regarding the birth of elite Prophets, Ishaq and Ya'qub (peace be upon
them). The Holy Quran says:
"We gave him Ishaq and Ya'qub. Each of them We made a Prophet. And We
gave them of Our mercy and assigned to them a high and true renown." (
Surah 19: Verses 49-50)
Qualities of the Prophet Ya'qub
The Prophet Ya'qub (peace be upon him) was the son of Prophet
Ishaq(peace be upon him) and his wife Rebecca. He was born
atPalestine. He passed his life exactly in the footsteps of his father
and grandfather. He had full faith in theOneness of God. He directed
his followers to do good and shun evil. He advised them to keep up
prayer and give alms. He was a man of parts and wisdom. God showered
His blessings on him and his kith and kin. The Holy Quran affirms:
"And We gave him tidings of the birth of Ishaq, a Prophet of the
righteous and We showered Our blessings on him and on Ishaq and of
their off-spring are some who do good and some who plainly wrong their
own selves." ( Surah 37: Verse 113)
At the age of sixty the Prophet Ishaq (peace be upon him) was blessed
with a pair of twins namely Esau and Ya'qub. Esau was a hunter and
provided his aged parents with meat. Ishaq was chosen to be the
Prophet of the Bani Israel.
His marriage and off-spring
It is narrated that his uncle Laban madeProphet Ya'qub(peace be upon
him) serve him for seven years on promise to marry Rachel with him. At
the end of this period the marriage was solemnized. Later on he
entered into matrimonial contract with three more women. The Prophet
Ya'qub (peace be upon him) had four wives and twelve sons who became
the progenitors of twelve tribes. TheProphet Yusuf(peace be upon him)
and Benjamin were from Rachel. The Prophet Ya'qub (peace be upon him)
had great affection for them.
Plot against Prophet Yusuf
As the off-springs of his other wives were jealous of Prophet Yusuf
(peace be upon him) they hatched out a plan to separate Yusuf from his
father. They took him out on a lame excuse of tending sheep and threw
him into a waterless well. They came back home shedding crocodile
tears and said: A wolf has devoured Yusuf.
The Prophet Ya'qub (peace be upon him) suspected foul play on the part
of his sons. He bore with patience the mental torture to which he was
subjected in his old age. He wept bitterly day and night and lost his
eye-sight. After a long time he came to know that Prophet Yusuf (peace
Be upon him) was alive. He was the custodian of storehouse in Egypt.
The Prophet Ya'qub (peace be upon him) along with the whole family
proceeded towards Egypt on the invitation of his son. They were
awarded a warm reception. He settled inEgypt. He died at the age of
140 years. He was buried inHebron (al-Khalil)according to his will.
When the Prophet Ya'qub (peace be upon him) was on the point of death,
be called his sons and held conversation, with them. It is mentioned
in the following Verses of the Holy Quran:
"The same did Ibrahim enjoin upon his sons, and also Ya'qub (saying):
O' my sons! Lo! Allah has chosen for you the true religion, therefore
die not save as men who have surrendered (unto Him) or were you
present when death came to Ya'qub when he said to his --sons: What
will you worship after me? They said: We shall worship your God, God
of your fathers Ibrahim, Ismail and Ishaq, One God and unto Him We
have surrendered." ( Surah 2: Verses 132-133)
No comments:
Post a Comment