Overview (Verse 111)
 
Qur’ānic Stories
 
Such is the normal line of events when it comes to advocacy of God’s message. Hardship and adversity are necessary until all the efforts and energy of its advocates are exhausted. When people so despair of victory, it is given by God. Those who deserve to be saved will be saved from the destruction that engulfs the others who deny the truth and from the tyranny of those who wield worldly power. God’s might strikes the evil-doers and they can in no way resist it. Neither their own nor their supporters’ power can prevent God’s punishment.
 
This is the normal way because God’s support does not come cheap. Had it been so, there would be a lot of frivolity about the advocacy of God’s message. There would be no shortage of people claiming to be advocates of the true message, since there would only be a small price to pay before God’s support were given. The message of the truth should never be treated with frivolity. It provides a complete way of life and a code to be implemented. Hence, it must be protected against false advocates who are not prepared to pay the price. When the price is high, and the truth emerges clearly against the background of hardship and adversity, true advocates are also distinguished by their steadfastness. They do not abandon their message even though they may feel that they will never see victory in their lifetime.
 
Advocacy of the divine message is not a short-term investment which must yield returns by a certain deadline, or people move to a different investment seeking better returns. No one who undertakes advocacy of God’s message in the hostile environment of un-Islamic society which submits to a power other than God’s can think that his task will be an easy one, or that his investment will yield quick returns. He must be clear in his mind that he stands against all tyranny in human life that commands physical and financial power, and which deludes the masses until they do all its bidding, even describing as black what they know to be white. Tyrants even turn the masses against the advocates of God’s message, tempting them with the satisfaction of their desires and putting in their minds the notion that God’s message and its advocates deprive them of such satisfaction.
 
Those who want to call on people to follow God’s message must realize that the task they undertake is tough and demanding. Not only so, but it is even tougher to join it against the power of jāhiliyyah. Hence the oppressed masses will not initially join it. Only those who prefer the truth, even though it requires the sacrifice of comfort, safety and all the pleasures of the world, will rise to it. Such people are always few in number, but God will judge between them and their community on the basis of the truth after they have striven hard. It is only when God has judged for them that the masses will join them. This is when people embrace God’s message in large numbers.
 
In Joseph’s story we read about the different types of hardship he faced and his despair of people ever coming to realize the truth about him. The outcome however was very good, just as God had promised. For God’s promise will always come true. Joseph’s story is but an example of the histories of God’s messengers. It provides lessons for those who wish to reflect. It confirms what earlier scriptures emphasized, even though Muĥammad had no access to these scriptures. What he preached could not have been a  fabricated tale.  Lies do not confirm one another. They neither provide guidance nor spread an air of mercy over believers’ hearts. “Indeed their stories give a lesson to those who are endowed with understanding. This [revelation] could not possibly be an invented discourse. It is a confirmation  of  earlier  revelations,  an explanation of all things, as well as guidance and mercy for people who believe.” (Verse 111)
 
Thus the beginning and the end of the sūrah are brought in line, just as the beginning and end of the story are perfectly matched. Comments at the opening and end of the sūrah, as well as those interspersed in the story relate perfectly to the theme and the way it is expressed. The religious objective of relating it is thus fulfilled, while providing an essential artistic element. This is coupled with the fact that it is a true story relating events that actually took place.
 
The whole story, from beginning to end, is told in a single sūrah, because its nature requires that. It is the gradual fulfilment of a dream, which evolves and takes shape day after day, and stage after stage. Hence, its lessons as well as artistic harmony cannot be clearly seen unless it is followed right through to its conclusion. This is different from relating episodes from the history of other messengers where highlighting a single episode serves a particular purpose. This is frequently done in the Qur’ān, as in the case of the story of the Prophet Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, or the birth of Mary, or that of Jesus, or the floods at the time of Noah. In all these cases, a single episode is related in order to serve a certain objective. Joseph’s story, on the other hand, needs to be told altogether in order to draw its moral to the fore. God certainly tells the truth as He says: “In revealing this Qur’ān We relate to you the best of narratives. Before it you were among those who are unaware [of revelation].” (Verse 3)