When the Stars Prostrated: Meditations on Surat Yusuf

by Mohammad Elshinawy, Rania Abuisnaineh

When the Stars Prostrated is a meditative, verse-by-verse journey into the heart of Surat Yusuf. Revealed to Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ in his period of loss and mourning, and lauded by God as “the best of stories,” Surat Yusuf bears relevance to modern readers of all ages. It is an intimate guide for enduring hardship with patience, hope, and, most importantly, trust in the grand workings of the Divine. But deriving these lessons isn’t an effortless pursuit. Tadabbur, the art of contemplating the meaning of a verse to its end, requires our companionship and sincere engagement with the Qur’an. In this collection of short essays, two writers lay bare the pearls they carry from their own tadabbur journey. Every passage is a blend of classical exegesis and personal insight to show readers that healing, growth, and spiritual ascension through Surat Yusuf can be anyone’s reality.

Genres: Islam, Nonfiction

198 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 2022

Reviews

[Aini Mentari · Rating 4 out of 5]

If there are main lessons of surah Yusuf I learnt from reading this book;

1) To practise humility in things we do and that will always save us in most situations
2) There's huge sweetness and relief in forgiving
3) To underplay our blessing
4) To own your words
5) There are always reasons behind things that happened, and He is truly, the best planner, and as long as we practise sifat keterbukaan dalam kepayahan/kesakitan, at the end of the day, He will make us understand

I was thrilled to find out one of my favourite writers on instagram had co-writes a book, because always adore every single word she wrote, either on posts or igstories. Imagine being able to spread light through your words, and those lights had stayed with the reader for a very long time. God bless these kind of people.

All these years rereading surah Yusuf for countless of time, and personally, it was one of the hardest surah to memorise and only recently, in the last few years, it truly spoke to me. And having this book in hands later on, was such a blessing, to dive deeper in its meaning and lessons behind it.

Truly, the story of Yusuf a.s is one of the best, timeless stories of humankind.

[Shaf RZ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book.

[Rishaalath · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books anyone can read