🕋 تفسير سورة يوسف
(Yusuf) • المصدر: EN-AL-JALALAYN
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ الر ۚ تِلْكَ آيَاتُ الْكِتَابِ الْمُبِينِ
📘 Alif lām rā’ God knows best what He means by these letters. Those verses are the verses of the Book the Qur’ān the genitive annexation carries the meaning of partitive min ‘from’ that makes plain the one that manifests truth distinguishing it from what is falsehood.
قَالَ قَائِلٌ مِنْهُمْ لَا تَقْتُلُوا يُوسُفَ وَأَلْقُوهُ فِي غَيَابَتِ الْجُبِّ يَلْتَقِطْهُ بَعْضُ السَّيَّارَةِ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ فَاعِلِينَ
📘 One of them namely Judah said ‘Do not kill Joseph but cast him throw him into the bottom of a well ghayābat al-jubb is the darkest recess of a well; a variant reading has the plural ghayābāt so that some caravan might pick him up if you are to do anything’ of what you desire in the way of separating Joseph from us so content yourselves with this solution.
وَرَفَعَ أَبَوَيْهِ عَلَى الْعَرْشِ وَخَرُّوا لَهُ سُجَّدًا ۖ وَقَالَ يَا أَبَتِ هَٰذَا تَأْوِيلُ رُؤْيَايَ مِنْ قَبْلُ قَدْ جَعَلَهَا رَبِّي حَقًّا ۖ وَقَدْ أَحْسَنَ بِي إِذْ أَخْرَجَنِي مِنَ السِّجْنِ وَجَاءَ بِكُمْ مِنَ الْبَدْوِ مِنْ بَعْدِ أَنْ نَزَغَ الشَّيْطَانُ بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَ إِخْوَتِي ۚ إِنَّ رَبِّي لَطِيفٌ لِمَا يَشَاءُ ۚ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْعَلِيمُ الْحَكِيمُ
📘 And he raised his parents he seated them next to him upon the throne and they fell down that is his parents and brothers prostrating before him — a prostration that was actually a bowing down not placing their foreheads down on the ground; this was their standard form of greeting at that time. Then he said ‘O father this is the interpretation of my vision of old. Indeed my Lord has made it true. And indeed He has been gracious to me since He brought me out of the prison — he did not say ‘out of the well’ in a show of magnanimity lest his brothers feel ashamed — and has brought you from the desert after Satan had incited ill feeling made trouble between me and my brethren. Truly my Lord is Subtle in bringing about what He will. Truly He is the Knower of His creatures the Wise in His actions. His father Jacob remained with him for 24 years or for 17 years. The duration of his separation from Joseph had been 18 or 40 or 80 years. When death approached him he charged Joseph to take him and bury him by his father Isaac and so he Joseph himself went and buried him there. He Joseph then returned to Egypt and remained alive for another 23 years.
۞ رَبِّ قَدْ آتَيْتَنِي مِنَ الْمُلْكِ وَعَلَّمْتَنِي مِنْ تَأْوِيلِ الْأَحَادِيثِ ۚ فَاطِرَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ أَنْتَ وَلِيِّي فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةِ ۖ تَوَفَّنِي مُسْلِمًا وَأَلْحِقْنِي بِالصَّالِحِينَ
📘 When he was nearing his end realising that he would not remain alive forever he longed for the everlasting kingdom and said My Lord indeed You have given me something of sovereignty and You have taught me the interpretation of events the ability to explain dreams. Originator Creator of the heavens and the earth! You are my Protector Guardian of my best interests in this world and the Hereafter. Take me in death to You in submission to You and join me to the righteous’ from among my fathers. He lived after that for another week or more. He died at the age of 120 years. The Egyptians were very covetous with regard to his grave; eventually they placed him in a marble coffin and buried him at the top of the Nile so that both banks would be blessed by his body — Glory be to the One Whose Kingdom never ends.
ذَٰلِكَ مِنْ أَنْبَاءِ الْغَيْبِ نُوحِيهِ إِلَيْكَ ۖ وَمَا كُنْتَ لَدَيْهِمْ إِذْ أَجْمَعُوا أَمْرَهُمْ وَهُمْ يَمْكُرُونَ
📘 That which is mentioned of the matter of Joseph is of the tidings the tales of the Unseen what has been hidden from you O Muhammad (s) which We reveal to you; for you were not with them with Joseph’s brothers when they agreed upon their plan to plot against him that is when they resolved upon it and schemed against him; in other words you were not present among them to know their story and so tell it to others knowledge of it has come to you through revelation.
وَمَا أَكْثَرُ النَّاسِ وَلَوْ حَرَصْتَ بِمُؤْمِنِينَ
📘 Yet most people that is the people of Mecca however eager you might be that they believe will not believe.
وَمَا تَسْأَلُهُمْ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ أَجْرٍ ۚ إِنْ هُوَ إِلَّا ذِكْرٌ لِلْعَالَمِينَ
📘 Nor do you ask them any wage that you should take for it that is for the Qur’ān — it namely the Qur’ān is but a reminder an admonition to all the worlds.
وَكَأَيِّنْ مِنْ آيَةٍ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ يَمُرُّونَ عَلَيْهَا وَهُمْ عَنْهَا مُعْرِضُونَ
📘 And how many a sign indicating the Oneness of God is there in the heavens and the earth which they pass by which they witness but disregard! not reflecting upon it.
وَمَا يُؤْمِنُ أَكْثَرُهُمْ بِاللَّهِ إِلَّا وَهُمْ مُشْرِكُونَ
📘 And most of them do not believe in God such that they might affirm that He is the Creator and the Sustainer without ascribing partners to Him by worshipping idols; which is why when crying their ritual response to God they used to say ‘At Your service no partner have You save a partner that belongs to You; You possess him and all that he possesses’ meaning it when they said it.
أَفَأَمِنُوا أَنْ تَأْتِيَهُمْ غَاشِيَةٌ مِنْ عَذَابِ اللَّهِ أَوْ تَأْتِيَهُمُ السَّاعَةُ بَغْتَةً وَهُمْ لَا يَشْعُرُونَ
📘 Do they deem themselves secure from the coming upon them of a pall a calamity enveloping them of God’s chastisement or the coming of the Hour upon them suddenly while they are unaware? of the time of its arrival beforehand?
قُلْ هَٰذِهِ سَبِيلِي أَدْعُو إِلَى اللَّهِ ۚ عَلَىٰ بَصِيرَةٍ أَنَا وَمَنِ اتَّبَعَنِي ۖ وَسُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ وَمَا أَنَا مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ
📘 Say to them ‘This is my way — which He explains by saying I call to the religion of God being upon sure knowledge plain proof I and whoever follows me whoever believes in me man ittaba‘anī is a supplement to anā ‘I’ the subject predicated by what preceded sc. ‘being upon sure knowledge’. So Glory be to God! in affirmation of His being exalted high above having partners and I am not of the idolaters’ — this sentence is also subsumed by the explanation of his statement about ‘his way’.
وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَا مِنْ قَبْلِكَ إِلَّا رِجَالًا نُوحِي إِلَيْهِمْ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْقُرَىٰ ۗ أَفَلَمْ يَسِيرُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ فَيَنْظُرُوا كَيْفَ كَانَ عَاقِبَةُ الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ ۗ وَلَدَارُ الْآخِرَةِ خَيْرٌ لِلَّذِينَ اتَّقَوْا ۗ أَفَلَا تَعْقِلُونَ
📘 And We did not send before you any messengers save men inspired by revelation yūhā ilayhim a variant reading has nūhī ilayhim ‘to whom We revealed’ — and not angels — from among the people of the towns the principal towns since they are more knowledgeable and wiser than the people of the desert who are crude and ignorant. Have they the people of Mecca not travelled in the land and seen the nature of the consequence for those who were before them? that is how they ended up when they were destroyed for denying their messengers? And verily the abode of the Hereafter that is Paradise is better for those who are wary of God. Will they not understand? read a-fa-lā ya‘qilūn or a-fa-lā ta‘qilūn. ‘Will you not understand?’ this O people of Mecca and so have faith?
قَالُوا يَا أَبَانَا مَا لَكَ لَا تَأْمَنَّا عَلَىٰ يُوسُفَ وَإِنَّا لَهُ لَنَاصِحُونَ
📘 They said ‘O father what is wrong with you that you do not trust us with Joseph? We are indeed his well-wishers we are indeed only looking out for his best interests.
حَتَّىٰ إِذَا اسْتَيْأَسَ الرُّسُلُ وَظَنُّوا أَنَّهُمْ قَدْ كُذِبُوا جَاءَهُمْ نَصْرُنَا فَنُجِّيَ مَنْ نَشَاءُ ۖ وَلَا يُرَدُّ بَأْسُنَا عَنِ الْقَوْمِ الْمُجْرِمِينَ
📘 Until hattā indicates the end result indicated by the previous statement wa-mā arsalnā min qablika illā rijālan And We did not send before you any messengers save men above Q. 12109 that is to whom Our support waned until when the messengers despaired and thought when the messengers were certain that they were denied read kudhdhibū to mean that they were denied to such an extent that they believed that there would not be any possible acceptance of faith thereafter; or read kudhibū to mean that the communities thought that their messengers had been lied to concerning the victory which they had been promised Our help came to them and whomever We willed We delivered read fa-nunajjī or fa-nunjī; or fa-nujjiya as past tense ‘whomever We wished was delivered’. And Our wrath Our chastisement cannot be averted from the sinning the idolatrous folk.
