Story of the Prophet Yaqub (AS): Although the Quran does not include information about Ishaq A.S. (Isaac)’s life, reputable Quranic scholars noted that Abraham (Ibrahim A.S.) wished to see Ishaq A.S. (Isaac) married when he thought his life was coming to an end. He dispatched a dependable servant to Haran in Iraq to find Ishaq A.S. a bride because he did not want Ishaq A.S. to wed one of the pagan Canaanites. Rebekah Bint Bethuel, Ibn Nahor, Ibrahim (A.S.)’s brother, was chosen by the servant. She gave birth to twins Esau (Al Eis) and Jacob (Yaqub A.S.) after Ishaq A.S. married her.
Prophet Yaqub A.S. and his brother Esau
The Prophet Ishaq (pbuh) had two twin sons: Esau and Yaqub A.S. (pbuh), also known as Jacob in English, whom his father favored more than his other brother Esau. Esau greatly envied his brother because of this.
With time, this emotion intensified and even became dangerous. Esau grew so furious when Allah (s.w.t) selected Yaqub (AS) as a prophet that he threatened to kill his brother. Yaqub (AS) made the decision to leave.
Prophet Yaqub (A.S.)’s Dream
He then located a spot to lie down and set a stone beneath his head. In his dream, he saw angels come down from a ladder that connected Earth to Heaven and told him that his future generation will come from this land. He was overjoyed and made a vow to Allah (s.w.t.) that if he went back to his family, he would build a mosque and give away some of his possessions. He applied some oil to the stone before leaving the location, which was Jerusalem so that he might subsequently recognize it.
He married two sisters, and his youngest wife bore him two sons, Yousef A.S. (Joseph) and Benyamin (Benjamin). The first wife was expecting the latter child when the second wife passed away.
Prophet Yaqub (A.S.) was renamed as “Israel”
Prophet Yaqub (p.b.u.h) was urged by Allah (s.w.t.) to return to his father and his people. When he arrived, the angels welcomed him and told him that his name would be Israel. Yaqub (p.b.u.h) asked his brother to be his companion, but the latter rejected the request and instead sent men after Yaqub (AS). Yaqub (AS) prayed to Allah (s.w.t.) to put an end to his brother’s wrongdoing.
Then he prepared and sent his brother a gift that included a variety of animals. Esau was humbled by this and decided to make up with Prophet Yaqub (AS). The two brothers were now back together. Ibrahim (AS), the prophet, used to reside there, thus they both visited him.
Their father, Ishaq A.S., passed away from illness at the age of 180 and was buried next to their grandfather, Ibrahim (AS). After placing oil on the stone, Prophet Yaqub (AS) made good on his word and constructed the mosque in Jerusalem, which Prophet Suleiman (AS) later extended.
Prophet Yaqub (AS) had a total of 12 sons. Prophet Yusuf (pbuh) asked that the entire family go to Egypt, where they spent 17 years before his death at age 147.
Lessons learned from Story of the Prophet Yaqub
Several lessons can be learned from the life and story of Prophet Yaqub A.S. (Jacob) which we as Muslims should implement in our daily lives. Here are some lessons that we can strive for:
1) Do not be jealous of your siblings.
2) Keep your promises with Allah.
3) To stop a conflict from occurring, send the opponent some gifts.
4) Ask Allah for help in Challenging times or times of peace.
May we learn something valuable from the Story of Prophet Yaqub (A.S.) and become pious and obedient to Allah and respect our parents.
Read more Prophet Stories or Follow us on social media for daily Islamic reminders.
