Disclaimer: I am sharing this reflection as a student of the Quran, not as a scholar or a perfect Muslimah. My understanding is limited and shaped by personal study. I encourage readers to consult qualified scholars for deeper insights and to correct any errors in my interpretation.
Introduction
Surah Yusuf (Chapter 12) is often called Ahsan al-Qasas (“the Best of Stories”) for its profound lessons on patience, divine decree, and moral integrity. Verses 31–45 mark a pivotal turn in Prophet Yusuf’s (عليه السلام) life, revealing themes of temptation, injustice, and the early signs of his eventual triumph. Below, I explore these verses alongside classical and contemporary tafsirs, followed by my reflections as a humble learner.
Arabic Verses & English Translation
Verses 31–35
(Quran 12:31–35)
Arabic:
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 هَذَا بَشَرًا إِنْ هَذَا إِلَّا مَلَكٌ كَرِيمٌ (12:31)
قَالَتْ فَذَلِكُنَّ الَّذِي لُمْتُنَّنِي فِيهِ وَلَقَدْ رَاوَدتُّهُ عَن نَّفْسِهِ فَاسَتَعْصَمَ وَلَئِن لَّمْ يَفْعَلْ مَا آمُرُهُ لَيُسْجَنَنَّ وَلَيَكُونًا مِّنَ الصَّاغِرِينَ (12:32)
قَالَ رَبِّ السِّجْنُ أَحَبُّ إِلَيَّ مِمَّا يَدْعُونَنِي إِلَيْهِ وَإِلَّا تَصْرِفْ عَنِّي كَيْدَهُنَّ أَصْبُ إِلَيْهِنَّ وَأَكُن مِّنَ الْجَاهِلِينَ (12:33)
فَاسْتَجَابَ لَهُ رَبُّهُ فَصَرَفَ عَنْهُ كَيْدَهُنَّ إِنَّهُ هُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ (12:34)
ثُمَّ بَدَا لَهُم مِّن بَعْدِ مَا رَأَوُا الْآيَاتِ لَيَسْجُنُنَّهُ حَتَّىٰ حِينٍ (12:35)
Translation (Sahih International):
31. When she heard about their gossip, she invited them and set a banquet for them. She gave each one a knife, then said ˹to Joseph˺, “Come out before them.” When they saw him, they were so stunned ˹by his beauty˺ that they cut their hands, and exclaimed, “Good God! This cannot be human; this must be a noble angel!”
32. She said, “This is the one for whose love you criticized me! I did try to seduce him but he ˹firmly˺ refused. And if he does not do what I order him to, he will certainly be imprisoned and ˹fully˺ disgraced.”
33. Joseph prayed, “My Lord! I would rather be in jail than do what they invite me to. And if You do not turn their cunning away from me, I might yield to them and fall into ignorance.”
34. So his Lord responded to him, turning their cunning away from him. Surely He is the All-Hearing, All-Knowing.
35. And so it occurred to those in charge, despite seeing all the proofs ˹of his innocence˺, that he should be imprisoned for a while.
Verses 36–42
(Quran 12:36–42)
Arabic:
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 (12:36)
قَالَ لَا يَأْتِيكُمَا طَعَامٌ تُرْزَقَانِهِ إِلَّا نَبَّأْتُكُمَا بِتَأْوِيلِهِ قَبْلَ أَن يَأْتِيَكُمَا ۚ ذَٰلِكُمَا مِمَّا عَلَّمَنِي رَبِّي ۚ إِنِّي تَرَكْتُ مِلَّةَ قَوْمٍ لَّا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ وَهُم بِالْآخِرَةِ هُمْ كَافِرُونَ (12:37)
وَاتَّبَعْتُ مِلَّةَ آبَائِي إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَإِسْحَاقَ وَيَعْقُوبَ ۚ مَا كَانَ لَنَا أَن نُّشْرِكَ بِاللَّهِ مِن شَيْءٍ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ مِن فَضْلِ اللَّهِ عَلَيْنَا وَعَلَى النَّاسِ وَلَٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لَا يَشْكُرُونَ (12:38)
يَا صَاحِبَيِ السِّجْنِ أَأَرْبَابٌ مُّتَفَرِّقُونَ خَيْرٌ أَمِ اللَّهُ الْوَاحِدُ الْقَهَّارُ (12:39)
مَا تَعْبُدُونَ مِن دُونِهِ إِلَّا أَسْمَاءً سَمَّيْتُمُوهَا أَنتُمْ وَآبَاؤُكُم مَّا أَنزَلَ اللَّهُ بِهَا مِن سُلْطَانٍ ۚ إِنِ الْحُكْمُ إِلَّا لِلَّهِ ۚ أَمَرَ أَلَّا تَعْبُدُوا إِلَّا إِيَّاهُ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ الدِّينُ الْقَيِّمُ وَلَٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ (12:40)
يَا صَاحِبَيِ السِّجْنِ أَمَّا أَحَدُكُمَا فَيَسْقِي رَبَّهُ خَمْرًا ۖ وَأَمَّا الْآخَرُ فَيُصْلَبُ فَتَأْكُلُ الطَّيْرُ مِن رَّأْسِهِ ۚ قُضِيَ الْأَمْرُ الَّذِي فِيهِ تَسْتَفْتِيَانِ (12:41)
وَقَالَ لِلَّذِي ظَنَّ أَنَّهُ نَاجٍ مِّنْهُمَا اذْكُرْنِي عِندَ رَبِّكَ فَأَنسَاهُ الشَّيْطَانُ ذِكْرَ رَبِّهِ فَلَبِثَ فِي السِّجْنِ بِضْعَ سِنِينَ (12:42)
Translation:
36. And two other servants went to jail with Joseph. One of them said, “I dreamt I was pressing wine.” The other said, “I dreamt I was carrying ˹some˺ bread on my head, from which birds were eating.” ˹Then both said,˺ “Tell us their interpretation, for we surely see you as one of the good-doers.”
37. Joseph replied, “I can even tell you what kind of meal you will be served before you receive it. This ˹knowledge˺ is from what my Lord has taught me. I have shunned the faith of a people who disbelieve in Allah and deny the Hereafter.
38. I follow the faith of my fathers: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It is not ˹right˺ for us to associate anything with Allah ˹in worship˺. This is part of Allah’s grace upon us and humanity, but most people are not grateful.
