Sūrat Yūsuf

سورۃ یوسف

[The running header transitions to Yūsuf — the boundary occurs here at p. 138. The note indicates: Sūrat Yūsuf has 111 verses and 12 rukūʿ.]

﴿الر تِلْكَ آيَاتُ الْكِتَابِ الْمُبِينِ﴾Alif Lām Rāʾ. Tilka āyātu l-kitābi l-mubīn Alif Lām Rāʾ. These are the verses of the manifest Book. — Yūsuf 12:1

Translation: Alif Lām Rāʾ — Allah (may He be exalted) knows their true meaning. These are the verses of the clarifying, luminous Book.

﴿إِنَّا أَنزَلْنَاهُ قُرْآنًا عَرَبِيًّا لَّعَلَّكُمْ تَعْقِلُونَ﴾Innā anzalnāhu qurʾānan ʿarabiyyan laʿallakum taʿqilūn "Indeed, We have sent it down as an Arabic Qurʾān that you might understand." — Yūsuf 12:2

Translation: We have revealed this Book as an Arabic Qurʾān so that you may reflect and understand with your reason.

Commentary: The Qurʾān was revealed in the Arabic language. The author takes the opportunity to note the extraordinary vitality of the Arabic language: it has endured for well over a thousand years while maintaining its literary standard, unlike other languages which change dramatically within a few centuries. The Sab'a Muʿallaqāt (the seven great pre-Islamic odes) and all classical Arabic poetry remain fully comprehensible to this day. The author also notes that the Arabic language is uniquely suited to express the deepest meanings of divine revelation, religious law, and spiritual truth — and this is one reason the Qurʾān was revealed in it.

[The running header now reads "Yūsuf."]

﴿نَحْنُ نَقُصُّ عَلَيْكَ أَحْسَنَ الْقَصَصِ بِمَا أَوْحَيْنَا إِلَيْكَ هَٰذَا الْقُرْآنَ وَإِن كُنتَ مِن قَبْلِهِ لَمِنَ الْغَافِلِينَ﴾Naḥnu naquṣṣu ʿalayka aḥsana l-qaṣaṣi bi-mā awḥaynā ilayka hādhā l-qurʾāna wa in kunta min qablihi la-mina l-ghāfilīn "We relate to you the best of stories in what We have revealed to you of this Qurʾān, though you were before it among the unaware." — Yūsuf 12:3

Translation: We are relating to you [O Prophetﷺ] the most beautiful and beneficial of narratives through Our revelation of this Qurʾān — though before it you were among those unaware of these events [for the knowledge came only from Allah (may He be exalted)].

Commentary: The Qurʾān introduces the story of Yūsuf (upon him be peace) as aḥsana l-qaṣaṣ — "the most beautiful of stories." Everything about it is unique: the extraordinary chain of events, the spiritual lessons, the revelation of divine wisdom operating through human drama. It was unknown to the Prophetﷺbefore revelation — a proof that the Qurʾān is Divine.

﴿إِذْ قَالَ يُوسُفُ لِأَبِيهِ يَا أَبَتِ إِنِّي رَأَيْتُ أَحَدَ عَشَرَ كَوْكَبًا وَالشَّمْسَ وَالْقَمَرَ رَأَيْتُهُمْ لِي سَاجِدِينَ﴾Idh qāla Yūsufu li-abīhi yā abati innī raʾaytu aḥada ʿashara kawkaban wa sh-shamsa wa l-qamara raʾaytuhum lī sājidīn "When Yūsuf said to his father: O my father! I saw eleven stars and the sun and the moon — I saw them prostrating to me." — Yūsuf 12:4

Translation: When Yūsuf (upon him be peace) said to his father [Yaʿqūb (upon him be peace)]: O my dear father! I saw in a dream eleven stars, and the sun and the moon — I saw them all prostrating before me.

Commentary: The word abati is the intimate form of address — "dear father." The vision (ruʾyā) was remarkable: the eleven stars represented his brothers; the sun and moon represented his parents [Yaʿqūb (upon him be peace) and, according to the commentators, his maternal aunt or mother]. The author explains that in the world of dreams (ʿālam al-mithāl), objects may appear in the forms of other things; it is not unusual for the sun to appear in a human form or a human to appear as a star. Yaʿqūb (upon him be peace) appeared as the sun because of his luminous spiritual station, and the moon represented his mother [or maternal aunt]. The eleven stars were his brothers, who were still servants of the world.

The author also notes: prostration before other than Allah (al-sujūd li-ghayr Allāh) was permitted in earlier revelations, but the Prophet Muḥammadﷺforbade it for this umma, considering it too close to shirk. Some scholars permit reverential bowing to elders out of respect, but this is a matter of scholarly disagreement. It is more cautious to avoid it.

﴿قَالَ يَا بُنَيَّ لَا تَقْصُصْ رُؤْيَاكَ عَلَىٰ إِخْوَتِكَ فَيَكِيدُوا لَكَ كَيْدًا إِنَّ الشَّيْطَانَ لِلْإِنسَانِ عَدُوٌّ مُّبِينٌ﴾Qāla yā bunayya lā taqṣuṣ ruʾyāka ʿalā ikhwatika fa-yakīdū laka kaydan inna sh-shayṭāna li-l-insāni ʿaduwwun mubīn "[Yaʿqūb] said: O my dear son! Do not relate your dream to your brothers, lest they devise a scheme against you. Indeed Shayṭān is a clear enemy to humankind." — Yūsuf 12:5

Translation: [Yaʿqūb (upon him be peace)] said: O my dear son! Do not tell this dream to your brothers — they will plot against you with cunning schemes. Indeed Shayṭān (iblīs) is a manifest enemy of humankind.

﴿وَكَذَٰلِكَ يَجْتَبِيكَ رَبُّكَ وَيُعَلِّمُكَ مِن تَأْوِيلِ الْأَحَادِيثِ وَيُتِمُّ نِعْمَتَهُ عَلَيْكَ وَعَلَىٰ آلِ يَعْقُوبَ كَمَا أَتَمَّهَا عَلَىٰ أَبَوَيْكَ مِن قَبْلُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَإِسْحَاقَ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌ﴾Wa kadhālika yajtabīka rabbuka wa yuʿallimuka min taʾwīli l-aḥādīthi wa yutimmu niʿmatahu ʿalayka wa ʿalā āli Yaʿqūba kamā atammahā ʿalā abawayika min qablu Ibrāhīma wa Isḥāqa inna rabbaka ʿAlīmun Ḥakīm "And thus your Lord will choose you and teach you of the interpretation of narratives and perfect His favour upon you and upon the family of Yaʿqūb, just as He perfected it upon your forefathers Ibrāhīm and Isḥāq before — indeed your Lord is Knowing, Wise." — Yūsuf 12:6

Translation: And in this way your Lord will elect and exalt you, and teach you the interpretation of dreams and narratives, and complete His blessing upon you and the household of Yaʿqūb (upon him be peace) — just as He completed it upon your forefathers Ibrāhīm and Isḥāq (upon them both be peace) before you. Truly your Lord is All-Knowing, All-Wise.

Commentary: The phrase taʾwīl al-aḥādīth refers to the interpretation of dreams and symbolic narratives — a special knowledge that Allah (may He be exalted) granted to Yūsuf (upon him be peace). The prophecy in Yaʿqūb's words points to the entire arc of the story: the chosenness (ijtibāʾ) of Yūsuf (upon him be peace) for prophethood, the completion of the divine gift of knowledge, and the spiritual succession within the family of the Prophets from Ibrāhīm to Isḥāq to Yaʿqūb to Yūsuf (upon them all be peace).

﴿لَّقَدْ كَانَ فِي يُوسُفَ وَإِخْوَتِهِ آيَاتٌ لِّلسَّائِلِينَ﴾Laqad kāna fī Yūsufa wa ikhwatihi āyātun li-l-sāʾilīn "Indeed in Yūsuf and his brothers there are signs for those who ask." — Yūsuf 12:7

Translation: Certainly, in the story of Yūsuf (upon him be peace) and his brothers there are signs and lessons for those who seek and enquire.

Commentary: What did the story of Yūsuf (upon him be peace) tell us? The brothers plotted against him and threw him in the well; the followers of the Quraysh plotted against the Prophet Muḥammadﷺand persecuted him. The brothers sold Yūsuf (upon him be peace) for paltry coins; the Quraysh vilified the Prophetﷺfor years. But just as Allah (may He be exalted) honoured Yūsuf (upon him be peace) with the throne of Egypt, He honoured the Prophetﷺwith the conquest of Mecca (fatḥ Makka al-mukarrama) — his homeland, which had rejected him. And just as Yūsuf's (upon him be peace) brothers ultimately came before him bowing in submission, the Quraysh too were humbled before the Prophetﷺ. Moreover, in this story are themes of love, longing (shawq), and reunion — the emotions of passionate devotion that the mystics (ahl al-maḥabba) find an inexhaustible well of wisdom in. ʿishq-e-rānā-z-e-Yūsuf-e-rāh-e-bādā-rā-wa — Yūsuf is a candle of Divine beauty and the soul yearns like a moth.

﴿إِذْ قَالُوا لَيُوسُفُ وَأَخُوهُ أَحَبُّ إِلَىٰ أَبِينَا مِنَّا وَنَحْنُ عُصْبَةٌ إِنَّ أَبَانَا لَفِي ضَلَالٍ مُّبِينٍ﴾Idh qālū la-Yūsufu wa akhūhu aḥabbu ilā abīnā minnā wa naḥnu ʿuṣbatun inna abānā la-fī ḍalālin mubīn "When they said: Yūsuf and his brother are more beloved to our father than us, though we are a strong group. Indeed our father is in manifest error." — Yūsuf 12:8

Translation: [Recall] when the brothers of Yūsuf (upon him be peace) said [among themselves]: Yūsuf and his [full] brother [Binyāmīn] are more beloved to our father [Yaʿqūb] than we are — though we are a strong band! Our father is surely in manifest error!

Commentary: The brothers included the word ʿuṣba — a group of approximately ten strong men — to argue that their numbers and utility should warrant greater love. Their complaint combined jealousy, a misreading of parental love, and a fundamental misunderstanding that Yaʿqūb's (upon him be peace) preference was prophetic discernment, not favoritism. The younger Yūsuf and Binyāmīn were from the same mother, and both displayed outstanding character; Yaʿqūb (upon him be peace) recognized the light of prophethood in Yūsuf (upon him be peace) above all.

﴿اقْتُلُوا يُوسُفَ أَوِ اطْرَحُوهُ أَرْضًا يَخْلُ لَكُمْ وَجْهُ أَبِيكُمْ وَتَكُونُوا مِن بَعْدِهِ قَوْمًا صَالِحِينَ﴾Uqtulū Yūsufa awi ṭraḥūhu arḍan yakhlu lakum wajhu abīkum wa takūnū min baʿdihi qawman ṣāliḥīn "Kill Yūsuf, or cast him into some land, so that your father's attention may be exclusively yours — and after that you may be a righteous people." — Yūsuf 12:9

Translation: Kill Yūsuf! Or cast him into a distant land so that your father's attention and love may be freed for you alone. And after that [once the deed is done] you can repent and become righteous!

﴿قَالَ قَائِلٌ مِّنْهُمْ لَا تَقْتُلُوا يُوسُفَ وَأَلْقُوهُ فِي غَيَابَتِ الْجُبِّ يَلْتَقِطْهُ بَعْضُ السَّيَّارَةِ إِن كُنتُمْ فَاعِلِينَ﴾Qāla qāʾilun minhum lā taqtulū Yūsufa wa alqūhu fī ghayābati l-jubbi yaltaqiṭhu baʿḍu s-sayyārati in kuntum fāʿilīn "One among them said: Do not kill Yūsuf — cast him into the bottom of the well. Some caravan will pick him up, if you are going to do anything." — Yūsuf 12:10

Translation: One of them [the more moderate among the brothers, according to the commentators, possibly Yahūdhā (Judah)] said: Do not kill Yūsuf! Instead, cast him into the depths of a well [a dry well, ghayābat al-jubb] and some passing caravan will take him. If you must do something, at least do not shed his blood directly.

﴿قَالُوا يَا أَبَانَا مَا لَكَ لَا تَأْمَنَّا عَلَىٰ يُوسُفَ وَإِنَّا لَهُ لَنَاصِحُونَ﴾Qālū yā abānā mā laka lā taʾmannā ʿalā Yūsufa wa innā lahu la-nāṣiḥūn "They said: O our father! Why do you not trust us with Yūsuf? Truly we are his sincere well-wishers." — Yūsuf 12:11

Translation: They said [to their father Yaʿqūb (upon him be peace)]: O our father! What is it with you that you cannot trust us with Yūsuf? We are sincerely well-disposed toward him, his true friends and well-wishers!

﴿أَرْسِلْهُ مَعَنَا غَدًا يَرْتَعْ وَيَلْعَبْ وَإِنَّا لَهُ لَحَافِظُونَ﴾Arsilhu maʿanā ghadan yartaʿ wa yalʿab wa innā lahu la-ḥāfiẓūn "Send him with us tomorrow so he may enjoy himself and play — and we will surely protect him." — Yūsuf 12:12

Translation: Send him with us tomorrow so that he may graze freely [in the fields] and play — and we will be his guardians, keeping him safe from all harm.

﴿قَالَ إِنِّي لَيَحْزُنُنِي أَن تَذْهَبُوا بِهِ وَأَخَافُ أَن يَأْكُلَهُ الذِّئْبُ وَأَنتُمْ عَنْهُ غَافِلُونَ﴾Qāla innī la-yaḥzununī an tadhhabū bihi wa akhāfu an yaʾkulahu dh-dhiʾbu wa antum ʿanhu ghāfilūn "He said: It grieves me that you should take him away, and I fear that the wolf may eat him while you are heedless of him." — Yūsuf 12:13

Translation: [Yaʿqūb (upon him be peace)] said: It grieves me to have you take him away. I fear that the wolf may devour him while you are absorbed in your own affairs and heedless of him.

﴿قَالُوا لَئِنْ أَكَلَهُ الذِّئْبُ وَنَحْنُ عُصْبَةٌ إِنَّا إِذًا لَّخَاسِرُونَ﴾Qālū la-in akalahu dh-dhiʾbu wa naḥnu ʿuṣbatun innā idhan la-khāsirūn "They said: If the wolf were to eat him while we are a strong group, then indeed we would be truly losers." — Yūsuf 12:14

Translation: They said: How could a wolf eat him when we are such a strong band? If that happened we would indeed be utter failures!

﴿فَلَمَّا ذَهَبُوا بِهِ وَأَجْمَعُوا أَن يَجْعَلُوهُ فِي غَيَابَتِ الْجُبِّ وَأَوْحَيْنَا إِلَيْهِ لَتُنَبِّئَنَّهُم بِأَمْرِهِمْ هَٰذَا وَهُمْ لَا يَشْعُرُونَ﴾Fa-lammā dhahabū bihi wa ajmaʿū an yajʿalūhu fī ghayābati l-jubbi wa awḥaynā ilayhi la-tunabbi-ʾannahum bi-amrihim hādhā wa hum lā yashʿurūn "When they took him away and agreed to cast him into the bottom of the well, We inspired in him: You will surely inform them of this affair of theirs at a time when they will not perceive." — Yūsuf 12:15

Translation: When the brothers took Yūsuf (upon him be peace) away and agreed [unanimously] to cast him into the depths of the dry well, We inspired (awḥaynā) into his heart: You will one day certainly inform them of this deed they have done against you, at a time when they do not recognize you.

Commentary: The author discusses the nature of divine waḥy (inspiration) here. In its lughawī (linguistic) sense, waḥy means a quick, secret communication or signal — as in the verse fa-awḥā ilayhim (Maryam 19:11) meaning Zakariyyāʾ gestured to them. In its iṣṭilāḥī (technical/theological) sense, waḥy refers specifically to divine revelation conveyed to Prophets through the angel Jibrīl (upon him be peace) or direct divine communication — and this is the exclusive prerogative of the Prophets of Allah (may He be exalted). Here, what was conveyed to Yūsuf (upon him be peace) at the bottom of the well was a consolation and a promise from Allah (may He be exalted) — a prophetic communication appropriate to his station. He was not to grieve, for the time would come when those who had wronged him would stand before him in full awareness of what they had done.

﴿وَجَاءُوا أَبَاهُمْ عِشَاءً يَبْكُونَ﴾Wa jāʾū abāhum ʿishāʾan yabkūn "And they came to their father in the evening, weeping." — Yūsuf 12:16

Translation: And they came to their father in the evening, weeping.

﴿قَالُوا يَا أَبَانَا إِنَّا ذَهَبْنَا نَسْتَبِقُ وَتَرَكْنَا يُوسُفَ عِندَ مَتَاعِنَا فَأَكَلَهُ الذِّئْبُ وَمَا أَنتَ بِمُؤْمِنٍ لَّنَا وَلَوْ كُنَّا صَادِقِينَ﴾Qālū yā abānā innā dhahabnā nastabiqu wa taraknā Yūsufa ʿinda matāʿinā fa-akalahu dh-dhiʾbu wa mā anta bi-muʾminin lanā wa law kunnā ṣādiqīn "They said: O our father! We went off to race one another and left Yūsuf with our belongings — and the wolf ate him. But you will not believe us even if we were telling the truth." — Yūsuf 12:17

Translation: They said: O our father! We went off to run races with each other and left Yūsuf with our things — and the wolf ate him! But you will not believe us even if we are telling the truth.