لَقَدْ كَانَ فِي قَصَصِهِمْ عِبْرَةٌ لِأُولِي الْأَلْبَابِ ۗ مَا كَانَ حَدِيثًا يُفْتَرَىٰ وَلَٰكِنْ تَصْدِيقَ الَّذِي بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ وَتَفْصِيلَ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ وَهُدًى وَرَحْمَةً لِقَوْمٍ يُؤْمِنُونَ
📘 Verily there is in their stories that is the messengers’ stories a lesson for people of pith possessors of intellect. It this Qur’ān is not a fabricated an invented discourse but it is a confirmation of what was revealed before it of scriptures and a detailing an elucidation of everything that one needs for the proper observance of religion and a guidance from error and a mercy for a folk who believe such folk are singled out for mention because they are the ones to benefit from it to the exclusion of others.
أَرْسِلْهُ مَعَنَا غَدًا يَرْتَعْ وَيَلْعَبْ وَإِنَّا لَهُ لَحَافِظُونَ
📘 Send him forth with us tomorrow to the desert to frolic and play read first person plural narta‘ wa-nal‘ab ‘that we might frolic and play’ or third person plural yarta‘ wa-yal‘ab ‘that he might frolic and play’ in other words so that we might be spirited and roam freely. Surely we shall take good care of him’.
قَالَ إِنِّي لَيَحْزُنُنِي أَنْ تَذْهَبُوا بِهِ وَأَخَافُ أَنْ يَأْكُلَهُ الذِّئْبُ وَأَنْتُمْ عَنْهُ غَافِلُونَ
📘 He said ‘Lo! It grieves me that you should go with him that is your departure with him grieves me because I would be separated from him and I fear lest the wolf devour him al-dhi’b here represents the genus for their land had many wolves in it while you are heedless of him’ distracted by something else.
قَالُوا لَئِنْ أَكَلَهُ الذِّئْبُ وَنَحْنُ عُصْبَةٌ إِنَّا إِذًا لَخَاسِرُونَ
📘 They said ‘Truly if la-in the lām here is for oaths the wolf were to devour him when we are so hardy a band a group then we indeed are losers!’ incapable of anything. Thus he sent him off with them.
فَلَمَّا ذَهَبُوا بِهِ وَأَجْمَعُوا أَنْ يَجْعَلُوهُ فِي غَيَابَتِ الْجُبِّ ۚ وَأَوْحَيْنَا إِلَيْهِ لَتُنَبِّئَنَّهُمْ بِأَمْرِهِمْ هَٰذَا وَهُمْ لَا يَشْعُرُونَ
📘 So when they went off with him and agreed resolved to put him into the bottom of the well the response of lammā ‘when’ has been omitted in other words understand it as being fa‘alū dhālika ‘they did just that’ by taking off his shirt — after having beaten him humiliated him and desiring to kill him — and lowering him in a bucket into the well. When he reached half-way down the well they flung him from the bucket so that he would fall and die but he fell into the water and took refuge near a rock. They then called to him and he responded thinking that they had decided to have mercy on him. They then wanted to smash his head with a rock but Judah prevented them. And We revealed to him in the well through true revelation wahy haqīqa — he was 17 years of age or just under — in order to reassure his heart ‘Truly you shall inform them after this day of this affair this deed of theirs when they are unaware’ of who you are wa-hum lā yash‘urūna is a circumstantial qualifier referring to the action of ‘informing’.
وَجَاءُوا أَبَاهُمْ عِشَاءً يَبْكُونَ
📘 And they came to their father in the evening weeping.
قَالُوا يَا أَبَانَا إِنَّا ذَهَبْنَا نَسْتَبِقُ وَتَرَكْنَا يُوسُفَ عِنْدَ مَتَاعِنَا فَأَكَلَهُ الذِّئْبُ ۖ وَمَا أَنْتَ بِمُؤْمِنٍ لَنَا وَلَوْ كُنَّا صَادِقِينَ
📘 They said ‘O father we went competing shooting and left Joseph by our things our clothes and the wolf ate him. But you would never believe us even though we speak the truth’ before you you would still have accused us of lying in this story because of your adoration of Joseph so how much more so when you think ill of us?
وَجَاءُوا عَلَىٰ قَمِيصِهِ بِدَمٍ كَذِبٍ ۚ قَالَ بَلْ سَوَّلَتْ لَكُمْ أَنْفُسُكُمْ أَمْرًا ۖ فَصَبْرٌ جَمِيلٌ ۖ وَاللَّهُ الْمُسْتَعَانُ عَلَىٰ مَا تَصِفُونَ
📘 And they came with false blood on his shirt ‘alā qamīsihi has the status of an accusative of the verb because it is an adverbial qualifier meaning fawqa qamīsihi they slaughtered a lamb and dabbed it his shirt with its blood — but they forgot to tear it the shirt — and they said that it was his blood. He Jacob said when he saw that it the shirt was undamaged and realised that they were lying ‘Nay but your souls have beguiled you into something and so you did it to him. Yet comely patience! without any anxiety! fa-sabrun jamīlun is the predicate of a missing subject such as amrī ‘my course’. And God is the One Whose succour is sought in that predicament which you describe’ that which you mention of Joseph’s affair.
وَجَاءَتْ سَيَّارَةٌ فَأَرْسَلُوا وَارِدَهُمْ فَأَدْلَىٰ دَلْوَهُ ۖ قَالَ يَا بُشْرَىٰ هَٰذَا غُلَامٌ ۚ وَأَسَرُّوهُ بِضَاعَةً ۚ وَاللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ بِمَا يَعْمَلُونَ
📘 And there came a caravan — travellers going from Midian to Egypt who stopped near to Joseph’s well — and they sent their water-drawer the one who goes down to the water source to draw from it and he let down his bucket into the well and Joseph clung to it and he pulled him out and when he saw him he said ‘Good news!’ a variant reading of yā bushrā has yā bushrāya this vocative call is figurative in other words it is to be understood as ‘Come O good news now is your time!’ ‘This is a young boy’. His brothers became aware of this and came to him and they hid him that is they disguised his real status claiming that he was as a piece of merchandise by saying ‘This is a slave of ours he is a runaway’; but Joseph did not say anything fearing that they might kill him. But God knew well what they were doing.
إِنَّا أَنْزَلْنَاهُ قُرْآنًا عَرَبِيًّا لَعَلَّكُمْ تَعْقِلُونَ
📘 We have revealed it as an Arabic Qur’ān in the language of the Arabs so that you O people of Mecca might understand comprehend its meaning.
وَشَرَوْهُ بِثَمَنٍ بَخْسٍ دَرَاهِمَ مَعْدُودَةٍ وَكَانُوا فِيهِ مِنَ الزَّاهِدِينَ
📘 Then they sold him — they the caravan purchased him from them — for a very low a diminished price a handful of dirhams 20 or 22; for they that is his brothers set small store by him. So the caravan brought him to Egypt where the one who had bought him sold him for 20 dinars two pairs of sandals and two robes.
وَقَالَ الَّذِي اشْتَرَاهُ مِنْ مِصْرَ لِامْرَأَتِهِ أَكْرِمِي مَثْوَاهُ عَسَىٰ أَنْ يَنْفَعَنَا أَوْ نَتَّخِذَهُ وَلَدًا ۚ وَكَذَٰلِكَ مَكَّنَّا لِيُوسُفَ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَلِنُعَلِّمَهُ مِنْ تَأْوِيلِ الْأَحَادِيثِ ۚ وَاللَّهُ غَالِبٌ عَلَىٰ أَمْرِهِ وَلَٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ
📘 And he of Egypt who purchased him Potifar the Court Officer Qitfīr al-‘azīz said to his wife Zulaikha Zulaykhā ‘Give him an honourable place an honourable residence with us. Maybe he will be useful to us or we may adopt him as a son’ — for he was chaste. Thus just as We delivered him from being killed and from the well and softened the Court Officer’s heart for him We established Joseph in the land the land of Egypt until he attained what status he attained that We might teach him the interpretation of events the interpretation of visions wa-li-nu‘allimahu min ta’wīli’l-ahādīth is a supplement to an implied missing part connected to makkannā ‘We established’ in other words an implied li-numallikahu ‘so that We might give him kingship’; or else the wāw of wa-li-nu‘allimahu ‘that We might teach him’ is to be understood as being extra. God’s way always prevails exalted be He nothing being beyond Him but most people — and they are the disbelievers — do not know this.
