The surah that narrates the edifying and enthralling life experience of the noble prophet and interpreter of dreams, Joseph—son of Jacob, son of Isaac, son of Abraham—calling it “the fairest of stories,” an inspirational triumph of morality and faith. “Yūsuf” is the Arabic for “Joseph”, whose well-known story is told in this surah. Even though the surah primarily deals with the story of Joseph, it is framed by a three-verse introduction about the Quran and a ten-verse epilogue about the Meccans” response, the punishment met by earlier disbelievers, and encouragement for the Prophet.
1
الر ۚ تِلكَ آياتُ الكِتابِ المُبينِ
a-l-r (ʾalif lām rā) tilka ʾāyātu l-kitābi l-mubīni
Alif, Lām, Rā. These are the signs of the Manifest Book.
2
إِنّا أَنزَلناهُ قُرآنًا عَرَبِيًّا لَعَلَّكُم تَعقِلونَ
ʾinnā ʾanzalnāhu qurʾānan ʿarabiyyan laʿallakum taʿqilūna
Indeed We have sent it down as an Arabic Qurʾān so that you may apply reason.
3
نَحنُ نَقُصُّ عَلَيكَ أَحسَنَ القَصَصِ بِما أَوحَينا إِلَيكَ هٰذَا القُرآنَ وَإِن كُنتَ مِن قَبلِهِ لَمِنَ الغافِلينَ
naḥnu naquṣṣu ʿalayka ʾaḥsana l-qaṣaṣi bi-mā ʾawḥaynā ʾilayka hādhā l-qurʾāna wa-ʾin kunta min qablihī la-mina l-ghāfilīna
We will recount to you the best of narratives1 in what We have revealed to you of this Qurʾān, and indeed prior to it you were among those who are unaware [of it].Or ‘We will tell you a story in the best style of narration.’
4
إِذ قالَ يوسُفُ لِأَبيهِ يا أَبَتِ إِنّي رَأَيتُ أَحَدَ عَشَرَ كَوكَبًا وَالشَّمسَ وَالقَمَرَ رَأَيتُهُم لي ساجِدينَ
ʾidh qāla yūsufu li-ʾabīhi yā-ʾabati ʾinnī raʾaytu ʾaḥada ʿashara kawkaban wa-sh-shamsa wa-l-qamara raʾaytuhum lī sājidīna
When Joseph said to his father, ‘Father! I saw eleven planets,1 and the sun and the moon: I saw them prostrating themselves before me.’Or ‘stars.’
5
قالَ يا بُنَيَّ لا تَقصُص رُؤياكَ عَلىٰ إِخوَتِكَ فَيَكيدوا لَكَ كَيدًا ۖ إِنَّ الشَّيطانَ لِلإِنسانِ عَدُوٌّ مُبينٌ
qāla yā-bunayya lā taqṣuṣ ruʾyāka ʿalā ʾikhwatika fa-yakīdū laka kaydan ʾinna sh-shayṭāna li-l-ʾinsāni ʿaduwwun mubīnun
He said, ‘My son, do not recount your dream to your brothers, lest they should devise schemes against you. Satan is indeed man’s manifest enemy.
6
وَكَذٰلِكَ يَجتَبيكَ رَبُّكَ وَيُعَلِّمُكَ مِن تَأويلِ الأَحاديثِ وَيُتِمُّ نِعمَتَهُ عَلَيكَ وَعَلىٰ آلِ يَعقوبَ كَما أَتَمَّها عَلىٰ أَبَوَيكَ مِن قَبلُ إِبراهيمَ وَإِسحاقَ ۚ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ عَليمٌ حَكيمٌ
wa-ka-dhālika yajtabīka rabbuka wa-yuʿallimuka min taʾwīli l-ʾaḥādīthi wa-yutimmu niʿmatahū ʿalayka wa-ʿalā ʾāli yaʿqūba ka-mā ʾatammahā ʿalā ʾabawayka min qablu ʾibrāhīma wa-ʾisḥāqa ʾinna rabbaka ʿalīmun ḥakīmun
That is how your Lord will choose you, and teach you the interpretation of dreams,1 and complete His blessing upon you and upon the house of Jacob, just as He completed it earlier for your fathers, Abraham and Isaac. Your Lord is indeed all-knowing, all-wise.’Or ‘the interpretation of visions.’
7
۞ لَقَد كانَ في يوسُفَ وَإِخوَتِهِ آياتٌ لِلسّائِلينَ
la-qad kāna fī yūsufa wa-ʾikhwatihī ʾāyātun li-s-sāʾilīna
In Joseph and his brothers there are certainly signs for the seekers.
8
إِذ قالوا لَيوسُفُ وَأَخوهُ أَحَبُّ إِلىٰ أَبينا مِنّا وَنَحنُ عُصبَةٌ إِنَّ أَبانا لَفي ضَلالٍ مُبينٍ
ʾidh qālū la-yūsufu wa-ʾakhūhu ʾaḥabbu ʾilā ʾabīnā minnā wa-naḥnu ʿuṣbatun ʾinna ʾabānā la-fī ḍalālin mubīnin-i
When they1 said, ‘Surely Joseph and his brother2 are dearer to our father than [the rest of] us, though we are a hardy group. Our father is indeed in manifest error.’That is, the brothers of Joseph (ʿa).That is, Benjamin.
9
اقتُلوا يوسُفَ أَوِ اطرَحوهُ أَرضًا يَخلُ لَكُم وَجهُ أَبيكُم وَتَكونوا مِن بَعدِهِ قَومًا صالِحينَ
uqtulū yūsufa ʾawi ṭraḥūhu ʾarḍan yakhlu lakum wajhu ʾabīkum wa-takūnū min baʿdihī qawman ṣāliḥīna
‘Kill Joseph or cast him away into some [distant] land, so that your father’s love may be exclusively yours, and that you may become a righteous lot after that.’
10
قالَ قائِلٌ مِنهُم لا تَقتُلوا يوسُفَ وَأَلقوهُ في غَيابَتِ الجُبِّ يَلتَقِطهُ بَعضُ السَّيّارَةِ إِن كُنتُم فاعِلينَ
qāla qāʾilun minhum lā taqtulū yūsufa wa-ʾalqūhu fī ghayābati l-jubbi yaltaqiṭhu baʿḍu s-sayyārati ʾin kuntum fāʿilīna
One of them said, ‘Do not kill Joseph, but throw him into the recess of some well so that some caravan may pick him up, if you are to do [anything].’
11
قالوا يا أَبانا ما لَكَ لا تَأمَنّا عَلىٰ يوسُفَ وَإِنّا لَهُ لَناصِحونَ
qālū yā-ʾabānā mā laka lā taʾmannā ʿalā yūsufa wa-ʾinnā lahū la-nāṣiḥūna
They said, ‘Father! Why is it that you do not trust us with Joseph? We are indeed his well-wishers.
12
أَرسِلهُ مَعَنا غَدًا يَرتَع وَيَلعَب وَإِنّا لَهُ لَحافِظونَ
ʾarsilhu maʿanā ghadan yartaʿ wa-yalʿab wa-ʾinnā lahū la-ḥāfiẓūna
Let him go with us tomorrow so that he may eat lots of fruits and play, and we will indeed take [good] care of him.’
13
قالَ إِنّي لَيَحزُنُني أَن تَذهَبوا بِهِ وَأَخافُ أَن يَأكُلَهُ الذِّئبُ وَأَنتُم عَنهُ غافِلونَ
qāla ʾinnī la-yaḥzununī ʾan tadhhabū bihī wa-ʾakhāfu ʾan yaʾkulahu dh-dhiʾbu wa-ʾantum ʿanhu ghāfilūna
He said, ‘It really upsets me that you should take him away, and I fear the wolf may eat him while you are oblivious of him.’
14
قالوا لَئِن أَكَلَهُ الذِّئبُ وَنَحنُ عُصبَةٌ إِنّا إِذًا لَخاسِرونَ
qālū la-ʾin ʾakalahu dh-dhiʾbu wa-naḥnu ʿuṣbatun ʾinnā ʾidhan la-khāsirūna
They said, ‘Should the wolf eat him while we are a hardy group, then we will indeed be losers!’
15
فَلَمّا ذَهَبوا بِهِ وَأَجمَعوا أَن يَجعَلوهُ في غَيابَتِ الجُبِّ ۚ وَأَوحَينا إِلَيهِ لَتُنَبِّئَنَّهُم بِأَمرِهِم هٰذا وَهُم لا يَشعُرونَ
fa-lammā dhahabū bihī wa-ʾajmaʿū ʾan yajʿalūhu fī ghayābati l-jubbi wa-ʾawḥaynā ʾilayhi la-tunabbiʾannahum bi-ʾamrihim hādhā wa-hum lā yashʿurūna
So when they took him away and conspired to put him into the recess of a well, We revealed to him, ‘[A day will come when] you will surely inform them about this affair of theirs while they are not aware [of your identity].’
16
وَجاءوا أَباهُم عِشاءً يَبكونَ
wa-jāʾū ʾabāhum ʿishāʾan yabkūna
In the evening, they came weeping to their father.
