Joseph
In the name of Allah, the
Beneficent, the Merciful.
[12:1]
Alif. Lam. Ra. These are verse of the Scripture
that maketh plain.
[12:2]
Lo! We have revealed it, a Lecture in Arabic,
that ye may understand.
[12:3]
We narrate unto thee (Muhammad) the best of
narratives in that We have inspired in thee this Qur’an, though aforetime thou
wast of the heedless.
[12:4]
When Joseph said unto his father: O my father!
Lo! I saw in a dream eleven planets and the sun and the moon, I saw them
prostrating themselves unto me.
[12:5]
He said: O my dear son! Tell not thy brethren of
thy vision, lest they plot a plot against thee. Lo! Satan is for man an open
foe.
[12:6]
Thus thy Lord will prefer thee and will teach
thee the interpretation of events, and will perfect His grace upon thee and
upon the family of Jacob as He perfected it upon thy forefathers, Abraham and Isaac.
Lo! thy Lord is Knower, Wise.
[12:7]
Verily in Joseph and his brethren are signs (of
Allah’s Sovereignty) for the inquiring.
[12:8]
When they said: Verily Joseph and his brother
are dearer to our father than we are, many though we be. Lo! our father is in
plain aberration.
[12:9]
(One said): Kill Joseph or cast him to some
(other) land, so that your father’s favour may be all for you, and (that) ye
may afterward be righteous folk.
[12:10]
One among them said: Kill not Joseph but, if ye
must be doing, fling him into the depth of the pit; some caravan will find him.
[12:11]
They said: O our father! Why wilt thou not trust
us with Joseph, when lo! we are good friends to him ?
[12:12]
Send him with us to-morrow that he may enjoy
himself and play. And lo! we shall take good care of him.
[12:13]
He said: Lo! in truth it saddens me that ye
should take him with you, and I fear less the wolf devour him while ye are
heedless of him.
[12:14]
They said: If the wolf should devour him when we
are (so strong) a band, then surely we should have already perished.
[12:15]
Then, when they led him off, and were of one
mind that they should place him in the depth of the pit, We inspired in him:
Thou wilt tell them of this deed of theirs when they know (thee) not.
[12:16]
And they came weeping to their father in the
evening.
[12:17]
Saying: O our father! We went racing one with
another, and left Joseph by our things, and the wolf devoured him, and thou
believest not our saying even when we speak the truth.
[12:18]
And they came with false blood on his shirt. He
said: Nay, but your minds have beguiled you into something. (My course is)
comely patience. And Allah it is Whose help is to be sought in that
(predicament) which ye describe.
[12:19]
And there came a caravan, and they sent their
waterdrawer. He let down his pail (into the pit). He said: Good luck! Here is a
youth. And they hid him as a treasure, and Allah was Aware of what they did.
[12:20]
And they sold him for a low price, a number of silver
coins; and they attached no value to him.
[12:21]
And he of
[12:22]
And And when he reached his prime We gave him
wisdom and knowledge. Thus We reward the good.
[12:23]
And she, in whose house he was, asked of him an
evil act. She bolted the doors and said: Come! He said: I seek refuge in Allah!
Lo! he is my lord, who hath treated me honourably. Lo! wrong-doers never
prosper.
[12:24]
She verily desired him, and he would have
desired her if it had not been that he saw the argument of his Lord. Thus it
was, that We might ward off from him evil and lewdness. Lo! he was of Our
chosen slaves.
[12:25]
And they raced with one another to the door, and
she tore his shirt from behind, and they met her lord and master at the door.
She said: What shall be his reward, who wisheth evil to thy folk, save prison
or a painful doom ?
[12:26]
(Joseph) said: She it was who asked of me an
evil act. And a witness of her own folk testified: If his shirt is torn from
before, then she speaketh truth and he is of the liars.
[12:27]
And if his shirt is torn from behind, then she
hath lied and he is of the truthful.
[12:28]
So when he saw his shirt torn from behind, he
said: Lo! this is of the guile of you women. Lo! the guile of you is very
great.
[12:29]
O Joseph! Turn away from this, and thou, (O
woman), ask forgiveness for thy sin. Lo! thou art of the faulty.
[12:30]
And women in the city said: The ruler’s wife is
asking of her slave-boy an ill-deed. Indeed he has smitten her to the heart
with love. We behold her in plain aberration.
