Surat Yusuf: A Psychological Reading  / Mustapha M. Achoui

Surat Yusuf deals with several psychological topics and backgrounds. It offers illustrations and lessons to the learners. This Sura illustrates clearly the different emotions such as jealousy, sadness, anger, fear and happiness. The sura shows how Yusuf , peace be upon him,  has been tested many times. He was tested by his brothers' jealousy, by lust, by prison and finally by authority and power. There is in the sura also a view which illustrates how the prophet Yakub , peace be upon him,  was tested by losing his son and losing his sight. However, he did not feel despair, even though he was seriously suffering. Therefore, long testing does not mean despair. The mercy of Allah is always there. In addition, it is clearly illustrated in the sura how the dreams of Yusuf of his companions in the prison and of the king had been realized. The sura demonstrates how the rules of human nature, and the laws of the struggle between good and evil forces are applied to prophets also, even though the revelation protects them from wrongdoing. The endurance and the patience of the prophets is also well documented in this sura. It is, in fact, a model for a high level of morality, especially forgiving by a leader who has authority and power. This trustworthy and just leader was Yusuf who had lead the country during years of prosperity as well as during years of drought and starvation. Finally, the sura in its psychological perspepctive, is an illustration of the role of emotions in motivating people. Furthermore, it demonstrates the interaction and the integration that exist among different dimensions of the human being: physical, spiritual, intellectual, emotional and behavioral dimensions.