Prophet Jacob | The Blessed Patriach of Bani Israel

(Cite: Hamdani, Mufti Shah Rafi Uddin & Khan, Dr. (Mufti) Imran. (2018), Prophet Jacob , Encyclopedia of Muhammad , Seerat Research Center, Karachi, Pakistan, Vol. 1, Pg. 146-152.)

Jacob , Hebrew Yaʿaqov, Yisraʾel, ¹ Arabic Yaqub, ² Israel, ³ was the twin brother of Esau ⁴ and the son of Isaac and Rebecca. He was the third great patriarch of the chosen people, and the immediate ancestor of the twelve tribes of Israel. ⁵ According to the view of Islam and other revealed religions, he was a prophet of God. This is stated in the Holy Quran as:

فَلَمَّا اعْتَزَلَهُمْ وَمَا يَعْبُدُونَ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ وَهَبْنَا لَهُ إِسْحَاقَ وَيَعْقُوبَ وَكُلًّا جَعَلْنَا نَبِيًّا 49⁶

‘So when he had separated from them and what they worshipped other than Allah, We bestowed him Ishaq and Yaqub; and We made each of them a prophet.’

The complete accounts of Jacob’s life are not available. Only a few details of some important events are given in the Holy Quran and the Bible (Old Testament and the New Testament).

Jacob Receives The Prayer Of Isaac

As per Israelite narrations, Isaac grew old and his eye sight weakened. One day, he became hungry so he asked his son Esau to hunt, and bring him his favorite food. The account is mentioned in the Jewish encyclopedia as:

“Isaac, having become blind, sent Esau to hunt for some game and to prepare for him a meal in order that he might bless him before his death. Rebecca, hearing of this, instigated Jacob to intercept the blessing by taking his brother's place. Having anticipated his brother in the preparation of the meal and having put goatskins upon his hands and neck lest his father should recognize him, Jacob brought the meal to his father, who, after having partaken of it, blessed him and promised him that he should be lord over his brethren and that his mother's sons should bow to him. This substitution was in agreement with the divine purpose”. ⁷

When Jacob left his father, his brother Esau, who had carried out his father's command, entered. Isaac asked him: "What is this, my son?" He answered: "This is the food you like." Isaac asked: "Did you bring it an hour ago and ask me to pray for you?" Esau said: "No, I swear I did not," and he knew his brother had preceded him in this matter and became angry. ⁸

As per the Israelite narrations, when Isaac departed from this world, Esau threatened to kill Jacob . When their mother got to know this, she commanded Jacob to go to her brother Laban in the land of Haran ⁹ and abide with him for a time until his brother's anger abated and to marry one of the Laban's daughters. Laban accepted this proposal under the condition that Jacob would look after his goats for seven years.

Laban had two daughters. Lia and Rachel. He asked Jacob to marry Lia as she was older than Rachel. It was the tradition of that time that people did not marry their younger ones until the elder daughters got married. Hence, Jacob was married to Lia, and he served for a further seven years to marry Rachel.

Lia was weak-sighted and ugly. Almighty Allah compensated Lia's weakness by giving her sons. The first one was named Rueben (Robel), after whom there were Simon (Shamun), Levi (Lawi), and Judah (Yahudh). Rachel felt jealous of Lia's having sons, as she was sterile. She gave her slave girl Bilhah to Jacob . He had relations with her until she became pregnant and she gave birth to a son who was named as Naphtali. Lia was vexed that Rachel's slave gave birth to a son. So, she, in turn, gave her slave girl Zilpah to Prophet Jacob . Zilpah also gave birth to two sons, Gad and Asher. Later on, Lia also got pregnant and gave birth to her fifth son, Issachar, and afterwards, she gave birth to a sixth son Zebulun. Later, Lia gave birth to a daughter named Deena. Hence, Lia had seven children from Jacob . Rachel also prayed to Allah to give her a child from Prophet Jacob . Allah accepted her prayer, and she gave birth to a son who was incredibly beautiful. She named him Joseph . All this happened when they were in the land of Haran, and Jacob was working for his uncle. After a while, Allah the Almighty inspired Jacob to return to the country of his father and promised to stand by him. Jacob informed his family, and they obeyed without questioning. Jacob did not tell Laban of his plans and left without bidding farewell. Upon leaving, Rachel stole her father's idols. When Laban got to know of Jacob’s departure, he gathered some people and pursued him. Laban caught up with Jacob and questioned him for not informing about his departure. He also inquired about the whereabouts of his idols. Jacob had no knowledge of his idols, so he denied that he had taken them from him. Upon hearing this, Laban entered Jacob’s tents and searched them, but found nothing. After that, they sat on a hill called Galeed and Laban asked Jacob to make an oath that he would never ill-treat his wives and that he would not marry one else. When the Oath was made, Jacob and Laban went their separate ways. ¹⁰

