In the name of Allah,
the Gracious, the Merciful
- Alif, Lam, Ra. These are the Verses of the
Clear Book. - We have revealed it an Arabic Quran, so
that you may understand. - We narrate to you the most accurate history, by revealing to you this Quran. Although, prior to it, you were of the unaware.
- When Joseph said to his father, “O my father, I saw eleven planets, and the sun, and
the moon; I saw them bowing down to me.” - He said, “O my son, do not relate your vision to your brothers, lest they plot and
scheme against you. Satan is man’s sworn enemy. - And thus your Lord will choose you, and
will teach you the interpretation of events,
and will complete His blessing upon you and
upon the family of Jacob, as He has completed it before upon your forefathers Abraham and Isaac. Your Lord is Knowing and
Wise. - In Joseph and his brothers are lessons for
the seekers. - When they said, “Joseph and his brother are
dearer to our father than we are, although we
are a whole group. Our father is obviously in
the wrong. - “Kill Joseph, or throw him somewhere in
the land, and your father‘s attention will be
yours. Afterwards, you will be decent people.” - One of them said, “Do not kill Joseph, but
throw him into the bottom of the well; some
caravan may pick him up—if you must do
something.” - They said, “Father, why do you not trust us
with Joseph, although we care for him?” - “Send him with us tomorrow, that he may
roam and play; we will take care of him.” - He said, “It worries me that you would take
him away. And I fear the wolf may eat him
while you are careless of him.” - They said, “If the wolf ate him, and we are
many, we would be good for nothing.” - So they went away with him, and agreed to
put him at the bottom of the well. And We
inspired him, “You will inform them of this
deed of theirs when they are unaware.” - And they came to their father in the evening weeping.
- They said, “O father, we went off racing
one another, and left Joseph by our belongings; and the wolf ate him. But you will not
believe us, even though we are being truthful.” - And they brought his shirt, with fake blood
on it. He said, “Your souls enticed you to do
something. But patience is beautiful, and Allah is my Help against what you describe.” - A caravan passed by, and they sent their
water-carrier. He lowered his bucket, and
said, “Good news. Here is a boy.” And they
hid him as merchandise. But Allah was aware
of what they did. - And they sold him for a cheap price—a few
coins—they considered him to be of little
value. - The Egyptian who bought him said to his
wife, “Take good care of him; he may be useful to us, or we may adopt him as a son.” We
thus established Joseph in the land, to teach
him the interpretation of events. Allah has
control over His affairs, but most people do
not know. - When he reached his maturity, We gave
him wisdom and knowledge. We thus reward
the righteous. - She in whose house he was living tried to
seduce him. She shut the doors, and said, “I
am yours.” He said, “Allah forbid! He is my
Lord. He has given me a good home. Sinners
never succeed.” - She desired him, and he desired her, had he
not seen the proof of his Lord. It was thus that
We diverted evil and indecency away from
him. He was one of Our loyal servants. - As they raced towards the door, she tore his
shirt from behind. At the door, they ran into
her husband. She said, “What is the penalty
for him who desired to dishonor your wife,
except imprisonment or a painful punishment?” - He said, “It was she who tried to seduce
me.” A witness from her household suggested: “If his shirt is torn from the front:
then she has told the truth, and he is the liar. - But if his shirt is torn from the back: then
she has lied, and he is the truthful.” - And when he saw that his shirt was torn
from the back, he said, “This is a woman’s
scheme. Your scheming is serious indeed.” - “Joseph, turn away from this. And you,
woman, ask forgiveness for your sin; you are
indeed in the wrong.” - Some ladies in the city said, “The governor’s wife is trying to seduce her servant. She
is deeply in love with him. We see she has
gone astray.” - And when she heard of their gossip, she invited them, and prepared for them a banquet,
and she gave each one of them a knife. She
said, “Come out before them.” And when
they saw him, they marveled at him, and cut
their hands. They said, “Good Allah, this is
not a human, this must be a precious angel.” - She said, “Here he is, the one you blamed
me for. I did try to seduce him, but he resisted. But if he does not do what I tell him to
do, he will be imprisoned, and will be one of
the despised.” - He said, “My Lord, prison is more desirable to me than what they call me to. Unless
You turn their scheming away from me, I
may yield to them, and become one of the ignorant.” - Thereupon his Lord answered him, and diverted their scheming away from him. He is
the Hearer, the Knower. - Then it occurred to them, after they had
seen the signs, to imprison him for a while. - Two youth entered the prison with him.
One of them said, “I see myself pressing
wine.” The other said, “I see myself carrying
bread on my head, from which the birds are
eating. Tell us their interpretation—we see
that you are one of the righteous.” - He said, “No food is served to you, but I
have informed you about it before you have
received it. That is some of what my Lord has
taught me. I have forsaken the tradition of
people who do not believe in Allah; and regarding the Hereafter, they are deniers.” - “And I have followed the faith of my forefathers, Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob. It is
not for us to associate anything with Allah.
