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 with Joseph two³¹ other slaves entered the prison.³² One of them said: "I saw myself pressing wine in a dream"; and the other said: "I saw myself carrying bread on my head of which the birds were eating." Both said: "Tell us what is its interpretation; for we consider you to be one of those who do good."³³

(12:37) Joseph said: "I will inform you about the interpretation of the dreams before the arrival of the food that is sent to you. This knowledge is part of what I have been taught by my Lord. I have renounced the way of those who do not believe in Allah, and who deny the Hereafter,

(12:38) and I have adopted the way of my forefathers - Abraham and Isaac and Jacob. It is not for us to associate any with Allah in His Divinity. It is out of Allah's grace upon us and upon mankind (that He did not require of us to serve any other than Allah), and yet most people do not give thanks.

(12:39) Fellow-prisoners! Is it better that there be diverse lords, or just Allah, the One, the Irresistible?

(12:40) Those whom you serve beside Him are merely idle names that you and your fathers have fabricated, without Allah sending down any sanction for them. All authority to govern rests only with Allah. He has commanded that you serve none but Him. This is the Right Way of life, though most people are altogether unaware.

(12:41) Fellow-prisoners! (This is the interpretation of your dreams): one of you will serve wine to his lord (the king of Egypt).As for the other, he will be crucified and birds will eat of his head. The question concerning what you asked has thus been decided."³⁴

(12:42) And Joseph said to the one of the two prisoners who he knew would be set free: "Mention me in your lord's presence." But Satan caused him to forget mentioning this to his lord (the ruler of Egypt) and so Joseph languished in prison for several years.³⁵

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Commentary

31. At the time of his imprisonment Joseph was barely twenty or twenty-one years old. According to the Talmud, when Joseph assumed the reins of Egypt, after being released from prison, he was thirty years old. The Qur’an says that Joseph remained in prison for a few years. The actual word used in the Qur’an is bid which denotes a maximum period of ten years.

32. According to the Bible, one of the two slaves who entered the prison along with Joseph, was the chief butler of the Egyptian king and the other was his chief baker. (Genesis 40: 1-3 - Ed.) According to the Talmud, the Egyptian king had sent them to prison for he had found some grit in the bread and a fly in the wine which were served at a banquet.

33. This gives some idea of how highly Joseph was regarded in the prison. The incidents related earlier also show why the two prisoners approached Joseph for an interpretation of their dreams. This also explains why they told him: ‘We consider you to be one of those who do good’ (verse 36). Everyone both inside and outside the prison knew well that Joseph was not a criminal. On the contrary, he was known as a virtuous person. He was exposed to the most seductive temptations to which any person can be exposed, but he had stood firm. No wonder he began to be looked upon as the most virtuous person in the whole land. He stood head and shoulders above all, including the religious leaders. As a result, not only the prisoners but also the prison authorities held Joseph in high esteem. The Bible, therefore, makes this observation: And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph’s care all the prisoners who were in the prison; and whatever was done there he was the doer of it; the keeper of the prison paid no heed to anything that was in Joseph’s care (Genesis 39: 22-3).

34. This discourse by Joseph, which is at the very heart of the story, stands out as one of the best expositions of monotheism in the Qur’an. Strangely enough, this finds no place in the Bible and the Talmud which represent Joseph as no more than a pious and wise person. The Qur’an, however, also highlights those features of his conduct which are passed over in silence in both those sources. It underscores his prophetic mission and indicates he had embarked upon it while still in prison.

Joseph’s discourse is far too important to be passed over superficially. It provides a wealth of significant points which should be given serious consideration. (1) This is the first occasion where we find Joseph (peace be on him) preaching the true faith. In the biographical information about Joseph provided by the Qur’an prior to this incident, we have some idea about the moral excellence which characterized Joseph’s life from the very beginning. However, prior to this discourse, we do not come across any instance of religious preaching of the kind found here.

This indicates that the early stages of his life were of a preparatory nature, and were designed to develop in him the capacities that would enable him to undertake his mission as a Prophet. In short, we learn that prophethood was conferred upon Joseph during the period of his imprisonment. The present discourse is the first sustained statement that he makes in that capacity. (2) It is again for the first time that Joseph (peace be on him) publicly discloses his true identity. So far he had calmly and patiently endured the adversities which befell him. His life even before this oration was quite an eventful one. He was made a captive, was brought to Egypt, was sold to the Egyptian chief, and was then imprisoned. On none of these occasions did Joseph disclose his true identity. At no point did he identify that he was the grandson of Abraham and Isaac and the son of Jacob. His parents and grandparents were no ordinary mortals. The members of the caravan, both Midianite and Ishmaelite, knew this family very well. The Egyptians too were not unfamiliar with his forefathers, at least not with Abraham. The reference to Abraham, Jacob and Isaac in Joseph’s present discourse implies that all of them were very well known in Egypt.

It is also significant that Joseph had never invoked the name of his parents and grandparents to extricate himself from the dire straits in which he found himself during the preceding four or five years.

Presumably he realized that he had to endure hardships so that he might develop the qualities required to play the role which God had decided to entrust him with.