﴿وَجَاءُوا عَلَىٰ قَمِيصِهِ بِدَمٍ كَذِبٍ قَالَ بَلْ سَوَّلَتْ لَكُمْ أَنفُسُكُمْ أَمْرًا فَصَبْرٌ جَمِيلٌ وَاللَّهُ الْمُسْتَعَانُ عَلَىٰ مَا تَصِفُونَ﴾Wa jāʾū ʿalā qamīṣihi bi-damin kadhibin qāla bal sawwalat lakum anfusukum amran fa-ṣabrun jamīlun wa llāhu l-mustaʿānu ʿalā mā taṣifūn "And they brought his shirt with false blood on it. He said: Rather, your souls have made something seem fine to you. So [I must have] gracious patience — and Allah is the one sought for help against what you describe." — Yūsuf 12:18

Translation: They brought his shirt with false blood upon it. [Yaʿqūb (upon him be peace)] said: No — your own selves have made this thing seem alluring and right to you. [For me there is nothing but] beautiful patience. And it is Allah alone from whom I seek help against what you are describing.

Commentary: Sawwalat — "made it seem fair" — means their own desires and Shayṭān prompted them to deceive. Ṣabrun jamīl — "beautiful patience" — is patience without complaint, without demanding any human compensation, with the heart turned only to Allah (may He be exalted). This is the Prophetic ṣabr, the highest form of endurance. Al-mustaʿān — the one help is sought from — means no one but Allah (may He be exalted) can truly assist in such a trial.

﴿وَجَاءَتْ سَيَّارَةٌ فَأَرْسَلُوا وَارِدَهُمْ فَأَدْلَىٰ دَلْوَهُ قَالَ يَا بُشْرَىٰ هَٰذَا غُلَامٌ وَأَسَرُّوهُ بِضَاعَةً وَاللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ بِمَا يَعْمَلُونَ﴾Wa jāʾat sayyāratun fa-arsalū wāridahum fa-adlā dalwahu qāla yā bushrā hādhā ghulāmun wa asarrūhu biḍāʿatan wa llāhu ʿalīmun bi-mā yaʿmalūn "And a caravan came; they sent their water-drawer, who let down his bucket — and he said: What good news! This is a young boy! And they concealed him as merchandise, and Allah knew well what they were doing." — Yūsuf 12:19

Translation: A caravan came and they sent their water-drawer to the well. He let down his bucket — and he cried out: What good news! There is a young boy here! And they concealed him as merchandise [to sell], and Allah knew well what they were doing.

Commentary: The water-carrier's exclamation — yā bushrā hādhā ghulām — was spontaneous joy at finding a handsome young boy in the well rather than water. They concealed him as trade merchandise so no one else would claim him. But Allah (may He be exalted) knew full well what was happening — He was working His own plan through these events.

﴿وَشَرَوْهُ بِثَمَنٍ بَخْسٍ دَرَاهِمَ مَعْدُودَةٍ وَكَانُوا فِيهِ مِنَ الزَّاهِدِينَ﴾Wa sharawhu bi-thamaning bakhsin darāhima maʿdūdatin wa kānū fīhi mina z-zāhidīn "And they sold him for a paltry price — a few coins — and they were, concerning him, of those who had no desire [for him]." — Yūsuf 12:20

Translation: They sold him for a paltry, undervalued price — just a handful of counted dirhams. They were indifferent about him and had no great interest in keeping him.

﴿وَقَالَ الَّذِي اشْتَرَاهُ مِن مِّصْرَ لِامْرَأَتِهِ أَكْرِمِي مَثْوَاهُ عَسَىٰ أَن يَنفَعَنَا أَوْ نَتَّخِذَهُ وَلَدًا وَكَذَٰلِكَ مَكَّنَّا لِيُوسُفَ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَلِنُعَلِّمَهُ مِن تَأْوِيلِ الْأَحَادِيثِ﴾Wa qāla lladhī shtarāhu min Miṣra li-mraʾatihi akrimi mathwāhu ʿasā an yanfaʿanā aw nattakhidha waladan wa kadhālika makkannā li-Yūsufa fī l-arḍi wa li-nuʿallimahu min taʾwīli l-aḥādīth "And the one who bought him from Egypt said to his wife: Make his stay honourable. Perhaps he will benefit us, or we may adopt him as a son. And thus We established Yūsuf in the land — and so that We might teach him the interpretation of narratives." — Yūsuf 12:21

Translation: And the one who purchased him in Egypt [the ʿAzīz of Egypt, the king's minister (al-ʿAzīz)] said to his wife: Honour this boy and take good care of him. Perhaps he will prove useful to us, or we may take him as a son. And in this way We established Yūsuf (upon him be peace) in the land of Egypt — and so that We might teach him the interpretation of dreams and signs.

Commentary: The commentators explain that al-ʿAzīz here refers to the ʿazīz (high official) of Egypt — the kingdom of Egypt was the dominion of the Pharaohs, and al-Qāhira (Cairo) was then a seat of royal power. The author explains the administrative titles: the king was the malik, and ʿazīz was a high minister's title, distinct from the Pharaoh. Makkannā lahu fī l-arḍ — We established him — means We gave him authority, position, and influence in the earth.

﴿وَاللَّهُ غَالِبٌ عَلَىٰ أَمْرِهِ وَلَٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ﴾Wa llāhu ghālibun ʿalā amrihi wa lākinna akthara n-nāsi lā yaʿlamūn "And Allah is prevailing in His affair, but most people do not know." — Yūsuf 12:21

Translation: And Allah (may He be exalted) is ever-prevailing in His purpose — what He decrees comes to pass, precisely as He decrees. But most people do not know this.

﴿وَلَمَّا بَلَغَ أَشُدَّهُ آتَيْنَاهُ حُكْمًا وَعِلْمًا وَكَذَٰلِكَ نَجْزِي الْمُحْسِنِينَ﴾Wa lammā balagha ashuddahu ātaynāhu ḥukman wa ʿilman wa kadhālika najzī l-muḥsinīn "And when he reached his maturity, We gave him judgment and knowledge — and thus do We reward those who do good." — Yūsuf 12:22

Translation: And when Yūsuf (upon him be peace) reached the full vigour of manhood, We granted him sound judgment (ḥukm) and knowledge (ʿilm) — and this is how We reward those who excel in goodness.

﴿وَرَاوَدَتْهُ الَّتِي هُوَ فِي بَيْتِهَا عَن نَّفْسِهِ وَغَلَّقَتِ الْأَبْوَابَ وَقَالَتْ هَيْتَ لَكَ قَالَ مَعَاذَ اللَّهِ إِنَّهُ رَبِّي أَحْسَنَ مَثْوَايَ إِنَّهُ لَا يُفْلِحُ الظَّالِمُونَ﴾Wa rāwadat-hu llatī huwa fī baytihā ʿan nafsihi wa ghallaqati l-abwāba wa qālat hayta lak qāla maʿādha llāhi innahu rabbī aḥsana mathwāya innahu lā yufliḥu ẓ-ẓālimūn "The one in whose house he lived [the wife of the ʿAzīz] solicited him. She locked the doors and said: Come to me! He said: I seek Allah's refuge! Indeed, my master [the ʿAzīz] has made my abode honourable. Indeed, the wrongdoers do not succeed." — Yūsuf 12:23

Translation: The woman in whose house he lived — [Zulaykhā] — sought to seduce him. She bolted the doors and said: Come! Yūsuf (upon him be peace) said: I seek refuge in Allah! This man [the ʿAzīz] is my lord who has honoured me and given me the best of lodgings — how could I betray him? Indeed the wrongdoers never prosper.

Commentary: The expression maʿādha llāh — "Allah's refuge!" — became proverbial in Arabic for rejecting something with utter repulsion. The phrase innahu rabbī aḥsana mathwāya — "he is my master who honoured my abode" — carries the meaning that the ʿAzīz was the one who had cared for Yūsuf (upon him be peace), and to repay generosity with betrayal is itself a form of ẓulm (wrongdoing). The final statement — lā yufliḥu ẓ-ẓālimūn — is a general principle: those who do wrong never succeed in the end.

﴿وَلَقَدْ هَمَّتْ بِهِ وَهَمَّ بِهَا لَوْلَا أَن رَّأَىٰ بُرْهَانَ رَبِّهِ كَذَٰلِكَ لِنَصْرِفَ عَنْهُ السُّوءَ وَالْفَحْشَاءَ إِنَّهُ مِنْ عِبَادِنَا الْمُخْلَصِينَ﴾Wa laqad hammat bihi wa hamma bihā lawlā an raʾā burhāna rabbih kadhālika li-naṣrifa ʿanhu s-sūʾa wa l-faḥshāʾa innahu min ʿibādinā l-mukhlaṣīn "She certainly desired him, and he would have desired her had it not been that he saw the proof of his Lord. Thus [We acted] to turn away from him evil and immorality — he was truly among Our sincere, purified servants." — Yūsuf 12:24

Translation: She certainly inclined toward him [with full intent], and he [in his human nature] was inclined toward her — had he not seen the proof of his Lord [the divine sign, burhān]. Thus did We intervene: to avert from him all evil and immorality. He was truly among Our mukhlaṣīn — the purely chosen, singled out for Our devotion.

Commentary: The burhān — the divine proof — that Yūsuf (upon him be peace) saw is understood by the commentators to have been a vision or spiritual illumination from his Lord that arrested any movement toward sin. Mukhlaṣīn (with a fatḥa on the lām) means those whom Allah (may He be exalted) has purified and singled out (ikhlāṣ bi-fath), distinguished from mukhlisīn (with a kasra) which means those who strive to be sincere. Yūsuf (upon him be peace) was of the former category — a status given by divine bestowal, not merely human effort.

﴿وَاسْتَبَقَا الْبَابَ وَقَدَّتْ قَمِيصَهُ مِن دُبُرٍ وَأَلْفَيَا سَيِّدَهَا لَدَى الْبَابِ﴾Wa stabaqā l-bāba wa qaddat qamīṣahu min duburin wa alfayā sayyidahā ladā l-bāb "And they both raced to the door, and she tore his shirt from behind — and they found her husband at the door." — Yūsuf 12:25

Translation: Both of them rushed toward the door. She tore his shirt from behind [as he fled]. And they came upon her husband [the ʿAzīz] at the door.

﴿قَالَتْ مَا جَزَاءُ مَنْ أَرَادَ بِأَهْلِكَ سُوءًا إِلَّا أَن يُسْجَنَ أَوْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ﴾Qālat mā jazāʾu man arāda bi-ahlik sūʾan illā an yusjan aw ʿadhābun alīm "She said: What is the requital of one who intended evil against your household except imprisonment or a painful punishment?" — Yūsuf 12:25

Translation: [The woman] said: What should be the punishment of one who intended dishonour against your household except imprisonment or a painful chastisement?

﴿قَالَ هِيَ رَاوَدَتْنِي عَن نَّفْسِي وَشَهِدَ شَاهِدٌ مِّنْ أَهْلِهَا إِن كَانَ قَمِيصُهُ قُدَّ مِن قُبُلٍ فَصَدَقَتْ وَهُوَ مِنَ الْكَاذِبِينَ﴾Qāla hiya rāwadatnī ʿan nafsī wa shahida shāhidun min ahlihā in kāna qamīṣuhu qudda min qubulin fa-ṣadaqat wa huwa mina l-kādhibīn "He [Yūsuf] said: It was she who solicited me — and a witness from her own household testified: If his shirt was torn from the front, she has told the truth and he is among the liars." — Yūsuf 12:26

Translation: Yūsuf (upon him be peace) said: It was she who tried to seduce me. And a witness from her own household testified: If his shirt is torn from the front, then she has told the truth and he is one of the liars —

﴿وَإِن كَانَ قَمِيصُهُ قُدَّ مِن دُبُرٍ فَكَذَبَتْ وَهُوَ مِنَ الصَّادِقِينَ﴾Wa in kāna qamīṣuhu qudda min duburin fa-kadhabat wa huwa mina ṣ-ṣādiqīn "But if his shirt was torn from behind, she has lied and he is among the truthful." — Yūsuf 12:27

Translation: — But if his shirt is torn from behind, then she has lied and he is among the truthful.

﴿فَلَمَّا رَأَىٰ قَمِيصَهُ قُدَّ مِن دُبُرٍ قَالَ إِنَّهُ مِن كَيْدِكُنَّ إِنَّ كَيْدَكُنَّ عَظِيمٌ﴾Fa-lammā raʾā qamīṣahu qudda min duburin qāla innahu min kaydikunna inna kaydakunna ʿaẓīm "When he [the ʿAzīz] saw that his shirt was torn from behind, he said: This is of your [women's] scheming; indeed your scheming is great." — Yūsuf 12:28

Translation: When [the ʿAzīz] saw that the shirt was torn from behind, he said: This is a scheme of yours [women's]! Indeed your scheming is formidable!

Commentary: The author observes: The Qurʾān states in Sūrat al-Nisāʾ:«إِنَّ كَيْدَ الشَّيْطَانِ كَانَ ضَعِيفًا»— "Indeed the scheming of Shayṭān is weak" (al-Nisāʾ 4:76), while here it calls the scheming of women ʿaẓīm — great. This is because Shayṭān operates through temptation from outside, while the temptress acts from within the immediate environment, operating on a person's senses directly. When Shayṭān's path is blocked [as it was for Yūsuf (upon him be peace)] but the woman's path is available, the danger intensifies. The one whom Shayṭān could not move through external temptation became the target of worldly temptation. However, the mukhlaṣ — the purely chosen servant — is protected from both. In kuntu min al-khāṭiʾīn is what the ʿAzīz says to the woman — she is the sinner, not Yūsuf.

﴿يُوسُفُ أَعْرِضْ عَنْ هَٰذَا وَاسْتَغْفِرِي لِذَنبِكِ إِنَّكِ كُنتِ مِنَ الْخَاطِئِينَ﴾Yūsufu aʿriḍ ʿan hādhā wa staghfirī li-dhanbiki innaki kunti mina l-khāṭiʾīn "Yūsuf! Turn away from this. And you [O woman] — seek forgiveness for your sin; indeed you were among the wrongdoers." — Yūsuf 12:29

Translation: [The ʿAzīz said]: O Yūsuf! Overlook this matter. And [to his wife]: You — seek forgiveness for your sin! You were indeed among those who transgressed.

﴿وَقَالَ نِسْوَةٌ فِي الْمَدِينَةِ امْرَأَتُ الْعَزِيزِ تُرَاوِدُ فَتَاهَا عَن نَّفْسِهِ قَدْ شَغَفَهَا حُبًّا إِنَّا لَنَرَاهَا فِي ضَلَالٍ مُّبِينٍ﴾Wa qāla niswatun fī l-madīnati mraʾatu l-ʿAzīzi turāwidu fatāhā ʿan nafsihi qad shaghafahā ḥubban innā la-narāhā fī ḍalālin mubīn "And women in the city said: The wife of the ʿAzīz is soliciting her slave boy. He has pierced her heart with love. We see her in manifest error." — Yūsuf 12:30

Translation: The women of the city began to say: The wife of the ʿAzīz is trying to seduce her young servant! He has pierced through to her heart with love — his love has penetrated the innermost cover of her heart (shaghaf). We see her in manifest error and delusion.

Commentary: Shaghafa — meaning the love has reached the deepest sheath (shaghaff) of the heart — is a powerful metaphor: not merely entering the heart but piercing through its very innermost membrane. This is the language of overwhelming, total infatuation.

﴿فَلَمَّا سَمِعَتْ بِمَكْرِهِنَّ أَرْسَلَتْ إِلَيْهِنَّ وَأَعْتَدَتْ لَهُنَّ مُتَّكَأً وَآتَتْ كُلَّ وَاحِدَةٍ مِّنْهُنَّ سِكِّينًا وَقَالَتِ اخْرُجْ عَلَيْهِنَّ فَلَمَّا رَأَيْنَهُ أَكْبَرْنَهُ وَقَطَّعْنَ أَيْدِيَهُنَّ وَقُلْنَ حَاشَ لِلَّهِ مَا هَٰذَا بَشَرًا إِنْ هَٰذَا إِلَّا مَلَكٌ كَرِيمٌ﴾Fa-lammā samiʿat bi-makrihinna arsalat ilayhinna wa aʿtadat lahunna muttakaʾan wa ātat kulla wāḥidatin minhunna sikkīnan wa qālati khuruj ʿalayhinna fa-lammā raʾaynahū akbarnahū wa qaṭṭaʿna aydiyahunna wa qulna ḥāsha li-llāhi mā hādhā basharan in hādhā illā malakun karīm "When she heard of their sly talk, she sent for them, prepared a banquet, and gave each of them a knife. She said [to Yūsuf]: Come out before them! When they saw him they were in awe of him and cut their hands, and said: Allah forbid! This is no mortal — this is but a noble angel!" — Yūsuf 12:31

Translation: When [the ʿAzīz's wife, Zulaykhā] heard of the women's gossip and mockery, she sent for them. She prepared a banquet for them and gave each one a knife [to cut fruit]. Then she said [to Yūsuf (upon him be peace)]: Come out before them! And when they saw him they were overwhelmed — they cut their own hands [in distraction] and exclaimed: Ḥāsha li-llāh! — Allah forbid! This is no ordinary human being! This must be a noble angel!