وَلَمَّا بَلَغَ أَشُدَّهُ آتَيْنَاهُ حُكْمًا وَعِلْمًا ۚ وَكَذَٰلِكَ نَجْزِي الْمُحْسِنِينَ
📘 And when he reached his prime — which was at 30 or 33 years of age — We gave him power of judgement wisdom and knowledge understanding in matters of religion before his call to prophethood. Thus just as We rewarded him We reward those who are virtuous to the good of their souls.
وَرَاوَدَتْهُ الَّتِي هُوَ فِي بَيْتِهَا عَنْ نَفْسِهِ وَغَلَّقَتِ الْأَبْوَابَ وَقَالَتْ هَيْتَ لَكَ ۚ قَالَ مَعَاذَ اللَّهِ ۖ إِنَّهُ رَبِّي أَحْسَنَ مَثْوَايَ ۖ إِنَّهُ لَا يُفْلِحُ الظَّالِمُونَ
📘 And she in whose house he was — namely Zulaykhā — attempted to seduce him that is she asked him to lie with her and she closed the doors of the house. And she said to him ‘Come!’ hayta laka the lām of laka is for clarification; a variant reading has hīta laka or haytu laka. ‘God forbid!’ I seek refuge with God from this he said. ‘Truly he who bought me is my lord my master who has given me an honourable place an honourable residence and so I cannot betray him with regard to his family. Truly evildoers fornicators never prosper’.
وَلَقَدْ هَمَّتْ بِهِ ۖ وَهَمَّ بِهَا لَوْلَا أَنْ رَأَىٰ بُرْهَانَ رَبِّهِ ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ لِنَصْرِفَ عَنْهُ السُّوءَ وَالْفَحْشَاءَ ۚ إِنَّهُ مِنْ عِبَادِنَا الْمُخْلَصِينَ
📘 And she certainly desired him she sought sexual intercourse with him and he would have desired her too he would have sought the same had it not been that he saw the proof of his Lord Ibn ‘Abbās said ‘Jacob was made to appear before him and he struck his Joseph’s breast whereupon his sexual desire withdrew from his body through his fingernails the response to lawlā ‘had it not been’ has been omitted understood to be la-jāma‘ahā ‘he would have lain with her’. So it was that We made him see the proof that We might ward off from him evil betrayal and lewdness the act of fornication. Truly he was of Our devoted servants in terms of obedience mukhlisīn a variant reading has mukhlasīn in other words ‘chosen/purified servants’.
وَاسْتَبَقَا الْبَابَ وَقَدَّتْ قَمِيصَهُ مِنْ دُبُرٍ وَأَلْفَيَا سَيِّدَهَا لَدَى الْبَابِ ۚ قَالَتْ مَا جَزَاءُ مَنْ أَرَادَ بِأَهْلِكَ سُوءًا إِلَّا أَنْ يُسْجَنَ أَوْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ
📘 And they raced to the door Joseph making for it in order to escape while she in order to grab hold of him caught hold of his garment and pulled him towards her and she tore his shirt from behind whereupon they encountered her master her husband at the door. She composed herself and then said ‘What is to be the requital of him who intends evil who intends fornication against your folk but that he should be imprisoned locked up in a jail or suffer a painful chastisement?’ by having him beaten.
قَالَ هِيَ رَاوَدَتْنِي عَنْ نَفْسِي ۚ وَشَهِدَ شَاهِدٌ مِنْ أَهْلِهَا إِنْ كَانَ قَمِيصُهُ قُدَّ مِنْ قُبُلٍ فَصَدَقَتْ وَهُوَ مِنَ الْكَاذِبِينَ
📘 He Joseph said declaring himself innocent of the charge ‘It was she who attempted to seduce me’. And a witness of her own folk testified her paternal cousin — it is reported that he was still a child in the cradle — and he said ‘If his shirt has been torn from the front then she speaks the truth and he is of the liars;
وَإِنْ كَانَ قَمِيصُهُ قُدَّ مِنْ دُبُرٍ فَكَذَبَتْ وَهُوَ مِنَ الصَّادِقِينَ
📘 but if his shirt has been torn from behind then she has lied and he is of the truthful’.
فَلَمَّا رَأَىٰ قَمِيصَهُ قُدَّ مِنْ دُبُرٍ قَالَ إِنَّهُ مِنْ كَيْدِكُنَّ ۖ إِنَّ كَيْدَكُنَّ عَظِيمٌ
📘 So when he her husband saw that his shirt was torn from behind he said ‘Indeed this — that is your saying ‘What is to be the requital of him who intends …’ to the end of the verse Q. 1225 — is of the guile of you O women. Verily your guile is great.
يُوسُفُ أَعْرِضْ عَنْ هَٰذَا ۚ وَاسْتَغْفِرِي لِذَنْبِكِ ۖ إِنَّكِ كُنْتِ مِنَ الْخَاطِئِينَ
📘 Then he said O Joseph ignore this matter and do not mention it to anyone lest it be broadcast; and you O Zulaykhā ask forgiveness for your sin surely you have been of the erring’ the sinful; but the tale was reported and became public.
نَحْنُ نَقُصُّ عَلَيْكَ أَحْسَنَ الْقَصَصِ بِمَا أَوْحَيْنَا إِلَيْكَ هَٰذَا الْقُرْآنَ وَإِنْ كُنْتَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِ لَمِنَ الْغَافِلِينَ
📘 We will relate to you the best of narratives in what We have revealed in Our revealing to you this Qur’ān though wa-in in is softened in other words understand it as wa-innahu prior to it you were of the heedless.
۞ وَقَالَ نِسْوَةٌ فِي الْمَدِينَةِ امْرَأَتُ الْعَزِيزِ تُرَاوِدُ فَتَاهَا عَنْ نَفْسِهِ ۖ قَدْ شَغَفَهَا حُبًّا ۖ إِنَّا لَنَرَاهَا فِي ضَلَالٍ مُبِينٍ
📘 And some of the women in the city the city of Egypt said ‘The Court Officer’s wife has been seducing her boy her servant. Indeed he has smitten her heart with love hubban is for specification in other words ‘her love of him has entered her heart’s pericardium shaghāfa qalbihā that is its inner casing. Lo! we see her to be in plain aberration’ that is in error evident in her love of him.
فَلَمَّا سَمِعَتْ بِمَكْرِهِنَّ أَرْسَلَتْ إِلَيْهِنَّ وَأَعْتَدَتْ لَهُنَّ مُتَّكَأً وَآتَتْ كُلَّ وَاحِدَةٍ مِنْهُنَّ سِكِّينًا وَقَالَتِ اخْرُجْ عَلَيْهِنَّ ۖ فَلَمَّا رَأَيْنَهُ أَكْبَرْنَهُ وَقَطَّعْنَ أَيْدِيَهُنَّ وَقُلْنَ حَاشَ لِلَّهِ مَا هَٰذَا بَشَرًا إِنْ هَٰذَا إِلَّا مَلَكٌ كَرِيمٌ
📘 And when she heard of their machinations their backbiting of her she sent for them and prepared for them a repast muttaka’ is food that requires cutting with a knife since one leans upon it ittikā’ this repast was utruj ‘citron’. She then gave each one of them a knife and said to Joseph ‘Come out before them!’ And when they saw him they were in awe of they exalted him and cut their hands with the knives without feeling any pain because their hearts were so engrossed by Joseph and they exclaimed ‘God preserve us! — in exaltation of him — This namely Joseph is no human being this is but a noble angel!’ on account of his all-encompassing beauty which is a characteristic not usually found among humankind. In the Sahīh of al-Bukhārī it is reported that one half of all beauty was given to him.
قَالَتْ فَذَٰلِكُنَّ الَّذِي لُمْتُنَّنِي فِيهِ ۖ وَلَقَدْ رَاوَدْتُهُ عَنْ نَفْسِهِ فَاسْتَعْصَمَ ۖ وَلَئِنْ لَمْ يَفْعَلْ مَا آمُرُهُ لَيُسْجَنَنَّ وَلَيَكُونًا مِنَ الصَّاغِرِينَ
📘 She the wife of the Court Officer said when she saw what happened to them ‘This is he on whose account for the love of whom you blamed me alladhī lumtunnanī fīhi is an explication of her excuse. Indeed I did attempt to seduce him but he withheld himself he refused. Yet if he does not do what I bid him he verily shall be imprisoned and verily shall be of those brought low’ those abased. The women said to him ‘Obey your mistress!’.
قَالَ رَبِّ السِّجْنُ أَحَبُّ إِلَيَّ مِمَّا يَدْعُونَنِي إِلَيْهِ ۖ وَإِلَّا تَصْرِفْ عَنِّي كَيْدَهُنَّ أَصْبُ إِلَيْهِنَّ وَأَكُنْ مِنَ الْجَاهِلِينَ
📘 He said ‘My Lord prison is dearer to me than that to which they are urging me. And if You do not fend off their wiles from me then I shall tend I shall incline towards them and become of the ignorant the sinful this is intended as a supplication which is why God exalted be He then says
فَاسْتَجَابَ لَهُ رَبُّهُ فَصَرَفَ عَنْهُ كَيْدَهُنَّ ۚ إِنَّهُ هُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ
📘 So his Lord answered him his supplication and He fended off their wiles from him. Truly He is the Hearer of words the Knower of deeds.