17
قالوا يا أَبانا إِنّا ذَهَبنا نَستَبِقُ وَتَرَكنا يوسُفَ عِندَ مَتاعِنا فَأَكَلَهُ الذِّئبُ ۖ وَما أَنتَ بِمُؤمِنٍ لَنا وَلَو كُنّا صادِقينَ
qālū yā-ʾabānā ʾinnā dhahabnā nastabiqu wa-taraknā yūsufa ʿinda matāʿinā fa-ʾakalahu dh-dhiʾbu wa-mā ʾanta bi-muʾminin lanā wa-law kunnā ṣādiqīna
They said, ‘Father! We had gone racing and left Joseph with our things, whereat the wolf ate him. But you will not believe us even if we spoke truly.’
18
وَجاءوا عَلىٰ قَميصِهِ بِدَمٍ كَذِبٍ ۚ قالَ بَل سَوَّلَت لَكُم أَنفُسُكُم أَمرًا ۖ فَصَبرٌ جَميلٌ ۖ وَاللَّهُ المُستَعانُ عَلىٰ ما تَصِفونَ
wa-jāʾū ʿalā qamīṣihī bi-damin kadhibin qāla bal sawwalat lakum ʾanfusukum ʾamran fa-ṣabrun jamīlun wa-llāhu l-mustaʿānu ʿalā mā taṣifūna
And they produced sham blood on his shirt. He said, ‘Rather your souls have made a matter seem decorous to you. Yet patience is graceful, and Allah is my resort against what you allege.’
19
وَجاءَت سَيّارَةٌ فَأَرسَلوا وارِدَهُم فَأَدلىٰ دَلوَهُ ۖ قالَ يا بُشرىٰ هٰذا غُلامٌ ۚ وَأَسَرّوهُ بِضاعَةً ۚ وَاللَّهُ عَليمٌ بِما يَعمَلونَ
wa-jāʾat sayyāratun fa-ʾarsalū wāridahum fa-ʾadlā dalwahū qāla yā-bushrā hādhā ghulāmun wa-ʾasarrūhu biḍāʿatan wa-llāhu ʿalīmun bi-mā yaʿmalūna
And there came a caravan, and they sent their water-drawer, who let down his bucket. ‘Good news!’ he said. ‘This is a young boy!’ So they hid him as [a piece of] merchandise, and Allah knew best what they were doing.
20
وَشَرَوهُ بِثَمَنٍ بَخسٍ دَراهِمَ مَعدودَةٍ وَكانوا فيهِ مِنَ الزّاهِدينَ
wa-sharawhu bi-thamanin bakhsin darāhima maʿdūdatin wa-kānū fīhi mina z-zāhidīna
And they sold him for a cheap price, a few dirhams, for they set small store by him.
21
وَقالَ الَّذِي اشتَراهُ مِن مِصرَ لِامرَأَتِهِ أَكرِمي مَثواهُ عَسىٰ أَن يَنفَعَنا أَو نَتَّخِذَهُ وَلَدًا ۚ وَكَذٰلِكَ مَكَّنّا لِيوسُفَ فِي الأَرضِ وَلِنُعَلِّمَهُ مِن تَأويلِ الأَحاديثِ ۚ وَاللَّهُ غالِبٌ عَلىٰ أَمرِهِ وَلٰكِنَّ أَكثَرَ النّاسِ لا يَعلَمونَ
wa-qāla lladhī shtarāhu min miṣra li-mraʾatihī ʾakrimī mathwāhu ʿasā ʾan yanfaʿanā ʾaw nattakhidhahū waladan wa-ka-dhālika makkannā li-yūsufa fī l-ʾarḍi wa-li-nuʿallimahū min taʾwīli l-ʾaḥādīthi wa-llāhu ghālibun ʿalā ʾamrihī wa-lākinna ʾakthara n-nāsi lā yaʿlamūna
The man from Egypt who had bought him said to his wife, ‘Give him an honourable place [in the household].1 Maybe he will be useful to us, or we may adopt him as a son.’Thus We established Joseph in the land and that We might teach him the interpretation of dreams. Allah has [full] command of His affairs, but most people do not know.Or ‘Keep him in a respectable manner.’
22
وَلَمّا بَلَغَ أَشُدَّهُ آتَيناهُ حُكمًا وَعِلمًا ۚ وَكَذٰلِكَ نَجزِي المُحسِنينَ
wa-lammā balagha ʾashuddahū ʾātaynāhu ḥukman wa-ʿilman wa-ka-dhālika najzī l-muḥsinīna
When he came of age, We gave him judgement and [sacred] knowledge, and thus do We reward the virtuous.
23
وَراوَدَتهُ الَّتي هُوَ في بَيتِها عَن نَفسِهِ وَغَلَّقَتِ الأَبوابَ وَقالَت هَيتَ لَكَ ۚ قالَ مَعاذَ اللَّهِ ۖ إِنَّهُ رَبّي أَحسَنَ مَثوايَ ۖ إِنَّهُ لا يُفلِحُ الظّالِمونَ
wa-rāwadathu llatī huwa fī baytihā ʿan nafsihī wa-ghallaqati l-ʾabwāba wa-qālat hayta laka qāla maʿādha llāhi ʾinnahū rabbī ʾaḥsana mathwāya ʾinnahū lā yufliḥu ẓ-ẓālimūna
The woman in whose house he was solicited him. She closed the doors and said, ‘Come!!’ He said, ‘God forbid! Indeed He is my Lord; He has given me a good abode.1 Indeed the wrongdoers are not felicitous.’Or ‘Indeed he is my master; he has kept me in a nice manner.’
24
وَلَقَد هَمَّت بِهِ ۖ وَهَمَّ بِها لَولا أَن رَأىٰ بُرهانَ رَبِّهِ ۚ كَذٰلِكَ لِنَصرِفَ عَنهُ السّوءَ وَالفَحشاءَ ۚ إِنَّهُ مِن عِبادِنَا المُخلَصينَ
wa-la-qad hammat bihī wa-hamma bihā law-lā ʾan raʾā burhāna rabbihī ka-dhālika li-naṣrifa ʿanhu s-sūʾa wa-l-faḥshāʾa ʾinnahū min ʿibādinā l-mukhlaṣīna
She certainly made for him; and he would have made for her [too] had he not beheld the proof of his Lord. So it was, that We might turn away from him all evil and indecency. He was indeed one of Our dedicated servants.
25
وَاستَبَقَا البابَ وَقَدَّت قَميصَهُ مِن دُبُرٍ وَأَلفَيا سَيِّدَها لَدَى البابِ ۚ قالَت ما جَزاءُ مَن أَرادَ بِأَهلِكَ سوءًا إِلّا أَن يُسجَنَ أَو عَذابٌ أَليمٌ
wa-stabaqā l-bāba wa-qaddat qamīṣahū min duburin wa-ʾalfayā s-sayyidahā ladā l-bābi qālat mā jazāʾu man ʾarāda bi-ʾahlika sūʾan ʾillā ʾan yusjana ʾaw ʿadhābun ʾalīmun
They raced to the door, and she tore his shirt from behind, and they ran into her husband at the door. She said, ‘What is to be the requital of him who has evil intentions for your wife except imprisonment or a painful punishment?’
26
قالَ هِيَ راوَدَتني عَن نَفسي ۚ وَشَهِدَ شاهِدٌ مِن أَهلِها إِن كانَ قَميصُهُ قُدَّ مِن قُبُلٍ فَصَدَقَت وَهُوَ مِنَ الكاذِبينَ
qāla hiya rāwadatnī ʿan nafsī wa-shahida shāhidun min ʾahlihā ʾin kāna qamīṣuhū qudda min qubulin fa-ṣadaqat wa-huwa mina l-kādhibīna
He said, ‘It was she who solicited me.’ A witness of her own household testified: ‘If his shirt is torn from the front, she tells the truth and he lies.
27
وَإِن كانَ قَميصُهُ قُدَّ مِن دُبُرٍ فَكَذَبَت وَهُوَ مِنَ الصّادِقينَ
wa-ʾin kāna qamīṣuhū qudda min duburin fa-kadhabat wa-huwa mina ṣ-ṣādiqīna
But if his shirt is torn from behind, then she lies and he tells the truth.’
28
فَلَمّا رَأىٰ قَميصَهُ قُدَّ مِن دُبُرٍ قالَ إِنَّهُ مِن كَيدِكُنَّ ۖ إِنَّ كَيدَكُنَّ عَظيمٌ
fa-lammā raʾā qamīṣahū qudda min duburin qāla ʾinnahū min kaydikunna ʾinna kaydakunna ʿaẓīmun
So when he saw that his shirt was torn from behind, he said, ‘This is [a case] of you women’s guile! Your guile is great indeed!
29
يوسُفُ أَعرِض عَن هٰذا ۚ وَاستَغفِري لِذَنبِكِ ۖ إِنَّكِ كُنتِ مِنَ الخاطِئينَ
yūsufu ʾaʿriḍ ʿan hādhā wa-staghfirī li-dhanbiki ʾinnaki kunti mina l-khāṭiʾīna
Joseph, let this matter alone, and you, woman, plead for forgiveness for your sin, for you have indeed been erring.’
30
۞ وَقالَ نِسوَةٌ فِي المَدينَةِ امرَأَتُ العَزيزِ تُراوِدُ فَتاها عَن نَفسِهِ ۖ قَد شَغَفَها حُبًّا ۖ إِنّا لَنَراها في ضَلالٍ مُبينٍ
wa-qāla niswatun fī l-madīnati mraʾatu l-ʿazīzi turāwidu fatāhā ʿan nafsihī qad shaghafahā ḥubban ʾinnā la-narāhā fī ḍalālin mubīnin
Some of the townswomen said, ‘The chieftain’s wife has solicited her slave boy! He has captivated her love. Indeed we see her to be in manifest error.’