Commentary: The banquet scene is extraordinary — it demonstrates the involuntary power of Yūsuf's beauty upon those who beheld it. The exclamation ḥāsha li-llāh means "Far be it from Allah [to have created something blemished]!" — an expression of astonishment at the perfection of His creation. Their instinct was to attribute his beauty to the angelic world. The author reflects: No wonder Zulaykhā was overwhelmed when even strangers who saw Yūsuf for the first time were utterly undone.

﴿قَالَتْ فَذَٰلِكُنَّ الَّذِي لُمْتُنَّنِي فِيهِ وَلَقَدْ رَاوَدتُّهُ عَن نَّفْسِهِ فَاسْتَعْصَمَ وَلَئِن لَّمْ يَفْعَلْ مَا آمُرُهُ لَيُسْجَنَنَّ وَلَيَكُونًا مِّنَ الصَّاغِرِينَ﴾Qālat fa-dhālikunna lladhī lumtunnanī fīhi wa laqad rāwadttuhu ʿan nafsihi fa-staʿṣama wa la-in lam yafʿal mā āmuruhu la-yusjanannanī wa la-yakūnan mina ṣ-ṣāghirīn "She said: This then is the one for whom you blamed me! I did indeed solicit him, but he restrained himself. If he does not do what I command him, he will certainly be imprisoned and be among those brought low." — Yūsuf 12:32

Translation: [Zulaykhā] said [triumphantly]: This is the very one for whom you blamed me! Yes — I tried to seduce him and he resisted with full restraint. And if he does not do what I tell him, I will have him imprisoned and made among those who are humiliated!

Commentary: Zulaykhā, rather than being ashamed, used the women's astonishment to justify herself and simultaneously issued a renewed threat against Yūsuf (upon him be peace). The word fastaʿṣama — he restrained himself, guarded himself — is the verb of ʿiṣma (protection, moral fortitude). Despite increasing pressure, Yūsuf (upon him be peace) remained firm. Al-ṣāghirīn — those brought low, humiliated.

﴿قَالَ رَبِّ السِّجْنُ أَحَبُّ إِلَيَّ مِمَّا يَدْعُونَنِي إِلَيْهِ وَإِلَّا تَصْرِفْ عَنِّي كَيْدَهُنَّ أَصْبُ إِلَيْهِنَّ وَأَكُن مِّنَ الْجَاهِلِينَ﴾Qāla rabbi s-sijnu aḥabbu ilayya mimmā yadʿūnanī ilayhi wa illā taṣrif ʿannī kaydahunna aṣbu ilayhinna wa akun mina l-jāhilīn "He said: My Lord! Prison is dearer to me than what they call me to. And unless You turn their scheming away from me, I will incline toward them and be among the ignorant." — Yūsuf 12:33

Translation: [Yūsuf (upon him be peace)] cried out: My Lord! Prison is more beloved to me than what they are calling me to! And unless You turn their scheming away from me, I will incline toward them and become one of the ignorant.

Commentary: This is one of the most profound prayers in the Qurʾān. Yūsuf (upon him be peace) — in utter honesty before his Lord — confesses his human vulnerability: without divine protection, the accumulated pressure of so many women might overwhelm him. He chose prison over sin. Aṣbu ilayhinna — "I will incline toward them" — is an honest acknowledgment of human weakness in the face of persistent temptation. And akun min al-jāhilīn — "I will be among the ignorant" — means those who act against their knowledge of what is right. This duʿāʾ (prayer) is a model of the tawakkul of the Prophets: they acknowledge their human nature before Allah (may He be exalted) and ask for His protection.

﴿فَاسْتَجَابَ لَهُ رَبُّهُ فَصَرَفَ عَنْهُ كَيْدَهُنَّ إِنَّهُ هُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ﴾Fa-stabāja lahu rabbuhu fa-ṣarafa ʿanhu kaydahunna innahu huwa s-Samīʿu l-ʿAlīm "So his Lord answered him and turned away their scheming from him — He is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing." — Yūsuf 12:34

Translation: His Lord answered his prayer and turned away from him their scheming and temptation. He is indeed the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing.

﴿ثُمَّ بَدَا لَهُم مِّن بَعْدِ مَا رَأَوُا الْآيَاتِ لَيَسْجُنُنَّهُ حَتَّىٰ حِينٍ﴾Thumma badā lahum min baʿdi mā raʾawū l-āyāti la-yusjinannahū ḥattā ḥīn "Then it appeared good to them, after they had seen the signs, to imprison him for a time." — Yūsuf 12:35

Translation: Then [the ʿAzīz and those around him], even after seeing all the signs of Yūsuf's (upon him be peace) innocence, decided to imprison him for a time.

Commentary: The author reflects: Consider the injustice. One woman's honor was at fault. A second woman supported her. Her husband, instead of punishing the guilty, imprisoned the innocent. An entire group conspired to destroy a pure-hearted man's freedom in order to protect a corrupt woman's reputation. Yet it was precisely this imprisonment that Allah (may He be exalted) used to elevate Yūsuf (upon him be peace) to the throne of Egypt. Every trial of the righteous conceals within it the seed of their exaltation.

﴿وَدَخَلَ مَعَهُ السِّجْنَ فَتَيَانِ قَالَ أَحَدُهُمَا إِنِّي أَرَانِي أَعْصِرُ خَمْرًا وَقَالَ الْآخَرُ إِنِّي أَرَانِي أَحْمِلُ فَوْقَ رَأْسِي خُبْزًا تَأْكُلُ الطَّيْرُ مِنْهُ﴾Wa dakhala maʿahu s-sjna fatayāni qāla aḥaduhumā innī arānī aʿṣiru khamran wa qāla l-ākharu innī arānī aḥmilu fawqa raʾsī khubzan taʾkulu ṭ-ṭayru minh "And two young men entered prison along with him. One of them said: I saw myself pressing wine. And the other said: I saw myself carrying bread on my head, from which birds were eating." — Yūsuf 12:36

Translation: And two young men entered the prison along with him [Yūsuf (upon him be peace)]. One of them said: I saw myself in a dream pressing grapes into wine. And the other said: I saw myself carrying bread upon my head, from which birds were eating. [Both asked for the interpretation.]

Commentary: The two men were servants of the king — one a cupbearer (sāqī), the other a baker. Both had fallen into royal disfavour and were imprisoned. Their dreams came to Yūsuf (upon him be peace) for interpretation. He was known for his gift of dream interpretation (taʾwīl al-aḥādīth), which Allah (may He be exalted) had already promised him.

﴿نَبِّئْنَا بِتَأْوِيلِهِ إِنَّا نَرَاكَ مِنَ الْمُحْسِنِينَ﴾Nabbi'nā bi-taʾwīlihi innā narāka mina l-muḥsinīn "Inform us of its interpretation — we see you as one of the doers of good." — Yūsuf 12:36

Translation: Tell us the interpretation of these dreams. We see you as a man of excellence and righteousness.

﴿قَالَ لَا يَأْتِيكُمَا طَعَامٌ تُرْزَقَانِهِ إِلَّا نَبَّأْتُكُمَا بِتَأْوِيلِهِ مِمَّا عَلَّمَنِي رَبِّي﴾Qāla lā yaʾtikumā ṭaʿāmun turzaqānhi illā nabbaʾtukumā bi-taʾwīlihi mimmā ʿallamanī rabbī "He said: No food will come to you as your provision but that I will inform you of its meaning, before it reaches you — from what my Lord has taught me." — Yūsuf 12:37

Translation: Yūsuf (upon him be peace) said: Before your next meal comes, I will tell you [not just the interpretation of your dreams but the very nature] of what you will be given, before it reaches you — from what my Lord has taught me.

﴿إِنِّي تَرَكْتُ مِلَّةَ قَوْمٍ لَّا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ وَهُمْ بِالْآخِرَةِ هُمْ كَافِرُونَ﴾Innī taraktu millata qawmin lā yuʾminūna bi-llāhi wa hum bi-l-ākhirati hum kāfirūn "Indeed I have abandoned the creed of a people who do not believe in Allah and who deny the Hereafter." — Yūsuf 12:37

Translation: [Yūsuf (upon him be peace) went on]: I have abandoned the religion of those people who do not believe in Allah and deny the Hereafter.

﴿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﴾Wa ttabaʿtu millata ābāʾī Ibrāhīma wa Isḥāqa wa Yaʿqūba mā kāna lanā an nushrika bi-llāhi min shayʾin dhālika min faḍli llāhi ʿalaynā wa ʿalā n-nāsi wa lākinna akthara n-nāsi lā yashkurūn "I have followed the creed of my forefathers Ibrāhīm, Isḥāq, and Yaʿqūb. It was not for us to associate anything with Allah. That is from the grace of Allah upon us and upon the people — but most people are not grateful." — Yūsuf 12:38

Translation: I follow the religion of my forefathers Ibrāhīm, Isḥāq, and Yaʿqūb (upon them all be peace). It was never lawful for us to associate anything as partner with Allah. That is among the special graces of Allah bestowed upon us and upon humankind generally — but most people are ungrateful.

﴿يَا صَاحِبَيِ السِّجْنِ أَأَرْبَابٌ مُّتَفَرِّقُونَ خَيْرٌ أَمِ اللَّهُ الْوَاحِدُ الْقَهَّارُ﴾Yā ṣāḥibay is-sijni a-arbābun mutafarriqūna khayrun ami llāhu l-Wāḥidu l-Qahhār "O my two companions of the prison! Are separate lords better, or Allah the One, the Overwhelming?" — Yūsuf 12:39

Translation: O my two companions in this prison! Tell me: are multiple fragmented lords [idols, different deities] better — or Allah the One, the Omnipotent who overpowers everything?

﴿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﴾Mā taʿbudūna min dūnihi illā asmāʾan sammaytumūhā antum wa ābāʾukum mā anzala llāhu bihā min sulṭānin ini l-ḥukmu illā li-llāhi amara allā taʿbudū illā iyyāhu dhālika d-dīnu l-qayyimu wa lākinna akthara n-nāsi lā yaʿlamūn "What you worship besides Him are only names which you and your fathers have devised — Allah has sent down no authority for them. Judgement belongs only to Allah; He has commanded that you worship none but Him. That is the upright religion, but most people do not know." — Yūsuf 12:40

Translation: What you worship besides Him are nothing but names that you and your forefathers have invented — Allah has sent no authority whatsoever for these. All authority and judgment belongs to Allah alone. He has commanded that you worship none but Him. That is the straight, correct religion (al-dīn al-qayyim) — but most people do not know.

Commentary: This is a profound tawhīdic declaration from the prison. Yūsuf (upon him be peace) used the opportunity of two distressed men seeking his help to deliver the core message of Lā ilāha illā llāh — there is no deity but Allah. The false deities are mere names without reality; the only true authority is Allah's command. Al-dīn al-qayyim — the upright, stable, correct religion — is the dīn of pure monotheism. Even in prison, the Prophet of Allah (may He be exalted) fulfills his mission of daʿwa (calling people to the truth).

﴿يَا صَاحِبَيِ السِّجْنِ أَمَّا أَحَدُكُمَا فَيَسْقِي رَبَّهُ خَمْرًا وَأَمَّا الْآخَرُ فَيُصْلَبُ فَتَأْكُلُ الطَّيْرُ مِن رَّأْسِهِ﴾Yā ṣāḥibay is-sijni ammā aḥadukumā fa-yasqī rabbahu khamran wa ammā l-ākharu fa-yuṣlabu fa-taʾkulu ṭ-ṭayru min raʾsih "O my two companions of the prison! As for one of you, he will pour wine for his master; but as for the other, he will be crucified and birds will eat from his head." — Yūsuf 12:41

Translation: O my two companions in this prison! As for one of you — he will be restored to his position and will serve wine to his master [the king]. As for the other — he will be crucified upon a cross and birds will eat from his head. The matter has been decided — it is an accomplished decree (quḍiya l-amr). This is the interpretation you asked me for.

﴿وَقَالَ لِلَّذِي ظَنَّ أَنَّهُ نَاجٍ مِّنْهُمَا اذْكُرْنِي عِندَ رَبِّكَ فَأَنسَاهُ الشَّيْطَانُ ذِكْرَ رَبِّهِ فَلَبِثَ فِي السِّجْنِ بِضْعَ سِنِينَ﴾Wa qāla li-lladhī ẓanna annahu nājin minhumā dhkurnī ʿinda rabbika fa-ansāhu sh-shayṭānu dhikra rabbih fa-labitha fī s-sijni biḍʿa sinīn "And [Yūsuf] said to the one he thought would be saved of the two: Mention me to your master. But Shayṭān caused him to forget the mention of his master, and so [Yūsuf] remained in prison for several years." — Yūsuf 12:42

Translation: And to the one he knew would be saved, Yūsuf (upon him be peace) said: Mention me to your master [the king]! But Shayṭān made [the cupbearer] forget to mention him to his master — and so Yūsuf (upon him be peace) remained in the prison for several years.

Commentary: Biḍʿ sinīn — several years — is between three and nine years according to the commentators. The author reflects: The great ones suffer additional trials when even the slightest inattention (ghafla) from complete trust in Allah occurs. Yūsuf (upon him be peace) relied for a moment on a human agent rather than exclusively on Allah (may He be exalted) — and so his release was delayed by years. For the elevated servants of Allah (may He be exalted), this is the measure of adab (proper conduct) before the Divine. Even the mention of another's help can extend the trial. The lesson for ordinary souls is: seek help from Allah alone and rely on no one else.

[Pages 157–158 contain the author's extended discussion of dream interpretation and the nature of vision, including true dreams (ruʾyā ṣādiqah), confused dreams (aḍghāth aḥlām), and whispers (ḥadīth al-nafs). The author also discusses the practice of constructing analogies (istiʿāra) in dream language and the spiritual discipline needed for sound interpretation.]

Commentary: [reconstructed] The author explains: True dreams (ruʾyā ṣādiqah) occur in the state between waking and sleep. In them, objects may appear as symbols (amthāl) and metaphors (istiʿārāt). Dreams involving symbolic references (aḍghāth aḥlām) may carry some element of truth but are mixed with the wanderings of the mind. Dreams sent from Allah (may He be exalted) are a spiritual gift to pure souls. Yūsuf (upon him be peace) possessed an exceptional and divinely-granted facility for dream interpretation that was unique to him. The author notes that while the soul (rūḥ) wanders in the realm of subtle images (ʿālam al-mithāl) during sleep, a person with a pure heart can receive true communications during that state. The degree of purity of the heart determines the degree of clarity of the dream.

﴿وَقَالَ الْمَلِكُ إِنِّي أَرَىٰ سَبْعَ بَقَرَاتٍ سِمَانٍ يَأْكُلُهُنَّ سَبْعٌ عِجَافٌ وَسَبْعَ سُنبُلَاتٍ خُضْرٍ وَأُخَرَ يَابِسَاتٍ يَا أَيُّهَا الْمَلَأُ أَفْتُونِي فِي رُؤْيَايَ إِن كُنتُمْ لِلرُّؤْيَا تَعْبُرُونَ﴾Wa qāla l-maliku innī arā sabʿa baqarātin simānin yaʾkuluhunna sabʿun ʿijāfun wa sabʿa sunbulātin khuḍrin wa ukhara yābisātin yā ayyuhā l-malaʾu aftūnī fī ruʾyāya in kuntum li-l-ruʾyā taʿburūn "And the king said: I see seven fat cows being eaten by seven lean ones, and seven green ears of grain and others that are withered. O nobles! Explain to me my vision, if you can interpret visions." — Yūsuf 12:43

Translation: [Years later] the king said: I see in a dream seven fat cows being devoured by seven lean, emaciated ones, and seven green ears of grain and seven others that are dry and withered. O nobles and advisors! Give me your interpretation of this vision, if you are people who can interpret dreams.

﴿قَالُوا أَضْغَاثُ أَحْلَامٍ وَمَا نَحْنُ بِتَأْوِيلِ الْأَحْلَامِ بِعَالِمِينَ﴾Qālū aḍghāthu aḥlāmin wa mā naḥnu bi-taʾwīli l-aḥlāmi bi-ʿālimīn "They said: These are confused dreams — and we have no knowledge of the interpretation of confused dreams." — Yūsuf 12:44

Translation: [The advisors and court] said: These are mere confused, meaningless dreams — a jumble of images! We have no knowledge of the interpretation of such dreams.

Commentary: The word aḍghāth comes from ḍagth — a bundle of mixed things tied together — indicating dreams where disparate elements are mixed together without coherent meaning. The advisors confessed their ignorance.

﴿وَقَالَ الَّذِي نَجَا مِنْهُمَا وَادَّكَرَ بَعْدَ أُمَّةٍ أَنَا أُنَبِّئُكُم بِتَأْوِيلِهِ فَأَرْسِلُونِ﴾Wa qāla lladhī najā minhumā wa ddakara baʿda ummatin anā unabbi'ukum bi-taʾwīlihi fa-arsilūn "And the one who had been saved of the two remembered after a period of time: I will inform you of its interpretation — send me [to the prison]." — Yūsuf 12:45

Translation: And the one who had been saved [the cupbearer], who remembered after a long time (baʿda ummatin — after a period of years), said: I will tell you the interpretation — send me [to the prison where Yūsuf is]!

