[12] Surah Yusuf mind map

Yusuf is the one surah of the Qur'an told as a single continuous story from beginning to end, which makes it easier to memorise than its 111 verses suggest — you are following a plot, not a list. This map marks the seven turns the story takes.

  • 111 Ayahs
  • 7 Blocks
  • Meccan Revealed

Your memorisation plan

3

At this pace the whole surah takes 37 study days.

Study days are days you actually sit down to memorise — miss one and the plan simply moves with you.

The map

  1. 1

    The opening, and the dream

    Ayahs 1-6

    بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ الٓر ۚ تِلْكَ ءَايَٰتُ ٱلْكِتَٰبِمِن قَبْلُ إِبْرَٰهِيمَ وَإِسْحَٰقَ ۚ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌۭ

    The surah announces itself as the best of stories; Yusuf tells his father the dream of the eleven stars.

    Study days 1-2

  2. 2

    The brothers, and the well

    Ayahs 7-20

    لَّقَدْ كَانَ فِى يُوسُفَ وَإِخْوَتِهِۦٓ ءَايَٰتٌۭ لِّلسَّآئِلِينَبِثَمَنٍۭ بَخْسٍۢ دَرَٰهِمَ مَعْدُودَةٍۢ وَكَانُوا۟ فِيهِ مِنَ ٱلزَّٰهِدِينَ

    The plot, the false blood on the shirt, the caravan, and the sale for a few dirhams.

    Study days 3-7

  3. 3

    The house of Al-'Aziz

    Ayahs 21-35

    وَقَالَ ٱلَّذِى ٱشْتَرَىٰهُ مِن مِّصْرَ لِٱمْرَأَتِهِۦٓ أَكْرِمِى مَثْوَىٰهُمِّنۢ بَعْدِ مَا رَأَوُا۟ ٱلْءَايَٰتِ لَيَسْجُنُنَّهُۥ حَتَّىٰ حِينٍۢ

    Yusuf raised in Egypt, the temptation, the torn shirt, the women of the city, and his choice of prison.

    Study days 7-12

  4. 4

    The prison, and the two dreams

    Ayahs 36-42

    وَدَخَلَ مَعَهُ ٱلسِّجْنَ فَتَيَانِ ۖ قَالَ أَحَدُهُمَآ إِنِّىٓ أَرَىٰنِىٓٱلشَّيْطَٰنُ ذِكْرَ رَبِّهِۦ فَلَبِثَ فِى ٱلسِّجْنِ بِضْعَ سِنِينَ

    He calls his cellmates to tawhid before interpreting for them, and asks one of them to remember him.

    Study days 12-14

  5. 5

    The king's dream, and the office

    Ayahs 43-57

    وَقَالَ ٱلْمَلِكُ إِنِّىٓ أَرَىٰ سَبْعَ بَقَرَٰتٍۢ سِمَانٍۢ يَأْكُلُهُنَّوَلَأَجْرُ ٱلْءَاخِرَةِ خَيْرٌۭ لِّلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَكَانُوا۟ يَتَّقُونَ

    Seven fat cows and seven lean; the truth comes out, and Yusuf asks for the treasury of the land.

    Study days 15-19

  6. 6

    The brothers return

    Ayahs 58-93

    وَجَآءَ إِخْوَةُ يُوسُفَ فَدَخَلُوا۟ عَلَيْهِ فَعَرَفَهُمْ وَهُمْ لَهُۥعَلَىٰ وَجْهِ أَبِى يَأْتِ بَصِيرًۭا وَأْتُونِى بِأَهْلِكُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ

    Two journeys for grain, the cup in Binyamin's bag, Ya'qub's grief, and the shirt sent back to Kan'an.

    Study days 20-31

  7. 7

    The reunion, and the closing

    Ayahs 94-111

    وَلَمَّا فَصَلَتِ ٱلْعِيرُ قَالَ أَبُوهُمْ إِنِّى لَأَجِدُ رِيحَيَدَيْهِ وَتَفْصِيلَ كُلِّ شَىْءٍۢ وَهُدًۭى وَرَحْمَةًۭ لِّقَوْمٍۢ يُؤْمِنُونَ

    The dream fulfilled, the prayer to die a Muslim, and the surah's word to the Prophet's own listeners.

    Study days 32-37

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The lesson

Every apparent disaster in this story — the well, the house, the prison — turns out to be the road to the promise, which is why it was revealed in the year the Prophet lost both his protectors.

The sections of this surah, explained

A short walk through all 7 sections of this surah, in the order you will memorise them.

Common questions

How long does it take to memorise Surah Yusuf mind map?
At 3 ayahs a day, its 111 ayahs take 37 study days. Change the pace above and every date on this page updates.
Do I have to memorise it in order?
Most teachers keep the surah's own order, because the 7 blocks below follow one another for a reason. The map matters more than the sequence: knowing which block you are inside is what stops the similar passages blurring together.
Do I need a teacher for this?
You can memorise from a map alone, but almost nobody corrects their own recitation. A teacher hears the mistakes you cannot, and holds you to the schedule you just set.

A plan is easier to keep when someone is holding you to it

Book a first lesson with a Quran teacher and bring this schedule with you. Many of our teachers offer that first lesson free.

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