ثُمَّ بَدَا لَهُمْ مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا رَأَوُا الْآيَاتِ لَيَسْجُنُنَّهُ حَتَّىٰ حِينٍ
📘 Then it seemed it appeared good to them after they had seen the signs indicating Joseph’s innocence that they should imprison him for a while until such time as people ceased to talk of him. He was thus imprisoned.
وَدَخَلَ مَعَهُ السِّجْنَ فَتَيَانِ ۖ قَالَ أَحَدُهُمَا إِنِّي أَرَانِي أَعْصِرُ خَمْرًا ۖ وَقَالَ الْآخَرُ إِنِّي أَرَانِي أَحْمِلُ فَوْقَ رَأْسِي خُبْزًا تَأْكُلُ الطَّيْرُ مِنْهُ ۖ نَبِّئْنَا بِتَأْوِيلِهِ ۖ إِنَّا نَرَاكَ مِنَ الْمُحْسِنِينَ
📘 And there entered the prison with him two youths two young men servants of the king one of whom was his cup-bearer the other his food-taster. They noticed that he interpreted dreams and so they said ‘Let us try him’. One of them the cup-bearer said ‘I dreamed that I was pressing wine’ that is grapes. The other the food-taster said ‘I dreamed that I was carrying on my head bread whereof the birds were eating. Tell us inform us of its interpretation for indeed we see you as being among the virtuous’.
قَالَ لَا يَأْتِيكُمَا طَعَامٌ تُرْزَقَانِهِ إِلَّا نَبَّأْتُكُمَا بِتَأْوِيلِهِ قَبْلَ أَنْ يَأْتِيَكُمَا ۚ ذَٰلِكُمَا مِمَّا عَلَّمَنِي رَبِّي ۚ إِنِّي تَرَكْتُ مِلَّةَ قَوْمٍ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ وَهُمْ بِالْآخِرَةِ هُمْ كَافِرُونَ
📘 He said to them both in order to inform them that he knew how to interpret dreams ‘The food with which you are provided shall not come to you while you are asleep but I shall tell you the interpretation thereof while you are conscious before it the interpretation thereof comes to you. This is from that which my Lord has taught me — herein is an incitement for them to believe which he reinforces with the following words Lo! I have forsaken the creed the religion of a folk who do not believe in God and who moreover hum ‘they’ is repeated for emphasis are disbelievers in the Hereafter.
وَاتَّبَعْتُ مِلَّةَ آبَائِي إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَإِسْحَاقَ وَيَعْقُوبَ ۚ مَا كَانَ لَنَا أَنْ نُشْرِكَ بِاللَّهِ مِنْ شَيْءٍ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ مِنْ فَضْلِ اللَّهِ عَلَيْنَا وَعَلَى النَّاسِ وَلَٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لَا يَشْكُرُونَ
📘 And I follow the creed of my fathers Abraham and Isaac and Jacob. It never was right for us to associate anything min shay’in min is extra with God — on account of our God-given immunity from error. That affirmation of God’s Oneness is from God’s bounty to us and to mankind; but most people — and these are the disbelievers — do not give thanks to God and so they associate others with Him.
يَا صَاحِبَيِ السِّجْنِ أَأَرْبَابٌ مُتَفَرِّقُونَ خَيْرٌ أَمِ اللَّهُ الْوَاحِدُ الْقَهَّارُ
📘 He Joseph then explicitly calls them to faith saying O my two fellow-prisoners! inmates of the prison Are several lords better or is God the One the Almighty better? an interrogative meant as an affirmative.
إِذْ قَالَ يُوسُفُ لِأَبِيهِ يَا أَبَتِ إِنِّي رَأَيْتُ أَحَدَ عَشَرَ كَوْكَبًا وَالشَّمْسَ وَالْقَمَرَ رَأَيْتُهُمْ لِي سَاجِدِينَ
📘 Mention when Joseph said to his father Jacob ‘O my father read yā abati to indicate the omitted yā’ of genitive annexation sc. of yā abī; or read yā abata to indicate that an alif originally a yā’ has been omitted I saw in my sleep eleven planets and the sun and the moon I saw them repeated for emphasis prostrating themselves before me’ sājidīn this plural form is used to describe the act of ‘prostration’ which is an attribute associated with rational beings.
مَا تَعْبُدُونَ مِنْ دُونِهِ إِلَّا أَسْمَاءً سَمَّيْتُمُوهَا أَنْتُمْ وَآبَاؤُكُمْ مَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ بِهَا مِنْ سُلْطَانٍ ۚ إِنِ الْحُكْمُ إِلَّا لِلَّهِ ۚ أَمَرَ أَلَّا تَعْبُدُوا إِلَّا إِيَّاهُ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ الدِّينُ الْقَيِّمُ وَلَٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ
📘 You do not worship apart from Him that is other than Him anything but mere names that you have named that you have named for idols you and your fathers. God has not revealed any warrant any definitive argument or proof regarding them regarding worship of them. Judgement decree belongs only to God alone. He has commanded that you worship none but Him. That affirmation of God’s Oneness is the upright the straight religion but most people — and these are the disbelievers — do not know the punishment in which they shall end up and so they ascribe partners to God.
يَا صَاحِبَيِ السِّجْنِ أَمَّا أَحَدُكُمَا فَيَسْقِي رَبَّهُ خَمْرًا ۖ وَأَمَّا الْآخَرُ فَيُصْلَبُ فَتَأْكُلُ الطَّيْرُ مِنْ رَأْسِهِ ۚ قُضِيَ الْأَمْرُ الَّذِي فِيهِ تَسْتَفْتِيَانِ
📘 O fellow-prisoners! As for one of you that is the cup-bearer he will depart after three days and he shall serve his lord his master wine to drink as usual; and as for the other he will depart after three days and he will be crucified so that the birds will eat from his head this is the interpretation of both your dreams. They said ‘We never dreamed a thing!’; he said decided concluded is the matter regarding which you sought opinion’ about which you enquired whether you spoke truthfully or were lying.
وَقَالَ لِلَّذِي ظَنَّ أَنَّهُ نَاجٍ مِنْهُمَا اذْكُرْنِي عِنْدَ رَبِّكَ فَأَنْسَاهُ الشَّيْطَانُ ذِكْرَ رَبِّهِ فَلَبِثَ فِي السِّجْنِ بِضْعَ سِنِينَ
📘 Then he said to the one whom he deemed whom he was certain would be saved of the two — and this was the cup-bearer ‘Mention me to your lord’ your master and say to him ‘There is a young man in jail who has been wrongly imprisoned’. So he the cup-bearer departed but Satan caused him that is the cup-bearer to forget the mention of Joseph before his master so that he Joseph stayed he remained in prison for some years it is said that he remained for seven years or for twelve.
وَقَالَ الْمَلِكُ إِنِّي أَرَىٰ سَبْعَ بَقَرَاتٍ سِمَانٍ يَأْكُلُهُنَّ سَبْعٌ عِجَافٌ وَسَبْعَ سُنْبُلَاتٍ خُضْرٍ وَأُخَرَ يَابِسَاتٍ ۖ يَا أَيُّهَا الْمَلَأُ أَفْتُونِي فِي رُؤْيَايَ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ لِلرُّؤْيَا تَعْبُرُونَ
📘 And the king the king of Egypt — al-Rayyān b. al-Walīd — said ‘I saw in a dream seven fat kine being devoured being swallowed up by seven lean ones of kine ‘ijāf is the plural of ‘ajfā’ and seven green ears of corn and others that is seven other ears of corn dry that had wound themselves around the green ones and risen above them. O courtiers! Give me your opinion about my vision expound for me its interpretation if you can interpret visions’ then interpret it for me.
قَالُوا أَضْغَاثُ أَحْلَامٍ ۖ وَمَا نَحْنُ بِتَأْوِيلِ الْأَحْلَامِ بِعَالِمِينَ
📘 They said this is ‘A jumble a mixture of dreams! And we are not knowledgeable in the interpretation of dreams’.
وَقَالَ الَّذِي نَجَا مِنْهُمَا وَادَّكَرَ بَعْدَ أُمَّةٍ أَنَا أُنَبِّئُكُمْ بِتَأْوِيلِهِ فَأَرْسِلُونِ
📘 And he of the two who was released that is of the two young men namely the cup-bearer remembering iddakara the original tā’ of tadhakkara has been changed to a dāl and assimilated with the dhāl after a time after a period of time the predicament of Joseph said ‘I will inform you of its interpretation; so send me forth’ so they sent him forth and he came to Joseph and said
يُوسُفُ أَيُّهَا الصِّدِّيقُ أَفْتِنَا فِي سَبْعِ بَقَرَاتٍ سِمَانٍ يَأْكُلُهُنَّ سَبْعٌ عِجَافٌ وَسَبْعِ سُنْبُلَاتٍ خُضْرٍ وَأُخَرَ يَابِسَاتٍ لَعَلِّي أَرْجِعُ إِلَى النَّاسِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَعْلَمُونَ
📘 ‘O Joseph O truthful one one given to truth give us your opinion concerning seven fat kine that are devoured by seven lean ones and concerning seven green ears of corn and seven others dry that I may return to the people that is to the king and his courtiers so that they might know’ its interpretation.
