His wife was standing, and she laughed when we gave her the good news about Isaac, and after Isaac, Jacob.

Jacob was the son of Isaac and grandson of Abraham. The Quran says God gave him to Abraham "as a gift" (21:72) and made him a prophet (19:49). Before Isaac was born, the angels gave Abraham's wife the good news "about Isaac, and after Isaac, Jacob" (11:71). The Quran does not name a nation he was sent to. It presents him as a guide in Abraham's line: he was one of the imams "who guided in accordance with our commandments," and he was taught the Contact Prayers and the obligatory charity (21:73). Dr. Khalifa understood him as Israel. In his translation, the passage where Jacob's family moves to Egypt carries the heading "Israel Goes to Egypt," and his footnote says this "marks the beginning of the Children of Israel in Egypt" (12:93). The Quran also mentions "the descendants of Abraham and Israel" (19:58), and it says Israel "imposed certain prohibitions on themselves before the Torah was sent down" (3:93).
Most of his story is told in Sura 12, through his son Joseph. Joseph told him of a dream in which eleven planets, the sun and the moon bowed down to him. Jacob warned him not to tell his brothers, "lest they plot and scheme against you," and saw the dream as good news of God's blessing on "the family of Jacob" (12:4-6). The brothers were jealous of how much their father favored Joseph. They asked to take him out to play, and Jacob said he feared a wolf might eat him. Then they threw Joseph into a well, and that evening they brought back his shirt with fake blood on it. Jacob was not fooled: "you have conspired with each other to commit a certain scheme. All I can do is resort to a quiet patience" (12:8-18).
Years later a famine sent the brothers to Egypt for grain. Joseph was now in power there, and he told them to bring their youngest brother next time. Jacob answered, "Shall I trust you with him, as I trusted you with his brother before that?" He agreed only after they gave a solemn pledge before God. He told them to enter through separate doors, but added that he could not save them "from anything that is predetermined by GOD" (12:63-67). The Quran says he had a private reason for this and "possessed certain knowledge that we taught him" (12:68). When the sons came back without the youngest brother, Jacob again turned to quiet patience. He grieved for Joseph until his eyes turned white, saying, "I simply complain to GOD about my dilemma and grief, for I know from GOD what you do not know." Then he sent them back: "go fetch Joseph and his brother, and never despair of GOD's grace" (12:83-87).
Joseph made himself known to his brothers and sent his shirt home. Before the caravan even arrived, Jacob said, "I can sense the smell of Joseph." When the shirt was thrown on his face, his sight came back. His sons asked him to pray for their forgiveness, and he promised to ask his Lord for it (12:94-98). The family moved to Egypt. Joseph raised his parents onto the throne and they bowed to him, which fulfilled the dream from his childhood (12:99-100). At the end of his life, Jacob asked his children, "What will you worship after I die?" They answered that they would worship the one god of Abraham, Ismail and Isaac: "To Him we are submitters" (2:133). His last instruction to them was "do not die except as submitters" (2:132).
The Quran takes several lessons from Jacob. The first is patience joined with trust. He saw through his sons' schemes, took sensible precautions, and still left the outcome to God, who had already decided Joseph's fate (12:9 footnote, 12:67). The second is hope. In the Quran's words, "None despairs of GOD's grace except the disbelieving people" (12:87). The third concerns religion itself. Jacob was a submitter, not a Jew or a Christian (2:140). Along with Abraham and Isaac, he was "resourceful," "possessed vision," and was blessed with "awareness of the Hereafter" (38:45-47). Believers are told to make no distinction between him and the other messengers (2:136).
Verses
SubmissionAI can make mistakes. Check the sources.
He said, "My son, do not tell your brothers about your dream, lest they plot and scheme against you. Surely, the devil is man's worst enemy.
"Your Lord has thus blessed you, and has given you good news through your dream. He has perfected His blessings upon you and upon the family of Jacob, as He did for your ancestors Abraham and Isaac before that. Your Lord is Omniscient, Most Wise."
When they returned to their father, they said, "Our father, we can no longer get any provisions, unless you send our brother with us. We will take good care of him."
He said, "Shall I trust you with him, as I trusted you with his brother before that? GOD is the best Protector, and, of all the merciful ones, He is the Most Merciful."
When they opened their bags, they found their goods returned to them. They said, "Our father, what more can we ask for? Here are our goods returned to us. We can thus provide for our family, protect our brother, and receive one more camel-load. This is certainly a profitable deal."
He said, "I will not send him with you, unless you give me a solemn pledge before GOD that you will bring him back, unless you are utterly overwhelmed." When they gave him their solemn pledge, he said, "GOD is witnessing everything we say."
And he said, "O my sons, do not enter from one door; enter through separate doors. However, I cannot save you from anything that is predetermined by GOD. To GOD belongs all judgments. I trust in Him, and in Him shall all the trusters put their trust."
When they went (to Joseph), they entered in accordance with their father's instructions. Although this could not change anything decreed by GOD, Jacob had a private reason for asking them to do this. For he possessed certain knowledge that we taught him, but most people do not know.
He said, "Indeed, you have conspired to carry out a certain scheme. Quiet patience is my only recourse. May GOD bring them all back to me. He is the Omniscient, Most Wise."
He turned away from them, saying, "I am grieving over Joseph." His eyes turned white from grieving so much; he was truly sad.
They said, "By GOD, you will keep on grieving over Joseph until you become ill, or until you die."
He said, "I simply complain to GOD about my dilemma and grief, for I know from GOD what you do not know.
"O my sons, go fetch Joseph and his brother, and never despair of GOD's grace. None despairs of GOD's grace except the disbelieving people."
Even before the caravan arrived, their father said, "I can sense the smell of Joseph. Will someone enlighten me?"
They said, "By GOD, you are still in your old confusion."
When the bearer of good news arrived, he threw (the shirt) on his face, whereupon his vision was restored. He said, "Did I not tell you that I knew from GOD what you did not know?"
They said, "Our father, pray for our forgiveness; we were wrong indeed."
He said, "I will implore my Lord to forgive you; He is the Forgiver, Most Merciful."
Moreover, Abraham exhorted his children to do the same, and so did Jacob: "O my children, GOD has pointed out the religion for you; do not die except as submitters."
Had you witnessed Jacob on his death bed; he said to his children, "What will you worship after I die?" They said, "We will worship your god; the god of your fathers Abraham, Ismail, and Isaac; the one god. To Him we are submitters."