The Reunion Of The Brothers

Jacob was informed that his brother Esau was coming to meet him, accompanied by 400 men. Jacob also prepared an excellent present for his brother and sent it ahead of him. At night, Jacob sent his family and all his possessions over the brook Jabbok; he remained on the other side, where an angel wrestled with him all night until the day break. While wrestling, the angel touched the hollow of Jacob's thigh, causing him to limp; but the angel was overpowered by Jacob , who would not let him go until blessed by him. The angel then changed Jacob's name to "Israel" ( , apparently shortened from = "he overpowered Elohim"). Jacob gave to the place at which this event occurred the name "Peniel" ("for I have seen Elohim face to face"). The Israelites commemorate the event to this day by not eating "The sinew which shrank which is upon the hollow of the thigh".

After his meeting with Esau, at which the brothers were reconciled, Jacob went to Shechem, where he bought from the children of Hamor, for a hundred pieces of money, a field in which he erected an altar. While Jacob was on his way home, Rachel gave birth to Benjamin, his last son. Jacob , with his twelve sons, the fathers of the twelve tribes of Israel, then arrived at Hebron, where his parents lived. ¹¹

Jacob came to his father Isaac and settled with him in the village of Hebron which lies in the land of Canaan where Abraham had lived. Then Isaac fell ill and died when he was one hundred eighty years old. His sons Esau and Jacob buried him with his father Abraham Al-Khalil in a cave which he had bought. It was said that Abraham died at the age of one hundred seventy-five. ¹²

Virtuousness Of Jacob

Most of the text of the Bible has either been tampered with or has been translated in a negative connotation which leads the reader to believe that a ‘prophet’ can indulge in immoral activities (God forbid). The Holy Quran destroys this allegation in its entirety. It states:

قَالَ لَا يَنَالُ عَهْدِي الظَّالِمِينَ 124¹³

…the Lord responded: “My covenant does not embrace the wrong-doers.”

This verse specifies that leadership or prophethood was only given to those special people who were righteous at all times. This also means that all the prophets are specially protected by God from sins, because without it, no man can protect himself from a sin, no matter how hard he tries. Likewise, Jacob was also protected from all types of sins.

In the Holy Quran, Jacob is mentioned as:

وَاذْكُرْ عِبَادَنَا إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَإِسْحَاقَ وَيَعْقُوبَ أُولِي الْأَيْدِي وَالْأَبْصَارِ 45 إِنَّا أَخْلَصْنَاهُمْ بِخَالِصَةٍ ذِكْرَى الدَّارِ 46 وَإِنَّهُمْ عِنْدَنَا لَمِنَ الْمُصْطَفَيْنَ الْأَخْيَارِ 47 وَاذْكُرْ إِسْمَاعِيلَ وَالْيَسَعَ وَذَا الْكِفْلِ وَكُلٌّ مِنَ الْأَخْيَارِ 48¹⁴

And remember Our bondmen Ibrahim, and Ishaq, and Yaqub – the men of power and knowledge. We indeed gave them distinction with a genuine affair – the remembrance of the (everlasting) abode. And in Our sight, they are indeed the chosen ones, the beloved.

وَوَهَبْنَا لَهُ إِسْحَاقَ وَيَعْقُوبَ كُلًّا هَدَيْنَا وَنُوحًا هَدَيْنَا مِنْ قَبْلُ وَمِنْ ذُرِّيَّتِهِ دَاوُودَ وَسُلَيْمَانَ وَأَيُّوبَ وَيُوسُفَ وَمُوسَى وَهَارُونَ وَكَذَلِكَ نَجْزِي الْمُحْسِنِينَ 84¹⁵

And We bestowed upon him Ishaq and Yaqub; We guided all of them; and We guided Nooh before them and of his descendants, Dawud and Sulaiman and Ayyub and Yusuf and Moosa and Haroon; and this is the way We reward the virtuous.

