Surah 12. Yusuf

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Verses [Section]: 1-6[1], 7-20 [2], 21-29 [3], 30-35 [4], 36-42 [5], 43-49 [6], 50-57 [7], 58-68 [8], 69-79 [9], 80-93 [10], 94-104 [11], 105-111 [12]

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Quran Text of Verse 36-42وَ دَخَلَAnd enteredمَعَهُwith himالسِّجْنَ(in) the prisonفَتَیٰنِ ؕtwo young menقَالَSaidاَحَدُهُمَاۤone of themاِنِّیْۤIndeed Iاَرٰىنِیْۤ[I] see myselfاَعْصِرُpressingخَمْرًا ۚwineوَ قَالَAnd saidالْاٰخَرُthe otherاِنِّیْۤIndeed Iاَرٰىنِیْۤ[I] see myselfاَحْمِلُ[I am] carryingفَوْقَoverرَاْسِیْmy headخُبْزًاbreadتَاْكُلُ(were) eatingالطَّیْرُthe birdsمِنْهُ ؕfrom itنَبِّئْنَاInform usبِتَاْوِیْلِهٖ ۚof its interpretationاِنَّاindeed weنَرٰىكَ[we] see youمِنَofالْمُحْسِنِیْنَ the good-doers قَالَHe saidلَاNotیَاْتِیْكُمَا(will) come to both of youطَعَامٌfoodتُرْزَقٰنِهٖۤyou are provided withاِلَّاbutنَبَّاْتُكُمَاI will inform both of youبِتَاْوِیْلِهٖof its interpretationقَبْلَbeforeاَنْ[that]یَّاْتِیَكُمَا ؕ[it] comes to both of youذٰلِكُمَاThatمِمَّا(is) of whatعَلَّمَنِیْhas taught meرَبِّیْ ؕmy LordاِنِّیْIndeed Iتَرَكْتُ[I] abandonمِلَّةَ(the) religionقَوْمٍ(of) a peopleلَّاnotیُؤْمِنُوْنَthey believeبِاللّٰهِin Allahوَ هُمْand theyبِالْاٰخِرَةِin the Hereafterهُمْ[they]كٰفِرُوْنَ (are) disbelievers 12. Yusuf Page 240وَ اتَّبَعْتُAnd I followمِلَّةَ(the) religionاٰبَآءِیْۤ(of) my forefathersاِبْرٰهِیْمَIbrahimوَ اِسْحٰقَand Ishaqوَ یَعْقُوْبَ ؕand YaqubمَاNotكَانَwasلَنَاۤfor usاَنْthatنُّشْرِكَwe associateبِاللّٰهِwith Allahمِنْanyشَیْءٍ ؕthingذٰلِكَThatمِنْ(is) fromفَضْلِ(the) Graceاللّٰهِ(of) Allahعَلَیْنَاupon usوَ عَلَیand uponالنَّاسِthe mankindوَ لٰكِنَّbutاَكْثَرَmostالنَّاسِ(of) the menلَا(are) notیَشْكُرُوْنَ grateful یٰصَاحِبَیِO my two companionsالسِّجْنِ(of) the prison!ءَاَرْبَابٌAre lordsمُّتَفَرِّقُوْنَseparateخَیْرٌbetterاَمِorاللّٰهُAllahالْوَاحِدُthe Oneالْقَهَّارُؕthe Irresistible مَاNotتَعْبُدُوْنَyou worshipمِنْbesides Himدُوْنِهٖۤbesides Himاِلَّاۤbutاَسْمَآءًnamesسَمَّیْتُمُوْهَاۤwhich you have named themاَنْتُمْyouوَ اٰبَآؤُكُمْand your forefathersمَّاۤnotاَنْزَلَ(has) sent downاللّٰهُAllahبِهَاfor itمِنْanyسُلْطٰنٍ ؕauthorityاِنِNotالْحُكْمُ(is) the commandاِلَّاbutلِلّٰهِ ؕfor AllahاَمَرَHe has commandedاَلَّاthat notتَعْبُدُوْۤاyou worshipاِلَّاۤbutاِیَّاهُ ؕHim AloneذٰلِكَThatالدِّیْنُ(is) the religionالْقَیِّمُthe rightوَ لٰكِنَّbutاَكْثَرَmostالنَّاسِ[the] menلَا(do) notیَعْلَمُوْنَ know یٰصَاحِبَیِO my two companionsالسِّجْنِ(of) the prisonاَمَّاۤAs forاَحَدُكُمَاone of youفَیَسْقِیْhe will give drinkرَبَّهٗ(to) his masterخَمْرًا ۚwineوَ اَمَّاand as forالْاٰخَرُthe otherفَیُصْلَبُhe will be crucifiedفَتَاْكُلُand will eatالطَّیْرُthe birdsمِنْfromرَّاْسِهٖ ؕhis headقُضِیَHas been decreedالْاَمْرُthe matterالَّذِیْabout whichفِیْهِabout whichتَسْتَفْتِیٰنِؕyou both inquire وَ قَالَAnd he saidلِلَّذِیْto the one whomظَنَّhe thoughtاَنَّهٗthat heنَاجٍ(would be) savedمِّنْهُمَاof both of themاذْكُرْنِیْMention meعِنْدَtoرَبِّكَ ؗyour masterفَاَنْسٰىهُBut made him forgetالشَّیْطٰنُthe Shaitaanذِكْرَ(the) mentionرَبِّهٖ(to) his masterفَلَبِثَso he remainedفِیinالسِّجْنِthe prisonبِضْعَseveralسِنِیْنَؕ۠years

