Years passed. The boy from the well had grown into a young man.
Yusuf lived in the house of a powerful Egyptian named al-Aziz. al-Aziz was kind to Yusuf. He gave him a place to stay, food to eat, and treated him almost like a son. Yusuf worked hard, listened well, and was always honest. Allah had given him wisdom that grew with every passing year.
But one day, something happened that changed everything.
The wife of al-Aziz wanted Yusuf to do something that Allah did not allow. She asked him quietly, then loudly, then with anger. But Yusuf would not listen to her. He shook his head and said, "I seek protection in Allah. al-Aziz has been kind to me. I will not do what is wrong."
Yusuf turned and ran from her, all the way to the door. She was angry that he had refused her. So when al-Aziz came home, she made up a story. She accused Yusuf of doing something he did not do.
Yusuf told the truth. He had done nothing wrong. But the woman's word was believed over his. And so Yusuf was sent to prison.
Yusuf did not cry, and he did not get angry. He had made his choice already. He whispered to himself, "Prison is better than doing what Allah forbids."
In prison, Yusuf met two other prisoners. They had both had strange dreams the night before. The first man dreamed that he was pressing grapes to make a drink. The second man dreamed that he was carrying bread on his head, and birds were swooping down and eating from it. They did not know what their dreams meant. They asked Yusuf if he could help.
Before answering their dreams, Yusuf told them about Allah, the One God his family had always worshipped. Then he told them what their dreams meant. He told the first man that he would be set free and would serve the king again. He told the second man that his dream had a darker meaning. The man would not be coming back.
Yusuf asked the first man, "When you are free, please remember to tell the king about me."
Everything happened just as Yusuf had said. The first man was set free. But once he was outside, he forgot all about Yusuf.
And so the days became weeks, the weeks became months, and the months became years. Yusuf stayed in prison, patient, trusting, and quietly waiting. He did not know it yet, but Allah's plan was still unfolding.
Yusuf was treated unfairly. He went to prison even though he had done nothing wrong. But he never stopped trusting Allah, and he never stopped being kind. Sometimes the right choice is hard. But Allah sees everything we do, even when nobody else does. Read more stories.
From the Quran: Surah Yusuf (chapter 12). Part 2 covers verses 21 to 42, which tell of Yusuf growing up in Egypt, the test in al-Aziz's house, and his years in prison interpreting dreams.