12. Yusuf

1 These are the verses of the clear Book.

2 Indeed, We have sent it down as an Arabic Quran so that you might understand.

3 We tell you the best of stories in what We have revealed to you of this Quran although you were, before it, among the unaware.

4 When Joseph said to his father, O my father, I saw eleven stars and the sun and the moon, I saw them prostrating to me.

5 He said, O my son, do not tell your vision to your brothers or they will plan against you a plan. Indeed Satan, to man, is a clear enemy.

6 And thus will your Lord choose you and teach you the interpretation of narratives and complete His favor upon you and upon the family of Jacob, as He completed it upon your fathers before, Abraham and Isaac. Indeed, your Lord is Knowing and Wise.

7 Certainly in Joseph and his brothers were signs for those who ask

8 When they said Joseph and his brother are more beloved to our father than we while we are a group Indeed our father is in clear error

9 Kill Joseph or cast him out to some land so your fathers face will be only for you and you will be after that a righteous people

10 Said a speaker among them Do not kill Joseph but throw him into the bottom of the well some travelers will pick him up if you must do something

11 They said O our father why do you not trust us with Joseph while indeed we are to him sincere advisors

12 Send him with us tomorrow to enjoy and play And indeed we will be his guardians

13 He said Indeed it saddens me that you should take him and I fear that a wolf would eat him while you are of him unaware

14 They said If a wolf should eat him while we are a strong group indeed we would then be losers

15 So when they took him and agreed to put him into the bottom of the well But We inspired to him You will surely inform them about this affair of theirs while they do not perceive

16 And they came to their father at night weeping

17 They said O our father indeed we went racing each other and left Joseph with our possessions and a wolf ate him But you would not believe us even if we were truthful

18 And they brought upon his shirt false blood He said Rather your souls have enticed you to something so patience is most fitting And God is the one sought for help against that which you describe

19 And there came a caravan, and they sent their water drawer. He let down his bucket. He said, Oh good news! This is a boy. And they hid him as merchandise. And Allah is aware of what they do.

20 And they sold him for a low price, a few dirhams, and they were uninterested in him.

21 And the one from Egypt who bought him said to his wife, Make his stay comfortable. Perhaps he will benefit us or we will adopt him as a son. And thus We established Joseph in the land and that We might teach him the interpretation of events. And Allah is dominant over His affair, but most of the people do not know.

22 And when he reached his maturity, We gave him wisdom and knowledge. And thus We reward the doers of good.

23 The woman in whose house he was living tried to seduce him. She closed the doors and said, Come to me. He said, I seek God's protection. He is my Lord who has given me a good home. Wrongdoers never prosper.

24 She desired him, and he would have desired her, had he not seen evidence from his Lord. Thus We turned away evil and indecency from him. He was one of Our chosen servants.

25 They raced to the door, and she tore his shirt from behind. They found her husband at the door. She said, What is the punishment for one who intended evil for your wife, except prison or painful punishment?

26 He said, It was she who tried to seduce me. A witness from her family suggested: If his shirt is torn from the front, then she is truthful and he is a liar.

27 But if his shirt is torn from behind, then she has lied and he is truthful.

28 So when he saw his shirt torn from behind, he said, This is of your women's scheming. Your scheming is indeed great.

29 Joseph, ignore this. And you, woman, ask forgiveness for your sin. You were indeed among the sinners.

30 Women in the city said, The wife of the governor is trying to seduce her slave boy. He has impassioned her with love. We see her in clear error.

31 When she heard of their scheming, she sent for them and prepared a banquet for them. She gave each of them a knife and said to Joseph, Come out before them. When they saw him, they were amazed by him and cut their hands. They said, God forbid! This is not a man. This is none but a noble angel.

32 She said, This is the one about whom you blamed me. I did try to seduce him, but he refused. If he does not do what I order him, he will surely be imprisoned and be among the disgraced.

33 He said, My Lord, prison is more to my liking than that to which they invite me. Unless You turn away their plot from me, I might yield to them and become of the ignorant.

34 So his Lord responded to him and turned away from him their plot. Indeed, He is the Hearing, the Knowing.

35 Then it occurred to them after they had seen the signs that they should imprison him for a time.

36 And two young men entered the prison with him. One of them said, I see myself pressing wine. And the other said, I see myself carrying bread on my head from which birds are eating. Inform us of its interpretation. Indeed, we see you as one of the doers of good.

37 He said, The food which you are provided will not come to you except that I will inform you of its interpretation before it comes to you. That is from what my Lord has taught me. Indeed, I have left the religion of a people who do not believe in God, and they, in the Hereafter, are disbelievers.