39. O my fellow-prisoners! Which is far better: many different lords or Allah—the One, the Supreme?
40. Whatever ˹idols˺ you worship instead of Him are mere names which you and your forefathers have made up—a practice Allah has never authorized. It is only Allah Who decides. He has commanded that you worship none but Him. That is the upright faith, but most people do not know.
41. “O my fellow-prisoners! ˹The first˺ one of you will serve wine to his master, and the other will be crucified and the birds will eat from his head. The matter about which you inquired has been decided.”
42. Then he said to the one he knew would survive, “Mention me in the presence of your master.” But Satan made him forget to mention Joseph to his master, so he remained in prison for several years.
Verses 43–45
(Quran 12:43–45)
Arabic:
. 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 (12:43)
قَالُوا أَضْغَاثُ أَحْلَامٍ ۖ وَمَا نَحْنُ بِتَأْوِيلِ الْأَحْلَامِ بِبِعَالِمِينَ (12:44)
وَقَالَ الَّذِي نَجَا مِنْهُمَا وَادَّكَرَ بَعْدَ أُمَّةٍ أَنَا أُنَبِّئُكُمْ بِتَأْوِيلِهِ فَأَرْسِلُونِ (12:45)
Translation:
43. And ˹one day˺ the King said, “I dreamt of seven fat cows eaten up by seven skinny ones; and seven green ears of grain and ˹seven˺ others dry. O chiefs! Tell me the meaning of my dream if you can interpret dreams.”
44. They replied, “These are confused visions and we do not know the interpretation of such dreams.”
45. ˹Finally,˺ the surviving ex-prisoner remembered ˹Joseph˺ after a long time and said, “I will tell you its interpretation, so send me forth ˹to Joseph˺.”
Tafsir (Exegesis)
1. Ibn Kathir (Abridged):
The News reaches Women in the City, Who also plot against Yusuf
Allah states that the news of what happened between the wife of the `Aziz and Yusuf spread in the city, that is, Egypt, and people talked about it,
وَقَالَ نِسْوَةٌ فِى الْمَدِينَةِ
(And women in the city said…), such as women of chiefs and princes said, while admonishing and criticizing the wife of the `Aziz,
امْرَأَتُ الْعَزِيزِ تُرَاوِدُ فَتَـهَا عَن نَّفْسِهِ
(The wife of the `Aziz is seeking to seduce her (slave) young man,), she is luring her servant to have sex with her,
قَدْ شَغَفَهَا حُبًّا
(indeed she loves him violently;), her love for him filled her heart and engulfed it,
إِنَّا لَنَرَاهَا فِى ضَلَـلٍ مُّبِينٍ
(verily, we see her in plain error.), by loving him and trying to seduce him.
فَلَمَّا سَمِعَتْ بِمَكْرِهِنَّ
(So when she heard of their accusation,) especially their statement, “indeed she loves him violently.” Muhammad bin Ishaq commented, “They heard of Yusuf’s beauty and wanted to see him, so they said these words in order to get a look at him. ” This is when,
أَرْسَلَتْ إِلَيْهِنَّ
(she sent for them), invited them to her house,
وَأَعْتَدَتْ لَهُنَّ مُتَّكَئًا
(and prepared a banquet for them.) Ibn `Abbas, Sa’id bin Jubayr, Mujahid, Al-Hasan, As-Suddi and several others commented that she prepared a sitting room which had couches, pillows to recline on and food that requires knives to cut, such as citron. This is why Allah said next,
وَءَاتَتْ كُلَّ وَاحِدَةٍ مَّنْهُنَّ سِكِّينًا
(and she gave each one of them a knife), as a part of her plan of revenge for their plot to see Yusuf,
وَقَالَتِ اخْرُجْ عَلَيْهِنَّ
(and she said to Yusuf: “Come out before them.”), for she had asked him to stay somewhere else in the house,
فَلَمَّآ
(Then, when) he went out and,
رَأَيْنَهُ أَكْبَرْنَهُ
(they saw him, they exalted him) they thought highly of him and were astonished at what they saw. They started cutting their hands in amazement at his beauty, while thinking that they were cutting the citron with their knives. Therefore, they injured their hands with the knives they were holding, according to several reports of Tafsir. Others said that after they ate and felt comfortable, and after having placed citron in front of them, giving each one of them a knife, the wife of the `Aziz asked them, “Would you like to see Yusuf” They said, “Yes.” So she sent for him to come in front of them and when they saw him, they started cutting their hands. She ordered him to keep coming and going, so that they saw him from all sides, and he went back in while they were still cutting their hands. When they felt the pain, they started screaming and she said to them, “You did all this from one look at him, so how can I be blamed.
وَقُلْنَ حَاشَ للَّهِ مَا هَـذَا بَشَرًا إِنْ هَـذَآ إِلاَّ مَلَكٌ كَرِيمٌ
(They said: “How perfect is Allah! No man is this! This is none other than a noble angel!”) They said to her, “We do not blame you anymore after the sight that we saw.” They never saw anyone like Yusuf before, for he, peace be upon him, was given half of all beauty. An authentic Hadith stated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ passed by Prophet Yusuf, during the Night of Isra’ in the third heaven and commented,
«فَإِذَا هُوَ قَدْ أُعْطِيَ شَطْرَ الْحُسْن»
(He was given a half of all beauty.) Mujahid and others said they said: “We seek refuge from Allah,”
مَا هَـذَا بَشَرًا
(No man is this!) They said next,
إِنْ هَـذَآ إِلاَّ مَلَكٌ كَرِيمٌقَالَتْ فَذلِكُنَّ الَّذِى لُمْتُنَّنِى فِيهِ
(“This is none other than a noble angel!” She said: “This is he (the young man) about whom you did blame me…”) She said these words to them so that they excuse her behavior, for a man who looks this beautiful and perfect, is worthy of being loved, she thought. She said,
وَلَقَدْ رَاوَدتُّهُ عَن نَّفْسِهِ فَاسَتَعْصَمَ
(and I did seek to seduce him, but he refused) to obey me. Some scholars said that when the women saw Yusuf’s beauty, she told them about his inner beauty that they did not know of, being chaste and beautiful from the inside and outside. She then threatened him,
وَلَئِن لَّمْ يَفْعَلْ مَآ ءَامُرُهُ لَيُسْجَنَنَّ وَلَيَكُونًا مِّن الصَّـغِرِينَ
(And now if he refuses to obey my order, he shall certainly be cast into prison, and will be one of those who are disgraced.) This is when Prophet Yusuf sought refuge with Allah from their evil and wicked plots,