[12:31]
And when she heard of their sly talk, she sent
to them and prepared for them a cushioned couch (to lie on at the feast) and
gave to every one of them a knife and said (to Joseph): Come out unto them! And
when they saw him they exalted him and cut their hands, exclaiming: Allah
Blameless! This is no a human being. This is not other than some gracious
angel.
[12:32]
She said: This is he on whose account ye blamed
me. I asked of him an evil act, but he proved continent, but if he do not my
behest he verily shall be imprisoned, and verily shall be of those brought low.
[12:33]
He said: O my Lord! Prison is more dear than
that unto which they urge me, and if Thou fend not off their wiles from me I
shall incline unto them and become of the foolish.
[12:34]
So his Lord heard his prayer and fended off
their wiles from him. Lo! He is Hearer, Knower.
[12:35]
And it seemed good to them (the men-folk) after they
had seen the signs (of his innocence) to imprison him for a time.
[12:36]
And two young men went to prison with him. One
of them said: I dreamed that I was pressing wine. The other said: I dreamed
that I was carrying upon my head bread whereof the birds were eating. Announce
unto us the interpretation, for we see thee of those good (at interpretation).
[12:37]
He said: The food which ye are given (daily)
shall not come unto you but I shall tell you the interpretation ere it cometh
unto you. This is of that which my Lord hath taught me. Lo! I have forsaken the
religion of folk who believe not in Allah and are disbelievers in the
Hereafter.
[12:38]
And I have followed the religion of my fathers,
Abraham and Isaac and Jacob. It never was for us to attribute aught as partner
to Allah. This is of the bounty of Allah unto us (the seed of Abraham) and unto
mankind; but most men give not thanks.
[12:39]
O my fellow-prisoners! Are divers lords better,
or Allah the One, Almighty ?
[12:40]
Those whom ye worship beside Him are but names
which ye have named, ye and your fathers. Allah hath revealed no sanction for
them. The decision rests with Allah only, Who hath commanded you that ye
worship none save Him. This is the right religion, but most men know not.
[12:41]
O my two fellow-prisoners! As for one of you, he
will pour out wine for his lord to drink; and as for the other, he will be
crucified so that the birds will eat from his head. Thus is the case judged
concerning which ye did inquire.
[12:42]
And he said unto him of the twain who he knew
would be released: Mention me in the presence of thy lord. But Satan caused him
to forget to mention it to his lord, so he (Joseph) stayed in prison for some
years.
[12:43]
And the king said: Lo! I saw in a dream seven
fat kine which seven lean were eating, and seven green ears of corn and other
(seven) dry. O notables! Expound for me my vision, if ye can interpret dreams.
[12:44]
They answered: Jumbled dreams! And we are not
knowing in the interpretation of dreams.
[12:45]
And he of the two who was released, and (now) at
length remembered, said: I am going to announce unto you the interpretation,
therefore send me forth.
[12:46]
(And when he came to Joseph in the prison, he exclaimed):
Joseph! O thou truthful one! Expound for us the seven fat kine which seven lean
were eating and the seven green ears of corn and other (seven) dry, that I may
return unto the people, so that they may know.
[12:47]
He said: Ye shall sow seven years as usual, but
that which ye reap, leave it in the ear, all save a little which ye eat.
[12:48]
Then after that will come seven hard years which
will devour all that ye have prepared for them, save a little of that which ye
have stored.
[12:49]
Then, after that, will come a year when the
people will have plenteous crops and when they will press (wine and oil).
[12:50]
And the king said: Bring him unto me. And when
the messenger came unto him, he (Joseph) said: Return unto thy lord and ask him
what was the case of the women who cut their hands. Lo! my Lord knoweth their
guile.
[12:51]
He (the king) (then sent for those women and)
said: What happened when ye asked an evil act of Joseph ? They answered: Allah
Blameless! We know no evil of him. Said the wife of the ruler: Now the truth is
out. I asked of him an evil act, and he is surely of the truthful.
[12:52]
(Then Joseph said: I asked for) this, that he
(my lord) may know that I betrayed him not in secret, and that surely Allah
guideth not the snare of the betrayers.
[12:53]
I do not exculpate myself. Lo! the (human) soul
enjoineth unto evil, save that whereon my Lord hath mercy. Lo! my Lord is
Forgiving, Merciful.
[12:54]
And the king said: Bring him unto me that I may
attach him to my person. And when he had talked with him he said: Lo! thou art
to-day in our presence established and trusted.
