Allah has dedicated a great portion of the Quran to the stories of the prophets. These pages are not a hollow account of history; every line is a lesson for the believers who will live until the Day of Judgment. This sermon extracts, from the stories of six great prophets — Ibrahim, Yusuf, Musa, Ayyub, Yunus, and 'Isa — lessons applicable to modern life.
Why the Stories of the Prophets?
At the end of Surah Yusuf, Allah declares the purpose of the stories:
— Yusuf 12:111Indeed, in their stories there is a lesson for those of understanding. This (Quran) is not a fabricated narration, but a confirmation of what came before it, a detailed explanation of all things, a guidance, and a mercy for a people who believe.
There is "a lesson for those of understanding." Allah is not narrating history — He is giving spiritual lessons. Beneath each story lies an attitude the believer should hold, an ethic, a line of character.
Ibrahim (peace be upon him) — The Father of Tawhid
Ibrahim is among the most frequently mentioned prophets in the Quran. His life is the masterwork of the struggle for tawhid.
Lesson: The path of intellect and fitrah leads to tawhid. Ibrahim grew up in an idolatrous society but at a young age looked at the sky, the star, the moon, the sun and said: "These cannot be God, for they set" — and so found the truth (Al-An'am 6:74-79). For the modern believer, this is a great lesson: faith in Allah does not need only a teacher's instruction; one's own intellect must also arrive at this truth.
Ibrahim's hardest test was being commanded to sacrifice his son Isma'il. He won that test between the love of family and the command of Allah — yet Allah sent him a ram and saved his son (As-Saffat 37:101-107). The story is the essence of 'Eid al-Adha: being able to give up what you love most for Allah, in order to know that Allah loves you.
Yusuf (peace be upon him) — The Peak of Patience
The story of Yusuf is so great that it fills a single surah of the Quran. Surah Yusuf narrates a 111-verse story from beginning to end:
- His brothers' jealousy → being thrown into the well
- Being sold as a slave → taken to Egypt
- Slander → being thrown into prison
- Dream interpretation → rising to royalty
- Just rule → his brothers' repentance before him
All of this fits into a single mold of Yusuf: ṣabr jamīl (beautiful patience) and return good for evil. The word he said when forgiving his brothers is a measure for believers:
— Yusuf 12:92Today there is no blame upon you. May Allah forgive you. He is the Most Merciful of the merciful.
To forgive the one who wronged you — this is Yusuf's lesson. Not revenge; forgiveness.
Musa (peace be upon him) — The Courage of the Oppressed
Musa is the most frequently mentioned prophet in the Quran. The center of his story: standing against the tyrant Pharaoh.
Lesson: Not remaining silent in the face of injustice. Musa grew up in Egypt but stood by the enslaved people. When Allah commanded him to go to Pharaoh, he was afraid because of his speech impediment: "My Lord, expand for me my breast; ease for me my task; untie the knot from my tongue that they may understand my speech." (Ta-Ha 20:25-28). This du'a is the believer's model of combining fear with courage.
Allah commanded Musa to "speak gently to Pharaoh" (Ta-Ha 20:44). A gentle word even before injustice — this is the boundary of the Muslim character.
Ayyub (peace be upon him) — Patience in Illness
Ayyub's story is short but dense in the Quran (Sad 38:41-44, Al-Anbiya' 21:83-84). Throughout eighteen years of grave illness, loss of property, loss of children — he never complained to Allah, saying only "have mercy."
Lesson: Illness is the mirror of faith. Praising Allah when healthy is easy; being patient while ill is the measure of real iman. Allah answered Ayyub's patience: "Indeed, We found him patient — an excellent servant" (Sad 38:44).
Yunus (peace be upon him) — The Power of Tawbah
Yunus's story is short but its lessons are many-layered. He was sent as a messenger to his people; when they did not believe, Yunus became angry and left the city — without Allah's permission. Then he was kept in the darknesses inside the belly of the fish.
The du'a he said in this darkness is a treasure for believers:
— Al-Anbiya' 21:87There is no god but You; glory be to You. Indeed, I have been of the wrongdoers.
This du'a: tawhid + glorification + confession of sin. A three-fold tawbah. Allah delivered him from the darknesses with this du'a; and opened the same door for his ummah.
'Isa (peace be upon him) — Word and Miracle
'Isa's birth itself was a miracle; he was sent to Maryam without a father (Maryam 19:16-22). When she did not speak, the baby in the cradle spoke to defend her: "Indeed, I am the servant of Allah. He has given me the Scripture and made me a prophet" (Maryam 19:30).
Lesson: The believer is Allah's servant from the first moment of life to the last. 'Isa spoke the same tawhid in the cradle and during his prophethood. The lesson for the modern believer: from youth to old age, from comfort to poverty, carrying the same faith in every state.
General Lessons From the Stories of the Prophets
All the stories of the prophets share three lessons:
- You are not alone on the path of truth: the prophets too were mocked by their peoples, ridiculed, and exiled. Being on the path of truth is not comfort.
- Patience eventually brings victory: Yusuf from prison to palace, Musa from Pharaoh to the parting of the sea, Yunus from the fish to deliverance — all with patience.
- Allah forgets no servant: in the depth of darkness, in years in prison, in the belly of the fish — Allah is there.
Learning Prophets' Lives With VAAZ
The VAAZ app's Quran reader presents the surahs in which the prophets' stories are narrated with translation: Yusuf, Ta-Ha, Al-Anbiya', Sad, Maryam. The hadith archive, filtered by topic, surfaces thousands of narrations about the prophets.
For the example of patience in Yusuf, see A Sermon on Sabr; for tawbah in Yunus's case, see A Sermon on Tawbah.
The prophet stories are the Muslim's spiritual memory. From the life of each, a lesson, an attitude, a line of character is inherited. Telling these stories to our children gives them both a lesson in religion and a lesson in life. These stories, preserved by Allah until the Day of Judgment, are the compasses that will shape our lives as well.
References
- The Qur'an, Yusuf 12:111, Diyanet translation.
- The Qur'an, Yusuf 12:92, Diyanet translation.
- The Qur'an, Al-Anbiya' 21:87, Diyanet translation.