The Prophet Ya'qub (As)

And remember Our servants Ibrahim, Ishaq and Ya’qub, men of true strength and vision. We purified their sincerity through sincere remembrance of the Hereafter. They shall dwell with Us among the righteous whom We have chosen. (Surah Sad, 45-47)

The Prophet Ya’qub (as) was of the descendant of the Prophet Ibrahim (as). Allah made the Prophet Ibrahim (as) and each one of his sons leaders. They summoned the people to accept what was good and right guidance. This is related in the Qur’an as follows:

We made them leaders, guiding them by Our command, and revealed to them how to do good actions and perform prayer and give alms, and they worshipped Us. (Surat al- Anbiya’, 73)

The Prophet Ya’qub (as) Dedicated His Sons To Complying With The Just Religion And To Being Among The Good In the Qur’an, we find the verses relating to the Prophet Ya’qub’s (as) communication of Allah’s message in the Surat al-Baqara. The Qur’an mentions the Prophet Ya’qub’s (as) will (as) follows: Ibrahim directed his sons to accept the true faith, as did Ya’qub: “My sons! Allah has chosen this religion for you, so do not die except as Muslims.” (Surat al-Baqara, 132)

Breathing one’s last as a Muslim is one of the important prayers of people who fear Allah. An individual may well one day swerve from his faith and return to evil,—although he had faith and engaged in good deeds until then—and thereby become one doomed to Hell. While the Prophet Ya’qub (as) advises his sons “not to die except as Muslims”, he warns them against this danger and recommends that they keep their faith intact, without changing their sincere intentions and resoluteness. His sons, who complied with their father’s will, declared that they would worship Allah and submit themselves to Him:

Ya’qub said to his sons, “What will you worship when I have gone?” They replied, “We will worship your God, the God of your forefathers, Ibrahim, Isma’il and Ishaq— the one God. We are Muslims who have submitted to Him.” (Surat al-Baqara, 133)

The Prophet Ya’qub Advised His Sons To Trust In Allah

He said, “My sons! You must not enter through a single gate. Go in through different gates. In no way can I save you from the might of Allah, for judgement comes from no one but Allah. In Him I put my trust, and let all the faithful put their trust in Him alone.” But when they entered as their father said, it did not save them from the might of Allah at all, yet a need in Ya’qub’s soul had been satisfied. He had knowledge which We had taught him, but most of mankind simply have no knowledge. (Surah Yusuf, 67-68)

When the Prophet Ya’qub (as) advised his sons to be cautious while entering the city, he also reminded them of a very important fact: that they should put their trust in Allah rather than in precaution. That is because, unless otherwise willed by Allah, a man can neither harm himself nor do himself any good. He can neither prevent anything that is fated to happen to him nor can ensure his own well-being. A believer does everything that needs to be done in order to earn Allah’s approval and takes every sort of measure that needs to be taken. However, he definitely knows that the result is ultimately at the will of Allah and He trusts only in Him.