قَالَ تَزْرَعُونَ سَبْعَ سِنِينَ دَأَبًا فَمَا حَصَدْتُمْ فَذَرُوهُ فِي سُنْبُلِهِ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا مِمَّا تَأْكُلُونَ
📘 He said ‘You shall sow — that is go ahead and sow — seven years consecutively — and this was the interpretation of the seven fat ones — but that which you reap leave it in the ear lest it spoil except for a little which you eat thresh it.
ثُمَّ يَأْتِي مِنْ بَعْدِ ذَٰلِكَ سَبْعٌ شِدَادٌ يَأْكُلْنَ مَا قَدَّمْتُمْ لَهُنَّ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا مِمَّا تُحْصِنُونَ
📘 Then after that in other words after the seven fertile years there shall come seven hard barren and unyielding years — the interpretation of the seven lean ones — which shall devour what you set aside for them of grain sown during the fertile years in other words you shall eat all this during these seven hard years all except a little which you have preserved stored.
ثُمَّ يَأْتِي مِنْ بَعْدِ ذَٰلِكَ عَامٌ فِيهِ يُغَاثُ النَّاسُ وَفِيهِ يَعْصِرُونَ
📘 Then after that in other words after the seven barren years there shall come a year in which the people will be granted relief through rain and in which they will press fruit grapes and other seeds because of its that year’s fertility.
قَالَ يَا بُنَيَّ لَا تَقْصُصْ رُؤْيَاكَ عَلَىٰ إِخْوَتِكَ فَيَكِيدُوا لَكَ كَيْدًا ۖ إِنَّ الشَّيْطَانَ لِلْإِنْسَانِ عَدُوٌّ مُبِينٌ
📘 He said ‘O my son do not relate your vision to your brothers lest they plot against you some plot lest they scheme to kill you out of envy knowing that the interpretation of the dream is that they represent the eleven planets your mother the sun and your father the moon. Truly Satan is to man a manifest foe one of evident enmity.
وَقَالَ الْمَلِكُ ائْتُونِي بِهِ ۖ فَلَمَّا جَاءَهُ الرَّسُولُ قَالَ ارْجِعْ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكَ فَاسْأَلْهُ مَا بَالُ النِّسْوَةِ اللَّاتِي قَطَّعْنَ أَيْدِيَهُنَّ ۚ إِنَّ رَبِّي بِكَيْدِهِنَّ عَلِيمٌ
📘 And the king after the messenger had come to him and informed him of its the dream’s interpretation said ‘Bring him to me!’ that is the one who interpreted it. And when the messenger came to him that is to Joseph and summoned him in order to depart from the prison he said — with the intention of manifesting his innocence — ‘Return to your lord and ask him to inquire “What of what was the case with the women who cut their hands?” Surely my lord my master has knowledge of their guile’; he the messenger thus returned and informed the king who then summoned them the women.
قَالَ مَا خَطْبُكُنَّ إِذْ رَاوَدْتُنَّ يُوسُفَ عَنْ نَفْسِهِ ۚ قُلْنَ حَاشَ لِلَّهِ مَا عَلِمْنَا عَلَيْهِ مِنْ سُوءٍ ۚ قَالَتِ امْرَأَتُ الْعَزِيزِ الْآنَ حَصْحَصَ الْحَقُّ أَنَا رَاوَدْتُهُ عَنْ نَفْسِهِ وَإِنَّهُ لَمِنَ الصَّادِقِينَ
📘 He said ‘What was your business women when you solicited Joseph?’ did you find on his part any inclination towards you? ‘God preserve us!’ they said. ‘We know of no evil in him.’ The Court Officer’s wife said ‘Now the truth is out now it has become clear; it was I who attempted to seduce him and he is indeed of the truthful’ in his saying It was she who attempted to seduce me Q. 1226. Joseph was then informed of this and he said
ذَٰلِكَ لِيَعْلَمَ أَنِّي لَمْ أَخُنْهُ بِالْغَيْبِ وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَهْدِي كَيْدَ الْخَائِنِينَ
📘 ‘That plea of innocence is so that he the Court officer may know I did not betray him with regard to his family in his absence bi’l-ghayb is a circumstantial qualifier and that truly God does not guide to success the guile of the treacherous; he Joseph then humbled himself before God and said
۞ وَمَا أُبَرِّئُ نَفْسِي ۚ إِنَّ النَّفْسَ لَأَمَّارَةٌ بِالسُّوءِ إِلَّا مَا رَحِمَ رَبِّي ۚ إِنَّ رَبِّي غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ
📘 Yet I do not exculpate my own soul of slipping into error; verily the soul as such is ever inciting to evil except that whereon meaning the person upon whom my Lord has mercy and so protects from sin. Truly my Lord is Forgiving Merciful’.
وَقَالَ الْمَلِكُ ائْتُونِي بِهِ أَسْتَخْلِصْهُ لِنَفْسِي ۖ فَلَمَّا كَلَّمَهُ قَالَ إِنَّكَ الْيَوْمَ لَدَيْنَا مَكِينٌ أَمِينٌ
📘 And the king said ‘Bring him to me that I may use him for myself’ that I may make him mine exclusively with none to share him with me. The messenger came to him to Joseph and said ‘Respond to the king!’ and so he got up and bid farewell to his fellow-prisoners and prayed for them. He then washed himself put on some good clothes and entered upon him. And when he had spoken with him he said to him ‘Indeed you are on this day in our presence established and trustworthy’ a person of status entrusted over our affair so what do you think we should do? He said ‘Gather food stocks and sow abundantly in these fertile years then store the corn in its ears. People from far and wide will come to you and ask you to supply them with provisions’. He the king said ‘Whom can I delegate this task to?’
قَالَ اجْعَلْنِي عَلَىٰ خَزَائِنِ الْأَرْضِ ۖ إِنِّي حَفِيظٌ عَلِيمٌ
📘 He Joseph said ‘Place me in charge of the storehouses of the land the land of Egypt. I am indeed a skilled custodian’ one worthy of custodianship thereof and knowledgeable in such affairs — it is also said that he meant I am indeed a competent scribe and accountant.
وَكَذَٰلِكَ مَكَّنَّا لِيُوسُفَ فِي الْأَرْضِ يَتَبَوَّأُ مِنْهَا حَيْثُ يَشَاءُ ۚ نُصِيبُ بِرَحْمَتِنَا مَنْ نَشَاءُ ۖ وَلَا نُضِيعُ أَجْرَ الْمُحْسِنِينَ
📘 Thus in the same way that We were graceful towards Him by delivering him from prison We established Joseph in the land the land of Egypt that he may settle in it wherever he wished after having suffered hardship and imprisonment. According to the story the king crowned him gave him a signet-ring to wear and appointed him in place of the Court officer whom he removed from his position and who later died; and so he the king made him Joseph take the latter’s spouse as a wife. He Joseph discovered that she was still a virgin and she bore him two children. He Joseph established justice in Egypt and people became subject to him. We confer Our mercy on whomever We will and We do not waste the wage of the virtuous.
وَلَأَجْرُ الْآخِرَةِ خَيْرٌ لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَكَانُوا يَتَّقُونَ
📘 Yet the wage of the Hereafter is better than the wage of this world for those who believe and are God-fearing. And so the years of drought arrived and afflicted the land of Canaan and Syria.
وَجَاءَ إِخْوَةُ يُوسُفَ فَدَخَلُوا عَلَيْهِ فَعَرَفَهُمْ وَهُمْ لَهُ مُنْكِرُونَ
📘 And Joseph’s brothers came — except for Benjamin — in order to secure provisions when they found out that the new Court officer of Egypt was providing food at its fair price; and they entered to him and he recognised them to be his brothers but they did not recognise him not knowing who he was because it had been a long time since they had seen him and because they supposed that he had died. They spoke to him in Hebrew and he said to them as if reproaching them ‘What brings you to my land?’ They replied ‘We have come for supplies’. He said ‘You might be spies!’ They said ‘God forbid!’ He said ‘So where are you from?’ They said ‘From the land of Canaan our father is Jacob the prophet of God.’ He said ‘Does he have children other than you?’ They said ‘Yes. We used to be twelve but the youngest of us passed away he perished in the wild. He was the most beloved to him our father from among us; only his full brother remains and so he keeps him by his side in order to comfort himself with him in place of the other.’ He Joseph commanded that they be given lodging and treated well.
وَلَمَّا جَهَّزَهُمْ بِجَهَازِهِمْ قَالَ ائْتُونِي بِأَخٍ لَكُمْ مِنْ أَبِيكُمْ ۚ أَلَا تَرَوْنَ أَنِّي أُوفِي الْكَيْلَ وَأَنَا خَيْرُ الْمُنْزِلِينَ
📘 And when he had equipped them with their provision when he had given them the full measure of food he said ‘Bring me a brother of yours from your father namely Benjamin that I might know that you have been truthful in what you said. Do you not see that I give the full measure that I complete it without any fraud and that I am the best of hosts?
