بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ
Children of the Prophets عليهم السلام

Ya‘qub عليه السلام

The blessed son of Ishaq عليه السلام, grandson of Ibrahim عليه السلام, father of Yusuf عليه السلام, and a prophet remembered in the Qur’an for faith, counsel, patience, and insight.

Quick facts

Only details supported by the Qur’an, authentic hadith, and reliable Islamic teaching are included here.

Relation Son of Prophet Ishaq عليه السلام
Grandfather Prophet Ibrahim عليه السلام
Father of Yusuf عليه السلام and other sons mentioned in Surah Yusuf
Named in Qur’an Yes, clearly named as Ya‘qub عليه السلام
Also connected with Bani Isra’il through his family line
Exact date No exact calendar date is given in the Qur’an or authentic hadith

Who was Ya‘qub عليه السلام?

Ya‘qub عليه السلام was the son of Prophet Ishaq عليه السلام and the grandson of Prophet Ibrahim عليه السلام. He is named clearly in the Qur’an and is part of the blessed family line that Allah granted to Ibrahim عليه السلام after years of patience and du‘a.

In this Children of the Prophets section, Ya‘qub عليه السلام is important in two ways: he is a named child of Ishaq عليه السلام, and he is also the father of Yusuf عليه السلام and other sons whose story appears in Surah Yusuf. His page therefore connects two family directions: what came before him through Ibrahim and Ishaq عليهم السلام, and what came after him through Yusuf عليه السلام and Bani Isra’il.

About dates

No exact birth year, calendar date, or age is given for Ya‘qub عليه السلام in the Qur’an or authentic hadith. Any exact date should be avoided unless it is clearly labelled as outside Qur’an and sound hadith evidence.

His story in order

This order follows the Qur’anic links: the glad tidings in the family of Ibrahim عليه السلام, Ya‘qub’s advice to his children, and the story of Yusuf عليه السلام.

Story Step

Announced after Ishaq عليه السلام

The Qur’an mentions Ya‘qub عليه السلام together with Ishaq عليه السلام as part of the glad tidings given to the family of Ibrahim عليه السلام. This places him clearly in the blessed family line of Ibrahim عليه السلام.

Story Step

A prophet from a prophetic household

Ya‘qub عليه السلام was not only the child of a prophet; he was also a prophet himself. The Qur’an mentions him with Ibrahim and Ishaq عليهم السلام in passages of guidance, righteousness, strength, and insight.

Story Step

A father who taught tawhid

Surah al-Baqarah shows Ya‘qub عليه السلام advising his children to remain upon the chosen religion of Allah. His fatherhood was centred on worship, submission, and faith.

Story Step

Yusuf عليه السلام saw a dream

In Surah Yusuf, Yusuf عليه السلام told his father that he saw eleven stars, the sun, and the moon prostrating to him. Ya‘qub عليه السلام understood the seriousness of the dream and warned him not to tell it to his brothers.

Story Step

Patience during family trial

When Yusuf عليه السلام was taken away by his brothers, Ya‘qub عليه السلام responded with beautiful patience and relied upon Allah. The Qur’an presents his grief, trust, and hope without turning the story into empty drama.

Story Step

Reunion through Allah’s plan

The story later ends with Allah bringing the family together again. Yusuf عليه السلام honoured his parents, and the meaning of the earlier dream became clear by Allah’s command.

Ya‘qub عليه السلام in the family of Ibrahim عليه السلام

The Qur’an mentions Ya‘qub عليه السلام as a gift connected to Ibrahim عليه السلام and Ishaq عليه السلام. In Surah Hud, Sarah عليها السلام receives glad tidings of Ishaq عليه السلام and, after Ishaq, Ya‘qub عليه السلام. In Surah al-Anbiya, Allah mentions granting Ishaq and Ya‘qub as an additional favour and making them righteous.

This makes Ya‘qub عليه السلام part of a family line chosen by Allah. The Qur’an does not present this family line as mere ancestry. It presents it as guidance, worship, prophethood, and responsibility before Allah.