This is by virtue of Allah’s grace upon us and
upon the people, but most people do not give
thanks. - “O My fellow inmates, are diverse lords
better, or Allah, the One, the Supreme?” - “You do not worship, besides Him, except
names you have named, you and your ancestors, for which Allah has sent down no authority. Judgment belongs to none but Allah.
He has commanded that you worship none
but Him. This is the right religion, but most
people do not know. - “O my fellow inmates! One of you will
serve his master wine; while the other will be
crucified, and the birds will eat from his head.
Thus the matter you are inquiring about is
settled.” - And he said to the one he thought would
be released, “Mention me to your master.”
But Satan caused him to forget mentioning
him to his master, so he remained in prison
for several years. - The king said, “I see seven fat cows being
eaten by seven lean ones, and seven green
spikes, and others dried up. O elders, explain
to me my vision, if you are able to interpret
visions.” - They said, “Jumbles of dreams, and we
know nothing of the interpretation of
dreams.” - The one who was released said, having remembered after a time, “I will inform you of
its interpretation, so send me out.” - “Joseph, O man of truth, inform us concerning seven fat cows being eaten by seven
lean ones, and seven green spikes, and others
dried up, so that I may return to the people,
so that they may know.” - He said, “You will farm for seven consecutive years. But whatever you harvest, leave it
in its spikes, except for the little that you eat.” - Then after that will come seven difficult
ones, which will consume what you have
stored for them, except for the little that you
have preserved. - Then after that will come a year that brings
relief to the people, and during which they
will press. - The king said, “Bring him to me.” And
when the envoy came to him, he said, “Go back to your master, and ask him about the intentions of the women who cut their hands; my Lord is well aware of their schemes.” - He said, “What was the matter with you,
women, when you tried to seduce Joseph?”
They said, “Allah forbid! We knew of no evil
committed by him.” The governor’s wife then
said, “Now the truth is out. It was I who tried
to seduce him, and he is telling the truth.” - “This is that he may know that I did not
betray him in secret, and that Allah does not
guide the scheming of the betrayers.” - “Yet I do not claim to be innocent. The soul
commands evil, except those on whom my
Lord has mercy. Truly my Lord is Forgiving
and Merciful.” - The king said, “Bring him to me, and I will
reserve him for myself.” And when he spoke
to him, he said, “This day you are with us established and secure.” - He said, “Put me in charge of the storehouses of the land; I am honest and knowledgeable.”
- And thus We established Joseph in the
land, to live therein wherever he wished. We
touch with Our mercy whomever We will,
and We never waste the reward of the righteous. - But the reward of the Hereafter is better for
those who believe and observed piety. - And Joseph’s brothers came, and entered
into his presence. He recognized them, but
they did not recognize him. - When he provided them with their provisions, he said, “Bring me a brother of yours
from your father. Do you not see that I fill up
the measure, and I am the best of hosts?” - “But if you do not bring him to me, you will
have no measure from me, and you will not
come near me.” - They said, “We will solicit him from his father. We will surely do.”
- He said to his servants, “Put their goods in
their saddlebags; perhaps they will recognize them when they return to their families, and maybe they will come back.” - When they returned to their father, they
said, “O father, we were denied measure, but
send our brother with us, and we will obtain
measure. We will take care of him.” - He said, “Shall I trust you with him, as I
trusted you with his brother before? Allah is
the Best Guardian, and He is the Most Merciful of the merciful.” - And when they opened their baggage, they
found that their goods were returned to
them. They said, “Father, what more do we
want? Here are our goods, returned to us. We
will provide for our family, and protect our
brother, and have an additional camel-load.
This is easy commerce.” - He said, “I will not send him with you, unless you give me a pledge before Allah that
you will bring him back to me, unless you get
trapped.” And when they gave him their
pledge, he said, “Allah is witness to what we
say.” - And he said, “O my sons, do not enter by
one gate, but enter by different gates. I cannot
avail you anything against Allah. The decision rests only with Allah. On Him I rely, and
on Him let the reliant rely.” - And when they entered as their father had
instructed them, it did not avail them anything against Allah; it was just a need in the
soul of Jacob, which he carried out. He was a
person of knowledge inasmuch as We had
taught him, but most people do not know. - And when they entered into the presence
of Joseph, he embraced his brother, and said,
“I am your brother; do not be saddened by
what they used to do.” - Then, when he provided them with their
provisions, he placed the drinking-cup in his
brother’s saddlebag. Then an announcer
called out, “O people of the caravan, you are
thieves.” - They said, as they came towards them,
“What are you missing?” - They said, “We are missing the king’s goblet. Whoever brings it will have a camel-load;
and I personally guarantee it.” - They said, “By Allah, you know we did not
come to cause trouble in the land, and we are
not thieves.” - They said, “What shall be his punishment,
if you are lying?” - They said, “His punishment, if it is found
in his bag: he will belong to you. Thus we penalize the guilty.” - So he began with their bags, before his
brother’s bag. Then he pulled it out of his
brother’s bag. Thus We devised a plan for Joseph; he could not have detained his brother
under the king’s law, unless Allah so willed.