31
فَلَمّا سَمِعَت بِمَكرِهِنَّ أَرسَلَت إِلَيهِنَّ وَأَعتَدَت لَهُنَّ مُتَّكَأً وَآتَت كُلَّ واحِدَةٍ مِنهُنَّ سِكّينًا وَقالَتِ اخرُج عَلَيهِنَّ ۖ فَلَمّا رَأَينَهُ أَكبَرنَهُ وَقَطَّعنَ أَيدِيَهُنَّ وَقُلنَ حاشَ لِلَّهِ ما هٰذا بَشَرًا إِن هٰذا إِلّا مَلَكٌ كَريمٌ
fa-lammā samiʿat bi-makrihinna ʾarsalat ʾilayhinna wa-ʾaʿtadat lahunna muttakaʾan wa-ʾātat kulla wāḥidatin minhunna sikkīnan wa-qālati khruj ʿalayhinna fa-lammā raʾaynahū ʾakbarnahū wa-qaṭṭaʿna ʾaydiyahunna wa-qulna ḥāsha li-llāhi mā hādhā basharan ʾin hādhā ʾillā malakun karīmun
When she heard of their machinations, she sent for them and arranged a repast, and gave each of them a knife, and said [to Joseph], ‘Come out before them.’ So when they saw him, they marveled at him and cut their hands [absent-mindedly], and they said, ‘Good heavens! This is not a human being! This is but a noble angel!’
32
قالَت فَذٰلِكُنَّ الَّذي لُمتُنَّني فيهِ ۖ وَلَقَد راوَدتُهُ عَن نَفسِهِ فَاستَعصَمَ ۖ وَلَئِن لَم يَفعَل ما آمُرُهُ لَيُسجَنَنَّ وَلَيَكونًا مِنَ الصّاغِرينَ
qālat fa-dhālikunna lladhī lumtunnanī fīhi wa-la-qad rāwadtuhū ʿan nafsihī fa-staʿṣama wa-la-ʾin lam yafʿal mā ʾāmuruhū la-yusjananna wa-la-yakūnan mina ṣ-ṣāghirīna
She said, ‘He is the one on whose account you blamed me. Certainly I did solicit him, but he was continent, and if he does not do what I bid him, surely he shall be imprisoned and be among the abased.’
33
قالَ رَبِّ السِّجنُ أَحَبُّ إِلَيَّ مِمّا يَدعونَني إِلَيهِ ۖ وَإِلّا تَصرِف عَنّي كَيدَهُنَّ أَصبُ إِلَيهِنَّ وَأَكُن مِنَ الجاهِلينَ
qāla rabbi s-sijnu ʾaḥabbu ʾilayya mimmā yadʿūnanī ʾilayhi wa-ʾillā taṣrif ʿannī kaydahunna ʾaṣbu ʾilayhinna wa-ʾakun mina l-jāhilīna
He said, ‘My Lord! The prison is dearer to me than to what they invite me. If You do not turn away their schemes from me, then I will incline towards them and become one of the senseless.’
34
فَاستَجابَ لَهُ رَبُّهُ فَصَرَفَ عَنهُ كَيدَهُنَّ ۚ إِنَّهُ هُوَ السَّميعُ العَليمُ
fa-stajāba lahū rabbuhū fa-ṣarafa ʿanhu kaydahunna ʾinnahū huwa s-samīʿu l-ʿalīmu
So his Lord answered him and turned away their stratagems from him. Indeed He is the All-hearing, the All-knowing.
35
ثُمَّ بَدا لَهُم مِن بَعدِ ما رَأَوُا الآياتِ لَيَسجُنُنَّهُ حَتّىٰ حينٍ
thumma badā lahum min baʿdi mā raʾawu l-ʾāyāti la-yasjununnahū ḥattā ḥīnin
Then it appeared to them,1 after they had seen all the signs [of his innocence], that they should confine him for some time.That is, the menfolk.
36
وَدَخَلَ مَعَهُ السِّجنَ فَتَيانِ ۖ قالَ أَحَدُهُما إِنّي أَراني أَعصِرُ خَمرًا ۖ وَقالَ الآخَرُ إِنّي أَراني أَحمِلُ فَوقَ رَأسي خُبزًا تَأكُلُ الطَّيرُ مِنهُ ۖ نَبِّئنا بِتَأويلِهِ ۖ إِنّا نَراكَ مِنَ المُحسِنينَ
wa-dakhala maʿahu s-sijna fatayāni qāla ʾaḥaduhumā ʾinnī ʾarānī ʾaʿṣiru khamran wa-qāla l-ʾākharu ʾinnī ʾarānī ʾaḥmilu fawqa raʾsī khubzan taʾkulu ṭ-ṭayru minhu nabbiʾnā bi-taʾwīlihī ʾinnā narāka mina l-muḥsinīna
There entered the prison two youths along with him. One of them said, ‘I dreamt that I am pressing grapes.’ The other said, ‘I dreamt that I am carrying bread on my head from which the birds are eating.’ ‘Inform us of its interpretation,’ [they said], ‘for indeed we see you to be a virtuous man.’
37
قالَ لا يَأتيكُما طَعامٌ تُرزَقانِهِ إِلّا نَبَّأتُكُما بِتَأويلِهِ قَبلَ أَن يَأتِيَكُما ۚ ذٰلِكُما مِمّا عَلَّمَني رَبّي ۚ إِنّي تَرَكتُ مِلَّةَ قَومٍ لا يُؤمِنونَ بِاللَّهِ وَهُم بِالآخِرَةِ هُم كافِرونَ
qāla lā yaʾtīkumā ṭaʿāmun turzaqānihī ʾillā nabbaʾtukumā bi-taʾwīlihī qabla ʾan yaʾtiyakumā dhālikumā mimmā ʿallamanī rabbī ʾinnī taraktu millata qawmin lā yuʾminūna bi-llāhi wa-hum bi-l-ʾākhirati hum kāfirūna
He said, ‘Before the meals you are served come to you I will inform you of its interpretation. That is among things my Lord has taught me. Indeed I renounce the creed of the people who have no faith in Allah and who [also] disbelieve in the Hereafter.
38
وَاتَّبَعتُ مِلَّةَ آبائي إِبراهيمَ وَإِسحاقَ وَيَعقوبَ ۚ ما كانَ لَنا أَن نُشرِكَ بِاللَّهِ مِن شَيءٍ ۚ ذٰلِكَ مِن فَضلِ اللَّهِ عَلَينا وَعَلَى النّاسِ وَلٰكِنَّ أَكثَرَ النّاسِ لا يَشكُرونَ
wa-ttabaʿtu millata ʾābāʾī ʾibrāhīma wa-ʾisḥāqa wa-yaʿqūba mā kāna lanā ʾan nushrika bi-llāhi min shayʾin dhālika min faḍli llāhi ʿalaynā wa-ʿalā n-nāsi wa-lākinna ʾakthara n-nāsi lā yashkurūna
I follow the creed of my fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. It is not for us to ascribe any partner to Allah. That is by virtue of Allah’s grace upon us and upon all mankind, but most people do not give thanks.
39
يا صاحِبَيِ السِّجنِ أَأَربابٌ مُتَفَرِّقونَ خَيرٌ أَمِ اللَّهُ الواحِدُ القَهّارُ
yā-ṣāḥibayi s-sijni ʾa-ʾarbābun mutafarriqūna khayrun ʾami llāhu l-wāḥidu l-qahhāru
O my prison mates! Are different masters better, or Allah, the One, the All-paramount?
40
ما تَعبُدونَ مِن دونِهِ إِلّا أَسماءً سَمَّيتُموها أَنتُم وَآباؤُكُم ما أَنزَلَ اللَّهُ بِها مِن سُلطانٍ ۚ إِنِ الحُكمُ إِلّا لِلَّهِ ۚ أَمَرَ أَلّا تَعبُدوا إِلّا إِيّاهُ ۚ ذٰلِكَ الدّينُ القَيِّمُ وَلٰكِنَّ أَكثَرَ النّاسِ لا يَعلَمونَ
mā taʿbudūna min dūnihī ʾillā ʾasmāʾan sammaytumūhā ʾantum wa-ʾābāʾukum mā ʾanzala llāhu bihā min sulṭānin ʾini l-ḥukmu ʾillā li-llāhi ʾamara ʾallā taʿbudū ʾillā ʾiyyāhu dhālika d-dīnu l-qayyimu wa-lākinna ʾakthara n-nāsi lā yaʿlamūna
You do not worship besides Him but [mere] names that you and your fathers have coined, for which Allah has not sent down any authority. Sovereignty belongs only to Allah. He has commanded you to worship none except Him. That is the upright religion, but most people do not know.