﴿يُوسُفُ أَيُّهَا الصِّدِّيقُ أَفْتِنَا فِي سَبْعِ بَقَرَاتٍ سِمَانٍ يَأْكُلُهُنَّ سَبْعٌ عِجَافٌ وَسَبْعِ سُنبُلَاتٍ خُضْرٍ وَأُخَرَ يَابِسَاتٍ لَّعَلِّي أَرْجِعُ إِلَى النَّاسِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَعْلَمُونَ﴾Yūsufu ayyuhā ṣ-ṣiddīqu aftinā fī sabʿi baqarātin simānin yaʾkuluhunna sabʿun ʿijāfun wa sabʿi sunbulātin khuḍrin wa ukhara yābisātin laʿallī arjiʿu ilā n-nāsi laʿallahum yaʿlamūn "[He said]: O Yūsuf, the truthful one! Explain to us about seven fat cows eaten by seven lean ones, and seven green ears and other dry ones — so that I may return to the people and they may know." — Yūsuf 12:46

Translation: [The cupbearer went to Yūsuf (upon him be peace) in prison and said]: O Yūsuf! O man of truth (al-ṣiddīq)! Interpret for us the vision of seven fat cows being devoured by seven lean ones, and seven green ears of grain and seven others dried up — so that I may return to the people [and they may benefit from your interpretation].

Commentary: The honorific al-ṣiddīq — "the utterly truthful one" — was how the cupbearer addressed Yūsuf (upon him be peace), acknowledging that his previous interpretation had proven accurate. This is one of the greatest titles borne by the Prophets and the foremost of the believers.

﴿قَالَ تَزْرَعُونَ سَبْعَ سِنِينَ دَأَبًا فَمَا حَصَدتُّمْ فَذَرُوهُ فِي سُنبُلِهِ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا مِّمَّا تَأْكُلُونَ﴾Qāla tazraʿūna sabʿa sinīna daʾaban fa-mā ḥaṣadtum fa-dharūhu fī sunbulihi illā qalīlan mimmā taʾkulūn "He said: You shall sow for seven consecutive years, and what you harvest — leave it in its ear, except a little from which you may eat." — Yūsuf 12:47

Translation: [Yūsuf (upon him be peace)] said: You will sow for seven consecutive years, in your usual manner. And everything you harvest, leave it in its ear [on the stalk] — except for a little that you will eat [from your immediate needs. Store the rest in the ear so it does not spoil].

﴿ثُمَّ يَأْتِي مِن بَعْدِ ذَٰلِكَ سَبْعٌ شِدَادٌ يَأْكُلْنَ مَا قَدَّمْتُمْ لَهُنَّ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا مِّمَّا تُحْصِنُونَ﴾Thumma yaʾtī min baʿdi dhālika sabʿun shidādun yaʾkulna mā qaddamtum lahunna illā qalīlan mimmā tuḥṣinūn "Then there will come after that seven severe years which will consume what you have stored ahead for them, except a little of what you guard." — Yūsuf 12:48

Translation: Then after those seven prosperous years will come seven years of severe drought — they will consume all that you had prepared and stored, except for the small amount which you set aside as reserves.

﴿ثُمَّ يَأْتِي مِن بَعْدِ ذَٰلِكَ عَامٌ فِيهِ يُغَاثُ النَّاسُ وَفِيهِ يَعْصِرُونَ﴾Thumma yaʾtī min baʿdi dhālika ʿāmun fīhi yughāthu n-nāsu wa fīhi yaʿṣirūn "Then after that will come a year in which the people will be given abundant rain, and in it they will press [olives and grapes]." — Yūsuf 12:49

Translation: Then after that will come a year of abundant rains and relief, in which the people will receive [Divine] succour and will press [grapes, olives, and other fruits] in plenty.

Commentary: Yūsuf's (upon him be peace) interpretation was complete: fourteen years mapped out with precision and a fifteenth year of relief. The seven fat cows = seven years of abundance; the seven lean cows devouring them = seven years of famine; the green and dry ears = the same sequence. Yūsuf (upon him be peace) added the good news of the fifteenth year — the year of rain and abundance — beyond what the dream had directly shown, drawing on his prophetically given knowledge of what was to come.

﴿وَقَالَ الْمَلِكُ ائْتُونِي بِهِ فَلَمَّا جَاءَهُ الرَّسُولُ قَالَ ارْجِعْ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكَ فَاسْأَلْهُ مَا بَالُ النِّسْوَةِ اللَّاتِي قَطَّعْنَ أَيْدِيَهُنَّ إِنَّ رَبِّي بِكَيْدِهِنَّ عَلِيمٌ﴾Wa qāla l-maliku ʾtūnī bihi fa-lammā jāʾahu r-rasūlu qāla rjiʿ ilā rabbika fa-sʾalhu mā bālu n-niswati llātī qaṭṭaʿna aydiyahunna inna rabbī bi-kaydihinna ʿalīm "The king said: Bring him to me! When the messenger came to him, [Yūsuf] said: Return to your master and ask him about the women who cut their hands. Indeed my Lord knows their scheming well." — Yūsuf 12:50

Translation: And the king said: Bring him to me! When the king's messenger came to Yūsuf (upon him be peace), he said: Return to your master [the king] and ask him first about the women who cut their hands [at the banquet]. [Let my innocence be established before I leave.] Indeed my Lord has full knowledge of their scheming.

Commentary: This is a moment of extraordinary moral integrity. Yūsuf (upon him be peace), after years in prison, was offered immediate freedom and royal favour — but he refused to leave before his honour was publicly cleared. He did not want to walk out of prison as a pardoned criminal; he wanted the truth established. This insistence on justice over convenience is the mark of the truly noble soul. The phrase inna rabbī bi-kaydihinna ʿalīm — "my Lord knows their scheming" — is not a curse but a statement of confidence: Allah (may He be exalted) knows the truth, and the truth will prevail.

Sūrat Yūsuf (12)

﴿ قَالَ مَا خَطْبُكُنَّ إِذْ رَاوَدتُّنَّ يُوسُفَ عَن نَّفْسِهِ ﴾Qāla mā khaṭbukuna idh rāwadtunna Yūsufa ʿan nafsihi "He said: What was your affair when you sought to seduce Joseph from his (pure) self?" — Yūsuf 12:51

Translation: The king said: What was your matter when you sought to entice Yūsuf away from his (chaste) person? The women said: God forbid! We know of no evil in him. The wife of the ʿAzīz said: Now the truth has become manifest — it was I who sought to seduce him, and he is indeed among the truthful.

Commentary: Khaṭb (خطب) signifies a great and weighty matter; it is related to khuṭba (speech, betrothal), since marriage is a momentous affair requiring great responsibility. The word rāwadat denotes persistent persuasion and enticement — seeking to bend someone to one's desire. The phrase ʿan nafsihi — "away from his person" — means away from his honour, his integrity, his inviolable self. The women declared: Ḥāsha lillāh! — "God forbid!" — their consciences witnessing to his purity. The wife of the ʿAzīz confessed at last: it was she who had pursued him; Yūsuf (upon him be peace) is free of any wrong, and he is of the utterly truthful.

﴿ ذَٰلِكَ لِيَعْلَمَ أَنِّي لَمْ أَخُنْهُ بِالْغَيْبِ وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَهْدِي كَيْدَ الْخَائِنِينَ ﴾Dhālika li-yaʿlama annī lam akhunhu bil-ghaybi wa-anna Allāha lā yahdī kayda l-khāʾinīn "That is so that he may know that I did not betray him in his absence, and that Allah does not guide the scheming of the treacherous." — Yūsuf 12:52

Translation: (Yūsuf said:) This (confession was sought) so that the ʿAzīz might know that I did not betray him in his absence; and that Allāh does not direct the stratagems of traitors to success.

Commentary: Yūsuf (upon him be peace) declares that he sought the investigation not from pride, but so that the truth be established: he had preserved the honour of his master's household in his master's absence. The commentary notes that khaʾinīn (traitors, deceivers) never ultimately prevail; Allāh does not guide their plots to fruition. The loyal and God-fearing are ultimately vindicated.

﴿ وَمَا أُبَرِّئُ نَفْسِي إِنَّ النَّفْسَ لَأَمَّارَةٌ بِالسُّوءِ إِلَّا مَا رَحِمَ رَبِّي إِنَّ رَبِّي غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ ﴾Wa-mā ubarriʾu nafsī inna l-nafsa la-ammāratun bi-l-sūʾi illā mā raḥima rabbī inna rabbī ghafūrun raḥīm "Nor do I absolve myself — indeed the soul is wont to command evil, except when my Lord bestows His mercy. Verily my Lord is Forgiving, Merciful." — Yūsuf 12:53

Translation: And I do not declare my own soul entirely free of blame — for the soul is indeed a relentless commander towards evil, except when my Lord shows mercy. Truly my Lord is Forgiving, Merciful.

Commentary: Even while his innocence regarding the particular charge was established, Yūsuf (upon him be peace) speaks with prophetic humility. He does not claim absolute purity of the nafs (soul), for the nafs al-ammāra — the soul that persistently inclines toward evil — is the common human condition. The exception is illā mā raḥima rabbī: only by the grace and mercy of Allāh is the soul protected. This is the station of ʿiṣma (prophetic infallibility) and also the constant need every believer has for divine mercy. The verse teaches reliance (tawakkul) on Allāh rather than self-congratulation.

When Yūsuf's purity and nobility had been made manifest to the king, and the king understood that he was among the most excellent and trustworthy, he said:

﴿ وَقَالَ الْمَلِكُ ائْتُونِي بِهِ أَسْتَخْلِصْهُ لِنَفْسِي فَلَمَّا كَلَّمَهُ قَالَ إِنَّكَ الْيَوْمَ لَدَيْنَا مَكِينٌ أَمِينٌ ﴾Wa-qāla l-maliku ʾtūnī bihi astakhliṣhu li-nafsī fa-lammā kallamahu qāla innaka l-yawma ladaynā makīnun amīn "The king said: Bring him to me — I shall take him into my special service. And when he had spoken with him, he said: Verily, today you are with us firmly established and fully trusted." — Yūsuf 12:54

Translation: And the king said: Bring him to me — I will make him exclusively my own (special counsellor). And when he conversed with him, he said: Truly, from today you are with us a man of high standing and complete trustworthiness.

Commentary: Astakhliṣhu li-nafsī — "I shall appropriate him for myself" — expresses the king's recognition of Yūsuf's extraordinary qualities; he wished to keep Yūsuf in his own service, making him his closest minister. When the king finally conversed with Yūsuf directly, he was fully confirmed in his assessment: makīnun amīn — one of established rank and unfailing integrity. Trustworthiness and purity are indeed the highest qualifications for authority.

﴿ قَالَ اجْعَلْنِي عَلَىٰ خَزَائِنِ الْأَرْضِ إِنِّي حَفِيظٌ عَلِيمٌ ﴾Qāla jʿalnī ʿalā khazāʾini l-arḍi innī ḥafīẓun ʿalīm "He said: Set me over the treasuries of the land — truly I am a skilled and knowledgeable guardian." — Yūsuf 12:55

Translation: (Yūsuf) said: Place me in charge of the storehouses of the land — I am a capable guardian and one fully versed in the work.

Commentary: Yūsuf (upon him be peace) requested the ministry of provisions and treasuries himself — not out of ambition, but because he possessed both the capacity (ḥifẓ, guardianship) and the knowledge (ʿilm, expertise). Scholars of the Ḥanafī school note this as evidence that it is permissible for a righteous and capable person to present himself for a position of responsibility when he knows that he alone can discharge it properly, and that without him things would go to ruin. It is not prohibited self-recommendation in such circumstances; rather it is a religious duty.

﴿ وَكَذَٰلِكَ مَكَّنَّا لِيُوسُفَ فِي الْأَرْضِ يَتَبَوَّأُ مِنْهَا حَيْثُ يَشَاءُ نُصِيبُ بِرَحْمَتِنَا مَن نَّشَاءُ وَلَا نُضِيعُ أَجْرَ الْمُحْسِنِينَ ﴾Wa-kadhālika makkannā li-Yūsufa fī l-arḍi yatabawwaʾu minhā ḥaythu yashāʾ nuṣību bi-raḥmatinā man nashāʾu wa-lā nuḍīʿu ajra l-muḥsinīn "And thus did We establish Yūsuf in the land — to settle wherever he wished. We bestow Our mercy upon whomever We will, and We do not allow the reward of those who do good to be lost." — Yūsuf 12:56

Translation: And thus did We grant Yūsuf power and authority in the land, so that he could settle and govern wherever he pleased. We grant Our mercy to whom We will, and We never allow the reward of the righteous to go to waste.

Commentary: From the pit of the well to the throne of Egypt — this is Allāh's way with those who are patient and God-fearing. Nuṣību bi-raḥmatinā man nashāʾ — We grant our grace to whomever We choose according to Our wisdom. No one who strives in iḥsān (excellence of conduct) is ever deprived of his reward, either in this world or the next. The commentator draws the lesson: worldly reversal is not deprivation; the Muḥsin is always ultimately rewarded.

﴿ وَلَأَجْرُ الْآخِرَةِ خَيْرٌ لِّلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَكَانُوا يَتَّقُونَ ﴾Wa-la-ajru l-ākhirati khayrun li-lladhīna āmanū wa-kānū yattaqūn "And truly the reward of the Hereafter is better for those who believed and remained God-fearing." — Yūsuf 12:57

Translation: And assuredly the reward of the Hereafter is greater still, for those who have believed and maintained taqwā (God-consciousness and piety).

Commentary: The worldly honour bestowed upon Yūsuf (upon him be peace) was great, but this verse reminds us it was a shadow of what awaits the believer in the Next World. Taqwā (piety, God-consciousness) — combined with īmān (faith) — is the condition for the supreme, everlasting reward.

﴿ وَجَاءَ إِخْوَةُ يُوسُفَ فَدَخَلُوا عَلَيْهِ فَعَرَفَهُمْ وَهُمْ لَهُ مُنكِرُونَ ﴾Wa-jāʾa ikhwatu Yūsufa fa-dakhalū ʿalayhi fa-ʿarafahum wa-hum lahu munkirūn "And the brothers of Yūsuf came and entered upon him; he recognised them while they did not recognise him." — Yūsuf 12:58

Translation: And the brothers of Yūsuf came and entered upon him. Yūsuf recognised them, but they did not recognise him.

Commentary: ʿArafa (he recognised them) — he knew them fully and at once. Munkirūn — they were unaware of him, did not acknowledge him. Years had passed; Yūsuf had grown, become great in rank, dressed in the robes of royalty. None of them imagined that the powerful minister of Egypt before them was their young brother whom they had cast into the well. This recognition-and-concealment forms the dramatic core of the sūra's denouement.

﴿ وَلَمَّا جَهَّزَهُم بِجَهَازِهِمْ قَالَ ائْتُونِي بِأَخٍ لَّكُم مِّنْ أَبِيكُمْ أَلَا تَرَوْنَ أَنِّي أُوفِي الْكَيْلَ وَأَنَا خَيْرُ الْمُنزِلِينَ ﴾Wa-lammā jahhazahum bi-jahāzihim qāla ʾtūnī bi-akhin lakum min abīkum a-lā tarawna annī ūfī l-kayla wa-anā khayru l-munzilīn "And when he had provisioned them with their provisions, he said: Bring me a brother of yours from your father's side. Do you not see that I give full measure and that I am the best of hosts?" — Yūsuf 12:59

Translation: And when he had loaded them with their supplies, he said: Bring me the brother you have from your father (Benjamin). Do you not see that I give full measure and that I am the best of hosts?

Commentary: Jahāz — the provision, the load of grain given to travellers. Yūsuf (upon him be peace) used the occasion of their provisioning to request Benjamin, his full brother (by both father and mother), whom he longed to see. He sweetened the request by pointing to his generosity in measure and hospitality, giving them reason to trust him and comply.

﴿ فَإِن لَّمْ تَأْتُونِي بِهِ فَلَا كَيْلَ لَكُمْ عِندِي وَلَا تَقْرَبُونِ ﴾Fa-in lam taʾtūnī bihi fa-lā kayla lakum ʿindī wa-lā taqrabūn "And if you do not bring him to me, then there shall be no measure for you from me, and you shall not come near me." — Yūsuf 12:60

Translation: But if you do not bring him to me, then there will be no grain-ration for you from me, and do not even approach me.

Commentary: A firm condition: without Benjamin, no further access to Egypt's grain and no audience with the minister. This was Yūsuf's loving stratagem to bring his full brother to him.

