Yūsuf

Yūsuf (c. 1610 BCE – 1500 BCE?;^[1] Arabic: يوسف‎) is an Islamic prophet mentioned in the Qur'an, the holy scripture of Islam. The figure corresponds to the character from the Jewish texts and the Christian Bible as Joseph and is the Arabic variant of that name. It is one of the common names in the Middle East and among Muslim nations.
Yusuf is believed to have been the eleventh son of Jacob (Yaʿqūb), and his favorite. Of all of Jacob's children, Joseph was the one given the gift of prophecy. Although the narratives of other prophets are mentioned in various suras, the complete narrative of Joseph is given only in one sura, Yusuf. However, it is said to be the most detailed narrative in the Qur'an and bears more details than the Biblical counterpart. The story of Yusuf and Zulaikha (Potiphar's wife of the Old Testament) became a popular subject in Persian literature, where it became considerably elaborated over the centuries.

Historical narrative in Islam

The story of Joseph in the Qur'an moves in a stream from beginning to end; its substance and form are equally coherent. It documents the execution of God's rulings despite the challenge of human intervention ("And Allah hath full power and control over His affairs; but most among mankind know it not."^[2])
This is what the story of Yusuf confirms categorically, for it ends with comfort and marvels, which is described in Qur'an.

The dream

The story begins with a dream and ends with its interpretation. As the sun appeared over the horizon, bathing the earth in its morning glory, Joseph, son of Jacob awoke from his sleep, delighted by a pleasant dream he had. Filled with excitement he ran to his father and related it:

Behold! Yusuf said to his father: "O my father! I did see eleven stars and the sun and the moon: I saw them prostrate themselves to me!"

—Qur'an, sura 12 (Yusuf) ayah 4^[3]

His father's face lit up. He foresaw that Yusuf would be one through whom the prophecy of his grandfather, Ibrahim, would be fulfilled, in that his offspring would keep the light of Abraham's house alive and spread God's message to mankind.
From hadith:

Narrated Abu Huraira:
Some people asked the Prophet: "Who is the most honorable amongst the people?" He replied, "The most honorable among them is the one who is the most Allah-fearing." They said, "O Allah's Prophet! We do not ask about this." He said, "Then the most honorable person is Joseph, Allah's Prophet, the son of Allah's Prophet, the son of Allah's Prophet, the son of Allah's Khalil.^[4]"

—Sahih al-Bukhari collected by Muhammad al-Bukhari^[5]

However, the father was well aware of the jealousy of Joseph's brothers, so he warned him against telling his dream to his brothers.

Said (the father): "My (dear) little son! relate not thy vision to thy brothers, lest they concoct a plot against thee: for Satan is to man an avowed enemy!
"Thus will thy Lord choose thee and teach thee the interpretation of stories (and events) and perfect His favour to thee and to the posterity of Jacob - even as He perfected it to thy fathers Abraham and Isaac aforetime! for Allah is full of knowledge and wisdom."

—Qur'an, sura 12 (Yusuf) ayat 5-6^[6]