41
يا صاحِبَيِ السِّجنِ أَمّا أَحَدُكُما فَيَسقي رَبَّهُ خَمرًا ۖ وَأَمَّا الآخَرُ فَيُصلَبُ فَتَأكُلُ الطَّيرُ مِن رَأسِهِ ۚ قُضِيَ الأَمرُ الَّذي فيهِ تَستَفتِيانِ
yā-ṣāḥibayi s-sijni ʾammā ʾaḥadukumā fa-yasqī rabbahū khamran wa-ʾammā l-ʾākharu fa-yuṣlabu fa-taʾkulu ṭ-ṭayru min raʾsihī quḍiya l-ʾamru lladhī fīhi tastaftiyāni
O my prison mates! As for one of you, he will serve wine to his master, and as for the other, he will be crucified, and vultures will eat from his head. The matter about which you inquire has been decided.’
42
وَقالَ لِلَّذي ظَنَّ أَنَّهُ ناجٍ مِنهُمَا اذكُرني عِندَ رَبِّكَ فَأَنساهُ الشَّيطانُ ذِكرَ رَبِّهِ فَلَبِثَ فِي السِّجنِ بِضعَ سِنينَ
wa-qāla li-lladhī ẓanna ʾannahū nājin minhumā dhkurnī ʿinda rabbika fa-ʾansāhu sh-shayṭānu dhikra rabbihī fa-labitha fī s-sijni biḍʿa sinīna
Then he said to the one whom he knew would be delivered from among the two: ‘Mention me to your master.’ But Satan caused him to forget mentioning [it] to his master. So he remained in the prison for several years.
43
وَقالَ المَلِكُ إِنّي أَرىٰ سَبعَ بَقَراتٍ سِمانٍ يَأكُلُهُنَّ سَبعٌ عِجافٌ وَسَبعَ سُنبُلاتٍ خُضرٍ وَأُخَرَ يابِساتٍ ۖ يا أَيُّهَا المَلَأُ أَفتوني في رُؤيايَ إِن كُنتُم لِلرُّؤيا تَعبُرونَ
wa-qāla l-maliku ʾinnī ʾarā sabʿa baqarātin simānin yaʾkuluhunna sabʿun ʿijāfun wa-sabʿa sunbulātin khuḍrin wa-ʾukhara yābisātin yā-ʾayyuhā l-malaʾu ʾaftūnī fī ruʾyāya ʾin kuntum li-r-ruʾyā taʿburūna
[One day] the king said, ‘I saw [in a dream] seven fat cows being devoured by seven lean ones, and seven green ears and [seven] others [that were] dry. O courtiers, give me your opinion about my dream, if you can interpret dreams.’
44
قالوا أَضغاثُ أَحلامٍ ۖ وَما نَحنُ بِتَأويلِ الأَحلامِ بِعالِمينَ
qālū ʾaḍghāthu ʾaḥlāmin wa-mā naḥnu bi-taʾwīli l-ʾaḥlāmi bi-ʿālimīna
They said, ‘[These are] confused nightmares, and we do not know the interpretation of nightmares.’
45
وَقالَ الَّذي نَجا مِنهُما وَادَّكَرَ بَعدَ أُمَّةٍ أَنا أُنَبِّئُكُم بِتَأويلِهِ فَأَرسِلونِ
wa-qāla lladhī najā minhumā wa-ddakara baʿda ʾummatin ʾana ʾunabbiʾukum bi-taʾwīlihī fa-ʾarsilūni
Said the one of the two who had been delivered, remembering [Joseph] after a long time: ‘I will inform you of its interpretation; so let me go [to meet Joseph in the prison].’
46
يوسُفُ أَيُّهَا الصِّدّيقُ أَفتِنا في سَبعِ بَقَراتٍ سِمانٍ يَأكُلُهُنَّ سَبعٌ عِجافٌ وَسَبعِ سُنبُلاتٍ خُضرٍ وَأُخَرَ يابِساتٍ لَعَلّي أَرجِعُ إِلَى النّاسِ لَعَلَّهُم يَعلَمونَ
yūsufu ʾayyuhā ṣ-ṣiddīqu ʾaftinā fī sabʿi baqarātin simānin yaʾkuluhunna sabʿun ʿijāfun wa-sabʿi sunbulātin khuḍrin wa-ʾukhara yābisātin laʿallī ʾarjiʿu ʾilā n-nāsi laʿallahum yaʿlamūna
‘Joseph,’ [he said], ‘O truthful one, give us your opinion concerning seven fat cows who are eaten by seven lean ones, and seven green ears and [seven] others dry, that I may return to the people so that they may know [the truth of the matter].’
47
قالَ تَزرَعونَ سَبعَ سِنينَ دَأَبًا فَما حَصَدتُم فَذَروهُ في سُنبُلِهِ إِلّا قَليلًا مِمّا تَأكُلونَ
qāla tazraʿūna sabʿa sinīna daʾaban fa-mā ḥaṣadtum fa-dharūhu fī sunbulihī ʾillā qalīlan mimmā taʾkulūna
He said, ‘You will sow for seven consecutive years. Then leave in the ear whatever [grain] you harvest, except a little that you eat.
48
ثُمَّ يَأتي مِن بَعدِ ذٰلِكَ سَبعٌ شِدادٌ يَأكُلنَ ما قَدَّمتُم لَهُنَّ إِلّا قَليلًا مِمّا تُحصِنونَ
thumma yaʾtī min baʿdi dhālika sabʿun shidādun yaʾkulna mā qaddamtum lahunna ʾillā qalīlan mimmā tuḥṣinūna
Then after that there will come seven hard years which will eat up whatever you have set aside for them —all except a little which you preserve [for seed].
49
ثُمَّ يَأتي مِن بَعدِ ذٰلِكَ عامٌ فيهِ يُغاثُ النّاسُ وَفيهِ يَعصِرونَ
thumma yaʾtī min baʿdi dhālika ʿāmun fīhi yughāthu n-nāsu wa-fīhi yaʿṣirūna
Then after that there will come a year wherein the people will be granted relief and provided with rains therein.1The translation given here is in accordance with the reading yuʿṣarūn narrated from al-Imam al-Ṣādiq; see Majmaʿ al-Bayān and Tafsīr al-Qummī; see also Lisān al-ʿArab, under ʿaṣr. The same reading is attributed to al-Aʿraj and ʿĪsā al-Baṣrī (Muʿjam al-Qirāʾāt al-Qurʾāniyyah). However, in accordance with the reading yaʿṣirūn, the meaning will be ‘they will press [i.e. grapes or oil seeds, for juice and oil] therein.’
50
وَقالَ المَلِكُ ائتوني بِهِ ۖ فَلَمّا جاءَهُ الرَّسولُ قالَ ارجِع إِلىٰ رَبِّكَ فَاسأَلهُ ما بالُ النِّسوَةِ اللّاتي قَطَّعنَ أَيدِيَهُنَّ ۚ إِنَّ رَبّي بِكَيدِهِنَّ عَليمٌ
wa-qāla l-maliku ʾtūnī bihī fa-lammā jāʾahu r-rasūlu qāla rjiʿ ʾilā rabbika fa-sʾalhu mā bālu n-niswati llātī qaṭṭaʿna ʾaydiyahunna ʾinna rabbī bi-kaydihinna ʿalīmun
The king said, ‘Bring him to me!’ When the messenger came to him,1 he said, ‘Go back to your master, and ask him about the affair of women who cut their hands. My Lord is indeed well aware of their stratagems.’That is, to Joseph (ʿa).
51
قالَ ما خَطبُكُنَّ إِذ راوَدتُنَّ يوسُفَ عَن نَفسِهِ ۚ قُلنَ حاشَ لِلَّهِ ما عَلِمنا عَلَيهِ مِن سوءٍ ۚ قالَتِ امرَأَتُ العَزيزِ الآنَ حَصحَصَ الحَقُّ أَنا راوَدتُهُ عَن نَفسِهِ وَإِنَّهُ لَمِنَ الصّادِقينَ
qāla mā khaṭbukunna ʾidh rāwadtunna yūsufa ʿan nafsihī qulna ḥāsha li-llāhi mā ʿalimnā ʿalayhi min sūʾin qālati mraʾatu l-ʿazīzi l-ʾāna ḥaṣḥaṣa l-ḥaqqu ʾana rāwadtuhū ʿan nafsihī wa-ʾinnahū la-mina ṣ-ṣādiqīna
The king said, ‘What was your business, women, when you solicited Joseph?’ They said, ‘Heaven be praised! We know of no evil in him.’ The prince’s wife said, ‘Now the truth has come to light! It was I who solicited him, and he is indeed telling the truth.’
52
ذٰلِكَ لِيَعلَمَ أَنّي لَم أَخُنهُ بِالغَيبِ وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ لا يَهدي كَيدَ الخائِنينَ
dhālika li-yaʿlama ʾannī lam ʾakhunhu bi-l-ghaybi wa-ʾanna llāha lā yahdī kayda l-khāʾinīna
[Joseph said], [I initiated] this [inquiry], that he1 may know that I did not betray him in his absence, and that Allah does not further the schemes of the treacherous.That is, the Egyptian nobleman in whose house Joseph (ʿa) was living.
53
۞ وَما أُبَرِّئُ نَفسي ۚ إِنَّ النَّفسَ لَأَمّارَةٌ بِالسّوءِ إِلّا ما رَحِمَ رَبّي ۚ إِنَّ رَبّي غَفورٌ رَحيمٌ
wa-mā ʾubarriʾu nafsī ʾinna n-nafsa la-ʾammāratun bi-s-sūʾi ʾillā mā raḥima rabbī ʾinna rabbī ghafūrun raḥīmun
Yet I do not absolve my [own carnal] soul, for the [carnal] soul indeed prompts [men] to evil, except inasmuch as my Lord has mercy. Indeed my Lord is all-forgiving, all-merciful.’