We elevate by degrees whomever We will;
and above every person of knowledge, there
is one more learned. - They said, “If he has stolen, a brother of his
has stolen before.” But Joseph kept it to himself, and did not reveal it to them. He said,
“You are in a worse situation, and Allah is
Aware of what you allege.” - They said, “O noble prince, he has a father,
a very old man, so take one of us in his place.
We see that you are a good person.” - He said, “Allah forbid that we should arrest
anyone except him in whose possession we
found our property; for then we would be unjust.” - And when they despaired of him, they conferred privately. Their eldest said, “Don’t you
know that your father received a pledge from
you before Allah, and in the past you failed
with regard to Joseph? I will not leave this
land until my father permits me, or Allah decides for me; for He is the Best of Deciders.” - “Go back to your father, and say, ‘Our father, your son has stolen. We testify only to
what we know, and we could not have prevented the unforeseen.’” - “Ask the town where we were, and the caravan in which we came. We are being truthful.”
- He said, “Rather, your souls have contrived
something for you. Patience is a virtue. Perhaps Allah will bring them all back to me. He
is the Knowing, the Wise.” - Then he turned away from them, and said,
“O my bitterness for Joseph.” And his eyes
turned white from sorrow, and he became
depressed. - They said, “By Allah, you will not stop remembering Joseph, until you have ruined
your health, or you have passed away.” - He said, “I only complain of my grief and
sorrow to Allah, and I know from Allah what
you do not know.” - “O my sons, go and inquire about Joseph
and his brother, and do not despair of Allah’s
comfort. None despairs of Allah’s comfort
except the disbelieving people.” - Then, when they entered into his presence,
they said, “Mighty governor, adversity has
befallen us, and our family. We have brought
scant merchandise. But give us full measure,
and be charitable towards us—Allah rewards
the charitable.” - He said, “Do you realize what you did with
Joseph and his brother, in your ignorance?” - They said, “Is that you, Joseph?” He said, “I
am Joseph, and this is my brother. Allah has
been gracious to us. He who practices piety
and patience—Allah never fails to reward the
righteous.” - They said, “By Allah, Allah has preferred
you over us. We were definitely in the
wrong.” - He said, “There is no blame upon you today. Allah will forgive you. He is the Most
Merciful of the merciful.” - “Take this shirt of mine, and lay it over my
father’s face, and he will recover his sight.
And bring your whole family to me.” - As the caravan set out, their father said, “I
sense the presence of Joseph, though you may
think I am senile.” - They said, “By Allah, you are still in your
old confusion.” - Then, when the bearer of good news arrived, he laid it over his face, and he regained
his sight. He said, “Did I not say to you that I
know from Allah what you do not know?” - They said, “Father, pray for the forgiveness
of our sins; we were indeed at fault.” - He said, “I will ask my Lord to forgive you.
He is the Forgiver, the Most Merciful.” - Then, when they entered into the presence
of Joseph, he embraced his parents, and said,
“Enter Egypt, Allah willing, safe and secure.” - And he elevated his parents on the throne,
and they fell prostrate before him. He said,
“Father, this is the fulfillment of my vision of
long ago. My Lord has made it come true. He
has blessed me, when he released me from
prison, and brought you out of the wilderness, after the devil had sown conflict between me and my brothers. My Lord is Most
Kind towards whomever He wills. He is the
All-knowing, the Most Wise.” - “My Lord, You have given me some authority, and taught me some interpretation of
events. Initiator of the heavens and the earth;
You are my Protector in this life and in the
Hereafter. Receive my soul in submission,
and unite me with the righteous.” - This is news from the past that We reveal
to you. You were not present with them when
they plotted and agreed on a plan. - But most people, for all your eagerness, are
not believers. - You ask them no wage for it. It is only a
reminder for all mankind. - How many a sign in the heavens and the
earth do they pass by, paying no attention to
them? - And most of them do not believe in Allah
unless they associate others. - Do they feel secure that a covering of Allah’s punishment will not come upon them,
or that the Hour will not come upon them
suddenly, while they are unaware? - Say, “This is my way; I invite to Allah,
based on clear knowledge—I and whoever follows me. Glory be to Allah; and I am not of the polytheists.” - We did not send before you except men,
whom We inspired, from the people of the
towns. Have they not roamed the earth and
seen the consequences for those before them?
The Home of the Hereafter is better for those
who are righteous. Do you not understand? - Until, when the messengers have despaired, and thought that they were rejected,
Our help came to them. We save whomever
We will, and Our severity is not averted from
the guilty people. - In their stories is a lesson for those who
possess intelligence. This is not a fabricated
tale, but a confirmation of what came before
it, and a detailed explanation of all things,
and guidance, and mercy for people who believe.