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