وَكَذَٰلِكَ يَجْتَبِيكَ رَبُّكَ وَيُعَلِّمُكَ مِنْ تَأْوِيلِ الْأَحَادِيثِ وَيُتِمُّ نِعْمَتَهُ عَلَيْكَ وَعَلَىٰ آلِ يَعْقُوبَ كَمَا أَتَمَّهَا عَلَىٰ أَبَوَيْكَ مِنْ قَبْلُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَإِسْحَاقَ ۚ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌ
📘 Thus in the way that you have seen will your Lord prefer you choose you and teach you the interpretation of events the interpretation of visions and perfect His grace upon you with prophethood and upon the House of Jacob — upon his sons — as He perfected it with prophethood formerly on your fathers Abraham and Isaac. Truly your Lord is Knower of His creatures Wise’ in what He does with them.
فَإِنْ لَمْ تَأْتُونِي بِهِ فَلَا كَيْلَ لَكُمْ عِنْدِي وَلَا تَقْرَبُونِ
📘 But if you do not bring him to me there will be no measure that is no provisions for you with me; and do not come near me’ wa-lā taqrabūn is either a prohibition or a supplement to the syntactical locus of fa-lā kayla in other words ‘and you shall be denied the measure and will not be allowed to come near me’.
قَالُوا سَنُرَاوِدُ عَنْهُ أَبَاهُ وَإِنَّا لَفَاعِلُونَ
📘 They said ‘We will try to tempt his father away from him that is we will try our hardest to seek him from him. That we will surely do’.
وَقَالَ لِفِتْيَانِهِ اجْعَلُوا بِضَاعَتَهُمْ فِي رِحَالِهِمْ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَعْرِفُونَهَا إِذَا انْقَلَبُوا إِلَىٰ أَهْلِهِمْ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْجِعُونَ
📘 And he said to his young men li-fityatihi a variant reading has li-fityānihi ‘his servants’ ‘Place their merchandise that money with which they bought the supplies and these were a few dirhams in their saddlebags their supply sacks so that they may recognise it when they return to their folk and empty their sacks and so come back’ to us deeming it unlawful to retain these monies.
فَلَمَّا رَجَعُوا إِلَىٰ أَبِيهِمْ قَالُوا يَا أَبَانَا مُنِعَ مِنَّا الْكَيْلُ فَأَرْسِلْ مَعَنَا أَخَانَا نَكْتَلْ وَإِنَّا لَهُ لَحَافِظُونَ
📘 So when they went back to their father they said ‘O father the measure will be denied us unless you send forth our brother to him to the Court officer; so send forth our brother with us that we may obtain the measure read naktal or yaktal ‘that he may obtain the measure for us’. Surely we will guard him well’.
قَالَ هَلْ آمَنُكُمْ عَلَيْهِ إِلَّا كَمَا أَمِنْتُكُمْ عَلَىٰ أَخِيهِ مِنْ قَبْلُ ۖ فَاللَّهُ خَيْرٌ حَافِظًا ۖ وَهُوَ أَرْحَمُ الرَّاحِمِينَ
📘 He said ‘Should I — I will only — trust you with him like I trusted you with his brother Joseph before? despite the fact that you have done to him what you have done? Yet God is best at guarding hifzan a variant reading has hāfizan ‘a guardian’ as a specification similar to when they say li’Llāhi darruhu fārisan ‘By God how excellent a horseman he is!’; and He is the Most Merciful of merciful ones’ and so I hope that He will show favour to me by guarding him.
وَلَمَّا فَتَحُوا مَتَاعَهُمْ وَجَدُوا بِضَاعَتَهُمْ رُدَّتْ إِلَيْهِمْ ۖ قَالُوا يَا أَبَانَا مَا نَبْغِي ۖ هَٰذِهِ بِضَاعَتُنَا رُدَّتْ إِلَيْنَا ۖ وَنَمِيرُ أَهْلَنَا وَنَحْفَظُ أَخَانَا وَنَزْدَادُ كَيْلَ بَعِيرٍ ۖ ذَٰلِكَ كَيْلٌ يَسِيرٌ
📘 And when they opened their belongings they found that their merchandise had been restored to them. They said ‘O father what more should we desire? mā nabghī mā is interrogative that is to say what greater thing than this can we ask for from the king’s generosity?’; a variant reading has mā tabghī ‘what more do you desire?’ as an address to Jacob — for they had mentioned to him his the king’s generosity towards them. Here is our merchandise restored to us. And we shall get provisions for our family we shall obtain supplies for them namely food and guard our brother and we shall receive an extra camel’s load because of our brother; that will be an easy measure’ for the king to grant us given his munificence.
قَالَ لَنْ أُرْسِلَهُ مَعَكُمْ حَتَّىٰ تُؤْتُونِ مَوْثِقًا مِنَ اللَّهِ لَتَأْتُنَّنِي بِهِ إِلَّا أَنْ يُحَاطَ بِكُمْ ۖ فَلَمَّا آتَوْهُ مَوْثِقَهُمْ قَالَ اللَّهُ عَلَىٰ مَا نَقُولُ وَكِيلٌ
📘 He said ‘I will not send him with you until you give me a solemn pledge a covenant in the name of God by your swearing an oath that assuredly you will bring him back to me unless you are besieged’ such that you die or are overwhelmed and thus unable to bring him back. They agreed to this. And when they gave him their solemn pledge to this effect he said ‘God shall be Guardian Witness over what we say’ we and you. Thus he sent him with them.
وَقَالَ يَا بَنِيَّ لَا تَدْخُلُوا مِنْ بَابٍ وَاحِدٍ وَادْخُلُوا مِنْ أَبْوَابٍ مُتَفَرِّقَةٍ ۖ وَمَا أُغْنِي عَنْكُمْ مِنَ اللَّهِ مِنْ شَيْءٍ ۖ إِنِ الْحُكْمُ إِلَّا لِلَّهِ ۖ عَلَيْهِ تَوَكَّلْتُ ۖ وَعَلَيْهِ فَلْيَتَوَكَّلِ الْمُتَوَكِّلُونَ
📘 And he said ‘O my sons do not enter Egypt by one gate but enter by separate gates lest the evil eye smite you. Yet I cannot avail protect you by this that I have said against God min Allāhi min is extra anything which He might have decreed against you; this that I have said is only out of affection for you. Judgement belongs to God alone. On Him I rely in Him I trust and on Him let all the trusting rely’.
وَلَمَّا دَخَلُوا مِنْ حَيْثُ أَمَرَهُمْ أَبُوهُمْ مَا كَانَ يُغْنِي عَنْهُمْ مِنَ اللَّهِ مِنْ شَيْءٍ إِلَّا حَاجَةً فِي نَفْسِ يَعْقُوبَ قَضَاهَا ۚ وَإِنَّهُ لَذُو عِلْمٍ لِمَا عَلَّمْنَاهُ وَلَٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ
📘 God exalted be He says And when they entered in the manner which their father had bidden them that is separately it did not avail them anything min shay’in min is extra against God that is against His decree; it was but a need in Jacob’s soul which he thus satisfied and this need was his desire to fend off the evil eye from them out of affection for them. And verily he was possessed of knowledge because We had taught him; but most of mankind — and they are the disbelievers — do not know about God’s inspiring His elect.
وَلَمَّا دَخَلُوا عَلَىٰ يُوسُفَ آوَىٰ إِلَيْهِ أَخَاهُ ۖ قَالَ إِنِّي أَنَا أَخُوكَ فَلَا تَبْتَئِسْ بِمَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ
📘 And when they entered to Joseph he took his brother into his arms saying to him ‘Truly it is me your brother therefore do not despair do not be grieved at what they did’ in the way of envying us. He commanded him not to tell them anything and he Joseph agreed with him that he would devise a trick to keep him Benjamin with him.
۞ لَقَدْ كَانَ فِي يُوسُفَ وَإِخْوَتِهِ آيَاتٌ لِلسَّائِلِينَ
📘 Verily in the tale of Joseph and his brethren — who were eleven — are signs lessons for those who inquire about their tale.
فَلَمَّا جَهَّزَهُمْ بِجَهَازِهِمْ جَعَلَ السِّقَايَةَ فِي رَحْلِ أَخِيهِ ثُمَّ أَذَّنَ مُؤَذِّنٌ أَيَّتُهَا الْعِيرُ إِنَّكُمْ لَسَارِقُونَ
📘 And when he had equipped them with their provision he put the drinking-cup a golden cup studded with jewels into the saddlebag of his brother Benjamin. Then a crier shouted a herald cried after they were dismissed from Joseph’s court ‘O cameleers caravan you are surely thieves!’
قَالُوا وَأَقْبَلُوا عَلَيْهِمْ مَاذَا تَفْقِدُونَ
📘 They said after coming towards them ‘What is it that you are missing?’
