللَّهِ عَلَيْنَا﴾
“is from the grace of Allah to us”
He has revealed it to us and ordained it on us,
﴿وَعَلَى النَّاسِ﴾
“and to mankind”
to whom He has sent us as callers to Tawhid,
﴿وَلَـكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لاَ يَشْكُرُونَ﴾
“but most men thank not.”
They do not admit Allah’s favor and blessing of sending the Messengers to them. Prophet Yusuf went on calling his two prison companions to worship Allah alone, without partners, and to reject whatever is being worshipped instead of Him like the idols, which were worshipped by the people of the two men, Yusuf said,
﴿ءَأَرْبَابٌ مُّتَّفَرِّقُونَ خَيْرٌ أَمِ اللَّهُ الْوَاحِدُ الْقَهَّارُ﴾
“Are many different lords (gods) better or Allah, the One, the Irresistible”
To Whose grace and infinite kingdom everything and everyone has submitted. Prophet Yusuf explained to them next that it is because of their ignorance that they worship false deities and give them names, for these names were forged and are being transferred from one generation to the next generation.
AnAayahAtATime 