Bible: An Islamic Perspective: Jacob and Joseph

In Jacob and Joseph we first compare the sometimes unsavory Biblical stories about Jacob with a more scrupulous God-fearer of the Quran and Surabadi’s 11th century Quranic Commentary. Echoes of family rivalries and also reach the Muslim commentators as we see in the story about Jacob’s sons. This serves a prelude to the stories of Joseph in Canaan and Egypt that dominate this volume Bible: An Islamic Perspective series, as does his story in the last quarter Genesis. We unravel the narrative threads of the Biblical stories as Joseph is sold by his brothers into slavery. The story of Joseph is the only told story at length and in chronological order in the Quran rather than scattered referenced in the Bible, the saga of Joseph is a rags-to-riches success story and the triumph of Israelite over Egyptian. In the Quran it is a poignant story of the separation of father and son and ends in their reunion. In the Commentary the focus shifts to the unrequited love story of Zulaykha for Joseph. Some remarks about the lessons of Genesis complete the volume.