Aslam

Yaqub's story is inseparable from his son Yusuf's. When his sons brought him Yusuf's shirt stained with false blood, claiming a wolf had eaten him, Yaqub knew they were lying. He said: "Rather, your souls have enticed you to something. So patience is beautiful. And Allah is the one sought for help against that which you describe."

Years passed. Yaqub never stopped grieving. His eyes turned white from sorrow — he wept until he went blind. His sons said: "By Allah, you will not cease remembering Yusuf until you become fatally ill or become of those who perish." He replied: "I only complain of my suffering and my grief to Allah, and I know from Allah that which you do not know."

When Yusuf finally sent his shirt back from Egypt with his brothers, Yaqub recognised the scent before it arrived. They placed it over his face, and his sight was restored. The family travelled to Egypt and were reunited. Yaqub fell into prostration, and the dream Yusuf had seen as a child — eleven stars, the sun, and the moon bowing — was fulfilled.