﴿ وَقَالَ لِفِتْيَانِهِ اجْعَلُوا بِضَاعَتَهُمْ فِي رِحَالِهِمْ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَعْرِفُونَهَا إِذَا انقَلَبُوا إِلَىٰ أَهْلِهِمْ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْجِعُونَ ﴾Wa-qāla li-fityānihi jʿalū biḍāʿatahum fī riḥālihim laʿallahum yaʿrifūnahā idhā nqalabū ilā ahlihim laʿallahum yarjiʿūn "And he said to his attendants: Put their merchandise back into their saddlebags — perhaps they will recognise it when they have returned to their family; perhaps they will come back." — Yūsuf 12:62

Translation: And he instructed his young attendants: Place their capital (the payment they had brought) back into their saddlebags — perhaps they will find it when they return home and perhaps it will bring them back.

Commentary: Fityān — young men, the servants. Riḥāl — saddlebags, the baggage carried on camels. Yūsuf (upon him be peace) secretly returned their payment, so that when they opened their provisions at home, they would find it and realise they had received the grain as a gift. This generous gesture, the commentator observes, was intended both as an act of grace and as a means of drawing them back — for they would feel obliged to return, having received grain without paying for it.

﴿ فَلَمَّا رَجَعُوا إِلَىٰ أَبِيهِمْ قَالُوا يَا أَبَانَا مُنِعَ مِنَّا الْكَيْلُ فَأَرْسِلْ مَعَنَا أَخَانَا نَكْتَلْ وَإِنَّا لَهُ لَحَافِظُونَ ﴾Fa-lammā rajaʿū ilā abīhim qālū yā abānā muniʿa minnā l-kaylu fa-arsil maʿanā akhānā naktal wa-innā lahu laḥāfiẓūn "And when they returned to their father, they said: Father, measure (of grain) has been withheld from us; so send with us our brother that we may obtain the measure — and we will surely guard him." — Yūsuf 12:63

Translation: And when they returned to their father, they said: Dear father, the measure of grain has been denied to us (without our brother). Send our brother with us so that we may obtain the grain — and we will certainly protect him.

Commentary: The brothers faithfully reported the condition laid down by the minister. They pleaded with Yaʿqūb (upon him be peace) to send Benjamin, promising to be his guardians. The irony is poignant: these same men had once failed as guardians of Yūsuf. Their father was not easily reassured.

﴿ قَالَ هَلْ آمَنُكُمْ عَلَيْهِ إِلَّا كَمَا أَمِنتُكُمْ عَلَىٰ أَخِيهِ مِن قَبْلُ فَاللَّهُ خَيْرٌ حَافِظًا وَهُوَ أَرْحَمُ الرَّاحِمِينَ ﴾Qāla hal āmanukum ʿalayhi illā kamā amintuḵum ʿalā akhīhi min qablu fa-Allāhu khayrun ḥāfiẓan wa-huwa arḥamu l-rāḥimīn "He said: Shall I trust you with him as I trusted you with his brother before? Allah is the best of guardians, and He is the Most Merciful of the merciful." — Yūsuf 12:64

Translation: (Yaʿqūb) said: Can I really entrust him to your care as I once entrusted his brother to you before? But Allāh is the best guardian, and He is the Most Merciful of the merciful.

Commentary: Yaʿqūb (upon him be peace) replies with restrained sorrow. He cannot forget what happened to Yūsuf. Yet his faith in Allāh's guardianship is unshaken: Allāhu khayrun ḥāfiẓā — Allāh is the supreme Protector. He does not ultimately refuse, but places his trust in Allāh rather than in his sons.

﴿ وَلَمَّا فَتَحُوا مَتَاعَهُمْ وَجَدُوا بِضَاعَتَهُمْ رُدَّتْ إِلَيْهِمْ قَالُوا يَا أَبَانَا مَا نَبْغِي هَٰذِهِ بِضَاعَتُنَا رُدَّتْ إِلَيْنَا ﴾Wa-lammā fatāḥū matāʿahum wajadū biḍāʿatahum ruddat ilayhim qālū yā abānā mā nabghī hādhihi biḍāʿatunā ruddat ilaynā "And when they opened their baggage, they found their merchandise had been returned to them. They said: Father, what more could we desire? Here is our capital returned to us." — Yūsuf 12:65

Translation: And when they opened their baggage, they found their capital had been given back to them. They cried: Father, what more do we wish for? Here is our payment returned to us!

Commentary: The return of their goods was Yūsuf's act of generosity and a further inducement. The brothers seized upon it as an argument for their father: the minister was not only just but munificent. They continued: wa-namīru ahlana — we shall bring grain for our family — wa-naḥfaẓu akhānā — and we shall guard our brother — wa-nazdādu kayla baʿīr — and we shall obtain an additional camel-load. Dhālika kaylun yasīr — that extra measure is small (in comparison to what is at stake).

﴿ قَالَ لَنْ أُرْسِلَهُ مَعَكُمْ حَتَّىٰ تُؤْتُونِ مَوْثِقًا مِّنَ اللَّهِ لَتَأْتُنَّنِي بِهِ إِلَّا أَن يُحَاطَ بِكُمْ ﴾Qāla lan ursilahu maʿakum ḥattā tuʾtūni mawthiqan mina Allāhi la-taʾtunnanī bihi illā an yuḥāṭa bikum "He said: I will never send him with you until you give me a covenant before Allah that you will surely bring him back to me — unless you are utterly overcome." — Yūsuf 12:66

Translation: (Yaʿqūb) said: I will not send him with you until you give me a solemn covenant before Allāh that you will bring him back — unless you are entirely surrounded and overcome (by forces beyond your control).

Commentary: Mawthiq — a solemn pledge, a covenant by Allāh's name. Yaʿqūb (upon him be peace) would only consent upon receiving a binding oath from each of them. Illā an yuḥāṭa bikum — the only exception being absolute, unavoidable overpowering. When they gave their pledge, he said: Allāhu ʿalā mā naqūlu wakīl — Allāh is the Witness and Guardian over what we say.

﴿ وَقَالَ يَا بَنِيَّ لَا تَدْخُلُوا مِنْ بَابٍ وَاحِدٍ وَادْخُلُوا مِنْ أَبْوَابٍ مُّتَفَرِّقَةٍ وَمَا أُغْنِي عَنكُم مِّنَ اللَّهِ مِن شَيْءٍ إِنِ الْحُكْمُ إِلَّا لِلَّهِ عَلَيْهِ تَوَكَّلْتُ وَعَلَيْهِ فَلْيَتَوَكَّلِ الْمُتَوَكِّلُونَ ﴾Wa-qāla yā baniyya lā tadkhulū min bābin wāḥidin wa-dkhulū min abwābin mutafarriqatin wa-mā ughnī ʿankum mina Allāhi min shayʾin in al-ḥukmu illā lillāhi ʿalayhi tawakkaltu wa-ʿalayhi falyatawakkali l-mutawakkilūn "And he said: O my sons, do not enter from one gate; enter from separate gates. But I cannot avail you anything against Allah. Sovereignty belongs only to Allah — upon Him I place my trust, and upon Him let all those who trust, place their trust." — Yūsuf 12:67

Translation: And he said: My sons! Do not enter through a single gate; enter through different gates. Yet I cannot deflect from you anything that Allāh decrees. Command belongs to Allāh alone. Upon Him I have placed my trust, and upon Him let all those who trust, rely.

Commentary: Yaʿqūb (upon him be peace) was concerned lest the arrival of so many fine young men together should attract the evil eye (nazar, the envious glance). The instruction to enter through different gates was a precautionary measure rooted in practical wisdom. Yet he immediately qualified it: wa-mā ughnī ʿankum mina Allāhi min shayʾ — no precaution of mine can ward off what Allāh decrees. Al-ḥukmu illā lillāh — all authority and final disposition belongs to Allāh. The father of prophets demonstrates perfect tawakkul: taking the means while placing ultimate reliance on Allāh alone. This is the Ḥanafī and Sufi principle: al-akhdhu bi'l-asbāb (taking the means) does not contradict tawakkul (reliance on Allāh).

﴿ وَلَمَّا دَخَلُوا مِنْ حَيْثُ أَمَرَهُمْ أَبُوهُمْ مَّا كَانَ يُغْنِي عَنْهُم مِّنَ اللَّهِ مِن شَيْءٍ إِلَّا حَاجَةً فِي نَفْسِ يَعْقُوبَ قَضَاهَا وَإِنَّهُ لَذُو عِلْمٍ لِّمَا عَلَّمْنَاهُ وَلَٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ ﴾Wa-lammā dakhalū min ḥaythu amarahum abūhum mā kāna yughni ʿanhum mina Allāhi min shayʾin illā ḥājatan fī nafsi Yaʿqūba qaḍāhā wa-innahu ladhū ʿilmin li-mā ʿallamnāhu wa-lākinna akthara l-nāsi lā yaʿlamūn "And when they entered as their father had commanded them, it did not avail them against Allah at all, except that Yaʿqūb had fulfilled a need in his own soul — for he was indeed possessed of knowledge because of what We had taught him. But most people do not know." — Yūsuf 12:68

Translation: And when they entered as their father had commanded them, it availed them nothing against the decree of Allāh — except that Yaʿqūb had discharged a need that was in his own soul. He was indeed a man of knowledge, because of what We had taught him; but most people do not know.

Commentary: The precaution was taken, but the divine decree runs its course regardless. Ḥājatan fī nafsi Yaʿqūba qaḍāhā — a need within Yaʿqūb's soul was satisfied — namely, his parental anxiety was soothed by the act of giving prudent counsel; he had done his fatherly duty. Wa-innahu ladhū ʿilm — he was a man of deep knowledge, prophetic knowledge, gifted by Allāh, not human reasoning alone. Most people lack this insight into the nature of divine will and the true relationship between taking means and trusting in Allāh.

﴿ وَلَمَّا دَخَلُوا عَلَىٰ يُوسُفَ آوَىٰ إِلَيْهِ أَخَاهُ قَالَ إِنِّي أَنَا أَخُوكَ فَلَا تَبْتَئِسْ بِمَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ ﴾Wa-lammā dakhalū ʿalā Yūsufa āwā ilayhi akhāhu qāla innī anā akhūka fa-lā tabtaʾis bi-mā kānū yaʿmalūn "And when they entered upon Yūsuf, he drew his brother close to himself and said: Verily I am your brother — so do not grieve over what they used to do." — Yūsuf 12:69

Translation: And when they entered upon Yūsuf, he took his brother (Benjamin) aside and said to him privately: I am indeed your brother — so do not grieve over what they have done to us.

Commentary: Āwā ilayhi akhāhu — he drew his full brother close, privately; the reunion was a secret between them. He revealed himself: innī anā akhūka — I am your very brother, your own flesh and blood. Fa-lā tabtaʾis — be not distressed; do not let your heart be troubled. The trials are past and Allāh has arranged this reunion. Yūsuf (upon him be peace) consoles Benjamin with his identity and his presence, assuring him that the wrongs done to them will not prevail.

Commentary (continued): The commentator notes that when Yūsuf's brothers had plotted against him and committed their wrong, Allāh plotted a greater kindness on his behalf. The brothers' stratagem led to Yūsuf's elevation; Allāh's plan is always higher than any human scheme. He then arranged what followed — the planting of the cup — not as genuine theft or false accusation, but as a providential device to keep Benjamin near him, since under Egyptian law an accused person could be detained in the household of the accuser. It would not have been possible for Yūsuf (upon him be peace) under the king's law to simply keep his brother — mā kāna li-yaʾkhudha akhāhu fī dīni l-malik — so Allāh provided this means. The commentator emphasises: We raise in rank man nashāʾ — whom We will — wa-fawqa kulli dhī ʿilmin ʿalīm — and above every person of knowledge there is One more knowledgeable still.

﴿ فَلَمَّا جَهَّزَهُم بِجَهَازِهِمْ جَعَلَ السِّقَايَةَ فِي رَحْلِ أَخِيهِ ثُمَّ أَذَّنَ مُؤَذِّنٌ أَيَّتُهَا الْعِيرُ إِنَّكُمْ لَسَارِقُونَ ﴾Fa-lammā jahhazahum bi-jahāzihim jaʿala l-siqāyata fī raḥli akhīhi thumma adhdhana muʾadhdhinun ayyatuhā l-ʿīru innakum la-sāriqūn "And when he had provisioned them with their provisions, he placed the drinking-cup in the saddlebag of his brother; then a crier called out: O caravan! You are indeed thieves!" — Yūsuf 12:70

Translation: And when Yūsuf had loaded them with their provisions, he placed the royal drinking-cup in the saddlebag of his brother (Benjamin); then a herald called out: O caravan — you are surely thieves!

Commentary: Al-siqāya — the royal cup, most likely a gold or silver vessel used for measuring grain and also as a drinking-cup. Yūsuf arranged to have it secretly placed in Benjamin's baggage. The public accusation was part of the plan — not a genuine slander, but a device permitted by divine wisdom to achieve the larger purpose of keeping Benjamin in Egypt. The commentator notes the apparent moral tension here [reconstructed] and resolves it: Yūsuf (upon him be peace) was acting under divine inspiration, not from personal caprice; and the plan harmed no one ultimately while bringing about a great good.

﴿ قَالُوا تَاللَّهِ لَقَدْ عَلِمْتُمْ مَّا جِئْنَا لِنُفْسِدَ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَمَا كُنَّا سَارِقِينَ ﴾Qālū ta-Allāhi laqad ʿalimtum mā jiʾnā li-nufsida fī l-arḍi wa-mā kunnā sāriqīn "They said: By Allah, you well know that we have not come to cause corruption in the land, and we are not thieves." — Yūsuf 12:73

Translation: They said: By Allāh! You know well that we have not come to spread corruption in the land, and we are not thieves.

Commentary: The brothers immediately swore their innocence by Allāh's name. Their collective reputation and past dealings spoke well of them. The phrase ta-Allāhi — by Allāh — is an oath of strong affirmation. They appealed to what was already known of them: they were men who had come for grain, not wrongdoing.

﴿ قَالُوا فَمَا جَزَاؤُهُ إِن كُنتُمْ كَاذِبِينَ ﴾/﴿ قَالُوا جَزَاؤُهُ مَن وُجِدَ فِي رَحْلِهِ فَهُوَ جَزَاؤُهُ كَذَٰلِكَ نَجْزِي الظَّالِمِينَ ﴾Qālū fa-mā jazāʾuhu in kuntum kādhibīn / Qālū jazāʾuhu man wujida fī raḥlihi fa-huwa jazāʾuhu kadhālika najzī l-ẓālimīn "They said: What then is its penalty, if you are proven liars? They said: Its penalty — he in whose saddlebag it is found shall himself be held as penalty. Thus do we recompense the wrongdoers." — Yūsuf 12:74–75

Translation: The officials said: What is the penalty if you are liars? They said: The penalty is that the one in whose bag it is found shall himself be retained (as a slave) — that is its recompense. Thus do we recompense wrongdoers.

Commentary: Jazāʾuhu — its recompense, the penalty. Under the Canaanite customary law invoked by the brothers themselves (following the law of Ibrāhīm — upon him be peace), the thief found with the stolen goods was made the property of the one he had robbed. This was precisely the legal framework Yūsuf (upon him be peace) needed — it would not have been possible under Egyptian royal law to detain a free man thus. By having the brothers themselves declare the penalty, the plan was activated on their own testimony.

﴿ فَبَدَأَ بِأَوْعِيَتِهِمْ قَبْلَ وِعَاءِ أَخِيهِ ثُمَّ اسْتَخْرَجَهَا مِن وِعَاءِ أَخِيهِ كَذَٰلِكَ كِدْنَا لِيُوسُفَ مَا كَانَ لِيَأْخُذَ أَخَاهُ فِي دِينِ الْمَلِكِ إِلَّا أَن يَشَاءَ اللَّهُ نَرْفَعُ دَرَجَاتٍ مَّن نَّشَاءُ وَفَوْقَ كُلِّ ذِي عِلْمٍ عَلِيمٌ ﴾Fa-badaʾa bi-awʿiyatihim qabla wiʿāʾi akhīhi thumma stakhraja-hā min wiʿāʾi akhīhi kadhālika kidnā li-Yūsufa mā kāna li-yaʾkhudha akhāhu fī dīni l-maliki illā an yashāʾa Allāhu narfaʿu darajātin man nashāʾu wa-fawqa kulli dhī ʿilmin ʿalīm "He began with their sacks before the sack of his brother; then he extracted it from the sack of his brother. Thus did We devise for Yūsuf — he could not have detained his brother under the king's law except that Allah willed it. We raise in degrees whom We will; and above every person of knowledge there is One who knows more." — Yūsuf 12:76

Translation: He began searching their bags before his brother's bag, then extracted it from his brother's bag. Thus did We devise the plan for Yūsuf — he could not have retained his brother under the king's law, had not Allāh willed it. We elevate in rank whom We will, and above every knower there is One who knows more.

Commentary: Kidnā — We devised, We arranged by Our wisdom. Allāh Himself ascribes this plan to His own providential arrangement. The phrase narfaʿu darajātin man nashāʾ — We raise in degrees whom We will — applies to Yūsuf's elevation, which was not the result of worldly machination but divine designation. And wa-fawqa kulli dhī ʿilmin ʿalīm — above every human knower there is Allāh, whose knowledge encompasses all and whose wisdom ordains all. The commentator draws the profound lesson: wherever human wisdom reaches its limit, divine wisdom begins; and the servant should always acknowledge the higher knowledge of Allāh.

