Ustadh Nouman Ali Khan takes us on an emotional rollercoaster ride that revolves around the grief and sadness experienced by Yusuf AS as illustrated beautifully in Surah Yusuf.
When grief presents itself in various forms, it alters the perception of oneself at the same time the perception of our faith in the wake of an intense loss. These feelings have even impacted the Prophets of Allah (AS). We can learn from the life of Prophet Yaqub AS and Prophet Yusuf AS. When Yaqub AS was separated from his son Yusuf AS, he was filled with such deep anguish and grief that his eyes turned white due to excessive crying.
Like most stories from the Quran, there are some important life lessons that stem from Surah Yusuf. This entire Surah is dedicated to a story in a chronological order. Most importantly, it teaches us how to deal with sadness and difficult situations in life. Allah SWT essentially describes two characters who suffer and deal with a lot of grief in their lives: Prophet Yaqub AS and his son, Prophet Yusuf AS. We can apply these examples to our own difficulties. Even the Prophet ﷺ was signaled to seek counsel through Surah Yusuf at the time of his trials and tribulations marked by the Year of Sadness.