Ya'qub

Chosen, from a family of prophets

Ibrahim (Abraham) left his people and the idols they worshipped besides Allah (﷾). Allah (﷾) rewarded him with a family of prophets: Ibrahim

Another verse calls Ya'qub an additional gift, a grandson given after Ishaq. Allah (﷾) made them righteous. He made them leaders who guided people by His command, and inspired them to do good, to pray and to give in charity. They served Him, and Him alone. Qur’an 21:72Qur’an 21:73

Allah (﷾) told the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) to remember Ibrahim, Ishaq and Ya'qub, and said why: Qur’an 38:45

The Qur'an also counts him among the prophets to whom Allah (﷾) sent inspiration and whom He guided. It uses his other name, Israel, as well: his family became the Children of Israel, the people to whom Musa (Moses) was later sent. Qur’an 4:163Qur’an 6:84Qur’an 3:93Which prophets are named in the Qur'an?

A father's patience

Ya'qub was a wise and watchful father. When Yusuf told him his dream, Ya'qub knew that Allah (﷾) would honour his son. He told him to keep it from his brothers, in case they plotted against him. Then his sons came home weeping and said a wolf had eaten Yusuf. Ya'qub did not believe them. Years later, another of his sons was kept behind in Egypt. Again he said: Qur’an 12:4Qur’an 12:5Qur’an 12:6Qur’an 12:16Qur’an 12:17Qur’an 12:18Qur’an 12:81

His grief was deep. He turned away from them and said how great it was, until his eyes turned white with sorrow. But he did not take his sorrow to people. He took it to Allah (﷾): Qur’an 12:84

Grief is not a lack of faith. Ya'qub grieved deeply. Even so, he was the one who told his sons to go and look for Yusuf. He told them never to give up hope of Allah's (﷾) mercy. The Qur'an says that only those who have no faith despair of it. Qur’an 12:87Is grieving or crying over a loss a lack of faith?

When the caravan left Egypt, Ya'qub said he could sense Yusuf's presence. Those with him thought he was confused with age. Then the bearer of the good news came, and laid Yusuf's shirt over his face, and he could see again. He said: Qur’an 12:94Qur’an 12:95Qur’an 12:96

He claimed no power of his own. What he knew, he knew from Allah (﷾). And his sons, who had wronged him and Yusuf, now admitted they were at fault and asked him to pray for their forgiveness. He did not turn them away. He answered: Qur’an 12:97

Then the whole family came to Egypt, and Yusuf raised his parents to a seat of honour. The rest is in Yusuf's guide. Qur’an 12:99Qur’an 12:100Yusuf

His last words

The Qur'an also takes us to Ya'qub's deathbed. It says that Ibrahim left a legacy to his sons, and so did Ya'qub. This was his: Qur’an 2:132

Islam means submission to Allah (﷾) alone, the faith of every prophet. Then, as death came near, he asked his sons a question that is still asked of every person: Qur’an 2:133

His sons answered:

Notice the names. Ibrahim, Isma'il and Ishaq stand together as the family's faith. (Isma'il was Ya'qub's uncle, so "fathers" here means the family's elders.) Ya'qub's sons add themselves to that faith. It is one faith, running from Ibrahim through his sons and grandsons. What Ya'qub left his children was not property. It was the call every prophet brought: worship Allah (﷾) alone. Qur’an 21:25Ibrahim

How the Bible tells it differently

The Bible tells Jacob's story in Genesis, chapters 25 to 50, at much greater length than the Qur'an. Some of the details are different. Muslims believe that Allah (﷾) revealed the Torah to Musa, and the Injil to Isa: the Gospel Jesus himself preached in his lifetime. The Injil is not the New Testament. The four New Testament Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, were written by others, decades after Jesus was raised up. None of them names its author: the names were attached later. And the Torah we have today is not exactly as it was revealed. So where the Bible tells a story just as the Qur'an does, we believe it. Where it differs from the Qur'an or contradicts it, we do not. Where the Qur'an says nothing, we neither believe it nor deny it, as the Prophet (ﷺ) taught. Here are the main differences, with the verses. Qur’an 5:48Qur’an 5:46Which of the four Gospels did Jesus preach from?Who wrote the Gospels?Sahih al-Bukhari 4485↗How should a Muslim read the Bible?

The blessing. Genesis 27 says that Jacob took his father's blessing by pretending to be his brother Esau. Isaac's eyes were dim, and Jacob said to him, "I am Esau thy firstborn". Isaac later said, "Thy brother came with subtilty, and hath taken away thy blessing." The Qur'an tells nothing of this. It says Allah (﷾) chose Ya'qub and counts him among the Elect and the Good. Genesis 27:1 (KJV)Genesis 27:19 (KJV)Genesis 27:35 (KJV)Qur’an 38:47Were the prophets sinless?

The wrestling and the name Israel. Genesis says a man wrestled with Jacob until daybreak and touched the hollow of his thigh. Jacob would not let him go until he blessed him, and the man said his name would now be Israel. The Qur'an does not tell this story. It uses Israel as another name of Ya'qub, without telling how he came by it. Genesis 32:24–28 (KJV)Qur’an 3:93

His last words. In Genesis, Jacob gathers his sons so that he can tell them what will happen to them in the last days. In the Qur'an, he asks them what they will worship after him. Genesis 49:1 (KJV)Qur’an 2:133Did Muhammad (ﷺ) copy the Qur'an from the Bible?