38 And I have followed the religion of my fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. It was not for us to associate anything with God. That is from the favor of God upon us and upon the people, but most of the people are not grateful.

39 O my two companions of prison, are separate lords better or God, the One, the Prevailing?

40 You worship not besides Him except mere names you have named them, you and your fathers, for which God has sent down no authority. The judgment is only for God. He has commanded that you worship not except Him. That is the correct religion, but most of the people do not know.

41 O two companions of prison, as for one of you, he will serve wine for his master to drink; and as for the other, he will be crucified, and the birds will eat from his head. The matter about which you inquired has been decreed.

42 And he said to the one whom he knew would go free, Mention me before your master. But Satan made him forget the mention to his master, and Joseph remained in prison several years.

43 The king said I saw in a dream seven fat cows being eaten by seven lean ones and seven green ears of grain and others dry. O chiefs explain to me my vision if you can interpret visions.

44 They said Confused dreams and we are not knowledgeable in the interpretation of dreams.

45 The one who had been freed and remembered after a time said I will inform you of its interpretation so send me.

46 Joseph O man of truth explain to us about seven fat cows eaten by seven lean ones and seven green ears of grain and others dry that I may return to the people so they may know.

47 He said You will plant for seven years consecutively and what you harvest leave in its ear except a little from which you will eat.

48 Then will come after that seven difficult years which will consume what you saved for them except a little of what you store.

49 Then will come after that a year in which the people will be given rain and in which they will press.

50 The king said, Bring him to me. But when the messenger came to him, Joseph said, Go back to your lord and ask him what is the case of the women who cut their hands. Indeed, my Lord is aware of their plan.

51 The king said, What was your affair when you sought to seduce Joseph? They said, God forbid! We know no evil against him. The wife of Aziz said, Now the truth is clear. I sought to seduce him, and indeed, he is of the truthful.

52 That is so he may know that I did not betray him in his absence and that God does not guide the plan of betrayers.

53 And I do not absolve myself. Indeed, the soul is a persistent enjoiner of evil, except those upon which my Lord has mercy. Indeed, my Lord is Forgiving and Merciful.

54 The king said: Bring him to me. I will select him for myself. And when he spoke to him, he said: Indeed, today you are established and trusted with us.

55 He said: Appoint me over the storehouses of the land. Indeed, I am a knowledgeable guardian.

56 And thus We established Joseph in the land to settle wherever he willed. We bestow Our mercy upon whom We will, and We do not waste the reward of the doers of good.

57 And surely the reward of the Hereafter is better for those who believed and were fearing God.

58 And Joseph's brothers came and entered upon him, and he recognized them while they were unaware of him.

59 And when he had furnished them with their supplies, he said, Bring me a brother of yours from your father. Do you not see that I give full measure and that I am the best of hosts?

60 But if you do not bring him to me, no measure will there be for you from me, nor will you approach me.

61 They said, We will try to persuade his father about him, and indeed, we will do it.

62 And Joseph said to his servants, Put their merchandise into their saddlebags so they might recognize it when they have gone back to their people that perhaps they will return.

63 So when they returned to their father, they said, O our father, measure has been denied to us, so send with us our brother that we will be given measure. And indeed, we will be his guardians.

64 He said, Should I entrust you with him except as I entrusted you with his brother before? But God is the best guardian, and He is the most merciful of the merciful.

65 And when they opened their baggage, they found their merchandise returned to them. They said, O our father, what more could we desire? This is our merchandise returned to us. And we will obtain supplies for our family and protect our brother and obtain an extra measure from the king. That is an easy measurement.

66 Jacob said, Never will I send him with you until you give me a promise by God that you will bring him back to me, unless you are surrounded. And when they had given their promise, he said, God is witness over what we say.

67 And he said, O my sons, do not enter from one gate but enter from different gates. And I cannot avail you against God at all. The decision is only for God; upon Him I have relied, and upon Him let those who would rely rely.

68 And when they entered from where their father had ordered them, it did not avail them against God at all except a need within Jacob's soul which he satisfied. And indeed, he was a possessor of knowledge because of what We had taught him, but most of the people do not know.

69 When they entered upon Joseph, he took his brother to himself. He said, Indeed, I am your brother, so do not grieve over what they used to do.

70 So when he had furnished them with their supplies, he put the drinking cup into the bag of his brother. Then an announcer called out, O caravan, indeed you are thieves.

71 They said while approaching them, What is it you are missing?

72 They said, We are missing the measure of the king. And for he who produces it is a camel's load, and I am responsible for it.

73 They said, By God, you have certainly known that we did not come to cause corruption in the land, and we have not been thieves.

74 They said, Then what is its recompense if you should be liars?

75 They said, Its recompense is that he in whose bag it is found, he will be its recompense. Thus do we recompense the wrongdoers.

