Hope you like the first two parts of the series of best bedtime Quran stories. Here we present 3 more stories from the glorious Quran. These stories are:
- Miracles of Prophet Essa عليه السلام
- Story of Prophet Yaqoob & Yunus عليه السلام
- Story of Prophet Shoaib عليه السلام
Table of Contents
Miracles of Prophet Essa عليه السلام
Miracle is called in Mojezah Arabic, which means an act that common people are incapable of doing. No human or any Prophet could have ever or will perform the miracles without the Leave of Allah. The holy Quran contains 7 miracles of Prophet Essa عليه السلام he demonstrated with the Permission of Allah.
Miraculous Birth
It was a miracle Prophet Essa عليه السلام was born without a father. Once Allah sent revelation to Maryam عليه السلام that I am blessing you with a son. She questioned how it would be possible without a father? Allah replied it is very easy for me to do so. Later, Allah sent an Angel appearing like a man to her, causing Mary great anxiety. After that she felt a life kicking inside her. When not bearing the mental strain any longer she decided to avoid the public and went to Nazareth. There she remained under a dry palm tree and gave birth to Prophet Essa.
Reference: Quran: (19:16-22)
Talking From the Cradle
The 2nd miracle of Prophet Essa عليه السلام was to fluently talk like a mature person right after birth. He said: I am sent in this World as a Prophet with the scripture and be kind to my mother. Blessing on my day of birth and death, and the day when I will again be raised to life. The purpose behind this miracle was to safeguard His mother Mary from the false charges.
Reference: Quran: (19:30-33)
Creating Living Birds from Clay
Another miracle related to Prophet Essa عليه السلام in the Quran is the creation of a living bird out of clay. Prophet Essa made birds from clay, blew them and they could fly like real birds, with the permission and Help of Allah SWT.
Reference: Quran: (3:49)(5:109–110)
Curing the born Blinded and the Lepers
Prophet Essa عليه السلام was healing those born blind and the terminally ill too as indicated in the holy Quran. Al-Baydawi wrote that thousands of people came to Essa to be healed and that Essa healed these diseases through prayer only.
Reference: Quran: (3:49)
Giving life to the Dead
One of the miracles of him was that he was, by permission of Allah, bringing the dead to life. Quran does not mention the details of the people that Essa brought back to life. The present Gospels mentioned some dead people whom Essa revived such as Lazarus. But here, we need to bear one thing in our mind that these miracles of Essa were performed by the order of Allah.
Reference: Quran: (3:49)
Foreknowledge
Quran narrates that Prophet Essa عليه السلام was blessed with the knowledge of the future and people’s secrets. Essa was informing people about those things which were secret to others, such as what they ate and hidden in their home. Although an ordinary human has no access to the unseen, Allah had chosen to unveil the secrets to His servant/Prophet.
Reference: Quran: (3:49)
Arrangement of a Table of Food from Heaven
Prophet Essa عليه السلام performed a miracle exclusively for those who wandered with him while preaching his teachings. Once they ran out of food, they asked:
“O Jesus, son of Mary! Would your Lord be willing to send down to us a table spread with food from heaven?”
Essa was not sure about their intention He refused and advised them to fear Allah. They explained that they had no intention to test Him but to eat to satisfy their hearts to be stronger in preaching faith and witness it. Once Essa got assured of their sincere intention He prayed to Allah:
“O Allah, our Lord! Send us from heaven a table spread with food as a feast for us—the first and last of us—and as a sign from You. Provide for us! You are indeed the Best Provider.”
And after that Allah provided a table of food and drinks from the Heaven but also said that now after this miracle if some one denies Allah or his Prophet Essa (as his messenger) then they will be subject to a inflicting torment.
Reference: Quran: 5:112-115
Moral Lessons
- Giving life to dead ones is easy to Allah
- Allah can create humans without a father or anything
- Allah is alone the prime commander of everything
- Never worship other than Allah
- Prophet Essa is not the son of Allah
Sources
- Quran: (19:16-22)
- Quran: (19:30-33)
- Quran: (5:109–110)
- Quran: (3:49)
- Quran: 5:112-115
Story of Prophet Yaqoob & Yunus عليه السلام
Prophet Yaqoob عليه السلام is very special in Islam for carrying on the legacy left by his forefathers Ibrahim, Ismail and Isaac. Allah bestowed His utmost grace upon him and chose him to be among the most exalted men. The Quran mentions him as a man of might and vision. The Quran states that Prophet Ibrahim عليه السلام once told Prophet Ismail عليه السلام , Isaac عليه السلام and Yaqoob عليه السلام:
“Indeed, Allah has chosen for you this faith; so do not die except in ˹a state of full˺ submission.” Quran: 2:132
He was guided and was given knowledge and a tongue of truthfulness to be heard. He had 12 sons from 2 wives, 10 from one and 2 from another.