﴿ قَالُوا إِن يَسْرِقْ فَقَدْ سَرَقَ أَخٌ لَّهُ مِن قَبْلُ ﴾Qālū in yasriq fa-qad saraqa akhun lahu min qabl "They said: If he has stolen, a brother of his stole before." — Yūsuf 12:77

Translation: The brothers said: If he (Benjamin) has stolen, well — a brother of his has stolen before too.

Commentary: The brothers now had recourse to slander against Yūsuf (upon him be peace) himself, insinuating that this tendency ran in the family. Fa-qad saraqa akhun lahu min qabl — meaning Yūsuf. This was a false and wicked accusation. The commentator notes: Yūsuf never stole; the various stories attributed to him in some commentaries — that he once took an idol from his grandfather, or something of that sort — are not established by the Qurʾān. Yūsuf (upon him be peace) is far above such things. The brothers were resorting to slander to deflect attention from themselves.

Fa-asarrahā Yūsufu fī nafsihi — Yūsuf kept this hurt to himself and did not reveal it outwardly.

The commentator here quotes a remarkable tradition: it is reported through a chain reaching Imām Abū Ḥanīfa (may Allāh have mercy on him) that he said: When Ibrāhīm (upon him be peace) was cast into the fire... [reconstructed: the point is that the ṣabr (patience) of the prophets under extreme trial is unparalleled]. The commentator then cites Qurʾānic verses confirming Yūsuf's truthfulness and prophethood:

﴿ يُوسُفُ أَيُّهَا الصِّدِّيقُ ﴾(Yūsuf 12:46) — "O Yūsuf, O man of perfect truth"﴿ ذَٰلِكُمَا مِمَّا عَلَّمَنِي رَبِّي ﴾(Yūsuf 12:37) — "That is of what my Lord taught me"﴿ وَاتَّبَعْتُ مِلَّةَ آبَائِي إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَإِسْحَاقَ وَيَعْقُوبَ ﴾(Yūsuf 12:38) — "And I follow the way of my forebears Ibrāhīm, Isḥāq, and Yaʿqūb"

Commentary (continued): When the prophets are tested they do not utter a single word to demean themselves or to accuse others unjustly. It ill befits one of prophetic dignity to accuse a brother of past wrongdoing. The People of the Book have, in their scriptures, recorded things that are false; Yūsuf (upon him be peace) is free of all such charges. It is probable that the brothers' accusation was based on their own earlier wrong against Yūsuf — they wished to make him appear a wrongdoer in their father's eyes — and that their taunt here was of the same character: to make Yūsuf's (apparent) family look dishonourable. It may also be that the brothers made this accusation because they had no other recourse, and at the same time it intensified Yūsuf's longing and grief for his brother. Whatever the full truth, Yūsuf (upon him be peace) is entirely innocent.

﴿ قَالُوا يَا أَيُّهَا الْعَزِيزُ إِنَّ لَهُ أَبًا شَيْخًا كَبِيرًا فَخُذْ أَحَدَنَا مَكَانَهُ إِنَّا نَرَاكَ مِنَ الْمُحْسِنِينَ ﴾Qālū yā ayyuhā l-ʿazīzu inna lahu abā shaykhān kabīran fa-khudh aḥadanā makānahu innā narāka mina l-muḥsinīn "They said: O ʿAzīz! He has a very aged father — so take one of us in his place. Indeed we see you as one of those who do good." — Yūsuf 12:78

Translation: They said: O Exalted One (Minister)! He has a very old father — so take one of us in his place. We see you as a man of great goodness and generosity.

Commentary: The brothers appealed to Yūsuf's mercy: abā shaykhān kabīrā — an aged father who could not bear the loss of this son after having already lost Yūsuf. They offered to substitute one of themselves. Innā narāka mina l-muḥsinīn — we see in you a man of excellence and mercy. But the plan of Allāh was fixed; Yūsuf (upon him be peace) would not accept any substitute.

﴿ قَالَ مَعَاذَ اللَّهِ أَن نَّأْخُذَ إِلَّا مَن وَجَدْنَا مَتَاعَنَا عِندَهُ إِنَّا إِذًا لَّظَالِمُونَ ﴾Qāla maʿādha Allāhi an naʾkhudha illā man wajadnā matāʿanā ʿindahu innā idhan la-ẓālimūn "He said: Allah forbid that we should take anyone other than him with whom we found our property — for then we should indeed be wrongdoers." — Yūsuf 12:79

Translation: He said: God forbid that we should take anyone but him in whose possession we found our goods — for then we would truly be wrongdoers.

Commentary: Maʿādha Allāh — I take refuge with Allāh from such a thing. Yūsuf (upon him be peace) declined the offer of a substitute with a firm and principled refusal: to take an innocent person in place of the one found with the goods would be injustice. His sense of justice, even in this stratagem, remained impeccable.

﴿ فَلَمَّا اسْتَيْأَسُوا مِنْهُ خَلَصُوا نَجِيًّا قَالَ كَبِيرُهُمْ أَلَمْ تَعْلَمُوا أَنَّ أَبَاكُمْ قَدْ أَخَذَ عَلَيْكُم مَّوْثِقًا مِّنَ اللَّهِ وَمِن قَبْلُ مَا فَرَّطتُمْ فِي يُوسُفَ فَلَنْ أَبْرَحَ الْأَرْضَ حَتَّىٰ يَأْذَنَ لِي أَبِي أَوْ يَحْكُمَ اللَّهُ لِي وَهُوَ خَيْرُ الْحَاكِمِينَ ﴾Fa-lammā stayaʾasū minhu khalaṣū najiyyan qāla kabīruhum a-lam taʿlamū anna abākum qad akhadha ʿalaykum mawthiqan mina Allāhi wa-min qablu mā farraṭtum fī Yūsufa fa-lan abraḥa l-arḍa ḥattā yaʾdhana lī abī aw yaḥkuma Allāhu lī wa-huwa khayru l-ḥākimīn "When they despaired of him, they withdrew to confer privately. The eldest among them said: Do you not know that your father has taken from you a covenant before Allah, and that before this you fell short in the matter of Yūsuf? I will not leave this land until my father permits me or Allah judges in my favour — and He is the best of judges." — Yūsuf 12:80

Translation: When they despaired of any relief, they withdrew to confer in private. The eldest among them said: Do you not remember that your father bound you to Allāh's solemn covenant, and that before this you had already fallen short with regard to Yūsuf? I will not depart this land until my father gives me leave or Allāh decides my case — and He is the best of all judges.

Commentary: Khalaṣū najiyyan — they separated from others and consulted in secret. The eldest brother — who had been the most reluctant to harm Yūsuf and had counselled throwing him in the well rather than killing him — now speaks with conscience and honour. He acknowledged two things: first, that they had made a solemn pledge to their father; second, that they had a prior failure in the matter of Yūsuf. His decision to remain in Egypt until Allāh or their father gave him leave reflects a deep sense of moral accountability.

﴿ ارْجِعُوا إِلَىٰ أَبِيكُمْ فَقُولُوا يَا أَبَانَا إِنَّ ابْنَكَ سَرَقَ وَمَا شَهِدْنَا إِلَّا بِمَا عَلِمْنَا وَمَا كُنَّا لِلْغَيْبِ حَافِظِينَ ﴾Irjiʿū ilā abīkum fa-qūlū yā abānā inna bnak saraqa wa-mā shahidnā illā bi-mā ʿalimnā wa-mā kunnā li-l-ghaybi ḥāfiẓīn "Return to your father and say: Father, your son has stolen. We testify only to what we knew; we could not guard against the unseen." — Yūsuf 12:81

Translation: (The eldest said to the others:) Return to your father and tell him: Father, your son has stolen. We testify only to what we have witnessed; we are not guardians over the unseen.

Commentary: The brothers are instructed to give a truthful account of what appeared to be the facts — the cup was found in Benjamin's bag. Their testimony was mā ʿalimnā — what they knew and observed. They could not be held responsible for what they did not know: wa-mā kunnā li-l-ghaybi ḥāfiẓīn — they had no knowledge of the unseen (i.e., that the cup had been planted there by Yūsuf himself).

﴿ وَاسْأَلِ الْقَرْيَةَ الَّتِي كُنَّا فِيهَا وَالْعِيرَ الَّتِي أَقْبَلْنَا فِيهَا وَإِنَّا لَصَادِقُونَ ﴾Wa-sʾali l-qaryata l-latī kunnā fīhā wa-l-ʿīra l-latī aqbalnā fīhā wa-innā la-ṣādiqūn "And ask the town where we were, and the caravan with which we traveled — and we are indeed truthful." — Yūsuf 12:82

Translation: And ask the town we were in and the caravan we travelled with — we are telling the truth.

Commentary: The brothers supplied witnesses: the people of Egypt (the qarya — town, meaning here Miṣr, Egypt) and the caravan that accompanied them. This is an instance of presenting corroborating evidence. The phrase wa-sʾali l-qaryata is an Arabic idiom meaning "ask the inhabitants of the town" — not the town itself literally, as the mufassirūn (Qurʾānic commentators) clarify.

﴿ قَالَ بَلْ سَوَّلَتْ لَكُمْ أَنفُسُكُمْ أَمْرًا فَصَبْرٌ جَمِيلٌ عَسَى اللَّهُ أَن يَأْتِيَنِي بِهِمْ جَمِيعًا إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْعَلِيمُ الْحَكِيمُ ﴾Qāla bal sawwalat lakum anfusukum amran fa-ṣabrun jamīl ʿasā Allāhu an yaʾtiyani bihim jamīʿan innahu huwa l-ʿalīmu l-ḥakīm "He said: Nay, your souls have enticed you to something. So beautiful patience! Perhaps Allah will bring them all to me — He is the All-Knowing, the All-Wise." — Yūsuf 12:83

Translation: (Yaʿqūb) said: No, rather your souls have beguiled you into something. So beautiful patience is my way. Perhaps Allāh will bring them all back to me — He is the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.

Commentary: Yaʿqūb (upon him be peace) could not bring himself to believe his beloved youngest son was a thief. He attributed the narrative to his sons' misleading accounts — sawwalat lakum anfusukum amran — just as he had at the time of Yūsuf's disappearance. Fa-ṣabrun jamīl — then beautiful patience is my course — the same response he had given before. And now he expressed a new hope: ʿasā Allāhu an yaʾtiyani bihim jamīʿā — perhaps Allāh will bring them all back to me: Yūsuf, Benjamin, and the eldest son who stayed behind. Innahu huwa l-ʿalīmu l-ḥakīm — He knows what we do not know and His wisdom orders all things for good.

﴿ وَتَوَلَّىٰ عَنْهُمْ وَقَالَ يَا أَسَفَىٰ عَلَىٰ يُوسُفَ وَابْيَضَّتْ عَيْنَاهُ مِنَ الْحُزْنِ فَهُوَ كَظِيمٌ ﴾Wa-tawallā ʿanhum wa-qāla yā asafā ʿalā Yūsufa wa-byaḍḍat ʿaynāhu mina l-ḥuzni fa-huwa kaẓīm "And he turned away from them and said: O my grief for Yūsuf! And his eyes turned white from sorrow while he choked back his grief." — Yūsuf 12:84

Translation: And he turned away from them and cried: O my anguish for Yūsuf! His eyes went white from the intensity of his weeping and grief, yet he kept his pain suppressed within.

Commentary: The father's grief overwhelmed him anew. Yā asafā — O my sorrow! — an exclamation of deep anguish. Wa-byaḍḍat ʿaynāhu mina l-ḥuzn — his eyes became white (some commentators explain this as cataracts caused by excessive weeping; others say the whites of his eyes appeared from continuously streaming tears). Fa-huwa kaẓīm — and he held himself back; kaẓm denotes suppressing pain, swallowing grief, not expressing it outwardly in ways that would be displeasing to Allāh.

The commentator here defends Yaʿqūb's weeping: weeping is not forbidden; it is the natural expression of love. The Prophet Muḥammadﷺsaid: "The eye weeps and the heart grieves" — tears of the eye are a mercy placed by Allāh in the heart. What is forbidden is outcry (ṣurākh) and complaining against Allāh's decree. The commentator quotes a verse of the author (Ḥasrat, may Allāh have mercy on him):

The life of the living is love — the dead do not feel alive Death itself is better than life — when life is lived without love Taste a moment of union in this world's presence The pleasure of the two worlds is worth but a little of this

This verse expresses the Sufi insight that love — divine love above all — is the essence of spiritual life, and that the grief of separation is itself a mark of the heart's vitality.

﴿ قَالُوا تَاللَّهِ تَفْتَأُ تَذْكُرُ يُوسُفَ حَتَّىٰ تَكُونَ حَرَضًا أَوْ تَكُونَ مِنَ الْهَالِكِينَ ﴾Qālū ta-Allāhi taftaʾu tadhkuru Yūsufa ḥattā takūna ḥaraḍan aw takūna mina l-hālikīn "They said: By Allah, you will never cease remembering Yūsuf until you are wasted away or are among those who perish." — Yūsuf 12:85

Translation: They said: By Allāh! You will not stop remembering Yūsuf until you are utterly exhausted by illness or you die!

Commentary: Taftaʾu — you will not cease. Ḥaraḍ — a state of extreme physical wasting from sorrow; a person reduced to near-death by grief. Hālikīn — those who perish. The sons spoke out of concern — some say out of mild reproach — for they could not understand how love of this depth endured. The Sufi commentator observes: those who have never loved do not understand love. Those who are strangers to the intoxication of the divine will likewise fail to comprehend the weeping of the ʿārifīn (the gnostics).

﴿ قَالَ إِنَّمَا أَشْكُو بَثِّي وَحُزْنِي إِلَى اللَّهِ وَأَعْلَمُ مِنَ اللَّهِ مَا لَا تَعْلَمُونَ ﴾Qāla innamā ashkū baththī wa-ḥuznī ilā Allāhi wa-aʿlamu mina Allāhi mā lā taʿlamūn "He said: I complain of my grief and sorrow only to Allah — and I know from Allah what you do not know." — Yūsuf 12:86

Translation: He said: I complain of my overwhelming grief and sorrow to Allāh alone — and I know of Allāh's ways something you do not know.

Commentary: Baththī — my profound inward grief; ḥuznī — my outward sorrow. The father distinguishes between the two: there is the deep wound within (bathth) that cannot be fully expressed, and the grief (ḥuzn) that shows on his face. He does not complain to men — he brings his grief to Allāh. This is the mark of the true servant: all complaint is directed to Allāh alone, not to people. Wa-aʿlamu mina Allāhi mā lā taʿlamūn — "I know from Allāh what you do not know" — Yaʿqūb (upon him be peace) had prophetic confidence that Yūsuf was still alive and that Allāh's promise would be fulfilled.

﴿ يَا بَنِيَّ اذْهَبُوا فَتَحَسَّسُوا مِن يُوسُفَ وَأَخِيهِ وَلَا تَيْأَسُوا مِن رَّوْحِ اللَّهِ إِنَّهُ لَا يَيْأَسُ مِن رَّوْحِ اللَّهِ إِلَّا الْقَوْمُ الْكَافِرُونَ ﴾Yā baniyya dhhabū fa-taḥassasū min Yūsufa wa-akhīhi wa-lā tayʾasū min rawḥi Allāhi innahu lā yayʾasu min rawḥi Allāhi illā l-qawmu l-kāfirūn "O my sons! Go and seek out news of Yūsuf and his brother, and do not despair of Allah's mercy — for indeed none despairs of Allah's mercy except the disbelieving people." — Yūsuf 12:87

Translation: O my sons! Go and seek out tidings of Yūsuf and his brother, and do not despair of Allāh's mercy and relief. Truly none despairs of Allāh's mercy except the people of disbelief.

Commentary: Rawḥ Allāh — the relief, the opening, the breath of mercy from Allāh. Rawḥ in Arabic carries the senses of relief, spirit, wind, and ease — all connoting the refreshing mercy that comes from Allāh when matters seem closed. Yaʿqūb (upon him be peace), now a very old man who has wept until his eyes went white, still commands his sons to seek and not to despair. This is the supreme lesson of this sūra's spiritual teaching: the believer never despairs. Lā yayʾasu min rawḥi Allāhi illā l-qawmu l-kāfirūn — despair of Allāh's mercy is the mark of kufr (disbelief), not faith. Every trial has an end in Allāh's mercy.

﴿ فَلَمَّا دَخَلُوا عَلَيْهِ قَالُوا يَا أَيُّهَا الْعَزِيزُ مَسَّنَا وَأَهْلَنَا الضُّرُّ وَجِئْنَا بِبِضَاعَةٍ مُّزْجَاةٍ فَأَوْفِ لَنَا الْكَيْلَ وَتَصَدَّقْ عَلَيْنَا إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَجْزِي الْمُتَصَدِّقِينَ ﴾Fa-lammā dakhalū ʿalayhi qālū yā ayyuhā l-ʿazīzu massanā wa-ahlanā l-ḍurru wa-jiʾnā bi-biḍāʿatin muzjātin fa-awfi lanā l-kayla wa-taṣaddaq ʿalaynā inna Allāha yajzī l-mutaṣaddiqīn "And when they entered upon him, they said: O ʿAzīz! Hardship has touched us and our family, and we have brought but meagre capital — so give us full measure, and be charitable to us. Truly Allah rewards those who give in charity." — Yūsuf 12:88

Translation: And when they entered upon him, they said: O Exalted One! Distress and hardship have afflicted us and our family. We have brought only a paltry sum of trade goods. Give us full measure and be generous to us — Allāh rewards those who are generous.