إِنَّا أَوْحَيْنَا إِلَيْكَ كَمَا أَوْحَيْنَا إِلَى نُوحٍ وَالنَّبِيِّينَ مِنْ بَعْدِهِ وَأَوْحَيْنَا إِلَى إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَإِسْمَاعِيلَ وَإِسْحَاقَ وَيَعْقُوبَ وَالْأَسْبَاطِ وَعِيسَى وَأَيُّوبَ وَيُونُسَ وَهَارُونَ وَسُلَيْمَانَ وَآتَيْنَا دَاوُودَ زَبُورًا 163 وَرُسُلًا قَدْ قَصَصْنَاهُمْ عَلَيْكَ مِنْ قَبْلُ وَرُسُلًا لَمْ نَقْصُصْهُمْ عَلَيْكَ وَكَلَّمَ اللَّهُ مُوسَى تَكْلِيمًا 164 رُسُلًا مُبَشِّرِينَ وَمُنْذِرِينَ لِئَلَّا يَكُونَ لِلنَّاسِ عَلَى اللَّهِ حُجَّةٌ بَعْدَ الرُّسُلِ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ عَزِيزًا حَكِيمًا 165¹⁶

Indeed We sent a divine revelation to you (Prophet Mohammed – peace and blessing be upon him) as We did send divine revelations to Nooh (Noah) and the Prophets after him; and We sent divine revelations to Abraham(Abraham) and Ismael (Ishmael) and Ishaq (Isaac) and Yaqub (Jacob) and their offspring, and Eisa (Jesus) and Ayyub (Job) and Yunus (Jonah) and Haroon (Aaron) and Sulaiman (Solomon), and We bestowed the Zaboor (the Holy Book) upon Dawud (David). And to the Noble Messengers whom We have mentioned to you before, and to the Noble Messengers We have not mentioned to you; and Allah really did speak to Moosa. Noble Messengers giving glad tidings and declaring warnings, in order that people may not have any argument against Allah, after the (advent of) Noble Messengers; and Allah is Almighty, Wise.

The actual words in the text mean Those who possessed the hands and the insights. The hand, as we have explained above, implies power and capability. To describe these Prophets as “men of great power and insight” means that they were practical men. They possessed great power to obey Allah and to abstain from sin, and they had made great efforts for raising the Word of Allah in the world. “Insight” does not mean eye-sight but the vision of the heart and mind. They could see and recognise the truth. They did not live like the blind in the world, but they walked the straight path of guidance, in the full light of knowledge, with open eyes. In these words, there is a subtle allusion to this also that the people who commit evil, and have gone astray, are in fact, deprived of the hands as well as the eyes. He only, who works in the cause of Allah, possesses the hands, and he, who distinguishes between the light of the truth and the darkness of falsehood, only possesses the eyes. ¹⁷

Secondly, these verses also reiterate the fact that Prophet Muhammad did not introduce any innovations. What Prophet Muhammad expounded was the same truth which had previously been expounded by the earlier prophets in various parts of the world and at different periods of time.

The 'Psalms' embodied in the Bible are not the Psalms of David . The Biblical version contains many 'psalms' by others, and they are ascribed to their actual authors. The 'psalms' which the Bible does ascribe to David do indeed include the characteristic lustre of truth. The book called 'Proverbs', attributed to Solomon, contains a good deal of accretion, and the last two chapters, in particular, are undoubtedly spurious. Many of these proverbs, however, do have a ring of truth and authenticity. Another book of the Bible is ascribed to Job. Even though it contains many gems of wisdom, it's hard to believe that the book attributed to Job could, in fact, be his. For the portrayal of Job's character in that book is quite contrary to the wonderful patience for which he is applauded in the Holy Qur'an and for which he is praised at the beginning of the Book of Job itself. The Book of Job, quite contrary to the Quranic portrayal of him, presents him as one who was so full of grievance and annoyance" with God throughout the entire period of his tribulation that his companions had to try hard to persuade him that God was not unjust. In fact, Job is shown in the Bible as one whom even his companions failed to convince that God was just.

In addition to these, the Bible contains seventeen other books of the Israelite Prophets. The greater part of these seem to be authentic. In Jeremiah, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Amos and certain other books, in particular, one often encounters whole sections which stir and move one's, soul. These sections, without a doubt, have the lustre of Divine revelation. While going through them, one is struck by the vehemence of moral admonition, the powerful opposition to polytheism, the forceful exposition of monotheism, and the firm denunciation of the moral corruption of the Israelites which characterise them. One inevitably senses that these books, the orations of Jesus embodied in the Gospels, and the glorious Quran are like springs which have arisen from the same Divine source. ¹⁸

Hence it can be safely concluded that Jacob was a prophet, and held an important position among the Israelite prophets.

