Quran Narrates Best of Stories
God says in Verse 3 of Surah Yusuf: “In revealing this Quran to you, We tell you the best of the stories of which you were unaware.”
According to a Hadith from Imam Ali (AS), the best of stories and most eloquent advice and most beneficial source of guidance is the Quran.
Stories and tales play a role in educating humans. Some stories are based on historical events. History is a mirror that shows what has happened to nations and by studying those events we learn lessons from them. Imam Ali (AS) in a letter to his son, Imam Hassan (AS), says: “My son! I have studied the stories of those living in the past and are aware of them in such a way that it is as if I have lived with them and as long as them.”
The fact that the Quran in general, and the story of Prophet Joseph (AS) in particular, is described as the best of stories, very important.
What makes a story better than others is its features. For example:
1- The narrator of the story should be credible and reliable so that the story will have the best psychological and educational effect. The narrator should be able to eloquently put his intention into the story so that no one will get the wrong idea from it. This verse (Verse 3 of Surah Yusuf) stresses that God is the best narrator.
2- A useful story is one that awakens people from the sleep of neglect. There have been many stories created in the past and in today’s world but how many of them are useful and how much?
In the Quran, though, which tells us the best of stories, there are lessons, pieces of advice, good news about paradise, warning about punishment in hell, etc, that help to awaken us from the sleep of neglect.
3- The best stories make us think and contemplate. They are not just for reading and enjoying. All over the Quran, God calls on us to reflect: “(Muhammad), tell them such stories so that perhaps they will think.” (Verse 176 of Surah Al-A’raf)