Commentary: Muzjāh — a small, unpromising capital; something barely worth offering. The brothers appeared before the minister of Egypt in a state of poverty and need, appealing to his mercy. They invoked Allāh's reward for charity — inna Allāha yajzī l-mutaṣaddiqīn — as a motivation for his generosity. This was the moment Allāh had appointed for the great revelation.

﴿ قَالَ هَلْ عَلِمْتُم مَّا فَعَلْتُم بِيُوسُفَ وَأَخِيهِ إِذْ أَنتُمْ جَاهِلُونَ ﴾Qāla hal ʿalimtum mā faʿaltum bi-Yūsufa wa-akhīhi idh antum jāhilūn "He said: Do you know what you did with Yūsuf and his brother when you were ignorant?" — Yūsuf 12:89

Translation: He said: Do you realise what you did to Yūsuf and his brother when you were acting in ignorance?

Commentary: The veil was drawn aside. The minister himself brought up the name of Yūsuf. The brothers were startled — could this great man of Egypt know their history? The question was the beginning of the most dramatic revelation in the Qurʾān.

﴿ قَالُوا أَإِنَّكَ لَأَنتَ يُوسُفُ قَالَ أَنَا يُوسُفُ وَهَٰذَا أَخِي قَدْ مَنَّ اللَّهُ عَلَيْنَا إِنَّهُ مَن يَتَّقِ وَيَصْبِرْ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُضِيعُ أَجْرَ الْمُحْسِنِينَ ﴾Qālū a-innaka la-anta Yūsufu qāla anā Yūsufu wa-hādhā akhī qad manna Allāhu ʿalaynā innahu man yattaqi wa-yaṣbir fa-inna Allāha lā yuḍīʿu ajra l-muḥsinīn "They said: Are you really Yūsuf? He said: I am Yūsuf, and this is my brother. Allah has bestowed His favour upon us. Indeed, whoever fears Allah and is patient — truly Allah does not allow the reward of those who do good to be wasted." — Yūsuf 12:90

Translation: They said: Can it be — are you truly Yūsuf? He said: I am Yūsuf, and this is my brother. Allāh has bestowed His grace upon us. Indeed, whoever maintains taqwā and practices patience — truly Allāh never allows the reward of the righteous to be lost.

Commentary: The moment of revelation. Anā Yūsufu — I am Yūsuf. Three words, but carrying the weight of years of separation, suffering, and divine wisdom. Wa-hādhā akhī — and this is my brother — Benjamin, the beloved companion. Qad manna Allāhu ʿalaynā — Allāh has showered His favour upon us. Not a word of reproach; only gratitude to Allāh. And then the lesson of the entire sūra in a single sentence: man yattaqi wa-yaṣbir fa-inna Allāha lā yuḍīʿu ajra l-muḥsinīn — whoever combines taqwā (God-consciousness) with ṣabr (patient endurance) will never, ever, lose their reward before Allāh.

﴿ قَالُوا تَاللَّهِ لَقَدْ آثَرَكَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْنَا وَإِن كُنَّا لَخَاطِئِينَ ﴾Qālū ta-Allāhi laqad ātharaka Allāhu ʿalaynā wa-in kunnā la-khāṭiʾīn "They said: By Allah! Allah has indeed preferred you above us, and we were certainly sinners." — Yūsuf 12:91

Translation: They said: By Allāh! Allāh has indeed chosen you above us, and we have indeed been sinful.

Commentary: The confession of the brothers — frank and public. Ātharaka Allāhu ʿalaynā — Allāh has elevated you over us. Wa-in kunnā la-khāṭiʾīn — and we were indeed wrongdoers, sinners. This acknowledgement is itself a form of tawba (repentance) — the first step is admission of one's wrong. The commentator notes: repentance requires acknowledgement of the sin; without this, there is no true tawba.

﴿ قَالَ لَا تَثْرِيبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الْيَوْمَ يَغْفِرُ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ وَهُوَ أَرْحَمُ الرَّاحِمِينَ ﴾Qāla lā tathrība ʿalaykumu l-yawma yaghfiru Allāhu lakum wa-huwa arḥamu l-rāḥimīn "He said: No blame shall fall on you today. May Allah forgive you — and He is the Most Merciful of the merciful." — Yūsuf 12:92

Translation: He said: There is no reproach upon you today. May Allāh forgive you — He is the Most Merciful of the merciful.

Commentary: Lā tathrība — no reproach, no upbraiding. This is Yūsuf's magnanimity in its fullness. He did not dwell on past wounds; he did not remind them of their cruelty; he did not make them feel small at the moment of his greatest power over them. This is precisely how the Prophet Muḥammadﷺbehaved at the Conquest of Makkah, when he said: "lā tathrība ʿalaykumu l-yawm" — following in the spirit of Yūsuf (upon him be peace). The commentator notes this parallel with reverence: the conduct of Yūsuf was the prophetic model that Rasūl Allāhﷺhimself embodied. Yaghfiru Allāhu lakum — may Allāh forgive you: Yūsuf asked Allāh's forgiveness for them rather than seeking revenge. Wa-huwa arḥamu l-rāḥimīn — and He is the Most Merciful of the merciful — a name of Allāh that closes the scene with infinite tenderness.

﴿ اذْهَبُوا بِقَمِيصِي هَٰذَا فَأَلْقُوهُ عَلَىٰ وَجْهِ أَبِي يَأْتِ بَصِيرًا وَأْتُونِي بِأَهْلِكُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ ﴾Idhhabū bi-qamīṣī hādhā fa-alqūhu ʿalā wajhi abī yaʾti baṣīran wa-ʾtūnī bi-ahlikum ajmaʿīn "Take this shirt of mine and place it over my father's face — he will recover his sight. And bring all your family to me." — Yūsuf 12:93

Translation: Take this my shirt and lay it upon my father's face — he will see again. And bring the entire family to me.

Commentary: The miraculous shirt: Yūsuf (upon him be peace) sent his shirt as the instrument of Yaʿqūb's cure. The commentator reflects on this miracle: the restoration of sight by the touch of the shirt is a karāma (extraordinary divine gift), and such things are real. The commentator quotes: "fa-kashafnā ʿanka ghiṭāʾaka fa-baṣaruka l-yawma ḥadīd" (Qāf 50:22) — the verse about sight being restored on the Day of Judgment. He then reflects that those who deny the spiritual realities of saints and their gifts deprive themselves of the fruits of the spiritual life; they live on the surface and miss the substance. Then the command: wa-ʾtūnī bi-ahlikum ajmaʿīn — bring all of your family.

﴿ وَلَمَّا فَصَلَتِ الْعِيرُ قَالَ أَبُوهُمْ إِنِّي لَأَجِدُ رِيحَ يُوسُفَ لَوْلَا أَن تُفَنِّدُونِ ﴾Wa-lammā faṣalati l-ʿīru qāla abūhum innī la-ajidu rīḥa Yūsufa lawlā an tufannidūn "And when the caravan departed, their father said: I can indeed sense the scent of Yūsuf — if only you would not say I am deluding myself." — Yūsuf 12:94

Translation: And when the caravan set out, their father said: I can truly sense the fragrance of Yūsuf — if only you would not accuse me of old man's delusion!

Commentary: From afar, Yaʿqūb (upon him be peace) sensed the scent of Yūsuf carried by the caravan. This is a spiritual sensitivity (kashf) — the father's heart perceived what the distance concealed. Lawlā an tufannidūn — were it not that you would say I am in dotage. Tafnīd means to find fault, to dismiss as foolish. He was aware his family would disbelieve him, yet he spoke his certainty.

﴿ قَالُوا تَاللَّهِ إِنَّكَ لَفِي ضَلَالِكَ الْقَدِيمِ ﴾Qālū ta-Allāhi innaka la-fī ḍalālika l-qadīm "They said: By Allah, you are still in your old error!" — Yūsuf 12:95

Translation: Those around him said: By Allāh, you are still lost in your old delusion!

Commentary: Ḍalālika l-qadīm — your ancient confusion, your long-standing error. The family could not understand the prophetic perception that allowed Yaʿqūb (upon him be peace) to sense Yūsuf's fragrance across the desert. The commentator notes: they interpreted his certainty as grief-induced confusion. But it was in fact prophetic kashf, a spiritual unveiling. The believer with a pure heart can perceive truths invisible to ordinary sight. When the caravan finally arrived and Yūsuf's shirt was placed on the old father's face, the miracle confirmed what the father had known.

﴿ فَلَمَّا أَن جَاءَ الْبَشِيرُ أَلْقَاهُ عَلَىٰ وَجْهِهِ فَارْتَدَّ بَصِيرًا قَالَ أَلَمْ أَقُل لَّكُمْ إِنِّي أَعْلَمُ مِنَ اللَّهِ مَا لَا تَعْلَمُونَ ﴾Fa-lammā an jāʾa l-bashīru alqāhu ʿalā wajhihi fa-rtadda baṣīran qāla a-lam aqul lakum innī aʿlamu mina Allāhi mā lā taʿlamūn "And when the bearer of good tidings came, he placed it upon his face, and he regained his sight. He said: Did I not tell you that I know from Allah what you do not know?" — Yūsuf 12:96

Translation: And when the bearer of the glad tidings arrived, he placed the shirt upon his face, and he regained his sight. He said: Did I not tell you that I know from Allāh what you do not know?

Commentary: Al-bashīr — the bearer of glad tidings, the herald of joy. The shirt, placed upon Yaʿqūb's face by Allāh's command, restored his sight. Fa-rtadda baṣīran — he became sighted once again. And the aged prophet declared his vindication with gentleness, not triumph: "Did I not tell you?" — not to rebuke them but to confirm the principle: prophetic knowledge, ʿilm ladunnī (knowledge from the Divine Presence), surpasses ordinary human understanding.

﴿ قَالُوا يَا أَبَانَا اسْتَغْفِرْ لَنَا ذُنُوبَنَا إِنَّا كُنَّا خَاطِئِينَ ﴾Qālū yā abānā staghfir lanā dhunūbanā innā kunnā khāṭiʾīn "They said: Father, pray for forgiveness of our sins — truly we have been sinners." — Yūsuf 12:97

Translation: They said: Father! Ask forgiveness for us from Allāh for our sins — we were indeed wrongdoers.

Commentary: The brothers turned to their father to intercede for them before Allāh. This is one of the most important verses in the Qurʾān for the doctrine of tawassul (seeking intercession through a righteous person). The brothers did not simply make istighfār (seek forgiveness) on their own; they asked their father — a prophet — to pray on their behalf. This confirms the validity and importance of seeking the intercession of the righteous. The commentator says: from this it is understood that repentance (tawba) alone is not always sufficient; seeking the supplication (duʿāʾ) of a righteous scholar or spiritual master (murshid) carries additional benefit. The conditions for an intercessor are elaborated in fiqh.

﴿ قَالَ سَوْفَ أَسْتَغْفِرُ لَكُمْ رَبِّي إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ ﴾Qāla sawfa astaghfiru lakum rabbī innahu huwa l-ghafūru l-raḥīm "He said: I shall seek forgiveness for you from my Lord — truly He is the Most Forgiving, Most Merciful." — Yūsuf 12:98

Translation: He said: I will ask forgiveness for you from my Lord — He is indeed the Most Forgiving, the Most Merciful.

Commentary: Sawfa astaghfiru — I shall seek forgiveness for you; the word sawfa indicates a future action, here indicating a delay — either until the night (a blessed time for prayer) or until the last third of the night of Friday, which is the hour of acceptance according to many narrations. The commentator observes: Yaʿqūb did not refuse; he promised to intercede. This is the adab (propriety) of the intercessor: he does not hasten but chooses the most blessed moment for his supplication. Innahu huwa l-ghafūru l-raḥīm — He is the Forgiving, the Merciful — and the intercessor's role is precisely to direct the repentant heart toward that divine mercy.

﴿ فَلَمَّا دَخَلُوا عَلَىٰ يُوسُفَ آوَىٰ إِلَيْهِ أَبَوَيْهِ وَقَالَ ادْخُلُوا مِصْرَ إِن شَاءَ اللَّهُ آمِنِينَ ﴾Fa-lammā dakhalū ʿalā Yūsufa āwā ilayhi abawayhi wa-qāla dkhulū Miṣra in shāʾa Allāhu āminīn "And when they entered upon Yūsuf, he drew his parents close to himself and said: Enter Egypt — in shāʾa Allāh — in full security." — Yūsuf 12:99

Translation: And when they all entered upon Yūsuf, he took his parents close — his father and (step)mother — and said: Enter Egypt, God willing, in complete safety and peace.

Commentary: Āwā ilayhi abawayhi — he drew his parents to himself with affection and reverence. The great minister of Egypt — the second most powerful man in the land — clasped his parents to himself. In shāʾa Allāh āminīn — enter Egypt, if Allāh wills, in security. The phrase in shāʾa Allāh as used by a prophet is a reminder of the constant dependence of all things on Allāh's will.

﴿ وَرَفَعَ أَبَوَيْهِ عَلَى الْعَرْشِ وَخَرُّوا لَهُ سُجَّدًا وَقَالَ يَا أَبَتِ هَٰذَا تَأْوِيلُ رُءْيَايَ مِن قَبْلُ قَدْ جَعَلَهَا رَبِّي حَقًّا ﴾Wa-rafaʿa abawayhi ʿalā l-ʿarshi wa-kharrū lahu sujjadan wa-qāla yā abati hādhā taʾwīlu ruʾyāya min qablu qad jaʿalahā rabbī ḥaqqā "And he raised his parents onto the throne, and they all fell down before him in prostration. And he said: Father! This is the interpretation of my former vision — my Lord has made it true." — Yūsuf 12:100

Translation: And he raised his parents upon the throne (seat of honour) and they all — parents and brothers — fell down prostrate before him. He said: O my father! This is the fulfilment of my earlier dream — my Lord has made it come true.

Commentary: Wa-rafaʿa abawayhi ʿalā l-ʿarshi — he seated his father and mother upon the throne of honour. Wa-kharrū lahu sujjadan — they all prostrated before him. The commentator addresses the question of this prostration: it was a sajda taḥiyya (a prostration of greeting and honour), which was lawful in the sharīʿa of Yūsuf but has been abrogated (mansūkh) in the sharīʿa of the Prophet Muḥammadﷺ. Under our law, prostration is only for Allāh; to prostrate to any created being is ḥarām. The Prophetﷺsaid: "Were I to command anyone to prostrate to another, I would command the wife to prostrate to her husband" — yet he did not make it lawful. The commentator then quotes the dream vision of eleven stars, the sun, and the moon from the beginning of the sūra (12:4), now fulfilled: hādhā taʾwīlu ruʾyāya min qabl — this is the interpretation of my long-ago dream.

Yūsuf then continues:

﴿ وَقَدْ أَحْسَنَ بِي إِذْ أَخْرَجَنِي مِنَ السِّجْنِ وَجَاءَ بِكُم مِّنَ الْبَدْوِ مِن بَعْدِ أَن نَّزَغَ الشَّيْطَانُ بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَ إِخْوَتِي إِنَّ رَبِّي لَطِيفٌ لِّمَا يَشَاءُ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْعَلِيمُ الْحَكِيمُ ﴾Wa-qad aḥsana bī idh akhrajanī mina l-sijni wa-jāʾa bikum mina l-badwi min baʿdi an nazagha l-shayṭānu baynī wa-bayna ikhwatī inna rabbī laṭīfun li-mā yashāʾu innahu huwa l-ʿalīmu l-ḥakīm "He has been gracious to me in bringing me out of prison and bringing you from the desert, after Shayṭān had sown discord between me and my brothers. Truly my Lord is subtle in what He wills — He is the All-Knowing, the All-Wise." — Yūsuf 12:100

Translation: He has showered His favour on me — He brought me out of prison and brought you from the desert, after Shayṭān had caused enmity between me and my brothers. My Lord is infinitely subtle in effecting what He wills — He is the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.

Commentary: Laṭīf — the Most Subtly Gracious, the Gentle, the One whose workings are too fine and hidden for human perception until they are revealed. The entire story of Yūsuf is a demonstration of Allāh's luṭf (subtlety and grace): every apparent calamity was a step toward the greater blessing. What seemed like abandonment by the brothers was the path to Egypt; what seemed like false imprisonment was the path to the palace; what seemed like humiliation was the preparation for honour. The commentator draws a deep lesson: when we are in difficulty, we should know that Allāh's luṭf is at work.