قَالَ رَبِّ السِّجْنُ أَحَبُّ إِلَىَّ مِمَّا يَدْعُونَنِى إِلَيْهِ
(He said: “O my Lord! Prison is dearer to me than that to which they invite me…”) illegal sexual acts,
وَإِلاَّ تَصْرِفْ عَنِّى كَيْدَهُنَّ أَصْبُ إِلَيْهِنَّ
(Unless You turn away their plot from me, I will feel inclined towards them) Yusuf invoked Allah: If You abandon me and I am reliant on myself, then I have no power over myself, nor can I bring harm or benefit to myself, except with Your power and will. Verily, You are sought for each and everything, and our total reliance is on You Alone for each and everything. Please, do not abandon me and leave me to rely on myself, for then,
أَصْبُ إِلَيْهِنَّ وَأَكُن منَ الْجَـهِلِينَفَاسْتَجَابَ لَهُ رَبُّهُ
(“I will feel inclined towards them and be one of the ignorant.” So his Lord answered his invocation) Yusuf, peace be upon him, was immune from error by Allah’s will, and He saved him from accepting the advances of the wife of the `Aziz’. He preferred prison, rather than accept her illicit call. This indicates the best and most perfect grade in this case, for Yusuf was youthful, beautiful and full of manhood. His master’s wife was calling him to herself, and she was the wife of the `Aziz of Egypt. She was also very beautiful and wealthy, as well as having a great social rank. He refused all this and preferred prison, for he feared Allah and hoped to earn His reward. It is recorded in the Two Sahihs that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,
«سَبْعَةٌ يُظِلُّهُمُ اللهُ فِي ظِلِّهِ يَوْمَ لَا ظِلَّ إِلَّا ظِلُّهُ: إِمَامٌ عَادِلٌ، وَشَابٌّ نَشَأَ فِي عِبَادَةِ اللهِ، وَرَجُلٌ قَلْبُهُ مُعَلَّقٌ بِالْمَسْجِدِ إِذَا خَرَجَ مِنْهُ حَتَّى يَعُودَ إِلَيْهِ، وَرَجُلَانِ تَحَابَّا فِي اللهِ، اجْتَمَعَا عَلَيْهِ وَتَفَرَّقَا عَلَيْهِ، وَرَجُلٌ تَصَدَّقَ بِصَدَقَةٍ فَأَخْفَاهَا حَتَّى لَا تَعْلَمَ شِمَالُهُ مَا أَنْفَقَتْ يَمِينُهُ، وَرَجُلٌ دَعَتْهُ امْرَأةٌ ذَاتُ مَنْصِبٍ وَجَمَالٍ فَقَالَ: إِنِّي أَخَافُ اللهَ، وَرَجُلٌ ذَكَرَ اللهَ خَالِيًا فَفَاضَتْ عَيْنَاه»
(Allah will give shade to seven, on the Day when there will be no shade but His: A just ruler, a youth who has been brought up in the worship of Allah, a man whose heart is attached to the Masjid, from the time he goes out of the Masjid until he gets back to it, two persons who love each other only for Allah’s sake and they meet and part in Allah’s cause only, a man who gives charitable gifts so secretly that his left hand does not know what his right hand has given, a man who refuses the call of a charming woman of noble birth for illicit intercourse with her and says: “I am afraid of Allah, and a person who remembers Allah in seclusion and his eyes are then flooded with tears.”)
Yusuf is imprisoned without Justification
Allah says, `Then it occurred to them that it would be in their interest to imprison Yusuf for a time, even after they were convinced of his innocence and saw the proofs of his truth, honesty and chastity.’ It appears, and Allah knows best, that they imprisoned him after the news of what happened spread. They wanted to pretend that Yusuf was the one who tried to seduce the `Aziz’s wife and that they punished him with imprisonment. This is why when the Pharaoh asked Yusuf to leave jail a long time afterwards, he refused to leave until his innocence was acertained and the allegation of his betrayal was refuted. When this was successfully achieved, Yusuf left the prison with his honor intact, peace be upon him.
Two Jail Mates ask Yusuf to interpret their Dreams
Qatadah said, “One of them was the king’s distiller and the other was his baker.” Each of these two men had a dream and asked Yusuf to interpret it for them.
Yusuf calls His Jail Mates to Tawhid even before He interprets Their Dreams
Yusuf, peace be upon him, told the two men that he has knowledge in the interpretation of whatever they saw in their dream, and that he will tell them about the interpretation of the dreams before they become a reality. This is why he said,
لاَ يَأْتِيكُمَا طَعَامٌ تُرْزَقَانِهِ إِلاَّ نَبَّأْتُكُمَا بِتَأْوِيلِهِ
(No food will come to you as your provision, but I will inform you of its interpretation) Mujahid commented,
لاَ يَأْتِيكُمَا طَعَامٌ تُرْزَقَانِهِ
(No food will come to you as your provision,) this day,
إِلاَّ نَبَّأْتُكُمَا بِتَأْوِيلِهِ قَبْلَ أَن يَأْتِيَكُمَا
(but I will inform you of its interpretation before it comes.) As-Suddi said similarly. Yusuf said that, this knowledge is from Allah Who taught it to me, because I shunned the religion of those who disbelieve in Him and the Last Day, who neither hope for Allah’s reward nor fear His punishment on the Day of Return,
وَاتَّبَعْتُ مِلَّةَ ءَابَآءِي إِبْرَهِيمَ وَإِسْحَـقَ وَيَعْقُوبَ
(And I have followed the religion of my fathers, – Ibrahim, Ishaq and Ya`qub) Yusuf said, `I have avoided the way of disbelief and polytheism, and followed the way of these honorable Messengers,’ may Allah’s peace and blessings be on them. This, indeed, is the way of he who seeks the path of guidance and follows the way of the Messengers, all the while shunning the path of deviation. It is he whose heart Allah will guide, teaching him what he did not know beforehand. It is he whom Allah will make an Imam who is imitated in the way of righteousness, and a caller to the path of goodness. Yusuf said next,
مَا كَانَ لَنَآ أَن نُّشْرِكَ بِاللَّهِ مِن شَىْءٍ ذلِكَ مِن فَضْلِ اللَّهِ عَلَيْنَا وَعَلَى النَّاسِ
(and never could we attribute any partners whatsoever to Allah. This is from the grace of Allah to us and to mankind,) this Tawhid -Monotheism-, affirming that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah alone without partners,
مِن فَضْلِ اللَّهِ عَلَيْنَا
(is from the grace of Allah to us), He has revealed it to us and ordained it on us,
وَعَلَى النَّاسِ
(and to mankind,), to whom He has sent us as callers to Tawhid,
وَلَـكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لاَ يَشْكُرُونَ