When Joseph started his religious preaching, it became necessary for him to emphasize that he was not presenting a new religious faith. On the contrary, he claimed to be a part of that universal movement of monotheism whose earlier exponents were Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (peace be on them). This point had to be made. For anyone who stands for the truth never lays claim to novelty. He rather declares, at the very outset, that he is concerned with inviting people to the eternal truth which has been presented throughout the ages by its exponents. (3) The manner in which Joseph (peace be on him) availed himself of the opportunity offered by his imprisonment and his interaction with his fellow prisoners provides an important lesson. It tells how exponents of the true faith should act with wisdom and prudence in preaching the truth.

The occasion for preaching the faith in Joseph’s case was provided by fellow prisoners who- narrated their dreams to him. They also expressed their esteem for Joseph (peace be on him) and asked him to interpret their dreams and Joseph promised to do so. However, he said that he would only do so after informing them of the sources of his knowledge on which he would depend for the interpretation of the dreams. Thus, he found a good reason to present his message before them.

From this we learn that if someone is really keen to preach the truth and also has wisdom, he can make use of a hundred different - opportunities and direct the subject of the conversation to his basic message. Conversely, if someone is devoid of the burning desire to serve his cause and preach his message, he will never too able to make use of the opportunities that present themselves. A truly committed person is always on the lookout for every possible opportunity, and he avails himself of it whenever any such opportunity arises.

There is a world of difference, however, between a prudent person who wisely uses the opportunities to preach his message and the stupid preacher who does so clumsily in disregard of time and place, and tries to force his ideas upon people. Such preachers are often also quarrelsome and obnoxious with the result that they create revulsion against the teachings they seek to preach. (4) From this we also learn the right way of presenting the message of faith.

Joseph (peace be on him) did not start by presenting detailed rules and regulations. He first introduced the fundamental point which distinguishes the way of truth from that of falsehood. Joseph, therefore, clearly explained the basic difference between monotheism and polytheism.

Moreover, he explained this difference in such simple and reasonable terms that no one with common sense could have helped but appreciate it.

The analogy which Joseph (peace be on him) used to elucidate his message had a special appeal for the people around him because they had experienced slavery themselves. They, therefore, knew well what is better for people: to serve one master or several masters. This analogy would have enabled them to recognize that which is better: serving the Lord of the universe or serving His creatures.

Itis also significant that Joseph (peace be on him) did not clumsily ask people to abandon their faith and embrace his. Rather, he told them in moving terms that God, by ordaining that His servants should serve none but Him, had done them a great favor. It is astonishing that people are still not thankful to Him for this favor. They continue to invent their gods and to worship them.

Joseph also criticizes the religious doctrines of his audience. But his criticism is couched in reasonable terms and contains nothing that would hurt their susceptibilities. He simply tells them that those whom they had taken as their deities and whom they considered to have control over power, wealth, health, and other blessings from God, were merely empty names. They have no power to provide anything. The only true Lord and Master was God Whom they also recognized as the Creator and Lord of the universe. They were, however, oblivious of the fact that the Lord and Creator of the universe had not sanctioned godhead for any of the deities they worshipped. God has exclusive power to rule over His creation, and He has commanded that men may not worship any other than Him. (5) The discourse also indicates how Joseph spent his eight-year term in prison. Some people assume that since the Qur'an mentions only one of Joseph’s speeches that he invited people to the true faith on only one occasion. Such an assumption seems altogether improper. For, to think so would amount to charging a Prophet with dereliction of duty. Apart from that, Joseph’s keenness to call people to the true faith is evident from the incident just mentioned. Two of his fellow prisoners had asked him to interpret their dreams. Joseph made use of this opportunity to preach the faith. In view of the above, how can it even be conceived that such a person would have spent his eight long years in prison without making any effort to preach his message.

35. This Qur’anic statement 4) has been interpreted by some Qur’an-commentators to mean that Satan caused Joseph to become negligent in remembering God, his Lord, and asked a creature of God to secure his release by bringing his case to the attention of his master (that is, the Egyptian king). It was for this reason that God punished Joseph and why he languished in prison for several years. (See al-Qurtubi’s comments on the present verse — Ed.) However, such an interpretation is absolutely wrong. The correct interpretation, in our view, is the one offered by Mujahid and Muhammad ibn Ishaq among the scholars of the early period, and by Ibn Kathir among the scholars of a relatively later period. According to their interpretation, the pronoun refers to the person who, in Joseph’s view, was about to be set free. Hence, what the verse means is that Satan caused this person to forget mentioning the case of Joseph to his lord. A tradition is also related in this connection which says that the Prophet (peace be on him) said: ‘Had Joseph (peace be on him) not made the statement that he did, he would not have languished in the prison for several years’.

One may, however, ask: What is the degree of authenticity of this tradition? According to Ibn Kathir, every chain of transmission in the tradition is ‘weak’.

In some of its versions, the report has been attributed to the Prophet (peace be on him). In others, Sufyan ibn Waki ‘and Ibrahim ibn Yazid are the transmitters of these traditions and both of them are unreliable. In other versions, the tradition is mursal, and in such matters mursal traditions* are not taken into account. (See Ibn Kathir’s comments on this verse — Ed.) The tradition is also implausible on grounds of common sense. For it does not stand to-reason that the efforts of a person who was subjected to injustice and oppression would be considered an act of forgetting God and be regarded as inconsistent with having trust in Him.