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Translation of Verse 36-42

(12:36) And there entered the prison with him two young men.⁵⁷ One of them said, ‘I saw myself (in a dream) pressing wine.’⁵⁸ The other said, ‘I saw myself carrying bread on my head, and the birds eating thereof. Tell us the interpretation thereof. We perceive you as of those who do good.’

(12:37) He said, ‘The food you two are fed with will not be brought to you, but I will have told you about the interpretation thereof, before it comes to you.⁵⁹ This is of those things that my Lord has taught me.⁶⁰ I have forsaken the religion of those who do not believe in Allah and who are disbelievers in the Hereafter.⁶¹

(12:38) I follow the religion of my forefathers, Ibrahim, Is-haq and Ya`qub.⁶² It is not for us to associate aught with Allah.⁶³ This is by virtue of Allah’s favor on us - and on the people⁶⁴ - but most people do not give thanks.

(12:39) O my two fellow-prisoners!⁶⁵ Are several lords better, or Allah the One, the Irresistible?

(12:40) You worship not besides Him but names that you and your forefathers have assigned them.⁶⁶ Allah has not sent down any authority touching them. Surely, the commandment is no one’s but Allah’s, (and) He has commanded that you worship none but Him. That is the right religion but most people do not know.⁶⁷

(12:41) O my two fellow-prisoners! As for one of you, he will serve wine to his master; and as for the other, he will be crucified and birds will eat of his head. The affair about which you inquire has already been decreed.’⁶⁸

(12:42) And, of the two, he said to him about whom he thought would escape (death), ‘Mention me in the presence of your master.’⁶⁹ But Shaytan caused him to forget to mention (him) to his master,⁷⁰ and so he remained in the prison for a few (more) years.⁷¹

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Commentary

57. It is said that the two were personal servants of the Egyptian king. One of them a wine server, while the other a baker. The king learnt that they had been poisoned, so he imprisoned them (Ibn Jarir).

58. Following the `Omani dialect, Ibn `Abbas and Dahhak have understood the textual word “khamran” as “‘inaban” meaning grapes. In fact, it is said that `Abdullah ibn Mas`ud’s copy of the Qur’an read “`inaban” instead of “khamran” (Ibn Jarir, Ibn Kathir).

59. Suddi and Ibn Is-haq have understood the verse as follows: “The food you two are fed with (in your dreams) will not be brought to you, but I will tell you about the interpretation thereof, before it (actually) comes to you.” Ibn Jurayj however did not accept this interpretation (Ibn Jarir). And most of the commentators have accepted the apparent meaning.

Thanwi adds that Yusuf tried to build his credibility by prefacing his invitation to tawhid with this piece of information: the food does not come to you but I am able to tell you what it is, before it arrives: so, you should believe in me when I say your Lord is one.

60. In truth, knowledge is a great blessing from Allah. Yusuf was given beauty. But it brought him nothing but troubles, including imprisonment. But knowledge brought him great rewards including his escape from the prison (Se`di in `Ibar).

61. Asad comments: “Joseph wants to avail this opportunity to guide his two fellow-prisoners to the true faith; and so, while promising that he would explain their dreams presently, he asks them to listen first to a short discourse on the oneness of God.”

62. It is notable that when it comes to the right religion, Yusuf speaks first of Ibrahim (asws) then Is-h aq (asws) and then his own father and not his father and upwards. In matters of guidance, lineage-bonds are spiritual. It might also be noted that he does not mention his own prophethood at this point (Au.).

63. This is how Allah treats him who forsakes the false religions of his forefathers and followed the true guidance received from Allah through his Messengers: Allah guides his heart, teaches him what he knew not, and makes out of him a leader for the people to follow (Ibn Kathir).

64. Allah showed His favor to mankind by raising some men from among them as Messengers in order to deliver His warnings (Ibn `Abbas - Ibn Jarir).

