Yush'a ibn Nun, may Allah's peace and blessings be upon Him, was one of the Prophets that Allah had sent to guide the Israilites. He was of Israilite descent as well, and his full name is recorded as Yush'a ibn Nun ibn Afra'eem ibn Yusuf, hence he is the great-grandson of Prophet Yusuf, peace and blessings of Allah be upon Him. Yush'a was originally the servant of Prophet Musa, peace and blessings of Allah be upon Him, but when the latter passed away, Yush'a was appointed the leader of the Israilites. It is known that he led his people to victory against the Kuffar.
The Israilites who came out of Egypt were raised and brought up as slaves and servants by the tyrant Fir'aun. This meant that they were weak, and hence, they were not fit to have victory. So, Allah made them stay in the outskirts of the wild for forty years, until all of that generation had passed away. They were then replaced by a new generation of Israilites; which were raised in freedom, and taught the guidance of the Tawrah by Prophet Musa and his brother, Prophet Harun, peace be upon Them. It was this generation of Israilites, that was given the victory.
When they were children, the new generation of Israilites were trained well. Hence, after forty years, they were very strong and energetic. Prophet Yush'a led them to conquer the city of Bait al-Maqdis, now known as Al-Quds of Palestine. The inhabitants of Bait al-Maqdis were known as the Jababirah. These people possessed super strength, and their bodies were muscular and large in size. They were a feared tribe of people. So, Prophet Yush'a and his followers set up their camp on the outskirts of the city. He told his people, “One who has married a woman and wants to consummate to his marriage but has not yet done so, another who has built a house but has not yet erected its roof, and another who has bought goats and pregnant she-camels and is waiting for their offspring will not accompany me.” Yush'a did not want any person to come with him whose heart may be focused on anything else. This is a Prophet who is not looking for numbers, but rather for the sincerity of people.
After the Asr prayer, Prophet Yush'a and his people marched on until they reached a village near Bait al-Maqdis. He said to the sun, “You are receiving orders, and I am receiving orders from Allah.” Then he turned and said, “Oh Allah, stop the sun!” The sun was stopped for him. As the sun had stopped, the sky was still bright, so the Jababirah did not regroup, as they usually did during the night. Prophet Yush'a and his people fought the Jababirah and killed them with success. They conquered the city of Bait al-Maqdis, and set up their settlements there.
It is said that Prophet Yush'a ruled the Israilite settlements for twenty-eight years. He passed away at the age of hundred, and was buried in what is now modern-day Jordan. His grave is still visible, but unfortunately, it has been made a place of worship by the ignorants who revered the graves of their Prophets.
There is a Hadith narrated from Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal. In this Hadith, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ says, “The sun has never stopped for any man besides Yush'a, when he wanted to conquer Bait al-Maqdis.” This story teaches us that it is not enough for us to simply wait for the arrival of the Mahdi, but rather, we need to ensure we are a generation capable of attaining victory, and to be led to that victory by an excellent, pious, Muslim leader.
Source:
Sahih of Imam Muslim, book 19, Hadith number 4327
Qassas al-Anbiya by Imam Ibn Kathir, on the chapter on Prophet Yush'a
Al-Tabari's Tarikh (to recheck the story)
Musnad Ahmad (for the Hadith at the end)
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