36. And two young men entered the prison with him, one of them said “Surely I see myself pressing wine”, and the other said “Surely I see myself carrying bread on top of my head from which birds are eating. Inform us of its interpretation. Surely we see you to be among those who have Ihsan”.

With this ayah Allah (swt) begins a new section of this Surah. Now the trial with the wife of the Aziz and the women of the city was over. Yusuf (AS) was no longer faced with their temptations. Allah tells us in this verse that two youth entered the prison with him.  These two young men each tell Yusuf (AS) about the dream that each of them had and then they ask him (AS) for the interpretation of these dreams.

What made them come to Yusuf (AS)? As Allah (swt) tells us in the ayah it was because he was among those who had Ihsan. There are two kinds of Ihsan. Ihsan towards Allah and Ihsan towards people. Ihsan towards Allah (swt) is to build within you the certain knowledge that Allah sees you so you do every action to please Him alone.

Ihsan towards people is that you always wish the best for them. You are always sincere to them. You only want for them what you know is best for them. You desire good for them so you go out of your way to provide them with good.

Yusuf (AS) was among those who did this. He (AS) only wanted the best for others. The prisoners in the jail saw this. It is recorded in the books of tafsir that Yusuf (AS) would go out of his way to help all of the prisoners. He (AS) would visit those prisoners who were sick and he would stand by them during their sickness. He (AS) would help them and provide for them all that they need to get through their sickness. He (AS) would also console and support those prisoners who were feeling sad and depressed. He (AS) would remind them of Allah (swt) and remind them how He (swt) knew about their suffering and pains. Yusuf (AS) would also give space and relief for those prisoners who felt the narrowness of the prison constricting in on them. He (AS) would remind them of their relief that is coming soon, either with their release from prison or with their deaths and their return to Allah (swt). So in every way, Yusuf (AS) was always there for these prisoners. Even though they had done nothing for him, and even though many of them were criminals, Yusuf (AS) still tried to do what was best for them. Thus he (AS) had Ihsan for the creation just like he had for the Creator. He was sincere for them and he (as) did good for them to the best of his ability. This then is the reason why these two young men came to Yusuf (AS). This then is why they told him (AS) about their dream.

LESSONS

1. Any trial or temptation will eventually pass. If only we can have the patience for Allah (swt) in just one more moment. If we only can wait just one more moment, then eventually we will find that the temptation has passed.

2. One of the most challenging things when facing difficulty is ACTUALLY accepting what happened to us. We may not be in the ideal situation to face this difficulty or challenge. We may not like or understand the difficulties and challenges that we have to deal with. However, denying and resisting our current situation will not help. In fact, what you resist persists. The more you fight against the very situation you're facing, the longer you will have to endure it. You may not deserve it. It may not be your fault, but this is where you are. This is what you are facing. Accept it so you can start moving through it. Just like Yusuf AS, he was put in the situations that none of us would want to be in. Can you even imagine what must have been going through in Yusuf's mind when his brothers threw him in the well? And what he may be thinking and feeling when he was sold as a slave? Or when he was punished for the crime he never committed and thrown in prison? Instead of resisting the situation he accepted it and made the best out of his situation.

In the well, he kept making dua to Allah until Allah send him relief. In the house of the minister, he fulfills his duties of a slave to the best of his abilities, and in prison, he used his time to call people to Allah and help them in any way he could. He was thankful in every situation and accepted Allah's decree, but at the same time, he took actions and Allah put blessings in his actions.

3. Nothing happens by accident. Everything occurs for a purpose. Yusuf ended up in jail for doing the right thing. We protest, "It isn't fair!" And that's true. Often life isn't fair - but our responsibility is to do right and leave the consequences to Allah. Though Yusuf was unjustly imprisoned, he went about the business of being useful where he was. He faithfully served and patiently waited because he was learning that he was not there by accident. He was not forgotten. Allah not only remembered, but He had a plan for Yusuf.

4. Invest your time in meeting the needs of others.  In spite of his own difficulty and hardship, Yusuf had become sensitive to others. He looked at others in the prison and recognize their hurt and distress. How easy it would have been to turn away, thinking, "No one is caring about the mistreatment I have received. Why should I care about anyone else's? But he didn't.  His hurt didn't prevent him from caring about the hurts of others. Yusuf could have ignored them, but he didn't. He had the grace to set aside his personal adversity and help others who were hurting. Life is filled with disappointment and loss, but we can be overcomers by refusing to become self-absorbed and self-centered. Instead of wasting our energy in self-pity, we can invest our time in meeting the needs of others. There is a story of a man whose wife and two children had died in the flood. He said, every time I wanted to cry, someone else needed help and I felt compelled to offer. I was so consumed with helping others that I had no time to worry about myself. Is that how you respond to adversity and disappointment? Or do you become so consumed with your own pain that you are blind to the pain of others? Yusuf not only noticed and cared - he got involved.