Asad adds: “Since God is almighty and Self-sufficient, it is not for His sake that man is warned not to ascribe divine qualities to aught beside Him: the absolute condemnation of this sin is solely designed to benefit man by freeing him from all superstition, and thus enhancing his dignity as a conscious, rational being.”

65. Yusuf Ali illustrates the message hidden in words, ‘O my two fellow-prisoners’: “Note the personal touch again. ‘Are we not also companions in misfortune? And may I not speak to you on terms of perfect equality, - as one prisoner to another? Well then, do you really think a conflict of heterogenous gods is better than Allah, the One (and Only). Whose power is supreme and irresistible?’”

66. In Majid’s words, “they have no existence whatever anywhere save in your imagination; they are names absolutely without any corresponding reality.”

Alusi has a subtle point if those could know whom he intended should know: Similar is the situation of those who imagine that they address their acts of worship to Allah. They imagine Him to be a huge body sitting on the `Arsh: an idea that both knowledge and reason reject. The Name that He has ascribed unto Himself is altogether different from the name they imagine for Him. In other words, what they worship is but a name. It has no existence beyond their imagination.

67. Yusuf introduced this piece of advice before offering them the interpretation perhaps because he feared that they might not pay him attention later. The verse also speaks volumes about faith in Allah before anything else, and that, in its final analysis, the relationship between Him and His slaves is more important than their relationship with other mortals, even if they are Messengers. In this case, although one of them was a few days away from death, Yusuf did not invite them to belief in his own Messengership. He told them to simply have faith in Allah and forsake false gods. When trying to understand ahadith such as, “Whoever said ‘There is no deity besides Allah,’ entered Paradise,” one might keep this verse before him (Au.).

68. Reports say that the two did not like the interpretation at all, and so changed their stance, saying that they were merely testing him, having actually seen nothing of that sort. Yusuf then added these words, “Thus is decreed the affair about which you two enquire” (Ibn Jarir). This opinion has been attributed to Ibn Mas`ud also (Ibn Kathir).

69. It was a request to intimate the king that a person wholly innocent was undergoing imprisonment (Majid, slightly altered).

To the extra-sensitive who wonder at the usage of the word “rabbik” in this verse, Qurtubi reminds of the hadith predicting the approach of the Doomsday, which has a similar usage:

إِذَا رَأَيْتَ الْمَرْأَةَ تَلِدُ رَبَّهَا

“When a slave girl will give birth to her master (rabbaha).”

70. The translation herewith follows the understanding of the great majority. However, a few have understood the verse as, “Shaytan made him (Yusuf) forget his Lord.” And, therefore, since he had sought the help of ‘other than Allah,’ “Yusuf had to stay in the prison a few years more as punishment.” In fact, a hadith has also been quoted to this effect. One is in Ibn Jarir. But Ibn Kathir says that it has been declared as untrustworthy. Rashid Rida builds on it and says that even if it is accepted that Yusuf momentarily forgot his Lord, it need not have brought punishment on him. After all, the Qur’an instructed the Final Prophet, (6: 68):

وَإِمَّا يُنْسِيَنَّكَ الشَّيْطَانُ فَلَا تَقْعُدْ بَعْدَ الذِّكْرَى مَعَ الْقَوْمِ الظَّالِمِينَ [الأنعام : 68]

“And if Shaytan makes you forget, then do not sit after the remembrance with a transgressing people.”

It also said (7: 201):

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ اتَّقَوْا إِذَا مَسَّهُمْ طَائِفٌ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ تَذَكَّرُوا فَإِذَا هُمْ مُبْصِرُونَ [الأعراف : 201]

“Surely those who fear (their Lord), remember Allah when a thought from Shaytan touches them, and they begin to see (the truth).”

So, temporary forgetfulness of Allah is not a sin, nor it is a sin to seek the help of other than Allah. (It is reliance on them that is disapproved: Au.). Those who have relied on weak ahadith such as the above to lay blame on a Prophet, have forgotten the great status of the Prophets in the sight of their Lord.

Imam Razi clarifies that although it is allowable when one is wronged to seek redress from an unbeliever, his own (Razi’s) life-long experience, now in his fifty-seventh year, is that the more one seeks the help of the created, the more complicated things become.

Sayyid offers us his own opinion: Allah (swt) did not wish that the man should remember Yusuf. Once out of prison, life returned to its pains and pleasures. And that was good for Yusuf. His release from the prison could not be attributed to a slave. Allah freed Yusuf of the obligation to a mortal (with slight modification).

71. According to most of the authorities the word “bid`” is used for a number between three and nine (Ibn Jarir).

Yusuf did not stay in the prison longer than what Allah had willed for him. The attribution to the wine-server forgiving him was only because, apparently, Allah works through means, and, in this case that was the means employed (Au.).