Why this matters

When readers move from Ishaq عليه السلام to Ya‘qub عليه السلام, they are not moving through random names. They are following a Qur’anic chain of mercy: Ibrahim عليه السلام, Ishaq عليه السلام, Ya‘qub عليه السلام, and then Yusuf عليه السلام.

A father who advised his children

Surah al-Baqarah records the message of Ibrahim عليه السلام and Ya‘qub عليه السلام to their children: Allah had chosen the religion for them, so they should remain upon submission to Him. This is one of the clearest fatherhood lessons connected to Ya‘qub عليه السلام.

Another verse in the same passage shows Ya‘qub عليه السلام asking his children what they would worship after him. They answered that they would worship the One God, the God of Ibrahim, Isma‘il, and Ishaq عليهم السلام. This places the centre of his family teaching exactly where it belongs: tawhid.

Main family lesson

Ya‘qub عليه السلام did not only raise children; he directed them toward Allah. This is why his story belongs beautifully in a section about the children of the prophets.

His children in the Qur’an

This is the cleanest way to discuss his children without turning tafsir names into Qur’anic wording.

Lesson

Yusuf عليه السلام is clearly named

Yusuf عليه السلام is named directly in the Qur’an and is repeatedly shown as the son of Ya‘qub عليه السلام. His story is one of the clearest child-parent narratives in the Qur’an.

Lesson

The brothers are mentioned clearly

Surah Yusuf speaks about Yusuf’s brothers many times. It also mentions the eleven stars in Yusuf’s dream, which is connected to his brothers in the story. However, the Qur’an does not list all of their personal names.

Lesson

About Binyamin

The Qur’an refers to Yusuf’s brother without naming him directly. The name Binyamin is well known in tafsir and historical reports, but the Qur’anic wording itself is “his brother”.

Lesson

No full name-list from Qur’an or sound hadith

Because the Qur’an and authentic hadith do not give a complete list of every son of Ya‘qub عليه السلام by name, this page avoids presenting a full twelve-name list as if it were direct revelation.

Ya‘qub عليه السلام and Yusuf عليه السلام

Surah Yusuf begins the family trial with Yusuf عليه السلام telling his father about his dream. He saw eleven stars, the sun, and the moon prostrating to him. Ya‘qub عليه السلام understood that this dream was serious, and he warned Yusuf عليه السلام not to tell it to his brothers because jealousy could lead them to plot against him.

This shows Ya‘qub عليه السلام as a father with insight. He recognised signs of Allah’s favour, but he also understood human weakness inside a family. The Qur’an does not flatten the story into “good child, bad children.” It shows a real test of jealousy, patience, grief, repentance, and Allah’s wise plan.

About the eleven stars

The eleven stars in Yusuf’s dream are an important Qur’anic sign connected to his brothers. Still, the Qur’an itself does not list all eleven brothers by personal name.

Beautiful patience and hope

When Yusuf عليه السلام was taken away, Ya‘qub عليه السلام said that patience was most fitting, and Allah was the One whose help was sought. Later, when another painful family trial appeared, he again returned to beautiful patience and hoped that Allah would bring them back together.

Surah Yusuf also shows Ya‘qub عليه السلام grieving deeply. His eyes became white from sorrow, yet he did not complain against Allah. He told his sons that he only complained of his suffering and sorrow to Allah, and that he knew from Allah what they did not know. This is a powerful balance: deep emotion, but no despair from Allah’s mercy.

The family reunion

The story later turns by Allah’s permission. Yusuf عليه السلام sends his shirt, and Ya‘qub عليه السلام receives the good news. The Qur’an then describes the family coming to Yusuf عليه السلام, and Yusuf عليه السلام honouring his parents.

At that moment, Yusuf عليه السلام says that the meaning of his earlier dream had become true. The story that began with a child’s dream and a father’s warning ends with Allah showing His plan, His mercy, and His power to join what people thought had been broken.