(but most men thank not.) they do not admit Allah’s favor and blessing of sending the Messengers to them, but rather,
بَدَّلُواْ نِعْمَتَ اللَّهِ كُفْرًا وَأَحَلُّواْ قَوْمَهُمْ دَارَ الْبَوَارِ
(Have changed the blessings of Allah into disbelief, and caused their people to dwell in the house of destruction.) 14:28
ءَأَرْبَابٌ مُّتَّفَرِّقُونَ خَيْرٌ أَمِ اللَّهُ الْوَاحِدُ الْقَهَّارُ
(Are many different lords (gods) better or Allah, the One, the Irresistible) to Whose grace and infinite kingdom everything and everyone has submitted in humiliation. Prophet Yusuf explained to them next that it is because of their ignorance that they worship false deities and give them names, for these names were forged and are being transferred from one generation to the next generation. They have no proof or authority that supports this practice, hence his statement to them,
مَّآ أَنزَلَ اللَّهُ بِهَا مِن سُلْطَـنٍ
(for which Allah has sent down no authority) or proof and evidence. He then affirmed that the judgement, decision, will and kingdom are all for Allah alone, and He has commanded all of His servants to worship none but Him. He said,
ذلِكَ الدِّينُ الْقَيِّمُ
(that is the straight religion,) `this, Tawhid of Allah and directing all acts of worship at Him alone in sincerity, that I am calling you to is the right, straight religion that Allah has ordained and for which He has revealed what He wills of proofs and evidences,’
وَلَـكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لاَ يَعْلَمُونَ
(but most men know not.), and this is why most of them are idolators,
وَمَآ أَكْثَرُ النَّاسِ وَلَوْ حَرَصْتَ بِمُؤْمِنِينَ
(And most of mankind will not believe even if you eagerly desire it.) 12:103 When Yusuf finished calling them, he started interpreting their dreams for them,
The Interpretation of the Dreams
Yusuf said,
يصَاحِبَىِ السِّجْنِ أَمَّآ أَحَدُكُمَا فَيَسْقِى رَبَّهُ خَمْرًا
(O two companions of the prison! As for one of you, he will pour out wine for his master to drink;) to the man who saw in a dream that he was pressing wine. He did not direct this speech at him, however, so that to lessen the grief of the other person. This is why he made his statement indirect,
وَأَمَّا الاٌّخَرُ فَيُصْلَبُ فَتَأْكُلُ الطَّيْرُ مِن رَّأْسِهِ
(and as for the other, he will be crucified and birds will eat from his head.) which is the interpretation of the other man’s dream in which he saw himself carrying bread above his head. Yusuf told them that the decision about their matter has already been taken and it shall come to pass. This is because the dream is tied to a bird’s leg, as long as it is not truthfully interpreted. If it is interpreted, then it becomes a reality. Ath-Thawri said that `Imarah bin Al-Qa`qa` narrated that Ibrahim said that `Abdullah bin Mas`ud said, “When they said what they said to him, and he explained their dreams to them, they replied, `We did not see anything at all.’ This is when he said,
قُضِىَ الاٌّمْرُ الَّذِى فِيهِ تَسْتَفْتِيَانِ
(Thus is the case judged concerning which you both did inquire.)” The understanding in this is that he who claims that he saw a dream and was given its interpretation, then he will be tied to its interpretation, and Allah has the best knowledge. There is an honorable Hadith that Imam Ahmad collected from Mu`awiyah bin Haydah that the Prophet said,
«الرُّؤْيَا عَلَى رِجْلِ طَائِرٍ مَا لَمْ تُعْبَرْ، فَإِذَا عُبِرَتْ وَقَعَت»
(The dream is tied to a bird’s leg, as long as it is not interpreted. If it is interpreted, it becomes a reality.)
Yusuf asks the King’s Distiller to mention Him to the King
Yusuf knew that the distiller would be saved. So discretely, so that the other man’s suspicion that he would be crucified would not intensify, he said,
اذْكُرْنِى عِندَ رَبِّكَ
(Mention me to your King.) asking him to mention his story to the king. That man forgot Yusuf’s request and did not mention his story to the king, a plot from the devil, so that Allah’s Prophet would not leave the prison. This is the correct meaning of,
فَأَنْسَاهُ الشَّيْطَـنُ ذِكْرَ رَبِّهِ
(But Shaytan made him forget to mention it to his master.) that it refers to the man who was saved. As was said by Mujahid, Muhammad bin Ishaq and several others. As for, `a few years’, or, Bida` in Arabic, it means between three and nine, according to Mujahid and Qatadah. Wahb bin Munabbih said, “Ayyub suffered from the illness for seven years, Yusuf remained in prison for seven years and Bukhtanassar (Nebuchadnezzar – Chaldean king of Babylon) was tormented for seven years.”
The Dream of the King of Egypt
The King of Egypt had a dream that Allah the Exalted made a reason for Yusuf’s release from prison, with his honor and reputation preserved. When the king had this dream, he was astonished and fearful and sought its interpretation. He gathered the priests, the chiefs of his state and the princes and told them what he had seen in a dream, asking them to interpret it for him. They did not know its interpretation and as an excuse, they said,
أَضْغَـثُ أَحْلَـمٍ
(Mixed up false dreams), which you saw,
وَمَا نَحْنُ بِتَأْوِيلِ الاٌّحْلَـمِ بِعَـلِمِينَ
(and we are not skilled in the interpretation of dreams.) They said, had your dream been a vision rather than a mixed up false dream, we would not have known its interpretation. The man who was saved from the two, who were Yusuf’s companions in prison, remembered. Shaytan plotted to make him forget the request of Yusuf, to mention his story to the king. Now, years later, he remembered after forgetfulness and said to the king and his entourage,
أَنَاْ أُنَبِّئُكُمْ بِتَأْوِيلِهِ
(I will tell you its interpretation,) he interpretation of this dream,
فَأَرْسِلُونِ
(so send me forth.) to the prison, to Yusuf, the man of truth. So they sent him, and he said to Yusuf.
2. Ma’arif al-Qur’an (Mufti Shafi Usmani):
Commentary
Having explained the linkage of verse before the beginning of the pre-sent verses, we can now turn to the explanation of individual verses.