The Dream of Yaqoob
Prophet Yaqoob’s عليه السلام most significant mention in the Quran is narrated in surah Yusuf. Prophet Yusuf عليه السلام was His son who had a dream that eleven stars, the sun and the moon prostrated themselves to me. Upon which Yaqoob’s face filled with delight and He immediately understood what this dream meant. Yaqoob predicted that his son would become the next prophet in the line of Abraham and keep the message of Tawheed (oneness of Allah) alive. Yaqoob’s older sons, on the other hand, felt that their father loved Yusuf and His brother Benyamin, Yaqoob’s youngest son, more than them. They (ten older brothers) then decided to kill Yusuf.
Reference: Quran: (12:4-9)
Loss of Prophet Yusuf
One of them felt that instead of slaying they should instead drop him (Yusuf) into a well, so that any random caravan if he came would pick him up. For this they asked their father Yaqoob to take the young Yusuf and Benyamin out to play with them on the condition that they would keep watch over them. Upon Yaqoob’s intention of their false will, He stopped them from doing so. But later, the rebellious elder sons forcefully took Yusuf away, convincing their father that they will take good care of him. Nonetheless they threw Him into the well. When they came back to their father, they told him that the wolf had devoured Yusuf and His brother. To manipulate their father, they stained Yusuf’s shirt with false blood. But Yaqoob, who had been gifted with knowledge, knew this was a false fabrication they had made. Although Yaqoob worried over the loss of Yusuf and constantly prayed and cried throughout His grief which made Him blind. But He remained steadfast to Allah.
Reference: Quran 12:10-18
In Search of Prophet Yusuf عليه السلام
As the years passed, Yusuf grew up into a man in Egypt. One day, Yaqoob decided to send His sons on an errand to Egypt. They departed for Egypt. Once they went to the royal warehouse to buy grains in return for a few pennies. There, they faced Yusuf (grain distributor) who asked Him, “What have you done to your brother Yusuf and Benyamin?’” They shockingly said, are you really Yusuf! He said, Yes I am and here is my brother Benyamin, safe with the grace of Allah. They admitted;
“By Allah! Allah has truly preferred you over us, and we have surely been sinful.”
After which Yusuf prayed to Allah to forgive them. He gave them a shirt and told them to cast it over their father’s face in order to remove His blindness. Thus following the instructions Yaqoob’s physical and mental vision was restored. Once His vision had been restored, the whole family trekked to Egypt to meet Yusuf and Benyamin. Once they arrived, Yaqoob and His son Yusuf met each other with great love and were reunited once again. At this stage all of Prophet Yusuf’s step brothers prostrated, hence the his dream becoming reality. This was the test by which Allah rewarded Yusuf and Yaqoob upon their patience and belief. Rest of the Yaqoob sons were ashamed due to their jealousy and arrogance.
Reference: Quran 12:87-100
Moral Lessons
- Don’t be jealous of someone
- Be patient, pray and do tawakkul on Allah
- Remain steadfast and believe in Allah
Sources
Story of Prophet Shoaib عليه السلام
Allah sent Prophet Shoaib عليه السلام to the people of Madyan, a tribe of people between Hijaz and Syria (according to Ibn Kathir). They were extremely gluttonous people who only believed in making money from hook or crook. They did not believe that Allah existed, and to whom they will return and be accountable. They shortened the measures, praised their good’s worth and hid defects, lied to their customers, thereby cheating within business affairs. Prophet Shoaib ordered them to “satiate the measure and weight.” He advised them to worship Allah and give up on these evil deeds. Otherwise, they would suffer a severe punishment at the hands of Allah, such as people of Noah, Saleh, and Hud. He also warned them not to create division and corruption in the nation.
Dreadful Punishment from Allah
His people were egotistical in their ways. They rigidly refused to listen to the prophet’s words and to shun their tactics and practices of deceiving innocent people. In fact, they went far enough and threatened Prophet Shoaib that if he continued saying this would ban him and His supporters from the land of Madyan.
Following their unshakeable rejection, Allah imposed dreadful punishment on these greedy people. According to surah Al-Araf, an earthquake attacked them, causing them to become extinct and dead in their own house. According to another surah Al-Hud, a terrible cry engulfed Shoaib’s people. Furthermore, Surah Ash-Shu’ara mentions a black cloud trapping them. In short, as a result of their abstinence and reluctance to accept Allah’s commands, they received multiple retributiones. In the state of misery, the evil-doers perished, and Allah protected Prophet Shoaib عليه السلام and the believers from the whole retribution.
Reference: Quran 7:91-92, 11:94-95, 26:189-190, 7:88
Moral Lessons
- Establish justice
- Do not disobey Allah’s commands
- Don’t deceive others for your interest
- Do not short the measures
- Describe the pros and cons of whatever you are selling
Sources
- Quran 7:91-92
- Quran 11:94-95
- Quran 26:189-190
- Quran 7:88
- Quran 7:85-87
- Quran 11:89-90
So here were the 3 more Quranic stories adding to total 9 stories covered so far in our series. Hope you will use them the next time your kids are going to sleep! Let us know if you have some suggestion on these or any suggestions regarding them. Also, in case you haven’t seen our previous parts:
