لَقَدْ كَانَ فِى قَصَصِهِمْ عِبْرَةٌۭ لِّأُو۟لِى ٱلْأَلْبَـٰبِ ۗ مَا كَانَ حَدِيثًۭا يُفْتَرَىٰ وَلَـٰكِن تَصْدِيقَ ٱلَّذِى بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ وَتَفْصِيلَ كُلِّ شَىْءٍۢ وَهُدًۭى وَرَحْمَةًۭ لِّقَوْمٍۢ يُؤْمِنُونَ ١١١
In their stories there is truly a lesson for people of reason. This message cannot be a fabrication, rather ˹it is˺ a confirmation of previous revelation, a detailed explanation of all things, a guide, and a mercy for people of faith. Joseph (12:111)
⅓ of the Qur’an is stories. Allah SWT in His infinite wisdom chose storytelling as one of the mediums to convey to the Prophet SAW, his companions and us the history of the nations before. There is a deep comfort, insight and guidance confined in the pages of history, if we earnestly learn to pry it out and engage with it. A far more daunting task, to present them to our students, to assist in the formation of their Muslim identity, and knowing their place in the world today by relating to our rich past.
Souha Adlouni