Said in verse 32 was: فَلَمَّا سَمِعَتْ بِمَكْرِهِنَّ أَرْسَلَتْ إِلَيْهِنَّ (So, when she heard of their crafty comments, she extended an invitation to them).
Here, Zulaikha refers to the talking of women as their ` makr’ or craftiness – though they had obviously planned no trick against her. But, since they spoke ill about her secretly, it was identified as ` makr.’ As for the expression: وَأَعْتَدَتْ لَهُنَّ مُتَّكَأً which follows immediately and has been translated as ` and arranged for them a comfortable place’ is inclusive of the comfort of special pillows for hand and back rest placed there for relaxation.
Then, it was said: وَآتَتْ كُلَّ وَاحِدَةٍ مِّنْهُنَّ سِكِّينًا (and gave everyone a ‘knife). It means when these women came in and sat down, different foods and fruits were served, some of which needed a knife to peel and cut, there-fore, also given to each one of them was a sharp knife. The obvious purpose of this was to cut fruits. But, concealed in her heart was what comes next – that is, these women will lose their senses at the sight of Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) and would go on to cut their hands with the knife.
After having made all these arrangements, to Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) ، who was in some other quarter of the house, Zulaikha said: وَقَالَتِ اخْرُجْ عَلَيْهِنَّ (come in before them). Since, Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) was not aware of her vain intention, he came out into this sitting.
That which happened then has been described in:
فَلَمَّا رَأَيْنَهُ أَكْبَرْنَهُ وَقَطَّعْنَ أَيْدِيَهُنَّ وَقُلْنَ حَاشَ لِلَّـهِ مَا هَـٰذَا بَشَرًا إِنْ هَـٰذَا إِلَّا مَلَكٌ كَرِيمٌ
So when they saw him, they found him great and [ were so bewildered that they ] cut their hands [ that is, when cutting their fruit, they saw this object of wonder, the knife uncon-sciously ran over their hand – as it occasionally happens when one’s thought is diverted to something else ] and said, ‘Oh God! He is no human being. He is but a noble angel.’ [ by which they meant that one exuding such light can only be an angel ].’
Then, in verse 32, it was said:
قَالَتْ فَذَٰلِكُنَّ الَّذِي لُمْتُنَّنِي فِيهِ ۖ وَلَقَدْ رَاوَدتُّهُ عَن نَّفْسِهِ فَاسْتَعْصَمَ ۖ وَلَئِن لَّمْ يَفْعَلْ مَا آمُرُهُ لَيُسْجَنَنَّ وَلَيَكُونًا مِّنَ الصَّاغِرِينَ
` She [ Zulaikha ] said: ‘So, [ see ] this is the one you blamed me for. Yes, I seduced him, but he abstained. And should he [ in future ] not follow my command, he shall be [ surely ] imprisoned and shall be disgraced [ too ].’
When Zulaikha realized that her secret lay disclosed before those women anyway, she started threatening Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) right before them. At that time, according to some commentators, all these women too started telling Sayyidna Yusuf علیہ السلام that Zulaikha was their benefactor, therefore, he should not oppose her.
And some words of the Holy Qur’an which appear later (33) also support it, for example: يَدْعُونَنِي (yad unani: these women invite me) and: كَيْدَهُنَّ (kaidahunna: their guile) where the statement of some women has been mentioned in the plural form.
When Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) saw that these women were also supporting Zulaikha and there remained no other visible way to stay safe against their guile, he turned to his ultimate resort, to Allah jalla thana’uh, and before Him, he said:
رَبِّ السِّجْنُ أَحَبُّ إِلَيَّ مِمَّا يَدْعُونَنِي إِلَيْهِ ۖ وَإِلَّا تَصْرِفْ عَنِّي كَيْدَهُنَّ أَصْبُ إِلَيْهِنَّ وَأَكُن مِّنَ الْجَاهِلِينَ
My Lord, the prison is dearer to me than what these women invite me to. And unless You turn their guile away from me, I shall get inclined towards them and shall be among the ignorant.
Here, the statement of Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) that ` the prison is dearer to me’ does not reflect any desire or wish to be detained in a prison, in-stead of that, it is an expression which shows that he would find it easier to face this temporal hardship as compared to that of falling in sin. Ac-cording to some narrations, when Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) was confined to the prison, a revelation from Allah Ta ala told him: You have put yourself into the prison by what you yourself had said: السِّجْنُ أَحَبُّ إِلَيَّ (the prison is dearer to me) and had you asked for wellbeing (‘afiyah), you would have been blessed with perfect well-being. From here we come to know that, to stay safe from a major hardship, saying in prayer that one better be subjected to some minor hardship in lieu of it is not appropriate. Instead of doing that, one should, when under the threat of any hardship, problem or distress, pray to Allah Ta` ala for nothing but ` afiyah (wellbeing). Therefore, the Holy Prophet ﷺ prohibited a man from praying for sabr (patience) saying that sabr is done when one faces distress and hardship. So, rather praying to Allah for sabr, pray for ` afiyah. (Tirmidhi) The uncle of the Holy Prophet “, Sayyidna ` Abbs ؓ asked him: Teach me a prayer I should make. He said: Pray for ` afiyah (well-being) from your Rabb. Sayyidna ` Abbas says when he, after a period of time, once again asked him to be advised of some du ‘he should be making, he said: Pray to Allah Ta` ala for ` afiyah in dunya and ‘akhirah. (Mazhari from Tabarani)
As for the saying of Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) : ` And unless you do not turn their guile away from me, I shall get inclined towards them,’ this is not contrary to the concept of the ` Ismah of prophethood (a prophet’s state of being Divinely protected from sin) – because the very outcome of ` Ismah is that Allah Ta ala would, by arranging to keep a person safe from sin as a creational imperative, protect him from falling into it. Though Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) had this desired cover by virtue of his being a prophet, yet he was compelled to make this du’ because of the great awe he had for Him in his heart. This also tells us that no one can, without the help and support of Allah Ta ala, stay safe from sin. And it also makes it clear that every act of sin is caused by ignorance (jahalah), the opposite of which is knowledge ( ‘ilm), and ` Ilm (knowledge) demands abstention from sins. (Qurtubi)
After that, said in verse 34 was:
فَاسْتَجَابَ لَهُ رَبُّهُ فَصَرَفَ عَنْهُ كَيْدَهُنَّ ۚ إِنَّهُ هُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ
So, his Lord accepted his prayer and turned their guile away from him. Surely, He is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing.