قَالُوا نَفْقِدُ صُوَاعَ الْمَلِكِ وَلِمَنْ جَاءَ بِهِ حِمْلُ بَعِيرٍ وَأَنَا بِهِ زَعِيمٌ
📘 They said ‘We are missing the king’s goblet his cup. And he who brings it shall have a camel’s load of food supplies and I will guarantee that’ the camel’s load.
قَالُوا تَاللَّهِ لَقَدْ عَلِمْتُمْ مَا جِئْنَا لِنُفْسِدَ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَمَا كُنَّا سَارِقِينَ
📘 They said ‘By God’ ta’Llāhi is an oath entailing astonishment ‘You know very well that we did not come to work corruption in the land and we are certainly not thieves’ that is we have never stolen anything.
قَالُوا فَمَا جَزَاؤُهُ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ كَاذِبِينَ
📘 They the crier and his men said ‘So what shall be his requital that is the thief’s if you prove to have been liars?’ when you said ‘we are certainly not thieves’ and if it is found among your belongings?
قَالُوا جَزَاؤُهُ مَنْ وُجِدَ فِي رَحْلِهِ فَهُوَ جَزَاؤُهُ ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ نَجْزِي الظَّالِمِينَ
📘 They said ‘His requital qālū jazā’uhu the subject the predicate of which is the following man wujida fī rahlihi shall be the requital of him in whose saddlebag it is found that he be enslaved — this is then reiterated by His words He the thief shall be the requital for it that is for the stolen item and nothing else this was the customary practice of the family of Jacob. Thus with such a requital do we requite those who do evil’ through theft. They thus permitted Joseph to have their saddlebags searched.
فَبَدَأَ بِأَوْعِيَتِهِمْ قَبْلَ وِعَاءِ أَخِيهِ ثُمَّ اسْتَخْرَجَهَا مِنْ وِعَاءِ أَخِيهِ ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ كِدْنَا لِيُوسُفَ ۖ مَا كَانَ لِيَأْخُذَ أَخَاهُ فِي دِينِ الْمَلِكِ إِلَّا أَنْ يَشَاءَ اللَّهُ ۚ نَرْفَعُ دَرَجَاتٍ مَنْ نَشَاءُ ۗ وَفَوْقَ كُلِّ ذِي عِلْمٍ عَلِيمٌ
📘 And so he began with their sacks and searched them before his brother’s sack lest he be accused of the theft; then he pulled it the drinking-cup out of his brother’s sack. God exalted be He says Thus through such contrivance did We contrive for Joseph thus We taught him how to devise a plot to take his brother; he Joseph could not have taken his brother as a slave on account of theft according to the king’s law according to the laws of the king of Egypt — since his a thief’s requital according to his law would have been a beating and a penalty of twice the value of the stolen item but not enslavement — unless God willed for him to be taken according to the law of his father Jacob; in other words he was only able to take him with God’s will by God’s inspiring him to ask his brothers about the nature of requital and their responding according to what is decreed by their customary practice. We raise by degrees whom We will read with a genitive annexation darajāti man nashā’ or simply with nunation darajātin man nashā’ in terms of knowledge as We did with Joseph; and above every man of knowledge from among creatures is one who knows better better than him and so on until it ends with God exalted be He.
۞ قَالُوا إِنْ يَسْرِقْ فَقَدْ سَرَقَ أَخٌ لَهُ مِنْ قَبْلُ ۚ فَأَسَرَّهَا يُوسُفُ فِي نَفْسِهِ وَلَمْ يُبْدِهَا لَهُمْ ۚ قَالَ أَنْتُمْ شَرٌّ مَكَانًا ۖ وَاللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا تَصِفُونَ
📘 They said ‘If he is stealing a brother of his stole before’ that is Joseph — he had stolen a golden idol from his maternal grandfather and smashed it lest he worship it. But Joseph kept it secret in his soul and did not disclose it manifest it to them the suffixed pronoun in yubdi-hā ‘disclose it’ refers to the words in his following saying; he said within himself ‘You are a worse case than Joseph and his brother because of your stealing a brother of yours from your father and your wronging him. And God knows very well what you are describing’ what you are mentioning with regard to him.
قَالُوا يَا أَيُّهَا الْعَزِيزُ إِنَّ لَهُ أَبًا شَيْخًا كَبِيرًا فَخُذْ أَحَدَنَا مَكَانَهُ ۖ إِنَّا نَرَاكَ مِنَ الْمُحْسِنِينَ
📘 They said ‘O Court officer lo! he has a father an aged man who loves him more than we do and who finds solace in him from the anguish he feels for his dead son; and it will grieve him to part with him so take one of us enslave him in his place instead of him indeed we see that you are among the virtuous’ in terms of your actions.
قَالَ مَعَاذَ اللَّهِ أَنْ نَأْخُذَ إِلَّا مَنْ وَجَدْنَا مَتَاعَنَا عِنْدَهُ إِنَّا إِذًا لَظَالِمُونَ
📘 He said ‘God forbid ma‘ādha’Llāhi lit. ‘refuge is with God’ is in the accusative because it is a verbal noun the verb having been omitted and placed in a genitive annexation with its direct object in other words understand it as na‘ūdhu bi’Llāhi ‘we seek refuge with God’ that we should take anyone save him with whom we found our property — he did not say ‘save him who stole our property’ being careful not to lie; for then truly — if we were to take anyone other than him — we would be evildoers’.
إِذْ قَالُوا لَيُوسُفُ وَأَخُوهُ أَحَبُّ إِلَىٰ أَبِينَا مِنَّا وَنَحْنُ عُصْبَةٌ إِنَّ أَبَانَا لَفِي ضَلَالٍ مُبِينٍ
📘 Mention when they that is when some of Joseph’s brothers said to some of the others ‘Surely Joseph la-Yūsufu is the subject and his brother his full brother Benjamin are dearer ahabbu is the predicate to our father than we are though we be a hardy band a group. Lo! our father is in plain aberration in manifest error for preferring those two to us.
فَلَمَّا اسْتَيْأَسُوا مِنْهُ خَلَصُوا نَجِيًّا ۖ قَالَ كَبِيرُهُمْ أَلَمْ تَعْلَمُوا أَنَّ أَبَاكُمْ قَدْ أَخَذَ عَلَيْكُمْ مَوْثِقًا مِنَ اللَّهِ وَمِنْ قَبْلُ مَا فَرَّطْتُمْ فِي يُوسُفَ ۖ فَلَنْ أَبْرَحَ الْأَرْضَ حَتَّىٰ يَأْذَنَ لِي أَبِي أَوْ يَحْكُمَ اللَّهُ لِي ۖ وَهُوَ خَيْرُ الْحَاكِمِينَ
📘 So when they despaired of moving him they withdrew to confer privately together najiyyan is a verbal noun that can be used to refer to one person or more in other words understand it as meaning yunājī ba‘duhum ba‘dan ‘one conferring with the other’. The most senior of them in years — Reuben — or the most senior of them in opinion — Judah said ‘Are you not aware that your father has taken a solemn pledge a covenant from you by God concerning your brother and formerly wa-min qablu mā the mā is extra you failed regarding Joseph? but it the mā is also said to be relating to the verbal action in other words it is a subject the predicate of which is min qabl ‘formerly’. So I will never leave part with this land the land of Egypt until my father permits me to return to him or God judges for me through the deliverance of my brother; and He is the best the fairest of judges.
ارْجِعُوا إِلَىٰ أَبِيكُمْ فَقُولُوا يَا أَبَانَا إِنَّ ابْنَكَ سَرَقَ وَمَا شَهِدْنَا إِلَّا بِمَا عَلِمْنَا وَمَا كُنَّا لِلْغَيْبِ حَافِظِينَ
📘 Go back to your father and say “O our father your son has indeed stolen and we testified against him only regarding what we knew from the certainty of having seen the king’s cup in his saddlebag; we could not have guarded against the Unseen that which was hidden from us when we gave our pledge had we known that he would steal we would not have taken him with us to Egypt.
وَاسْأَلِ الْقَرْيَةَ الَّتِي كُنَّا فِيهَا وَالْعِيرَ الَّتِي أَقْبَلْنَا فِيهَا ۖ وَإِنَّا لَصَادِقُونَ
📘 And ask the city in which we were — namely Egypt — in other words send forth someone to ask its people and the caravan the men of the caravan with which we approached — and these were a group of Canaanites. Surely we speak the truth” ’ in what we say. So they went back to him and told him as much.
قَالَ بَلْ سَوَّلَتْ لَكُمْ أَنْفُسُكُمْ أَمْرًا ۖ فَصَبْرٌ جَمِيلٌ ۖ عَسَى اللَّهُ أَنْ يَأْتِيَنِي بِهِمْ جَمِيعًا ۚ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْعَلِيمُ الْحَكِيمُ
📘 ‘Nay’ he said ‘but your souls have beguiled you into have adorned for you something and you did it he accused them because of what had happened with them before concerning Joseph. Yet comely patience will be my course of patience! It may be that God will bring them Joseph and his two brothers all back to me. Indeed He is the Knower of my predicament the Wise’ in His actions.