Departure From This World

Jacob died after 17 years in Egypt. Joseph carried his body to the land of Canaan. He gave him a dignified and stately burial in the Cave of Machpelah (where his other relatives were buried) as per his father’s will. This is stated in the Bible as:

وَعَاشَ يَعْقُوبُ فِي أَرْضِ مِصْرَ سَبْعَ عَشَرَةَ سَنَةً. فَكَانَتْ أَيَّامُ يَعْقُوبَ، سِنُو حَيَاتِهِ مِئَةً وَسَبْعًا وَأَرْبَعِينَ سَنَةً. وَلَمَّا قَرُبَتْ أَيَّامُ إِسْرَائِيلَ أَنْ يَمُوتَ دَعَا ابْنَهُ يُوسُفَ وَقَالَ لَهُ: «إِنْ كُنْتُ قَدْ وَجَدْتُ نِعْمَةً فِي عَيْنَيْكَ فَضَعْ يَدَكَ تَحْتَ فَخْذِي وَاصْنَعْ مَعِي مَعْرُوفًا وَأَمَانَةً: لاَ تَدْفِنِّي فِي مِصْرَ، بَلْ أَضْطَجعُ مَعَ آبَائِي، فَتَحْمِلُنِي مِنْ مِصْرَ وَتَدْفِنُنِي فِي مَقْبَرَتِهِمْ». فَقَالَ: «أَنَا أَفْعَلُ بِحَسَبِ قَوْلِكَ»¹⁹

Jacob lived in Egypt seventeen years until he was a hundred and forty-seven years old. When the time drew near for him to die, he called his son Joseph and said to him, “Place your hand between my thighs and make a solemn vow that you will not bury me in Egypt. I want to be buried where my fathers are; carry me out of Egypt and bury me where they are buried. Joseph answered, “I will do as you say.”

• ¹  Encyclopedia Britannica (Online Version): https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jacob-Hebrew-patriarch: Retrieved: 14-07-17
• ²  Holy Quran, Al-Maidah (The table spread) 5:12
• ³  Robert S. Ellwood & Gregory D. Elles, (1998), The Encyclopedia of World Religions, Facts on File Inc., New York, USA, Pg. 182.
• ⁴  Henry Blunt (1854), Lectures on the History of Abraham, Jacob and Elisha, H. Hooker, Philadelphia, USA, Pg. 123.
• ⁵  The Jewish Encyclopedia (Online Version): http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/8381-jacob: Retrieved: 14-07-17
• ⁶  Holy Quran, Surah Maryam (Mary) 19: 49
• ⁷  The Jewish Encyclopedia (Online Version): http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/8381-jacob: Retrieved: 14-07-17
• ⁸  Abul Fida Ismail Ibne Kathir, Stories of the Prophets (Translated by Muhammad Mustapha), Darussalam, Riyadh, Saudia Arabia, Pg. 56.
• ⁹  It is almost universally identified with Harran, a city whose ruins lie within present-day Turkey. This is the city where Terah settled on his departure from Ur whence Abram set out on his pilgrimage of faith to Canaan. The name appears in Assyro-Babalonian as Charran, which means "road"; possibly because here the trade route from Damascus joined that from Nineveh to Carchemish. It was a seat of the worship of Sin, the moon-god, from very ancient times. The ancient city is represented by the modern Charran to the Southeast of Edessa, on the river BeLiyas, an affluent of the Euphrates. (Orr, James, (1915), International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (Online Version): ttp://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionary/haran/: Retrieved: 15-07-17). Jacob’s travel to Haran is mentioned in the Bible as:
  فَخَرَجَ يَعْقُوبُ مِنْ بِئْرِ سَبْعٍ وَذَهَبَ نَحْوَ حَارَانَ
  Translation: Jacob left Beersheba and started toward Haran.
  (The Bible, Genesis: 28: 10)
  Later, biblical passages list Haran among some cities and lands subjugated by Assyrian rulers and among Tyre's (city of Lebanon) trading partners.
• ¹⁰  Abul Fida Ismail Ibne Kathir, Stories of the Prophets (Translated by Muhammad Mustapha), Darussalam, Riyadh, Saudia, Pg. 57-58.
• ¹¹  The Jewish Encyclopedia (Online Version): http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/8381-jacob: Retrieved: 14-07-17
• ¹²  Abul Fida Ismail Ibne Kathir, Stories of the Prophets (Translated by Muhammad Mustapha), Darussalam, Riyadh, Saudia Arabia, Pg. 60.
• ¹³  Holy Quran, Al-Baqara (The Cow) 2: 124
• ¹⁴  Holy Quran, Suad (ص) (Arabic Alphabet) 38: 45-48
• ¹⁵  Holy Quran, Al-Ana`am (The Cattle) 6: 84
• ¹⁶  Holy Quran, Al-Nisa (The Women) 4: 163-165
• ¹⁷ http://www.islamicstudies.info/tafheem.php?sura=38&verse=41&to=64: Retrieved: 15-05-17
• ¹⁸ http://www.islamicstudies.info/tafheem.php?sura=4&verse=163&to=171: Retrieved: 15-07-17
• ¹⁹  The Bible: Genesis 47: 28-30