To protect him from the guile of these women, Allah Ta ala made his own wise arrangements. Though the ` Aziz of Misr and his inner circle was already convinced of the great spiritual qualities of Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) his piety, fear of Allah and chastity, but rumours of the incident had started circulating in the city. To put a check on this, they found it expedient to confine Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) into the prison for a certain period of time so that there remains no source of any doubt in the concerned family, and that the talk of the town too dies out in due course.
So, said at the end of the verse (35) was:
ثُمَّ بَدَا لَهُم مِّن بَعْدِ مَا رَأَوُا الْآيَاتِ لَيَسْجُنُنَّهُ حَتَّىٰ حِينٍ
Later on, even after having seen the signs, they [ the ` Aziz of Misr and his advisers ] deemed it proper [ or expedient ] to imprison him for a time.Thus, to the prison he was sent.
Mentioned in the verses cited above is a supplementary event relating to the story of Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) . It has been repeatedly stressed that the Holy Qur’ an is no book of history, or of stories and tales. When a story or historical event is mentioned in it, the sole objective is to pro-vide some lesson, good counsel or crucial guidance on various facets of human life. In the entire Qur’ an and throughout the events relating to many prophets, it is the story of Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) alone which has been described by the Qur’ an continuously – otherwise, it has considered it sufficient to mention some necessary part of an historical event wherever appropriate.
If you would look at the story of Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) from the beginning to the end, there are hundreds of lessons to learn, good advices to heed to and important elements of guidance to follow during various stages of human life. This supplementary story too has its graces of guidance in abundance.
The event as it took shape was that, despite the complete absolvement of Sayyidna Yusuf علیہ السلام from the blame, and the strong establishment of his moral integrity, it was to put an end to the disgrace of people talking about them that the ` Aziz of Misr and his wife decided to send Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) to the prison for some time – which, in reality, was the fulfillment of the du’a’ and wish of Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) ، because, for him, it had become extremely difficult to defend his chastity while living in the home of the ` Aziz of Misr.
When Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) arrived at the prison, two other sentenced criminals were also admitted there. One of them was the cup-bearer of the king while the other was a cook. Citing major Tafsir authorities, Ibn Kathir has written that these two were arrested on the charge that they had tried to poison the king through food or drink. The case was under investigation, therefore, they were kept in prison.
When Sayyidna Yusuf علیہ السلام came into the prison, it was because of his prophetic morals, mercy and affection that he used to show concern about all of his fellow inmates and took care of them whenever needed. If anyone became sick, he would call on him and do whatever had to be done for him. For anyone he found sad or distressed, he would have appropriate words of comfort. To lift his spirits, he would gently tell him to observe patience and made the hope of freedom come alive into his heart. He would think of bringing comfort to others at the cost of his own discomfort. For whole nights he would remain engaged in the ` Ibadah (worship) of Allah Ta ala. Seeing his endearing ways, all inmates of the prison became convinced of his high spiritual status. Even the officer-in-charge of the prison was impressed. He said: Had it been in my power, I would have let you go. Now, this much I can do that you will face no inconvenience here.
Some Notes to Wonder About
When the officer-in-charge of the prison, or some of the inmates, told Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) that they loved him very much, he said: For God’s sake, do not love me – because whenever I have been loved by anyone, I have suffered one way or the other. When I was a child, my paternal aunt loved me. As a result, I was blamed for theft. Then, my father loved me. This made me do a term of detention in a well at the hands of my brothers, then came slavery and expulsion from home country. When the wife of the ` Aziz loved me, I landed into this prison. (Ibn Kathir, Mazhari)
These two prisoners who went to the prison along with Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) said to him one day that they thought he was a man of piety and good deeds, therefore, they would like to ask him to give an interpretation of their dream. Sayyidna Ibn ` Abbas ؓ and some other leading authorities in Tafsir have said that they had really seen these dreams.
Sayyidna ` Abdullah ibn Mas’ ud ؓ has said that there was no dream. They had simply made it up to test the spiritual excellence and veracity of Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) .
However, one of them, that is, the royal cup-bearer, said: ` I have seen myself (in dream) pressing wine,’ and the other, that is, the cook, said: ` I have seen myself carrying bread on my head of which the birds are eating.’ Then, they requested him to interpret the dreams for them.
Here, Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) has been requested to interpret the dreams. But he, before answering this question, and following his intrinsic prophetic way, begins with the task of Tabligh and invitation to believe and have faith. And by following the principle of Da’wah and by acting wisely, he first tried to create in their hearts a base of confidence inhim. To achieve this, he talked about his particular miracle through which he tells them about the food which they receive from their homes, or from somewhere else, and much before it arrives, he is able to tell them the kind, the taste, the quantity and the time of arrival of the food – and that the food turns out to be exactly as predicted:
Injunctions and Rulings
Worth pondering on are many Ahkam, Masa’il, useful lessons and elements of guidance that emerge from the verses under reference. They are as given below:
1. Consider the confinement of Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) into a prison which is the notorious turf of criminals and bad characters. But, he treated them too with his characteristic good morals and social graces, as a result of which, all of them became enamoured with him. This tells us that it is the duty of reformers that they should, by dealing with sinners and criminals with compassion and concern, bring them closer, let them be-come familiar, connected, and reliant on them. Also necessary is that they should not betray any attitude of hatred or distaste for them at any step.
2. From the statement: إِنَّا نَرَاكَ مِنَ الْمُحْسِنِينَ (We see you are a man of good deeds), we find out that the interpretation of a dream should be sought particularly from persons one trusts in as righteous, good in deeds and sympathetic.
3. The third thing we learn here is about the ideal conduct of those who carry the da’wah of truth and serve people by working for their moral and social betterment. In this connection, their first duty is to bring round people created by Allah to put their trust in them through their good morals and conduct, and their intellectual and practical excel-lences – whether they have to unfold and express some of those excellences, as was done by Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) on this occasion when he not only talked about his miracle but also mentioned his being a member of the House of Prophets. Such a statement of personal excellence – if it is based on the intention to serve people to become better and not to prove one’s personal rank – will not be considered as the ` self-praise’ which has been prohibited in the Holy Qur’an: فَلَا تُزَكُّوا أَنفُسَكُمْ that is, do not talk about the purity of your own self. (Tafsir Mazhari)
4. Pointed to here is an important principle of communication and correction (Tabligh and Irshad). It is the duty of the carrier of a Call (Da` i) and reformer (Muslih) that he should, at all times and under all circumstances, keep his constant mission of Da’wah and Tabligh come first of all he does. In other words, if someone comes to him for something, he should not forget his real mission – as was done by Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) when these prisoners came to him to ask for an interpretation of their dreams. At that time, before answering their request for the interpretation of their dreams, he gave them the gift of right guidance through his Tabligh and Irshad. Please do not take Da’wah and Tabligh as something which takes place in a conference, or on a pulpit or stage alone. This job is done far more effectively through personal contacts and private exchanges.