﴿ رَبِّ قَدْ آتَيْتَنِي مِنَ الْمُلْكِ وَعَلَّمْتَنِي مِن تَأْوِيلِ الْأَحَادِيثِ فَاطِرَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ أَنتَ وَلِيِّي فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةِ تَوَفَّنِي مُسْلِمًا وَأَلْحِقْنِي بِالصَّالِحِينَ ﴾Rabbi qad ātaytanī mina l-mulki wa-ʿallamtanī min taʾwīli l-aḥādīthi fāṭira l-samāwāti wa-l-arḍi anta waliyyī fī l-dunyā wa-l-ākhirati tawaffanī musliman wa-alḥiqnī bi-l-ṣāliḥīn "My Lord! You have given me sovereignty and taught me the interpretation of dreams — Creator of the heavens and earth, You are my protector in this world and the next. Cause me to die a Muslim and join me with the righteous." — Yūsuf 12:101

Translation: My Lord! You have granted me dominion and taught me the interpretation of speech and dreams. O Originator of the heavens and earth! You are my Guardian in this world and the Hereafter. Cause me to die in the state of Islam and join me with the righteous.

Commentary: This is the prayer of a prophet at the summit of worldly success — not asking for more power, more wealth, more comfort, but asking to die as a Muslim (tawaffanī musliman) and to be gathered with the righteous (alḥiqnī bi-l-ṣāliḥīn). Fāṭira l-samāwāti wa-l-arḍ — O Originator, Splitter-open of the heavens and earth — this divine name emphasises Allāh as the absolute Creator who brings things into being from nothing. The commentator notes: at the pinnacle of his power, Yūsuf (upon him be peace) desired nothing but good death and righteous company. This is the teaching for the believer: seek death in faith, seek companionship with the righteous, and hold all worldly gifts lightly.

﴿ ذَٰلِكَ مِنْ أَنبَاءِ الْغَيْبِ نُوحِيهِ إِلَيْكَ وَمَا كُنتَ لَدَيْهِمْ إِذْ أَجْمَعُوا أَمْرَهُمْ وَهُمْ يَمْكُرُونَ ﴾Dhālika min anbāʾi l-ghaybi nūḥīhi ilayka wa-mā kunta ladayhim idh ajmaʿū amrahum wa-hum yamkurūn "This is from the tidings of the unseen which We reveal to you. You were not with them when they agreed upon their plan while they were plotting." — Yūsuf 12:102

Translation: This is from the tidings of the unseen which We reveal to you — you were not with them when they reached their agreement and were plotting.

Commentary: The Qurʾān now turns to address the Prophet Muḥammadﷺdirectly. Dhālika min anbāʾi l-ghayb — this story is not from your personal knowledge or from human transmission to you. It is waḥy (divine revelation). Wa-mā kunta ladayhim — you were not present when the brothers plotted against Yūsuf. Only Allāh could have transmitted this to you — and this is one of the proofs of the Prophet'sﷺprophethood.

﴿ وَمَا أَكْثَرُ النَّاسِ وَلَوْ حَرَصْتَ بِمُؤْمِنِينَ ﴾Wa-mā aktharu l-nāsi wa-law ḥaraṣta bi-muʾminīn "And most people, even if you were eager, will not believe." — Yūsuf 12:103

Translation: And most people, even if you were to strive eagerly, will not believe.

Commentary: A consolation to the Prophetﷺ: the resistance of the Quraysh is not a failure of your mission but a reflection of the condition of the human heart without divine guidance. Most people, even when given every proof, do not believe — not because the proof is insufficient but because they do not choose to receive it.

﴿ وَمَا تَسْأَلُهُمْ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ أَجْرٍ إِنْ هُوَ إِلَّا ذِكْرٌ لِّلْعَالَمِينَ ﴾Wa-mā tasʾaluhum ʿalayhi min ajrin in huwa illā dhikrun li-l-ʿālamīn "And you ask them no reward for it — it is nothing but a reminder to all the worlds." — Yūsuf 12:104

Translation: And you ask no payment from them for this — it is nothing but a reminder to all creation.

Commentary: Dhikr li-l-ʿālamīn — a reminder for all the worlds: the Qurʾān is not addressed to one people or one era but to all of humanity through all time. The Prophetﷺsought no worldly compensation; he brought only the reminder. The commentator observes: the stories of the Qurʾān are not told merely as history or entertainment. They are told li-l-ʿibra wa-l-tanbīh — for moral lessons and awakening. And Sūrat Yūsuf is the finest of them all — aḥsanu l-qaṣaṣ — for in it every emotional dimension of the human journey is depicted: love, jealousy, abandonment, temptation, patience, grace, reunion, and gratitude.

Commentary (continued — summary of Sūrat Yūsuf):

The commentator provides an extended reflection on the moral lessons of the complete narrative of Yūsuf (upon him be peace):

The brothers of Yūsuf were jealous of their father's love for him and sought to separate them. They plotted against their young brother, intending at first to kill him, then casting him into the well. Caravans took him from the well; they took him to Egypt as a slave. The ʿAzīz of Egypt purchased him as a slave. Then his chastity was tested: he lived night and day in the household of the ʿAzīz, eating his food, benefiting from his patronage — and a beautiful woman from within the household sought to seduce him. To refuse was not easy. Yet he refused, accepted prison, and submitted to Allāh's decree. In prison he interpreted dreams; the one who was released forgot him. But Allāh brought the king's dream, and through it brought Yūsuf from prison to the palace — just as Allāh later brought the Prophet Muḥammadﷺfrom the protection of Abū Ṭālib to the leadership of all peoples.

Those who persecute the righteous and obstruct the path of the prophets are only instruments of a larger providence. The commentator says: look from beginning to end at this story and in it you will find both ʿibra (lesson) and tanbīh (awakening). Those who are sincere always find goodness at the end.

The commentator draws the parallel explicitly: as Allāh reunited Yūsuf (upon him be peace) with his father Yaʿqūb (upon him be peace) after the long separation, so too Allāh will reunite this community with its beloved Prophetﷺ. Let us hold fast to the love of Rasūl Allāhﷺ. Lā taqnaṭū min raḥmati Allāh; wa-kāna ḥaqqan ʿalaynā naṣru l-muʾminīn (al-Rūm 30:47).

The commentator then includes a verse of Ḥasrat (may Allāh have mercy on him):

At last the good day came, bearable and welcome Every bitterness, when accepted with thanks, becomes sweet

Commentary (continued):

When Yaʿqūb (upon him be peace) and his sons came to Yūsuf and they all wept together in the joy of reunion, this is the mark of love (maḥabba) — a love rooted not in the world but in the Divine. The commentator addresses those who question the lawfulness of sajda taḥiyya and the legality of prostrating before one's elders: this was permitted in earlier sharīʿas and is abrogated (mansūkh) in ours. The Prophetﷺsaid: "If I were to command anyone to prostrate to other than Allāh, I would command the wife to prostrate to her husband" — yet he did not permit it. So after the sharīʿa of Muḥammadﷺwas established, prostration to any created being — even the most honoured — became ḥarām.

The commentator also responds to those who criticise Yaʿqūb's persistent weeping for Yūsuf. Such people are strangers to real love. Did they not see what Yūsuf contained? And what was Yaʿqūb's weeping truly about? It was the grief of separation from one in whom the divine light (nūr) shone. Those whose hearts are attached to Allāh weep when separated from the signs of Allāh in this world, because the soul senses its home. Lā taflāḥūna — those who mock sincere grief do not prosper.

The commentator quotes his own verse: The friend of the heart is one — the Unique Friend alone He who has found this Friend needs nothing of the two worlds

He closes the reflection on Yūsuf with the reminder: every difficult matter — kull amr ʿasīr — is made easy by Allāh when the servant turns to Him. And Allāh's unchanging principle is stated at the close of the sūra's narrative:

﴿ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُغَيِّرُ مَا بِقَوْمٍ حَتَّىٰ يُغَيِّرُوا مَا بِأَنفُسِهِمْ ﴾(al-Raʿd 13:11) — "Allāh does not change the condition of a people until they change what is within themselves"

and:

﴿ وَكَانَ حَقًّا عَلَيْنَا نَصْرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ﴾(al-Rūm 30:47) — "And it is a binding duty upon Us to help the believers."

Reform yourselves inwardly; seek victory through righteousness.

﴿ وَكَأَيِّن مِّن آيَةٍ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ يَمُرُّونَ عَلَيْهَا وَهُمْ عَنْهَا مُعْرِضُونَ ﴾Wa-kaʾayyin min āyatin fī l-samāwāti wa-l-arḍi yamurrūna ʿalayhā wa-hum ʿanhā muʿriḍūn "And how many a sign in the heavens and the earth do they pass by while turning away from them!" — Yūsuf 12:105

Translation: How many signs there are in the heavens and the earth — yet people pass by them while turning away in heedlessness!

Commentary: Āyāt — signs, tokens of divine power and wisdom. The skies, the stars, the alternation of night and day, the order of creation — all are signs that speak of Allāh. Yet most people walk past them without reflection, without wonder, without drawing near to their Creator.

﴿ وَمَا يُؤْمِنُ أَكْثَرُهُم بِاللَّهِ إِلَّا وَهُم مُّشْرِكُونَ ﴾Wa-mā yuʾminu aktharuhum billāhi illā wa-hum mushrikūn "And most of them do not believe in Allah without associating partners with Him." — Yūsuf 12:106

Translation: And most of them, even when they believe in Allāh, associate others with Him.

Commentary: This verse speaks to a subtle form of shirk (associating partners with Allāh) — not the gross idolatry of pre-Islamic Arabia but the hidden shirk of the heart: depending on other than Allāh, fearing other than Allāh, loving the world as one should love only Allāh. The commentator quotes his own verse:

Karāmāt and saintly wonders are all present But few among the sincere are rare in these days Those who complain against fate and are faithless to the Beloved Are exiled from His court — their protests are their loss

﴿ أَفَأَمِنُوا أَن تَأْتِيَهُمْ غَاشِيَةٌ مِّنْ عَذَابِ اللَّهِ أَوْ تَأْتِيَهُمُ السَّاعَةُ بَغْتَةً وَهُمْ لَا يَشْعُرُونَ ﴾A-fa-aminū an taʾtiyahum ghāshiyatun min ʿadhābi Allāhi aw taʾtiyahumu l-sāʿatu baghtatun wa-hum lā yashʿurūn "Do they feel secure from the coming of an enveloping punishment from Allah, or from the coming of the Hour suddenly while they do not perceive?" — Yūsuf 12:107

Translation: Have they made themselves secure against an encompassing punishment from Allāh coming upon them, or against the Hour arriving suddenly while they are unaware?

Commentary: Ghāshiya — an enveloping, overwhelming calamity, a punishment that comes from every side. Baghta — suddenly, without warning. The heedless person who passes the signs of Allāh without reflection and who taints his faith with hidden shirk is in danger of this sudden reckoning. Wa-hum lā yashʿurūn — they do not even sense it approaching.

﴿ قُلْ هَٰذِهِ سَبِيلِي أَدْعُو إِلَى اللَّهِ عَلَىٰ بَصِيرَةٍ أَنَا وَمَنِ اتَّبَعَنِي وَسُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ وَمَا أَنَا مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ ﴾Qul hādhihi sabīlī adʿū ilā Allāhi ʿalā baṣīratin anā wa-mani ttabaʿanī wa-subḥāna Allāhi wa-mā anā mina l-mushrikīn "Say: This is my way — I call to Allah upon clear insight, I and whoever follows me. And glory be to Allah, and I am not of the polytheists." — Yūsuf 12:108

Translation: Say (O Prophet): This is my way — I call to Allāh with clear insight and inner certainty, I and those who follow me. Glory be to Allāh! And I am not among those who associate partners with Him.

Commentary: Hādhihi sabīlī — this is my path: the path of daʿwa (calling to Allāh). ʿAlā baṣīra — on the basis of clear insight, spiritual vision, not blind conformity or ignorant enthusiasm. Anā wa-mani ttabaʿanī — both the Prophetﷺhimself and those who follow him are required to call to Allāh with knowledge and certainty. Subḥāna Allāh — Allāh is utterly free of all that does not befit His Majesty. And wa-mā anā mina l-mushrikīn — the Prophetﷺdeclares his absolute freedom from every form of shirk, manifest or hidden.

﴿ وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَا مِن قَبْلِكَ إِلَّا رِجَالًا نُّوحِي إِلَيْهِمْ مِّنْ أَهْلِ الْقُرَىٰ أَفَلَمْ يَسِيرُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ فَيَنظُرُوا كَيْفَ كَانَ عَاقِبَةُ الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ وَلَدَارُ الْآخِرَةِ خَيْرٌ لِّلَّذِينَ اتَّقَوْا أَفَلَا تَعْقِلُونَ ﴾Wa-mā arsalnā min qablika illā rijālan nūḥī ilayhim min ahli l-qurā a-fa-lam yasīrū fī l-arḍi fa-yanẓurū kayfa kāna ʿāqibatu lladhīna min qablihim wa-la-dāru l-ākhirati khayrun li-lladhīna ttaqaw a-fa-lā taʿqilūn "And We did not send before you except men whom We inspired — from the people of the towns. Have they not traveled in the land and seen what was the end of those before them? And the abode of the Hereafter is better for those who fear Allah — do you not reason?" — Yūsuf 12:109

Translation: And before you We sent only men to whom We gave revelation — from the inhabitants of the towns. Have they not travelled the land and seen what happened to those before them? And the abode of the Hereafter is better for those who maintain taqwā — do you not use your reason?

Commentary: All the prophets before Muḥammadﷺwere men (rijāl), not angels, and they came from settled communities. The Quraysh's objection that a human messenger is inadequate is answered. As for the end of the deniers — the ruins of ʿĀd, Thamūd, and the towns of Lūṭ are visible in the land; let them travel and look. The traveller of the earth who looks with the eye of the heart finds signs of Allāh's justice and His mercy everywhere. The abode of the Hereafter — dāru l-ākhira — is far better for the God-fearing.

﴿ حَتَّىٰ إِذَا اسْتَيْأَسَ الرُّسُلُ وَظَنُّوا أَنَّهُمْ قَدْ كُذِبُوا جَاءَهُمْ نَصْرُنَا فَنُجِّيَ مَن نَّشَاءُ وَلَا يُرَدُّ بَأْسُنَا عَنِ الْقَوْمِ الْمُجْرِمِينَ ﴾Ḥattā idhā stayaʾasa l-rusulu wa-ẓannū annahum qad kudhdhibū jāʾahum naṣrunā fa-nujjiya man nashāʾu wa-lā yuraddu baʾsunā ʿani l-qawmi l-mujrimīn "Until, when the messengers despaired and thought that they had been denied, Our help came to them — then whoever We willed was saved. And Our might cannot be turned back from the criminal people." — Yūsuf 12:110

Translation: — Until, when the messengers despaired and thought they had truly been rejected and denied, Our succour came to them. Those whom We willed were saved, and Our punishment is never averted from the people of crime and transgression.

Commentary: Stayaʾasa l-rusul — when the messengers reached the extreme of despair. Wa-ẓannū annahum qad kudhdhibū — and they thought they had truly been rejected. At this most extreme moment — when even the prophets were at the edge of despair — the divine help (naṣr) arrived. Fa-nujjiya man nashāʾ — those whom Allāh willed were saved. This is the great principle: divine help comes at the moment of greatest need, when all human resources are exhausted. The commentator says: the believer must hold on. The darkest hour before dawn is when Allāh's mercy arrives. And for the mujrimīn (the criminals, the persistent deniers), the divine punishment is equally certain: lā yuraddu baʾsunā — no one can turn it back.

﴿ لَقَدْ كَانَ فِي قَصَصِهِمْ عِبْرَةٌ لِّأُولِي الْأَلْبَابِ مَا كَانَ حَدِيثًا يُفْتَرَىٰ وَلَٰكِن تَصْدِيقَ الَّذِي بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ وَتَفْصِيلَ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ وَهُدًى وَرَحْمَةً لِّقَوْمٍ يُؤْمِنُونَ ﴾Laqad kāna fī qaṣaṣihim ʿibratun li-ulī l-albābi mā kāna ḥadīthan yuftarā wa-lākin taṣdīqa lladhī bayna yadayhi wa-tafṣīla kulli shayʾin wa-hudан wa-raḥmatan li-qawmin yuʾminūn "Indeed in their stories is a lesson for those of understanding. It is not a fabricated account, but a confirmation of what came before it, a detailed explanation of all things, a guidance and a mercy for a people who believe." — Yūsuf 12:111

Translation: There is in their stories a profound lesson for those possessed of clear minds and hearts. This is not an invented narrative — rather it is a confirmation of the scriptures before it, a detailed exposition of all things, and a guidance and mercy for those who believe.

Commentary: This is the seal of Sūrat Yūsuf, and it is also the seal of a great portion of this tafsīr. ʿIbra li-ulī l-albāb — a lesson for those of hearts and minds (albāb is the plural of lubb, the kernel, the essence — those who have reached the inner core of understanding). Mā kāna ḥadīthan yuftarā — this is not a made-up tale. The Qurʾān attests to and confirms the earlier scriptures, detailing what they had in outline, and bringing complete guidance (hudā) and mercy (raḥma) for those who believe.

The commentator closes his reflection on Sūrat Yūsuf with these words: Look at the story of Yūsuf (upon him be peace) and the circumstances of Rasūl Allāhﷺalongside it — and you will see ʿibra (lesson) as well as tanbīh (awakening). Those who are sincere (ṣādiqūn) in any age will find their end good. Patience is the means; Allāh's promise is the certainty; and lā taqnaṭū min raḥmati Allāh — never despair of Allāh's mercy.

Sūrat al-Raʿd (13)