Virtues mentioned about him

The Qur’an honours Ya‘qub عليه السلام through his lineage, prophethood, patience, insight, and concern for his children’s faith.

Lesson

Chosen and honoured

Surah Sad mentions Ibrahim, Ishaq, and Ya‘qub عليهم السلام as servants of Allah with strength and insight, chosen and among the finest.

Lesson

A father of faith

His advice to his children shows that his greatest concern was not wealth, status, or tribe; it was that his children remain upon submission to Allah.

Lesson

Beautiful patience

When he faced the pain of losing Yusuf عليه السلام from his household, he did not abandon hope in Allah. His words teach sabr without despair.

Lesson

Part of a noble prophetic chain

An authentic hadith mentions Yusuf عليه السلام as the son of Ya‘qub, son of Ishaq, son of Ibrahim عليهم السلام, showing four generations of prophethood.

Connection to the noble prophetic chain

An authentic hadith describes Yusuf عليه السلام as the noble one, son of the noble one, son of the noble one, son of the noble one: Yusuf, son of Ya‘qub, son of Ishaq, son of Ibrahim عليهم السلام. This hadith confirms the chain clearly and helps the reader understand why these pages are arranged one after another.

For the Children of the Prophets section, this is a key bridge. Ya‘qub عليه السلام is not only a child in the line of Ishaq عليه السلام; he is also the father through whom the story of Yusuf عليه السلام enters the Qur’an in great detail.

Accuracy notes

These points keep the page focused and prevent unsupported additions.

Lesson

About dates and ages

No exact birth year, age, or detailed calendar timeline for Ya‘qub عليه السلام is given in the Qur’an or authentic hadith. The page should not invent one.

Lesson

About his mother

The Qur’an and authentic hadith do not name the mother of Ya‘qub عليه السلام. Later historical names should not be written here as confirmed Qur’anic or hadith information.

Lesson

About the number of sons

The dream of eleven stars is an important Qur’anic clue in the Yusuf story, but the page should still avoid making an unsourced name-list for every brother.

What should not be added

Do not add exact birth dates, invented ages, unsupported names for his mother, or a full list of every son as if the Qur’an or authentic hadith directly named them all. Do not import Biblical details as confirmed Islamic content. Keep the page centred on what is clear: Ya‘qub عليه السلام was the son of Ishaq عليه السلام, a prophet, a father who taught tawhid, the father of Yusuf عليه السلام, and a servant of Allah praised for strength, insight, and patience.

References

  • Qur’an: Surah Hud 11:71, glad tidings of Ishaq عليه السلام and, after him, Ya‘qub عليه السلام.
  • Qur’an: Surah al-Anbiya 21:72, Allah granted Ibrahim عليه السلام Ishaq and Ya‘qub as an additional favour and made them righteous.
  • Qur’an: Surah Maryam 19:49, Allah granted Ibrahim عليه السلام Ishaq and Ya‘qub and made each of them a prophet.
  • Qur’an: Surah al-Baqarah 2:132–133, Ya‘qub عليه السلام advised his children about remaining upon submission to Allah.
  • Qur’an: Surah Yusuf 12:4–6, Yusuf عليه السلام told his father about his dream and Ya‘qub عليه السلام warned him not to tell it to his brothers.
  • Qur’an: Surah Yusuf 12:83–87, Ya‘qub عليه السلام showed beautiful patience and placed his complaint before Allah.
  • Qur’an: Surah Yusuf 12:93–100, the family reunion and the fulfilment of Yusuf’s earlier dream.
  • Qur’an: Surah Sad 38:45–47, Ibrahim, Ishaq, and Ya‘qub عليهم السلام are described as servants with strength and insight, chosen and among the finest.
  • Hadith: Sahih al-Bukhari 3202, the Prophet ﷺ mentioned the noble chain: Yusuf, son of Ya‘qub, son of Ishaq, son of Ibrahim عليهم السلام.

ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّٰهِ رَبِّ ٱلْعَٰلَمِينَ

All praise is for Allah, Lord of all worlds.