5. Another aspect of this very effort of telling people what is right and seeking their betterment through it (Irshad and Islah) is: Whatever is said in this connection should be said with the strategy of wisdom in a way that it goes into the heart of the addressee. This is how it was done by Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) . He succeeded in showing to them that the excellences he had were the direct outcome of his disengagement with disbelief and adoption of Islam as his faith. After that he described the draw-backs and shortcomings of Kufr and Shirk in a soft manner which appeals to the heart.
6. Another problem resolved here is about how bad news should be handled. If, that which has to be communicated to an addressee happens to be painful or repugnant, yet it be necessary that it be disclosed, then, it should be presented before the addressee, as far as possible, in a way that it brings the least discomfort to him. This is as it was when the death of one person was destined as interpreted on the basis of his dream, but Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) kept it ambiguous. He did not make it precise and fixed by telling him that he will be the one to be hanged. (Ibn Kathir, Mazhari)
7. It will be recalled that Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) had sought his release from the prison when he asked the acquitted prisoner: Mention me before your master. This tells us that making someone a medium of effort in order to get out of some difficulty is not against the principle of Tawakkul (Trust in Allah).
Another view of this problem is that Allah Ta` ala does not like His great prophets making efforts to achieve everything permissible and go on to make a human being the medium of their release. This is so because the absence of any medium between them and Allah Ta ala spells out the true identity of prophets. Perhaps, that was why this prisoner forgot about the message given by Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) which made him stay in the prison for many more years. In a Hadith too, the Holy Prophet has pointed out in this direction.
ذَٰلِكُمَا مِمَّا عَلَّمَنِي رَبِّي (This is of the knowledge my Lord has given me). He is saying that this has nothing to do with the art of divination through computation of figures and lines (Um al-jafr and ‘am al-raml – not Jafar and Ramal, soothsaying or any other occult act of conjuring). Instead of all that, this is what my Rabb tells me – and I pass on the information. And this was an open miracle which is proof positive of prophethood and a major cause of confidence.
After that, he declares his abhorrence for disbelief and his disengagement from the community of disbelievers. Then, with it, he also stresses that he is a member of the House of Prophets and it is their Community that he adheres to and that he is a scion of the House of Ibrahim, Ishaq and Ya` qub (علیہم السلام) . We mentioned confidence a little earlier. Customarily, this kind of inherited nobility, a common family trait, is also a source of creating confidence in a person. After that he said: And it is not for us that we associate any partners with Allah. Then, he said that the Taufiq of following a true religion (‘the favour of Allah upon us and upon all people’ ) was nothing but the Fadl or grace of Allah Ta’ ala, for it was He who, by giving proper understanding, made the acceptance of truth easy on us. But, most of the people do not appreciate this blessing and do not show their gratitude for it. After having said that, he asked the same prisoners to tell him if it was better that human beings should be worshiping many gods, or was it better that one becomes a servant of one Allah alone – whose subduing power is all-dominant. Then he referred to idol worship from a different angle. He told them that their fathers and forefathers have taken some idols as their Lord. As for them, they are no more than a lot of names which they have coined on their own. They have no personal attributes which could become deserving of assigning to them the least fund of power – because all of them are inert. This is something one can see with one’s own eyes. The only other method through which they could have been taken as true objects of worship would be that Allah Ta’ ala sends down specific injunctions or commandments to worship them. So, in that case, even if observation and reason had not been willing to accept their godhood but, because of the Divine command, we would have left our observation and reason aside and would have obeyed the command of Allah. But, this is not there either – because Allah Ta ala did not send down any argument or proof for their worship. Instead of that, what He said was but that Law and Sovereignty belonged to Allah Ta ala with no one having a right in it; and the command He gave was no other but that we should not worship anyone or anything other than Allah. Finally, he said: ` This is the only right path – which was bestowed on my forefathers by Allah Ta ala, but most of the people do not know this reality.’
After having made his call to truth, Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) turned to the dreams mentioned by two of his prison mates declaring that one of the two of them will get his release, return to his job and keep serving wine to his master. As for the other, the crime against him will stand proved and he will be crucified and birds will eat from his head.
An Example of Prophetic Compassion
Ibn Kathir has said: Though the dreams of both these prisoners were separate, and fixed was the interpretation of each, and also fixed was the fate that the royal cup-bearer will be acquitted and return to his job and the cook will be crucified. But, because of his prophetic compassion and clemency, he did not specifically mention as to who among the two will be hanged so that the person concerned may be spared from becoming obsessed by the very thought of it right from that time. Instead of that, he made a general statement saying that one of them will be re-leased and the other will be crucified.
At the end, he told them that the interpretation of their dreams given by him was not arrived at by conjecture. It was Divine decree which cannot be averted. Commentators who have called the dreams de-scribed by these people as false and made-up, they have also said: When Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) interpreted their dreams, they came up with the re-mark that they had just not seen any dream. They had simply made it up. Thereupon, Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) said: قُضِيَ الْأَمْرُ الَّذِي فِيهِ تَسْتَفْتِيَانِ (Destined is the matter you are asking about). In other words, it would mean: Whether you saw this dream, or did not, now the event will come to be as described – the purpose of which is that this is the punishment of the sin, of making up a false dream, committed by you, a punishment which has been identified in the interpretation of the dream.
After that, to the person about whom Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) had gathered from the interpretation of his dream that he would be released, he said: When you are released from the prison, mention me before your master as the innocent person who is still languishing in the prison. But, once released, this person forgot about this message of Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) ، as a result of which, his freedom was further delayed and he had to stay in prison for a few more years. The word used in the Qur’ an is: بِضْعَ سِنِينَ (bid’a sinin: a few years). This word holds good for a figure between three to nine. Some commentators have said that he had to live in the prison for a period of seven more years.