54
وَقالَ المَلِكُ ائتوني بِهِ أَستَخلِصهُ لِنَفسي ۖ فَلَمّا كَلَّمَهُ قالَ إِنَّكَ اليَومَ لَدَينا مَكينٌ أَمينٌ
wa-qāla l-maliku ʾtūnī bihī ʾastakhliṣhu li-nafsī fa-lammā kallamahū qāla ʾinnaka l-yawma ladaynā makīnun ʾamīnun
The king said, ‘Bring him to me, I will make him my favourite.’ Then, when he had spoken with him, he said, ‘Indeed today [onwards] you will be honoured and trustworthy with us.’
55
قالَ اجعَلني عَلىٰ خَزائِنِ الأَرضِ ۖ إِنّي حَفيظٌ عَليمٌ
qāla jʿalnī ʿalā khazāʾini l-ʾarḍi ʾinnī ḥafīẓun ʿalīmun
He said, ‘Put me in charge of the country’s granaries. I am indeed fastidious [and] well-informed.’
56
وَكَذٰلِكَ مَكَّنّا لِيوسُفَ فِي الأَرضِ يَتَبَوَّأُ مِنها حَيثُ يَشاءُ ۚ نُصيبُ بِرَحمَتِنا مَن نَشاءُ ۖ وَلا نُضيعُ أَجرَ المُحسِنينَ
wa-ka-dhālika makkannā li-yūsufa fī l-ʾarḍi yatabawwaʾu minhā ḥaythu yashāʾu nuṣību bi-raḥmatinā man nashāʾu wa-lā nuḍīʿu ʾajra l-muḥsinīna
That is how We established Joseph in the land that he may settle in it wherever he wished. We confer Our mercy on whomever We wish, and We do not waste the reward of the virtuous.
57
وَلَأَجرُ الآخِرَةِ خَيرٌ لِلَّذينَ آمَنوا وَكانوا يَتَّقونَ
wa-la-ʾajru l-ʾākhirati khayrun li-lladhīna ʾāmanū wa-kānū yattaqūna
And the reward of the Hereafter is surely better for those who have faith and are Godwary.
58
وَجاءَ إِخوَةُ يوسُفَ فَدَخَلوا عَلَيهِ فَعَرَفَهُم وَهُم لَهُ مُنكِرونَ
wa-jāʾa ʾikhwatu yūsufa fa-dakhalū ʿalayhi fa-ʿarafahum wa-hum lahū munkirūna
[After some years] the brothers of Joseph came and entered his presence. He recognized them, but they did not recognize him.
59
وَلَمّا جَهَّزَهُم بِجَهازِهِم قالَ ائتوني بِأَخٍ لَكُم مِن أَبيكُم ۚ أَلا تَرَونَ أَنّي أوفِي الكَيلَ وَأَنا خَيرُ المُنزِلينَ
wa-lammā jahhazahum bi-jahāzihim qāla ʾtūnī bi-ʾakhin lakum min ʾabīkum ʾa-lā tarawna ʾannī ʾūfī l-kayla wa-ʾana khayru l-munzilīna
When he had furnished them with their provision, he said, ‘Bring me a brother that you have through your father. Do you not see that I give the full measure and that I am the best of hosts?
60
فَإِن لَم تَأتوني بِهِ فَلا كَيلَ لَكُم عِندي وَلا تَقرَبونِ
fa-ʾin lam taʾtūnī bihī fa-lā kayla lakum ʿindī wa-lā taqrabūni
But if you do not bring him to me, then there will be no rations for you with me, and don’t [ever] come near me.’
61
قالوا سَنُراوِدُ عَنهُ أَباهُ وَإِنّا لَفاعِلونَ
qālū sa-nurāwidu ʿanhu ʾabāhu wa-ʾinnā la-fāʿilūna
They said, ‘We will solicit him from his father. [That] we will surely do.’
62
وَقالَ لِفِتيانِهِ اجعَلوا بِضاعَتَهُم في رِحالِهِم لَعَلَّهُم يَعرِفونَها إِذَا انقَلَبوا إِلىٰ أَهلِهِم لَعَلَّهُم يَرجِعونَ
wa-qāla li-fityānihi jʿalū biḍāʿatahum fī riḥālihim laʿallahum yaʿrifūnahā ʾidhā nqalabū ʾilā ʾahlihim laʿallahum yarjiʿūna
He said to his servants, ‘Put their money in their saddlebags. Maybe they will recognize it when they return to their folks, and maybe they will come back [again].’
63
فَلَمّا رَجَعوا إِلىٰ أَبيهِم قالوا يا أَبانا مُنِعَ مِنَّا الكَيلُ فَأَرسِل مَعَنا أَخانا نَكتَل وَإِنّا لَهُ لَحافِظونَ
fa-lammā rajaʿū ʾilā ʾabīhim qālū yā-ʾabānā muniʿa minnā l-kaylu fa-ʾarsil maʿanā ʾakhānā naktal wa-ʾinnā lahū la-ḥāfiẓūna
So when they returned to their father, they said, ‘Father, the measure has been withheld from us, so let our brother go with us so that we may obtain the measure, and we will indeed take [good] care of him.’
64
قالَ هَل آمَنُكُم عَلَيهِ إِلّا كَما أَمِنتُكُم عَلىٰ أَخيهِ مِن قَبلُ ۖ فَاللَّهُ خَيرٌ حافِظًا ۖ وَهُوَ أَرحَمُ الرّاحِمينَ
qāla hal ʾāmanukum ʿalayhi ʾillā ka-mā ʾamintukum ʿalā ʾakhīhi min qablu fa-llāhu khayrun ḥāfiẓan wa-huwa ʾarḥamu r-rāḥimīna
He said, ‘Should I trust you with him just as I trusted you with his brother before? Yet Allah is the best of protectors, and He is the most merciful of merciful ones.’
65
وَلَمّا فَتَحوا مَتاعَهُم وَجَدوا بِضاعَتَهُم رُدَّت إِلَيهِم ۖ قالوا يا أَبانا ما نَبغي ۖ هٰذِهِ بِضاعَتُنا رُدَّت إِلَينا ۖ وَنَميرُ أَهلَنا وَنَحفَظُ أَخانا وَنَزدادُ كَيلَ بَعيرٍ ۖ ذٰلِكَ كَيلٌ يَسيرٌ
wa-lammā fataḥū matāʿahum wajadū biḍāʿatahum ruddat ʾilayhim qālū yā-ʾabānā mā nabghī hādhihī biḍāʿatunā ruddat ʾilaynā wa-namīru ʾahlanā wa-naḥfaẓu ʾakhānā wa-nazdādu kayla baʿīrin dhālika kaylun yasīrun
And when they opened their baggage, they found their money restored to them. They said, ‘Father, what [more] do we want?! This is our money, restored to us! We will get provisions for our family and take care of our brother, and add another camel-load of rations. These are meagre rations.’
66
قالَ لَن أُرسِلَهُ مَعَكُم حَتّىٰ تُؤتونِ مَوثِقًا مِنَ اللَّهِ لَتَأتُنَّني بِهِ إِلّا أَن يُحاطَ بِكُم ۖ فَلَمّا آتَوهُ مَوثِقَهُم قالَ اللَّهُ عَلىٰ ما نَقولُ وَكيلٌ
qāla lan ʾursilahū maʿakum ḥattā tuʾtūni mawthiqan mina llāhi la-taʾtunnanī bihī ʾillā ʾan yuḥāṭa bikum fa-lammā ʾātawhu mawthiqahum qāla llāhu ʿalā mā naqūlu wakīlun
He said, ‘I will not let him go with you until you give me a [solemn] pledge by Allah that you will surely bring him back to me, unless you are made to perish.’ When they had given him their [solemn] pledge, he said, ‘Allah is witness over what we say.’
67
وَقالَ يا بَنِيَّ لا تَدخُلوا مِن بابٍ واحِدٍ وَادخُلوا مِن أَبوابٍ مُتَفَرِّقَةٍ ۖ وَما أُغني عَنكُم مِنَ اللَّهِ مِن شَيءٍ ۖ إِنِ الحُكمُ إِلّا لِلَّهِ ۖ عَلَيهِ تَوَكَّلتُ ۖ وَعَلَيهِ فَليَتَوَكَّلِ المُتَوَكِّلونَ
wa-qāla yā-baniyya lā tadkhulū min bābin wāḥidin wa-dkhulū min ʾabwābin mutafarriqatin wa-mā ʾughnī ʿankum mina llāhi min shayʾin ʾini l-ḥukmu ʾillā li-llāhi ʿalayhi tawakkaltu wa-ʿalayhi fa-l-yatawakkali l-mutawakkilūna
And he said, ‘My sons, do not enter by one gate, but enter by separate gates, though I cannot avail you anything against Allah. Sovereignty belongs only to Allah. In Him I have put my trust; and in Him let all the trusting put their trust.’
