Jacob (a): Difference between revisions

Jacob (a) was the son of [[Isaac (a)]] and a grandson of [[Abraham (a)]]. He was a prophet. He went to Paddan Aram to his maternal uncle, Laban, served as a shepherd for a while and married two of his uncle's daughters. According to Quranic verses, before Islam it was permissible to marry two sisters at the same time. But according to some [[hadith]]s, Jacob (a) married the second sister after the death of the first one. He had 12 sons from his wives. [[Joseph (a)]] and [[Benjamin]] were born from Rachel. According to the Qur'an, Jacob (a) went blind after the disappearance of his son, Joseph (a), because he cried for many years: "And he turned away from them and said, "Oh, my sorrow over Joseph," and his eyes became white from grief, for he was [of that] a suppressor." (Sura Yusuf: 84).<ref>{{ia|قالَ يا أَسَفى‏ عَلى‏ يُوسُفَ وَ ابْيَضَّتْ عَيْناهُ مِنَ الْحُزْنِ فَهُوَ كَظيم}}</ref>

According to the Qur'an, the birth of Isaac and Jacob (a) was annunciated to Abraham (a): "And We gave to Abraham (a), Isaac (a) and Jacob (a) - all [of them] We guided" ([[Sura al-An'am]]: 84).<ref>{{ia|وَ وَهَبْنَا لَهُ إِسْحَاقَ وَيَعْقُوبَ ۚ كُلًّا هَدَيْنَا}}</ref> The Qur'an mentions "Ya'qub (a)" (Jacob) 16 times in 10 [[Sura]]s of the Qur'an. And "Isra'il" (Israel) is mentioned twice in [[Sura Al 'Imran]] and [[Sura Maryam]]. In his ''[[Majma' al-bayan]]'', [[al-Tabrisi]] takes "Isra'il" to be the same person as "Ya'qub (a)", adding that "Isra" means a servant, and "'Il" means God, and so the term means the servant of [[God]]. The Qur'an also mentions the story of Jacob's (a) children and his [[intercession]] for them to ask for God's [[forgiveness]]: "And if, when they wronged themselves, they had come to you, [O Muhammad], and asked forgiveness of Allah and the Messenger had asked forgiveness for them, they would have found Allah Accepting of [[repentance]] and Merciful" ([[Sura al-Nisa]]: 64).<ref>{{ia| لَوْ أَنَّهُمْ إِذْ ظَلَمُوا أَنْفُسَهُمْ جاؤُكَ فَاسْتَغْفَرُوا اللَّهَ وَ اسْتَغْفَرَ لَهُمُ الرَّسُولُ لَوَجَدُوا اللَّهَ تَوَّاباً رَحيماً}}</ref>

According to Shiite [[hadith]]s, Jacob (a) suffered a separation from his son, [[Joseph (a)]], because he and his family ignored the begging of a hungry poor man. According to other hadiths, Jacob (a) was very patient, citing a supplication by Jacob (a) according to which: "I only complain of my suffering and my grief to Allah, and I know from Allah that which you do not know" ([[Sura Yusuf]]: 86).<ref>{{ia|قَالَ إِنَّمَا أَشْكُو بَثِّي وَحُزْنِي إِلَى اللَّـهِ وَأَعْلَمُ مِنَ اللَّـهِ مَا لَا تَعْلَمُونَ}}</ref> And "the most fitting patience" is interpreted as taking one's complaints to God, rather than people, just as Jacob (a) did.

The [[Torah]] reports different stories about Jacob (a). According to one such story, Jacob (a) was known as "Israel" because after struggling with a divine angel he was told: "What is your name?" He said, "Jacob (a). And He said, "Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed." (Genesis 32: 27-29).

After finding his son Joseph (a), Jacob (a) immigrated to Egypt where he lived for a while. Before his death, he gathered his children and recommended them to persist on the religion of their ancestor, [[Abraham (a)]], and asked them to bear witness to the [[Abrahamic religion]]. He died at the age of 147, and per his will, his corpse was moved to [[Palestine]] and was buried in the Cave of Machpelah in Hebron.

*The material for this article is mainly taken from {{ia|[[:fa:(یعقوب (پیامبر|(یعقوب (پیامبر]]}} in Farsi WikiShia.

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