Commentary
After that, say the verses cited above, Allah Ta` ala created through the workings of what is unseen (Al-Ghayb), a particular way out for the release of Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) . This made the king of Egypt see a dream which caused him great anxiety. He assembled the known dream interpreters and soothsayers of his state and asked them to interpret his dream. None of them could understand the dream. The answer they all gave was: أَضْغَاثُ أَحْلَامٍ ۖ وَمَا نَحْنُ بِتَأْوِيلِ الْأَحْلَامِ بِعَالِمِينَ : ‘ (It seems to be) a mishmash of dreams, and we do not know the interpretation of dreams.’ The word: أَضْغَاثُ (adghath) is the plural form of: ضِغث (dighth) which literally refers to a bundle of chaff or husk separated from grain while threshing and is a collection of different kinds of waste material. The sense of their saying was that this dream was somewhat muddled, confused and an admixture of many thoughts and things, and they did not know how to interpret such dreams. Had it been a regular dream, they would have had interpreted it.
While watching the proceedings of this event, that released prisoner recollected the message given by Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) ، though after the passage of a long time in between. He stepped forward and said that he may be able to tell him the interpretation of this dream. At that time, by mentioning the spiritual excellence of Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) his expertise in dream interpretation, and his detention in the prison despite his innocence, he submitted that he be allowed to meet him in the prison. The king arranged that for him. He came to Sayyidna. To de-scribe this entire episode, the Holy Qur’an has used only one word: فَأَرْسِلُونِ (fa arsil uni).
It means: Just send me (to Yusuf علیہ السلام). Things like the introduction of Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) the official permission to see him and then the final arrival in the prison are parts of the event which can be understood contextually. Therefore, they were not described specifically, instead, the story was initiated as follows.
3. Tazkirul Quran
Certain ladies of noble families were invited by Zulaykha to meet Joseph and they saw in him a handsome young man. Joseph also could have seen these ladies as a means of satisfying the desires of his lower self. But even in the most exciting of circumstances, he did not see them as such. The ladies were all so thrilled by his extremely charming personality, that, in their extreme state of absorption, they injured their hands with knives while cutting fruit. But Joseph’s whole attention was directed towards God. God’s greatness and Majesty so dominated his senses that nothing could divert his attention. What a difference there is between one human being and another.
When the ladies of high status of Egypt failed to attract Joseph’s attention towards themselves, they deemed it only right and proper that he should be sent to prison. At that time Joseph was a slave, and it was not necessary (according to the custom of the time) to follow court procedure before sending a slave to prison. The masters themselves had the power to have their slaves incarcerated in accordance with their own decisions. But the prison proved to be a stepping-stone for him. So far he had been introduced to only a few high ranking households. Now it became possible that the news of his personality would reach the king of Egypt himself. It so happened that two youths were also sent to the same prison where he was kept confined. Both of them were connected with the royal palace. Both of them had a dream in the prison and they asked Joseph to interpret these dreams. Joseph did so and his interpretation proved to be true. Thereafter one of them was released from the prison and returned to the royal palace. At the opportune moment, he told the king that there was a righteous person in the prison who gave the correct interpretation of dreams. Joseph’s imprisonment thus became a preliminary stepping-stone for access to the royal palace.
The young prisoners approached Joseph in order to know the interpretation of their dreams. The manner in which they put their questions to Joseph was a clear indication that they were impressed by his personality and relied on his opinion. This approach was natural in the case of a righteous and principled person like Joseph. Joseph, with his missionary spirit, immediately realised that this was the best opportunity to convey the message of truth to these youths. But, after hearing the interpretation of their dreams, their attention might have been diverted from Joseph. So he adopted a wise approach and delayed the interpretation for some time. Thereafter he talked to them briefly about the unity of God and, in view of the mentality of the addressees, he used superior reasoning to convey his message to them.
Of the two youths who were put in jail, one was a bread maker and the other was a wine-server to the king of Egypt. Both were accused of trying to poison the food of the king. On investigation, the wine-server proved to be innocent of the allegation. He was released from the jail and was again appointed as a wine-server to the king. His dream meant that he was serving wine to the king in dream and after few days he would really serve wine while awake. The bread maker was proved guilty. He was hanged and left for the birds to peck at his body and, in this way, be a lesson to the people. Both the interpretations of Joseph proved to be correct but, after reaching the palace, the wine-server forgot to mention Joseph to the king as promised. He remembered his promise only when the king had a dream and asked his courtiers to interpret it.
Though the king of Egypt was a polytheist and a wine drinker, God made him see a true dream of the future. This shows how God helps the preacher of truth. One way is to make the potential convert see a dream which impresses upon him the preacher’s importance. As a result his heart is softened and fresh opportunities are opened up for the dayee. Only when the king’s wine-server heard about the king’s dream was he reminded of the incident in prison. He related his personal experience to the king and the courtiers of how Joseph’s interpretation of his own dream and that of another prisoner had proved to be absolutely true. Thereafter, with the permission of the king, he went to the prison to ask Joseph about the interpretation of the king’s dream. The introduction of this aspect of Joseph’s personality provided a way for him to be released from prison. God could have arranged for his immediate release as soon as the wine-server was out of prison. He could have made the drink-server fulfil his promise and mention Joseph to the king as soon as he was back in the palace. But every work of God is performed at the ordained time. It is not the way of God to perform any task before the time appointed for it.
Personal Reflections
1. The Power of Divine Protection:
Yusuf’s prayer (“Avert from me their plan”) resonates deeply. In moments of weakness, we often forget to seek Allah’s help. His reliance on Allah—not his own strength—is a reminder that true success comes through submission.
2. Trials as a Path to Elevation:
Yusuf’s imprisonment, though unjust, becomes a stepping stone to his eventual leadership. How often do we resent hardship without trusting that Allah’s plan may hold greater wisdom?
3. The Danger of Public Opinion:
Zulaikha manipulates societal judgment to save her reputation. Today, social media often amplifies such toxic behaviors. The story warns against valuing perception over truth.
4. The Role of Dreams:
Dreams in Surah Yusuf are not mere fantasies but divine communication. While not all dreams are prophetic, they remind us that Allah speaks to us in ways suited to our understanding.
Conclusion
Surah Yusuf is a mirror reflecting human flaws and divine mercy. Verses 31–45 teach us that trials are inevitable, but our response—rooted in faith—determines our legacy. As a student, I find solace in Yusuf’s story: no matter how bleak the circumstance, Allah’s plan is always unfolding.
Final Note: I pray these reflections benefit you as they have me. May we all strive to embody Yusuf’s patience and trust in Allah. Please remember me in your prayers.
سبحانك اللهم وبحمدك، أشهد أن لا إله إلا أنت، أستغفرك وأتوب إليك
“Glory be to You, O Allah, and praise. I bear witness that there is no deity but You. I seek Your forgiveness and repent to You.”
Feel free to share your thoughts or corrections in the comments below. Jazakum Allahu khayran!