68
وَلَمّا دَخَلوا مِن حَيثُ أَمَرَهُم أَبوهُم ما كانَ يُغني عَنهُم مِنَ اللَّهِ مِن شَيءٍ إِلّا حاجَةً في نَفسِ يَعقوبَ قَضاها ۚ وَإِنَّهُ لَذو عِلمٍ لِما عَلَّمناهُ وَلٰكِنَّ أَكثَرَ النّاسِ لا يَعلَمونَ
wa-lammā dakhalū min ḥaythu ʾamarahum ʾabūhum mā kāna yughnī ʿanhum mina llāhi min shayʾin ʾillā ḥājatan fī nafsi yaʿqūba qaḍāhā wa-ʾinnahū la-dhū ʿilmin li-mā ʿallamnāhu wa-lākinna ʾakthara n-nāsi lā yaʿlamūna
When they entered whence their father had bidden them, it did not avail them anything against Allah, but only fulfilled a wish in Jacob’s heart. Indeed he had the knowledge of what We had taught him, but most people do not know.
69
وَلَمّا دَخَلوا عَلىٰ يوسُفَ آوىٰ إِلَيهِ أَخاهُ ۖ قالَ إِنّي أَنا أَخوكَ فَلا تَبتَئِس بِما كانوا يَعمَلونَ
wa-lammā dakhalū ʿalā yūsufa ʾāwā ʾilayhi ʾakhāhu qāla ʾinnī ʾana ʾakhūka fa-lā tabtaʾis bi-mā kānū yaʿmalūna
And when they entered into the presence of Joseph, he set his brother close to himself, and said, ‘Indeed I am your brother, so do not sorrow for what they used to do.’
70
فَلَمّا جَهَّزَهُم بِجَهازِهِم جَعَلَ السِّقايَةَ في رَحلِ أَخيهِ ثُمَّ أَذَّنَ مُؤَذِّنٌ أَيَّتُهَا العيرُ إِنَّكُم لَسارِقونَ
fa-lammā jahhazahum bi-jahāzihim jaʿala s-siqāyata fī raḥli ʾakhīhi thumma ʾadhdhana muʾadhdhinun ʾayyatuhā l-ʿīru ʾinnakum la-sāriqūna
When he had furnished them with their provision, he put the drinking-cup into his brother’s saddlebag. Then a herald shouted: ‘O [men of the] caravan! You are indeed thieves!’
71
قالوا وَأَقبَلوا عَلَيهِم ماذا تَفقِدونَ
qālū wa-ʾaqbalū ʿalayhim mādhā tafqidūna
They said, as they turned towards them, ‘What are you missing?’
72
قالوا نَفقِدُ صُواعَ المَلِكِ وَلِمَن جاءَ بِهِ حِملُ بَعيرٍ وَأَنا بِهِ زَعيمٌ
qālū nafqidu ṣuwāʿa l-maliki wa-li-man jāʾa bihī ḥimlu baʿīrin wa-ʾana bihī zaʿīmun
They said, ‘We miss the king’s goblet.’ ‘Whoever brings it shall have a camel-load [of grain],’ [said the steward], ‘I will guarantee that.’
73
قالوا تَاللَّهِ لَقَد عَلِمتُم ما جِئنا لِنُفسِدَ فِي الأَرضِ وَما كُنّا سارِقينَ
qālū ta-llāhi la-qad ʿalimtum mā jiʾnā li-nufsida fī l-ʾarḍi wa-mā kunnā sāriqīna
They said, ‘By Allah! You certainly know that we did not come to make trouble in this country, and we are not thieves.’
74
قالوا فَما جَزاؤُهُ إِن كُنتُم كاذِبينَ
qālū fa-mā jazāʾuhū ʾin kuntum kādhibīna
They said, ‘What shall be its requital if you [prove to] be lying?’
75
قالوا جَزاؤُهُ مَن وُجِدَ في رَحلِهِ فَهُوَ جَزاؤُهُ ۚ كَذٰلِكَ نَجزِي الظّالِمينَ
qālū jazāʾuhū man wujida fī raḥlihī fa-huwa jazāʾuhū ka-dhālika najzī ẓ-ẓālimīna
They said, ‘The requital for it shall be that he in whose saddlebag it is found shall give himself over as its requital. Thus do we requite the wrongdoers.’
76
فَبَدَأَ بِأَوعِيَتِهِم قَبلَ وِعاءِ أَخيهِ ثُمَّ استَخرَجَها مِن وِعاءِ أَخيهِ ۚ كَذٰلِكَ كِدنا لِيوسُفَ ۖ ما كانَ لِيَأخُذَ أَخاهُ في دينِ المَلِكِ إِلّا أَن يَشاءَ اللَّهُ ۚ نَرفَعُ دَرَجاتٍ مَن نَشاءُ ۗ وَفَوقَ كُلِّ ذي عِلمٍ عَليمٌ
fa-badaʾa bi-ʾawʿiyatihim qabla wiʿāʾi ʾakhīhi thumma stakhrajahā min wiʿāʾi ʾakhīhi ka-dhālika kidnā li-yūsufa mā kāna li-yaʾkhudha ʾakhāhu fī dīni l-maliki ʾillā ʾan yashāʾa llāhu narfaʿu darajātin man nashāʾu wa-fawqa kulli dhī ʿilmin ʿalīmun
Then he began with their sacks, before [opening] his brother’s sack. Then he took it out from his brother’s sack. Thus did We devise for Joseph’s sake. He could not have held his brother under the king’s law unless Allah willed [otherwise]. We raise in rank whomever We please, and above every man of knowledge is One who knows best.1Or ‘above every man of knowledge is one who knows better.’
77
۞ قالوا إِن يَسرِق فَقَد سَرَقَ أَخٌ لَهُ مِن قَبلُ ۚ فَأَسَرَّها يوسُفُ في نَفسِهِ وَلَم يُبدِها لَهُم ۚ قالَ أَنتُم شَرٌّ مَكانًا ۖ وَاللَّهُ أَعلَمُ بِما تَصِفونَ
qālū ʾin yasriq fa-qad saraqa ʾakhun lahū min qablu fa-ʾasarrahā yūsufu fī nafsihī wa-lam yubdihā lahum qāla ʾantum sharrun makānan wa-llāhu ʾaʿlamu bi-mā taṣifūna
They said, ‘If he has stolen [there is no wonder]; a brother of his had stolen before.’ Thereupon Joseph kept the matter to himself and he did not disclose it to them. He said, ‘You are in a worse state! And Allah knows best what you allege.’
78
قالوا يا أَيُّهَا العَزيزُ إِنَّ لَهُ أَبًا شَيخًا كَبيرًا فَخُذ أَحَدَنا مَكانَهُ ۖ إِنّا نَراكَ مِنَ المُحسِنينَ
qālū yā-ʾayyuhā l-ʿazīzu ʾinna lahū ʾaban shaykhan kabīran fa-khudh ʾaḥadanā makānahū ʾinnā narāka mina l-muḥsinīna
They said, ‘O emir! Indeed he has a father, a very old man; so take one of us in his place. Indeed we see that you are a virtuous man.’
79
قالَ مَعاذَ اللَّهِ أَن نَأخُذَ إِلّا مَن وَجَدنا مَتاعَنا عِندَهُ إِنّا إِذًا لَظالِمونَ
qāla maʿādha llāhi ʾan naʾkhudha ʾillā man wajadnā matāʿanā ʿindahū ʾinnā ʾidhan la-ẓālimūna
He said, ‘God forbid that we should take anyone except him with whom we found our wares, for then we would indeed be wrongdoers.’
80
فَلَمَّا استَيأَسوا مِنهُ خَلَصوا نَجِيًّا ۖ قالَ كَبيرُهُم أَلَم تَعلَموا أَنَّ أَباكُم قَد أَخَذَ عَلَيكُم مَوثِقًا مِنَ اللَّهِ وَمِن قَبلُ ما فَرَّطتُم في يوسُفَ ۖ فَلَن أَبرَحَ الأَرضَ حَتّىٰ يَأذَنَ لي أَبي أَو يَحكُمَ اللَّهُ لي ۖ وَهُوَ خَيرُ الحاكِمينَ
fa-lammā stayʾasū minhu khalaṣū najiyyan qāla kabīruhum ʾa-lam taʿlamū ʾanna ʾabākum qad ʾakhadha ʿalaykum mawthiqan mina llāhi wa-min qablu mā farraṭtum fī yūsufa fa-lan ʾabraḥa l-ʾarḍa ḥattā yaʾdhana lī ʾabī ʾaw yaḥkuma llāhu lī wa-huwa khāyru l-ḥākimīna
When they had despaired of [moving] him, they withdrew to confer privately. The eldest of them said, ‘Don’t you know that your father has taken a [solemn] pledge from you by Allah, and earlier you have neglected your duty in regard to Joseph? So I will never leave this land until my father permits me, or Allah passes a judgement for me, and He is the best of judges.
81
ارجِعوا إِلىٰ أَبيكُم فَقولوا يا أَبانا إِنَّ ابنَكَ سَرَقَ وَما شَهِدنا إِلّا بِما عَلِمنا وَما كُنّا لِلغَيبِ حافِظينَ
irjiʿū ʾilā ʾabīkum fa-qūlū yā-ʾabānā ʾinna bnaka saraqa wa-mā shahidnā ʾillā bi-mā ʿalimnā wa-mā kunnā li-l-ghaybi ḥāfiẓīna
Go back to your father, and say, “Father! Your son has indeed committed theft, and we testified only to what we knew,1 and we could not have forestalled the unseen.That is, concerning the penalty for theft according to the custom of the Canaanites.
