Page 34 - The School of Yusuf (as)

THE SCHOOL OF YUSUF

other left it. The fortunate man looked at the flowers and beauti-
ful things, and relaxed and enjoyed himself. But the unfortunate
one looked only at the dirty, ugly things, although he was un-
able to clean them up, so he was nauseated and upset instead of
resting, and then went on his way. Now, the stages of man’s so-

cial life, and especially the School of Joseph, resembles a garden.
It contains both ugly and beautiful things, and distressing and
happy things. The sensible person is he who busies himself with
the beautiful, happiness-inducing things, and ignores the ugly,
distressing things, and offers thanks happily instead of com-
plaining querulously. 4

As Bediuzzaman said, those who see the beauty and goodness
through that which Allah ordains will live with peace of mind, both
in this world and in the Hereafter. An evil person cannot harm
them, and no evil deed can cause them to despair. For those who do
not believe in Allah, the experience is altogether different. They are
quick to despair when faced with adversity, are susceptible to anxi-
ety, and therefore are at loss already in this world, and again in the
Hereafter. In the Qur’an, Allah reveals the condition of these people:

Among the people there is one who worships Allah right on
the edge. If good befalls him, he is content with it, but if a
trial befalls him, he reverts to his former ways, losing both
this world and the Hereafter. That is indeed sheer loss.
(Surat al-Hajj, 11)

The Wisdom in Yusuf’s (as) Prison Term And The
Good It Led To

Yusuf’s (as) life was permeated with events demonstrating that

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