Yusuf and Zulaikha


"Yusuf and Zulaikha" refers to a medieval Islamic version of the story of the prophet Yusuf and Potiphar's wife which has been for centuries in the Muslim world, and is found in many languages such as Arabic, Persian, Bengali, Turkish and Urdu. Its most famous version was written in the Persian language by Jami, in his Haft Awrang. The story had by then many elaborations, including Sufi interpretation, where Zulaikha's longing for Yusuf represents the soul's quest for God.

Other versions of the story

Another writer who retold the story is Mahmud Gami. It is a standard tale used in the Punjabi Qisse.
There exists as well a long poem on the subject, titled Yusuf and Zulaikha, which used to be attributed to Ferdowsi, the great Persian poet of the tenth and eleventh century; however, scholars have rejected this book based on its low quality and the timeline of Ferdowsi's life.

Yousuf and Zulaikha in Asia

As in many other Muslim countries, the narrative of the epic love of Yusuf and Zulaikha was covered in classic literary works of East Bengal : in the 14th century A.D., Shah Muhammad Sagir wrote in Bengali a version of Yusuf-Zulekha which is considered one of the greatest literary works of the medieval "golden age" of Bengali literature.
Based on Jami's Persian version, Munshi Sadeq Ali also wrote this story as a poetic-style puthi in the Sylheti Nagari script, which he titled Mahabbatnama.