82
وَاسأَلِ القَريَةَ الَّتي كُنّا فيها وَالعيرَ الَّتي أَقبَلنا فيها ۖ وَإِنّا لَصادِقونَ
wa-sʾali l-qaryata llatī kunnā fīhā wa-l-ʿīra llatī ʾaqbalnā fīhā wa-ʾinnā la-ṣādiqūna
Ask [the people of] the town we were in, and the caravan with which we came. We indeed speak the truth.” ’
83
قالَ بَل سَوَّلَت لَكُم أَنفُسُكُم أَمرًا ۖ فَصَبرٌ جَميلٌ ۖ عَسَى اللَّهُ أَن يَأتِيَني بِهِم جَميعًا ۚ إِنَّهُ هُوَ العَليمُ الحَكيمُ
qāla bal sawwalat lakum ʾanfusukum ʾamran fa-ṣabrun jamīlun ʿasā llāhu ʾan yaʾtiyanī bihim jamīʿan ʾinnahū huwa l-ʿalīmu l-ḥakīmu
He1 said, ‘Rather your souls have made a matter seem decorous to you. Yet patience is graceful. Maybe Allah will bring them all [back] to me. Indeed He is the All-knowing, the All-wise.’That is, Jacob (ʿa), after hearing what his sons had told him.
84
وَتَوَلّىٰ عَنهُم وَقالَ يا أَسَفىٰ عَلىٰ يوسُفَ وَابيَضَّت عَيناهُ مِنَ الحُزنِ فَهُوَ كَظيمٌ
wa-tawallā ʿanhum wa-qāla yā-ʾasafā ʿalā yūsufa wa-byaḍḍat ʿaynāhu mina l-ḥuzni fa-huwa kaẓīmun
And he turned away from them and said, ‘Alas for Joseph!’ His eyes had turned white with grief, and he choked with suppressed agony.
85
قالوا تَاللَّهِ تَفتَأُ تَذكُرُ يوسُفَ حَتّىٰ تَكونَ حَرَضًا أَو تَكونَ مِنَ الهالِكينَ
qālū ta-llāhi taftaʾu tadhkuru yūsufa ḥattā takūna ḥaraḍan ʾaw takūna mina l-hālikīna
They said, ‘By Allah! You will go on remembering Joseph until you wreck your health or perish.’
86
قالَ إِنَّما أَشكو بَثّي وَحُزني إِلَى اللَّهِ وَأَعلَمُ مِنَ اللَّهِ ما لا تَعلَمونَ
qāla ʾinnamā ʾashkū baththī wa-ḥuznī ʾilā llāhi wa-ʾaʿlamu mina llāhi mā lā taʿlamūna
He said, ‘I complain of my anguish and grief only to Allah. I know from Allah what you do not know.’
87
يا بَنِيَّ اذهَبوا فَتَحَسَّسوا مِن يوسُفَ وَأَخيهِ وَلا تَيأَسوا مِن رَوحِ اللَّهِ ۖ إِنَّهُ لا يَيأَسُ مِن رَوحِ اللَّهِ إِلَّا القَومُ الكافِرونَ
yā-baniyya dhhabū fa-taḥassasū min yūsufa wa-ʾakhīhi wa-lā tayʾasū min rawḥi llāhi ʾinnahū lā yayʾasu min rawḥi llāhi ʾillā l-qawmu l-kāfirūna
‘Go, my sons, and look for Joseph and his brother, and do not despair of Allah’s mercy. Indeed no one despairs of Allah’s mercy except the faithless lot.’
88
فَلَمّا دَخَلوا عَلَيهِ قالوا يا أَيُّهَا العَزيزُ مَسَّنا وَأَهلَنَا الضُّرُّ وَجِئنا بِبِضاعَةٍ مُزجاةٍ فَأَوفِ لَنَا الكَيلَ وَتَصَدَّق عَلَينا ۖ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَجزِي المُتَصَدِّقينَ
fa-lammā dakhalū ʿalayhi qālū yā-ʾayyuhā l-ʿazīzu massanā wa-ʾahlanā ḍ-ḍurru wa-jiʾnā bi-biḍāʿatin muzjātin fa-ʾawfi lanā l-kayla wa-taṣaddaq ʿalaynā ʾinna llāha yajzī l-mutaṣaddiqīna
Then, when they entered into his presence, they said, ‘O emir! Distress has befallen our family, and us, and we have brought [just] a meager sum. Yet grant us the full measure, and be charitable to us! Indeed Allah rewards the charitable.’
89
قالَ هَل عَلِمتُم ما فَعَلتُم بِيوسُفَ وَأَخيهِ إِذ أَنتُم جاهِلونَ
qāla hal ʿalimtum mā faʿaltum bi-yūsufa wa-ʾakhīhi ʾidh ʾantum jāhilūna
He said, ‘Have you realized what you did to Joseph and his brother, when you were senseless?’
90
قالوا أَإِنَّكَ لَأَنتَ يوسُفُ ۖ قالَ أَنا يوسُفُ وَهٰذا أَخي ۖ قَد مَنَّ اللَّهُ عَلَينا ۖ إِنَّهُ مَن يَتَّقِ وَيَصبِر فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ لا يُضيعُ أَجرَ المُحسِنينَ
qālū ʾa-ʾinnaka la-ʾanta yūsufu qāla ʾana yūsufu wa-hādhā ʾakhī qad manna llāhu ʿalaynā ʾinnahū man yattaqi wa-yaṣbir fa-ʾinna llāha lā yuḍīʿu ʾajra l-muḥsinīna
They said, ‘Are you really Joseph?!’ He said, ‘I am Joseph, and this is my brother. Certainly Allah has shown us favour. Indeed if one is Godwary and patient Allah does not waste the reward of the virtuous.’
91
قالوا تَاللَّهِ لَقَد آثَرَكَ اللَّهُ عَلَينا وَإِن كُنّا لَخاطِئينَ
qālū ta-llāhi la-qad ʾātharaka llāhu ʿalaynā wa-ʾin kunnā la-khāṭiʾīna
They said, ‘By Allah, Allah has certainly preferred you over us, and we have indeed been erring.’
92
قالَ لا تَثريبَ عَلَيكُمُ اليَومَ ۖ يَغفِرُ اللَّهُ لَكُم ۖ وَهُوَ أَرحَمُ الرّاحِمينَ
qāla lā tathrība ʿalaykumu l-yawma yaghfiru llāhu lakum wa-huwa ʾarḥamu r-rāḥimīna
He said, ‘There shall be no reproach on you today. Allah will forgive you, and He is the most merciful of the merciful.
93
اذهَبوا بِقَميصي هٰذا فَأَلقوهُ عَلىٰ وَجهِ أَبي يَأتِ بَصيرًا وَأتوني بِأَهلِكُم أَجمَعينَ
idhhabū bi-qamīṣī hādhā fa-ʾalqūhu ʿalā wajhi ʾabī yaʾti baṣīran wa-ʾtūnī bi-ʾahlikum ʾajmaʿīna
Take this shirt of mine, and cast it upon my father’s face; he will regain his sight, and bring me all your folks.’
94
وَلَمّا فَصَلَتِ العيرُ قالَ أَبوهُم إِنّي لَأَجِدُ ريحَ يوسُفَ ۖ لَولا أَن تُفَنِّدونِ
wa-lammā faṣalati l-ʿīru qāla ʾabūhum ʾinnī la-ʾajidu rīḥa yūsufa law-lā ʾan tufannidūni
As the caravan set off, their father said, ‘I sense the scent of Joseph, if you will not consider me a dotard.’
95
قالوا تَاللَّهِ إِنَّكَ لَفي ضَلالِكَ القَديمِ
qālū ta-llāhi ʾinnaka la-fī ḍalālika l-qadīmi
They said, ‘By God, you persist in your inveterate error.’
96
فَلَمّا أَن جاءَ البَشيرُ أَلقاهُ عَلىٰ وَجهِهِ فَارتَدَّ بَصيرًا ۖ قالَ أَلَم أَقُل لَكُم إِنّي أَعلَمُ مِنَ اللَّهِ ما لا تَعلَمونَ
fa-lammā ʾan jāʾa l-bashīru ʾalqāhu ʿalā wajhihī fa-rtadda baṣīran qāla ʾa-lam ʾaqul lakum ʾinnī ʾaʿlamu mina llāhi mā lā taʿlamūna
When the bearer of good news arrived, he cast it1 on his face, and he regained his sight. He said, ‘Did I not tell you, “I know from Allah what you do not know?” ’That is, the shirt of Joseph (ʿa).
97
قالوا يا أَبانَا استَغفِر لَنا ذُنوبَنا إِنّا كُنّا خاطِئينَ
qālū yā-ʾabānā staghfir lanā dhunūbanā ʾinnā kunnā khāṭiʾīna
They said, ‘Father! Plead [with Allah] for forgiveness of our sins! We have indeed been erring.’
98
قالَ سَوفَ أَستَغفِرُ لَكُم رَبّي ۖ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الغَفورُ الرَّحيمُ
qāla sawfa ʾastaghfiru lakum rabbī ʾinnahū huwa l-ghafūru r-raḥīmu
He said, ‘I shall plead with my Lord to forgive you; indeed He is the All-forgiving, the All-merciful.’