[12:55]
He said: Set me over the storehouses of the
land. Lo! I am a skilled custodian.
[12:56]
Thus gave We power to Joseph in the land. He was
the owner of it where he pleased. We reach with Our mercy whom We will. We lose
not the reward of the good.
[12:57]
And the reward of the Hereafter is better, for
those who believe and ward off (evil).
[12:58]
And Joseph’s brethren came and presented
themselves before him, and he knew them but they knew him not.
[12:59]
And when he provided them with their provision
he said: Bring unto me a brother of yours from your father. See ye not that I
fill up the measure and I am the best of hosts ?
[12:60]
And if ye bring him not unto me, then there
shall be no measure for you with me, nor shall ye draw near.
[12:61]
They said: We will try to win him from his
father: that we will surely do.
[12:62]
He said unto his young men: Place their
merchandise in their saddlebags, so that they may know it when they go back to
their folk, and so will come again.
[12:63]
So when they went back to their father they
said: O our father! The measure is denied us, so send with us our brother that
we may obtain the measure, surely we will guard him well.
[12:64]
He said: Can I entrust him to you save as I
entrusted his brother to you aforetime ? Allah is better at guarding, and He is
the Most Merciful of those who show mercy.
[12:65]
And when they opened their belongings they discovered
that their merchandise had been returned to them. They said: O our father! What
(more) can we ask ? Here is our merchandise returned to us. We shall get
provision for our folk and guard our brother, and we shall have the extra
measure of a camel (load). This (that we bring now) is a light measure.
[12:66]
He said: I will not send him with you till ye
give me an undertaking in the name of Allah that ye will bring him back to me,
unless ye are surrounded. And when they gave him their undertaking he said:
Allah is the Warden over what we say.
[12:67]
And he said: O my sons! Go not in by one gate;
go in by different gates. I can naught avail you as against Allah. Lo! the
decision rests with Allah only. In Him do I put my trust, and in Him let all
the trusting put their trust.
[12:68]
And when they entered in the manner which their
father had enjoined, it would have naught availed them as against Allah; it was
but a need of Jacob’s soul which he thus satisfied; and lo! he was a lord of
knowledge because We had taught him; but most of mankind know not.
[12:69]
And when they went in before Joseph, he took his
brother unto him, saying: Lo! I, even I, am thy brother, therefore sorrow not
for what they did.
[12:70]
And when he provided them with their provision,
he put the drinking-cup in his brother’s saddlebag, and then a crier cried: O
camel- riders! Lo! ye are surely thieves!
[12:71]
They cried, coming toward them: What is it ye
have lost ?
[12:72]
They said: We have lost the king’s cup, and he
who bringeth it shall have a camel-load, and I (said Joseph) am answerable for
it.
[12:73]
They said: By Allah, well ye know we came not to
do evil in the land, and are no thieves.
[12:74]
They said: And what shall be the penalty for it,
if ye prove liars ?
[12:75]
They said: The penalty for it! He in whose bag
(the cup) is found, he is the penalty for it. Thus we requite wrong-doers.
[12:76]
Then he (Joseph) began the search with their
bags before his brother’s bag, then he produced it from his brother’s bag. Thus
did We contrive for Joseph. He could not have taken his brother according to
the king’s law unless Allah willed. We raise by grades (of mercy) whom We will,
and over every lord of knowledge there is one more knowing.
[12:77]
They said: If he stealeth, a brother of his
stole before. But Joseph kept it secret in his soul and revealed it not unto
them. He said (within himself): Ye are in worse case, and Allah knoweth best
(the truth of) that which ye allege.
[12:78]
They said: O ruler of the land! Lo! he hath a very
aged father, so take one of us instead of him. Lo! we behold thee of those who
do kindness.
[12:79]
He said: Allah forbid that we should seize save
him with whom we found our property; then truly we should be wrong-doers.
[12:80]
So, When they despaired of (moving) him, they
conferred together apart. The eldest of them said: Know ye not how your father
took an undertaking from you in Allah’s name and how ye failed in the case of
Joseph aforetime ? Therefore I shall not go forth from the land until my father
giveth leave or Allah judgeth for me. He is the Best of Judges.
[12:81]
Return unto your father and say: O our father!
Lo! thy son hath stolen. We testify only to that which we know; we are not
guardians of the Unseen.
[12:82]
Ask the township where we were, and the caravan
with which we travelled hither. Lo! we speak the truth.