76 So he began with their bags before the bag of his brother. Then he extracted it from the bag of his brother. Thus did We plan for Joseph. He could not have taken his brother within the religion of the king except that God willed. We raise in degrees whom We will, but over every possessor of knowledge is one more knowing.

77 They said, If he steals, a brother of his has stolen before. But Joseph kept it within himself and did not reveal it to them. He said, You are worse in position, and God is most knowing of what you describe.

78 They said, O ruler, indeed he has an aged father, so take one of us in his place. Indeed, we see you as one of the doers of good.

79 He said, God forbid that we should take except him with whom we found our possession. Indeed, we would then be unjust.

80 When they despaired of him, they withdrew to confer privately. The eldest of them said, Do you not know that your father took a promise from you by God and before that you failed in your duty with Joseph? So I will never leave this land until my father permits me or God judges for me. He is the best of judges.

81 Return to your father and say, O our father, indeed your son has stolen, and we testify only to what we know. We were not guardians of the unseen.

82 Ask the town where we were and the caravan in which we came. We are indeed truthful.

83 He said, Rather, your souls have enticed you to something. So patience is most fitting. Perhaps God will bring them all to me. Indeed, He is the Knowing, the Wise.

84 And he turned away from them and said, Oh, my sorrow over Joseph. And his eyes became white from grief, and he was filled with silent sorrow.

85 They said, By God, you will not cease remembering Joseph until you become fatally ill or become of those who perish.

86 He said, I only complain of my suffering and my grief to God, and I know from God that which you do not know.

87 O my sons, go and inquire about Joseph and his brother and do not despair of relief from God. Indeed, no one despairs of relief from God except the disbelieving people.

88 When they entered upon Joseph, they said, O noble one, adversity has touched us and our family, and we have come with goods of little worth, but give us full measure and be charitable to us. Indeed, God rewards the charitable.

89 He said, Do you know what you did to Joseph and his brother when you were ignorant?

90 They said, Are you indeed Joseph? He said, I am Joseph, and this is my brother. God has certainly favored us. Indeed, he who fears God and is patient, then surely God does not allow to be lost the reward of the doers of good.

91 They said, By God, certainly God has preferred you over us, and indeed, we were sinners.

92 He said, No blame upon you today. God will forgive you, and He is the most merciful of the merciful.

93 Go with this, my shirt, and cast it over my father's face, he will become seeing. And bring me your family, all together.

94 And when the caravan departed, their father said, Indeed, I find the scent of Joseph, if you did not think me senile.

95 They said, By God, you are still in your old error.

96 And when the bearer of good tidings arrived, he cast it over his face, and he returned seeing. He said, Did I not tell you that I know from God that which you do not know?

97 They said, O our father, ask forgiveness for us of our sins. Indeed, we have been sinners.

98 He said, I will ask forgiveness for you from my Lord. Indeed, it is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful.

99 And when they entered upon Joseph, he took his parents to himself and said, Enter Egypt, God willing, safe.

100 And he raised his parents upon the throne, and they fell down before him in prostration. And he said, O my father, this is the interpretation of my vision of before. My Lord has made it reality. And He was certainly good to me when He took me out of prison and brought you from bedouin life after Satan had induced discord between me and my brothers. Indeed, my Lord is Subtle in what He wills. Indeed, it is He who is the Knowing, the Wise.

101 My Lord, You have given me of sovereignty and taught me of the interpretation of dreams. Creator of the heavens and earth, You are my protector in this world and in the Hereafter. Cause me to die a Muslim and join me with the righteous.

102 This is from the news of the unseen which We reveal to you. And you were not with them when they agreed on their plan while they were plotting.

103 And most of the people will not believe even if you desire it eagerly.

104 And you do not ask them for any payment for it. It is only a reminder for the worlds.

105 How many signs in the heavens and earth do they pass by while turning away from them

106 Most of them do not believe in God except while associating others with Him

107 Do they feel secure from the coming of an overwhelming punishment from God or the coming of the Hour suddenly while they do not perceive

108 Say this is my way I invite to God with insight I and those who follow me and exalted is God and I am not of those who associate others with Him

109 We did not send before you except men to whom We revealed from among the people of cities So have they not traveled through the land and observed how was the end of those before them And the home of the Hereafter is best for those who fear God Then will you not reason

110 Until when the messengers despaired and thought that they had been denied Our help came to them and whoever We willed was saved And Our punishment cannot be repelled from the guilty people

111 There was certainly in their stories a lesson for those of understanding It is not a narration invented but a confirmation of what was before it and a detailed explanation of all things and guidance and mercy for a people who believe