وَتَوَلَّىٰ عَنْهُمْ وَقَالَ يَا أَسَفَىٰ عَلَىٰ يُوسُفَ وَابْيَضَّتْ عَيْنَاهُ مِنَ الْحُزْنِ فَهُوَ كَظِيمٌ
📘 And he turned away from them no longer addressing them and said ‘Alas my grief for Joseph!’ yā asafā the final alif of asafā has taken the place of the possessive yā’ of genitive annexation sc. yā asafī in other words it means yā huznī ‘O my sorrow’. And his eyes turned white their dark colour was effaced and became white on account of his tears with grief for him such that he was filled with suppressed agony anguished and grief-stricken but not manifesting his grief.
قَالُوا تَاللَّهِ تَفْتَأُ تَذْكُرُ يُوسُفَ حَتَّىٰ تَكُونَ حَرَضًا أَوْ تَكُونَ مِنَ الْهَالِكِينَ
📘 They said ‘By God you will never cease remembering Joseph until you are consumed on the verge of perishing on account of your illness it haradan ‘consumed’ is a verbal noun equally applicable to one person or more or you are of those who perish’ of the dead.
قَالَ إِنَّمَا أَشْكُو بَثِّي وَحُزْنِي إِلَى اللَّهِ وَأَعْلَمُ مِنَ اللَّهِ مَا لَا تَعْلَمُونَ
📘 He said to them ‘I complain of my anguish — bathth is severe grief which cannot be endured unless it is proclaimed yubaththu to others — and grief only to God not to any other than Him for it is worth complaining to Him; and I know from God what you do not know and that is that Joseph’s dream is true and that he is alive. Then he said
يَا بَنِيَّ اذْهَبُوا فَتَحَسَّسُوا مِنْ يُوسُفَ وَأَخِيهِ وَلَا تَيْأَسُوا مِنْ رَوْحِ اللَّهِ ۖ إِنَّهُ لَا يَيْأَسُ مِنْ رَوْحِ اللَّهِ إِلَّا الْقَوْمُ الْكَافِرُونَ
📘 O my sons go and enquire about Joseph and his brother seek news of them and do not despair of God’s gracious Spirit His mercy. Indeed none despairs of the gracious Spirit of God save the disbelieving folk’ and so they departed to Egypt to look for Joseph.
فَلَمَّا دَخَلُوا عَلَيْهِ قَالُوا يَا أَيُّهَا الْعَزِيزُ مَسَّنَا وَأَهْلَنَا الضُّرُّ وَجِئْنَا بِبِضَاعَةٍ مُزْجَاةٍ فَأَوْفِ لَنَا الْكَيْلَ وَتَصَدَّقْ عَلَيْنَا ۖ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَجْزِي الْمُتَصَدِّقِينَ
📘 And so when they entered to him they said ‘O Court officer misfortune hunger has befallen us and our family; and we have come with reject merchandise refused by any person who sees it because of its worthlessness — it consisted of counterfeit dirhams or something else — so fill up complete for us the measure and be charitable to us by overlooking the worthlessness of our merchandise; truly God requites the charitable’ He rewards them he Joseph thus took pity on them and he was overtaken by compassion for them and removed the partition between them and himself.
قَالَ هَلْ عَلِمْتُمْ مَا فَعَلْتُمْ بِيُوسُفَ وَأَخِيهِ إِذْ أَنْتُمْ جَاهِلُونَ
📘 Then he said to them in rebuke ‘Do you realise what you did to Joseph in the way of beating him and selling him and otherwise and his brother oppressing him after having separated him from his brother while you were ignorant?’ of where the affair of Joseph will lead?
اقْتُلُوا يُوسُفَ أَوِ اطْرَحُوهُ أَرْضًا يَخْلُ لَكُمْ وَجْهُ أَبِيكُمْ وَتَكُونُوا مِنْ بَعْدِهِ قَوْمًا صَالِحِينَ
📘 Kill Joseph or cast him away into some land that is into some distant land so that your father might be solely concerned with you so that he might turn his attention to you and not be distracted by anyone else and that thereafter that is after killing Joseph or casting him away you might be a righteous folk’ by repenting.
قَالُوا أَإِنَّكَ لَأَنْتَ يُوسُفُ ۖ قَالَ أَنَا يُوسُفُ وَهَٰذَا أَخِي ۖ قَدْ مَنَّ اللَّهُ عَلَيْنَا ۖ إِنَّهُ مَنْ يَتَّقِ وَيَصْبِرْ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُضِيعُ أَجْرَ الْمُحْسِنِينَ
📘 They said — after recognising him by his noble traits — cautiously inquiring ‘Is it really read a-innaka either pronouncing both hamzas or by not pronouncing the second but in both cases inserting an alif you Joseph?’. He said ‘I am indeed Joseph and this is my brother. God has truly shown favour He has been gracious to us by bringing us together. Verily if one fears if one fears God and endures what happens to him God does not waste the wage of those who are virtuous’ in this respect the overt noun al-muhsinīn ‘the virtuous’ has replaced the third person pronominalisation.
قَالُوا تَاللَّهِ لَقَدْ آثَرَكَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْنَا وَإِنْ كُنَّا لَخَاطِئِينَ
📘 They said ‘By God truly God has preferred you over us with kingship and in other ways and indeed we wa-in in is softened in other words it is understood as innā ‘indeed we’ have been erring’ sinful towards you and treated you disgracefully.
قَالَ لَا تَثْرِيبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الْيَوْمَ ۖ يَغْفِرُ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ ۖ وَهُوَ أَرْحَمُ الرَّاحِمِينَ
📘 He said ‘There shall be no reproach no blame on you this day — he specifically mentions this day because it was the day when they expected to be reproached although any other day would have been more appropriate for them to be reproached on. God will forgive you and He is the Most Merciful of the merciful.
اذْهَبُوا بِقَمِيصِي هَٰذَا فَأَلْقُوهُ عَلَىٰ وَجْهِ أَبِي يَأْتِ بَصِيرًا وَأْتُونِي بِأَهْلِكُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ
📘 He Joseph asked them about his father; and they told him that his eyesight had gone. And so he said Go with this shirt of mine — and this was the shirt of Abraham the one he wore when he was thrown into the fire; he Joseph had it around his neck when he was at the bottom of the well. It the shirt had come from Paradise Gabriel commanded him Joseph to send it off to Jacob saying that the scent of Paradise lingers in it and whenever it is cast upon a sufferer it heals him — and lay it on my father’s face and he will recover his sight; and bring me all your folk’.
وَلَمَّا فَصَلَتِ الْعِيرُ قَالَ أَبُوهُمْ إِنِّي لَأَجِدُ رِيحَ يُوسُفَ ۖ لَوْلَا أَنْ تُفَنِّدُونِ
📘 And as the caravan set forth leaving behind the palm fields of Egypt their father said to those of his sons and their children present ‘Truly I sense the scent of Joseph — which the east wind had brought to him with God’s permission across a distance of three or eight or more days’ journey; if only you did not think me doting’ if only you did not regard me as foolish you would believe me.
قَالُوا تَاللَّهِ إِنَّكَ لَفِي ضَلَالِكَ الْقَدِيمِ
📘 They said to him ‘By God you are certainly in your misguidance your error of old’ in your excessive adoration of him and your enduring hope of encountering him again despite the length of time that has passed.
فَلَمَّا أَنْ جَاءَ الْبَشِيرُ أَلْقَاهُ عَلَىٰ وَجْهِهِ فَارْتَدَّ بَصِيرًا ۖ قَالَ أَلَمْ أَقُلْ لَكُمْ إِنِّي أَعْلَمُ مِنَ اللَّهِ مَا لَا تَعْلَمُونَ
📘 Then when fa-lammā an an is extra the bearer of good tidings Judah came with the shirt — he had been the one who brought the blood-stained shirt and so now he wished to bring him joy after he had previously brought him grief — he laid it he cast the shirt on his face and he regained his sight. He said ‘Did I not say to you “Indeed I know from God what you do not know?” ’
قَالُوا يَا أَبَانَا اسْتَغْفِرْ لَنَا ذُنُوبَنَا إِنَّا كُنَّا خَاطِئِينَ
📘 They said ‘O our father ask forgiveness for us of our sins; truly we have been sinful’.
قَالَ سَوْفَ أَسْتَغْفِرُ لَكُمْ رَبِّي ۖ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ
📘 He said ‘Assuredly I shall ask forgiveness for you of my Lord. Lo! He is the Forgiving the Merciful’ he Jacob put off this plea of forgiveness until the last hour before dawn in order to be closer to the likelihood of it being accepted or he put it off until the eve of Friday. They then departed for Egypt where Joseph and the senior courtiers came out to meet them.
فَلَمَّا دَخَلُوا عَلَىٰ يُوسُفَ آوَىٰ إِلَيْهِ أَبَوَيْهِ وَقَالَ ادْخُلُوا مِصْرَ إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ آمِنِينَ
📘 And when they entered to Joseph in his tent he took his parents his father and his mother — or and his maternal aunt — into his arms and said to them ‘Enter into Egypt if God will in safety’ and they entered and Joseph sat down on his throne.
Book A Free Trial