[12:83]
(And when they came unto their father and had
spoken thus to him) he said: Nay, but your minds have beguiled you into
something. (My course is) comely patience! It may be that Allah will bring them
all unto me. Lo! He, only He, is the Knower, the Wise.
[12:84]
And he turned away from them and said: Alas, my
grief for Joseph! And his eyes were whitened with the sorrow that he was
suppressing.
[12:85]
They said: By Allah, thou wilt never cease
remembering Joseph till thy health is ruined or thou art of those who perish!
[12:86]
He said: I expose my distress and anguish only
unto Allah, and I know from Allah that which ye know not.
[12:87]
Go, O my sons, and ascertain concerning Joseph
and his brother, and despair not of the Spirit of Allah. Lo! none despaireth of
the Spirit of Allah save disbelieving folk.
[12:88]
And when they came (again) before him (Joseph)
they said: O ruler! Misfortune hath touched us and our folk, and we bring but
poor merchandise, so fill for us the measure and be charitable unto us. Lo!
Allah will requite the charitable,
[12:89]
He said: Know ye what ye did unto Joseph and his
brother in your ignorance ?
[12:90]
They said: Is it indeed thou who art Joseph ? He
said: I am Joseph and this is my brother. Allah hath shown us favour. Lo! he
who wardeth off (evil) and endureth (findeth favour); for lo! Allah loseth not
the wages of the kindly.
[12:91]
They said: By Allah, verily Allah hath preferred
thee above us, and we were indeed sinful.
[12:92]
He said: Have no fear this day! May Allah
forgive you, and He is the Most Merciful of those who show mercy.
[12:93]
Go with this shirt of mine and lay it on my father’s
face, he will become (again) a seer; and come to me with all your folk.
[12:94]
When the caravan departed their father had said:
Truly I am conscious of the breath of Joseph, though ye call me dotard.
[12:95]
(Those around him) said: By Allah, lo! thou art
in thine old aberration.
[12:96]
Then, when the bearer of glad tidings came, he
laid it on his face and he became a seer once more. He said: Said I not unto
you that I know from Allah that which ye know not ?
[12:97]
They said: O our father! Ask forgiveness of our
sins for us, for lo! we were sinful.
[12:98]
He said: I shall ask forgiveness for you of my
Lord. Lo! He is the Forgiving, the Merciful.
[12:99]
And when they came in before Joseph, he took his
parents unto him, and said: Come into
[12:100]
And he placed his parents on the dais and they
fell down before him prostrate, and he said: O my father! This is the
interpretation of my dream of old. My Lord hath made it true, and He hath shown
me kindness, since He took me out of the prison and hath brought you from the
desert after Satan had made strife between me and my brethren. Lo! my Lord is
tender unto whom He will. He is the Knower, the Wise.
[12:101]
O my Lord! Thou hast given me (something) of
sovereignty and hast taught me (something) of the interpretation of events -
Creator of the heavens and the earth! Thou art my Protecting Guardian in the
world and the Hereafter. Make me to die muslim (unto Thee), and join me to the
righteous.
[12:102]
This is of the tidings of the Unseen which We
inspire in thee (Muhammad). Thou wast not present with them when they fixed
their plan and they were scheming.
[12:103]
And though thou try much, most men will not
believe.
[12:104]
Thou askest them no fee for it. It is naught
else than a reminder unto the peoples.
[12:105]
How many a portent is there in the heavens and
the earth which they pass by with face averted!
[12:106]
And most of them believe not in Allah except
that they attribute partners (unto Him).
[12:107]
Deem they themselves secure from the coming on
them of a pall of Allah’s punishment, or the coming of the Hour suddenly while
they are unaware ?
[12:108]
Say: This is my Way: I call on Allah with sure
knowledge. I and whosoever followeth me - Glory be to Allah! - and I am not of
the idolaters.
[12:109]
We sent not before thee (any messengers) save
men whom We inspired from among the folk of the townships - Have they not
travelled in the land and seen the nature of the consequence for those who were
before them ? And verily the abode of the Hereafter, for those who ward off
(evil), is best. Have ye then no sense ? -
[12:110]
Till, when the messengers despaired and thought
that they were denied, then came unto them Our help, and whom We would was
saved. And Our wrath cannot be warded from the guilty.
[12:111]
In their history verily there is a lesson for
men of understanding. It is no invented story but a confirmation of the
existing (Scripture) and a detailed explanation of everything, and a guidance
and a mercy for folk who believe.