Musings from events in the life of Yusuf(A.S.)

“I have abandoned my own strength for your power and might. Ya Rabbi, assist me to let go of my self-dependence. Let me depend solely on your power and might as I have no power over anything. Aameen”

This is not a post that would single out the events in the life of Prophet Yusuf (AS) but one that highlights the results of my musings on the connection between our lives and his tests in particular.
If we read the story of Prophet Yusuf (AS) again and relate the series of events in his life to ours, we would realise that life is a bittersweet concoction. At some point, we are drenched in sadness; at another, we are tipsy with joy and then sadness and then joy. It is a cycle for as long as Allah has destined it for us.

These cycles are not because Allah is angry with us, no. On the contrary, He loves us so much so that He purifies us with these tests.
You see, we cannot say we are believers and completely overlook the condition that He would repeatedly test us.

“So, Verily, With Every Difficulty, There is Relief. (Q 94:5)”

This is the promise of Allah. It is a testament to the fact that He knows all we are going through.

“…Not a leaf falls except that He knows… (Q 6:59)”

This is a validation from the only being who fulfils His promises, the Owner of our lives, the Fashioner of our being that He is with us whether we perceive it or not. What He requires from us is to remain steadfast, to remain true to the essence of Islam. He wants us to constantly remember the very essence of our creation.
…Only in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest.
We are humans, weak in our forms and fragile in our minds. We would break down every once in a while. We might have stretches of days where we get tired of our situations, when the affairs of the world overwhelm us or when we seem like our problems are insurmountable. We are not prophets but we can emulate Prophet Yusuf’s graceful attitude while He went through His tests. Patience, perseverance, tawakkul are a few of the gracious tools he possessed and wielded when things got tough.
May Allah assist us all.