99
فَلَمّا دَخَلوا عَلىٰ يوسُفَ آوىٰ إِلَيهِ أَبَوَيهِ وَقالَ ادخُلوا مِصرَ إِن شاءَ اللَّهُ آمِنينَ
fa-lammā dakhalū ʿalā yūsufa ʾāwā ʾilayhi ʾabawayhi wa-qāla dkhulū miṣra ʾin shāʾa llāhu ʾāminīna
When they entered into the presence of Joseph, he set his parents close to himself, and said, ‘Welcome to Egypt, in safety, God willing!’
100
وَرَفَعَ أَبَوَيهِ عَلَى العَرشِ وَخَرّوا لَهُ سُجَّدًا ۖ وَقالَ يا أَبَتِ هٰذا تَأويلُ رُؤيايَ مِن قَبلُ قَد جَعَلَها رَبّي حَقًّا ۖ وَقَد أَحسَنَ بي إِذ أَخرَجَني مِنَ السِّجنِ وَجاءَ بِكُم مِنَ البَدوِ مِن بَعدِ أَن نَزَغَ الشَّيطانُ بَيني وَبَينَ إِخوَتي ۚ إِنَّ رَبّي لَطيفٌ لِما يَشاءُ ۚ إِنَّهُ هُوَ العَليمُ الحَكيمُ
wa-rafaʿa ʾabawayhi ʿalā l-ʿarshi wa-kharrū lahū sujjadan wa-qāla yā-ʾabati hādhā taʾwīlu ruʾyāya min qablu qad jaʿalahā rabbī ḥaqqan wa-qad ʾaḥsana bī ʾidh ʾakhrajanī mina s-sijni wa-jāʾa bikum mina l-badwi min baʿdi ʾan nazagha sh-shayṭānu baynī wa-bayna ʾikhwatī ʾinna rabbī laṭīfun li-mā yashāʾu ʾinnahū huwa l-ʿalīmu l-ḥakīmu
And he seated his parents high upon the throne, and they fell down prostrate before him. He said, ‘Father! This is the fulfillment of my dream of long ago, which my Lord has made come true. He was certainly gracious to me when He brought me out of the prison and brought you over from the desert after that Satan had incited ill feeling between me and my brothers. Indeed my Lord is all-attentive in bringing about what He wishes. Indeed He is the All-knowing, the All-wise.’
101
۞ رَبِّ قَد آتَيتَني مِنَ المُلكِ وَعَلَّمتَني مِن تَأويلِ الأَحاديثِ ۚ فاطِرَ السَّماواتِ وَالأَرضِ أَنتَ وَلِيّي فِي الدُّنيا وَالآخِرَةِ ۖ تَوَفَّني مُسلِمًا وَأَلحِقني بِالصّالِحينَ
rabbi qad ʾātaytanī mina l-mulki wa-ʿallamtanī min taʾwīli l-ʾaḥādīthi fāṭira s-samāwāti wa-l-ʾarḍi ʾanta waliyyī fī d-dunyā wa-l-ʾākhirati tawaffanī musliman wa-ʾalḥiqnī bi-ṣ-ṣāliḥīna
‘My Lord! You have granted me a share in the kingdom, and taught me the interpretation of dreams. Originator of the heavens and earth! You are my guardian in this world and the Hereafter! Let my death be in submission [to You], and unite me with the Righteous.’
102
ذٰلِكَ مِن أَنباءِ الغَيبِ نوحيهِ إِلَيكَ ۖ وَما كُنتَ لَدَيهِم إِذ أَجمَعوا أَمرَهُم وَهُم يَمكُرونَ
dhālika min ʾanbāʾi l-ghaybi nūḥīhi ʾilayka wa-mā kunta ladayhim ʾidh ʾajmaʿū ʾamrahum wa-hum yamkurūna
These are accounts of the Unseen which We reveal to you, and you were not with them when they conspired together and schemed.
103
وَما أَكثَرُ النّاسِ وَلَو حَرَصتَ بِمُؤمِنينَ
wa-mā ʾaktharu n-nāsi wa-law ḥaraṣta bi-muʾminīna
Yet most people will not have faith, however eager you should be.
104
وَما تَسأَلُهُم عَلَيهِ مِن أَجرٍ ۚ إِن هُوَ إِلّا ذِكرٌ لِلعالَمينَ
wa-mā tasʾaluhum ʿalayhi min ʾajrin ʾin huwa ʾillā dhikrun li-l-ʿālamīna
You do not ask them any reward for it: it1 is just a reminder for all the nations.That is, the Qurʾān.
105
وَكَأَيِّن مِن آيَةٍ فِي السَّماواتِ وَالأَرضِ يَمُرّونَ عَلَيها وَهُم عَنها مُعرِضونَ
wa-ka-ʾayyin min ʾāyatin fī s-samāwāti wa-l-ʾarḍi yamurrūna ʿalayhā wa-hum ʿanhā muʿriḍūna
How many a sign there is in the heavens and the earth that they pass by while they are disregardful of it!
106
وَما يُؤمِنُ أَكثَرُهُم بِاللَّهِ إِلّا وَهُم مُشرِكونَ
wa-mā yuʾminu ʾaktharuhum bi-llāhi ʾillā wa-hum mushrikūna
And most of them do not believe in Allah without ascribing partners to Him.
107
أَفَأَمِنوا أَن تَأتِيَهُم غاشِيَةٌ مِن عَذابِ اللَّهِ أَو تَأتِيَهُمُ السّاعَةُ بَغتَةً وَهُم لا يَشعُرونَ
ʾa-fa-ʾaminū ʾan taʾtiyahum ghāshiyatun min ʿadhābi llāhi ʾaw taʾtiyahumu s-sāʿatu baghtatan wa-hum lā yashʿurūna
Do they feel secure from being overtaken by a blanket punishment from Allah, or being overtaken by the Hour, suddenly, while they are unaware?
108
قُل هٰذِهِ سَبيلي أَدعو إِلَى اللَّهِ ۚ عَلىٰ بَصيرَةٍ أَنا وَمَنِ اتَّبَعَني ۖ وَسُبحانَ اللَّهِ وَما أَنا مِنَ المُشرِكينَ
qul hādhihī sabīlī ʾadʿū ʾilā llāhi ʿalā baṣīratin ʾana wa-mani ttabaʿanī wa-subḥāna llāhi wa-mā ʾana mina l-mushrikīna
Say, ‘This is my way. I summon to Allah with insight —I and he who follows me. Immaculate is Allah, and I am not one of the polytheists.’
109
وَما أَرسَلنا مِن قَبلِكَ إِلّا رِجالًا نوحي إِلَيهِم مِن أَهلِ القُرىٰ ۗ أَفَلَم يَسيروا فِي الأَرضِ فَيَنظُروا كَيفَ كانَ عاقِبَةُ الَّذينَ مِن قَبلِهِم ۗ وَلَدارُ الآخِرَةِ خَيرٌ لِلَّذينَ اتَّقَوا ۗ أَفَلا تَعقِلونَ
wa-mā ʾarsalnā min qablika ʾillā rijālan nūḥī ʾilayhim min ʾahli l-qurā ʾa-fa-lam yasīrū fī l-ʾarḍi fa-yanẓurū kayfa kāna ʿāqibatu lladhīna min qablihim wa-la-dāru l-ʾākhirati khayrun li-lladhīna ttaqaw ʾa-fa-lā taʿqilūna
We did not send [any apostles] before you except as men to whom We revealed from among the people of the towns. Have they not traveled over the land so that they may observe how was the fate of those who were before them? And the abode of the Hereafter is surely better for those who are Godwary. Do you not apply reason?
110
حَتّىٰ إِذَا استَيأَسَ الرُّسُلُ وَظَنّوا أَنَّهُم قَد كُذِبوا جاءَهُم نَصرُنا فَنُجِّيَ مَن نَشاءُ ۖ وَلا يُرَدُّ بَأسُنا عَنِ القَومِ المُجرِمينَ
ḥattā ʾidhā stayʾasa r-rusulu wa-ẓannū ʾannahum qad kudhibū jāʾahum naṣrunā fa-nujjiya man nashāʾu wa-lā yuraddu baʾsunā ʿani l-qawmi l-mujrimīna
When the apostles lost hope1 and they thought that they had been told lies,2 Our help came to them, and We delivered whomever We wished, and Our punishment will not be averted from the guilty lot.That is, when the apostles lost hopes of bringing their people to the right path.That is, the people to whom the apostles had been sent thought that the apostles had been told lies concerning the impending punishment of the infidels.
111
لَقَد كانَ في قَصَصِهِم عِبرَةٌ لِأُولِي الأَلبابِ ۗ ما كانَ حَديثًا يُفتَرىٰ وَلٰكِن تَصديقَ الَّذي بَينَ يَدَيهِ وَتَفصيلَ كُلِّ شَيءٍ وَهُدًى وَرَحمَةً لِقَومٍ يُؤمِنونَ
la-qad kāna fī qaṣaṣihim ʿibratun li-ʾulī l-ʾalbābi mā kāna ḥadīthan yuftarā wa-lākin taṣdīqa lladhī bayna yadayhi wa-tafṣīla kulli shayʾin wa-hudan wa-raḥmatan li-qawmin yuʾminūna
There is certainly a moral in their accounts for those who possess intellect. This [Qurʾān] is not a fabricated discourse; rather it is a confirmation of what was [revealed] before it, and an elaboration1 of all things, and a guidance and mercy for a people who have faith.Or ‘unravelling.’