Well of Prophet Yusuf (upon him be peace)

This structure is regarded as being the well in

which the brothers of Yusuf (upon him be peace)

[Joseph], out of jealousy, threw him inside and

from which he was found by a passing caravan

and sold as a slave in Egypt. It is known locally

as ‘Jubb Yussef’ and is located near Kibbutz

Amiad in the Galilee. It consists of a dug-out pit

with a diameter of one meter and depth of about

four meters, roofed by a cupola supported by

four pillars, and surrounded by ancient graves.

Yusuf (upon him be peace) was the son of

Yaqoob (upon him be peace). He had 11

brothers, 10 of whom were older than him. His

father loved him dearly which made the other

brothers envious and they decided to get rid of

him. They took him with them to graze the

animals intending to kill him but one of the

brothers opposed killing him and said it would

be better to throw him into the bottom of a pit

(jubb). Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He)

mentions this in the Quran in Surah Yusuf: “One

among them said: Kill not Yusuf but, if ye

must be doing, fling him into the depth of the

pit; some caravan will find him.” [12:10]

When Yusuf (upon him be peace) was cast

into the pit, Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He)

told him that he, Yusuf, would one day remind

his brothers of this incident. “Then, when they

led him off, and were of one mind that they

should place him in the depth of the pit, We

inspired in him: Thou wilt tell them of this deed

of theirs when they know (thee) not.” [12:15]

Years later, when Yusuf (upon him be peace)

became the treasurer and inspector of Egypt’s

storage chambers he met his brothers again,

reminded them of what they had done and

forgave them.

Jubb Yussef is mentioned for the first time in

the middle of the 10th century, but the current

structure is of a later period. According to

evidence of travellers, the pit, which had been

10 meters deep, had held good drinking water

up until the 19th century. Afterwards, due

perhaps to the earthquake of 1837, the pit

collapsed and since then has not been

mentioned as a source of water. The pit and

cupola were located in a quadrangle which also

had a small mosque; this was still mentioned

by travellers in the 19th century, though

nothing remains of it today.

In the 12th and 13th century, the Crusaders

accepted the Muslim story about the site. In

the year 1189, Salahuddin passed through the

site on his way to the Siege of Acre.

There is disagreement as to the exact location

of the pit in which Yusuf (upon him be peace)

was thrown in. Some commentators have

placed it in Jerusalem, while others say it was

in Syria. Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He)

knows best.

Reference: Wikipedia