PROPHET YUSUF

12:3We relate to you ˹O Prophet˺ the best of stories through Our revelation of this Quran, though before this you were totally unaware ˹of them˺.

12:4(Remember) when Yusuf said to his father: "O my father! Verily, I saw (in a dream) eleven stars and the sun and the moon, I saw them prostrating themselves to me."

12:5 He replied, “O my dear son! Do not relate your vision to your brothers, or they will devise a plot against you. Surely Satan is a sworn enemy to humankind.

12:6 And so will your Lord choose you ˹O Yusuf˺, and teach you the interpretation of dreams, and perfect His favour upon you and the descendants of Yaqub—˹just˺ as He once perfected it upon your forefathers, Ibrahim and Ishaque. Surely your Lord is All-Knowing, All-Wise.”

12:7 Certainly were there in Joseph and his brothers signs for those who ask,

12:8 When they said: "Truly, Yusuf and his brother (Benjamin) are loved more by our father than we, but we are 'Usbah (a strong group). Really, our father is in a plain error.

12:9 Kill Joseph or cast him out to some ˹distant˺ land so that our father’s attention will be only ours, then after that you may ˹repent and˺ become righteous people!”

12:10 One of them said, “Do not kill Joseph. But if you must do something, throw him into the bottom of a well so perhaps he may be picked up by some travellers.”

12:11They said, “O our father! Why do you not trust us with Joseph, although we truly wish him well?

12:12 Send him out with us tomorrow so that he may enjoy himself and play. And we will really watch over him.”

12:13 He responded, “It would truly sadden me if you took him away with you, and I fear that a wolf may eat him while you are negligent of him.”

12:14 They said, “If a wolf were to eat him, despite our strong group, then we would certainly be losers!”

12:15And so, when they took him away and decided to throw him into the bottom of the well, We inspired him: “˹One day˺ you will remind them of this deed of theirs while they are unaware ˹of who you are˺.”

12:16Then they returned to their father in the evening, weeping.

12:17They cried, “Our father! We went racing and left Joseph with our belongings, and a wolf ate him! But you will not believe us, no matter how truthful we are.”

12:18And they brought his shirt, stained with false blood.1 He responded, “No! Your souls must have tempted you to do something ˹evil˺so patience is most fitting. And Allah is the one sought for help against that which you describe."

12:19And there came some travellers, and they sent their water-boy who let down his bucket into the well. He cried out, “Oh, what a great find! Here is a boy!” And they took him secretly ˹to be sold˺ as merchandise, but Allah is All-Knowing of what they did.

12:20They ˹later˺ sold him for a cheap price, just a few silver coins—only wanting to get rid of him.

12:21The man from Egypt1 who bought him said to his wife, “Take good care of him, perhaps he may be useful to us or we may adopt him as a son.” This is how We established Joseph in the land, so that We might teach him the interpretation of dreams. And Allah has full power and control over His Affairs, but most of men know not.

12:22 And when he reached maturity, We gave him wisdom and knowledge. This is how We reward the good-doers.

12:23 And the lady, in whose house he lived, tried to seduce him. She locked the doors ˹firmly˺ and said, “Come to me!” He replied, “Allah is my refuge! It is ˹not right to betray˺ my master, who has taken good care of me. Indeed, the wrongdoers never succeed.”

12:24And indeed she did desire him and he would have inclined to her desire, had he not seen the evidence of his Lord. Thus it was, that We might turn away from him evil and indecency. Surely, he was one of Our chosen, guided slaves.

12:25 And they both raced to the door, and she tore his shirt from the back, and they found her husband at the door. She said, "What is the recompense of one who intended evil for your wife but that he be imprisoned or a painful punishment?"

12:26 Yusuf responded, “It was she who tried to seduce me.” And a witness from her own family testified: “If his shirt is torn from the front, then she has told the truth and he is a liar.

12:27 But if it is torn from the back, then she has lied and he is truthful.”

12:28 So when her husband saw his shirt torn from the back, he said, "Indeed, it is of the women's plan. Indeed, your plan is great.

12:29 O  Yusuf! Forget about this. And you ˹O wife˺! Seek forgiveness for your sin.1 It certainly has been your fault.”

12:30 And women in the city said: "The wife of Al-'Aziz is seeking to seduce her (slave) young man, indeed she loves him violently; verily we see that she is clearly mistaken."

12:31When she heard their gossiping, she invited them to her house for a banquet and gave a knife to each of them. Then she told Joseph to appear before them. When they saw him, they were so stunned ˹by his beauty˺ that they cut their hands,and said, "Perfect is Allah ! This is not a man; this is none but a noble angel."

12:32She said: "This is he (the young man) about whom you did blame me (for his love), and I did seek to seduce him, but he refused. And now if he refuses to obey my order, he shall certainly be cast into prison, and will be one of those who are disgraced."

12:33 Joseph prayed, “My Lord! I would rather be in jail than do what they invite me to. And if You do not turn their cunning away from me, I might yield to them and fall into ignorance.”

12:34So his Lord responded to him, turning their cunning away from him. Surely He is the All-Hearing, All-Knowing.

12:35 And so it occurred to those in charge, despite seeing all the proofs ˹of his innocence˺, that he should be imprisoned for a while.

12:36And there entered the prison with him two young men. One of them said, "Indeed, I have seen myself [in a dream] pressing wine." The other said, "Indeed, I have seen myself carrying upon my head [some] bread, from which the birds were eating. Inform us of its interpretation; indeed, we see you to be of those who do good."

12:37 Joseph replied, “I can even tell you what kind of meal you will be served before you receive it. This ˹knowledge˺ is from what my Lord has taught me.Verily, I have abandoned the religion of a people that do not believe in Allah and deny the Hereafter.

12:38 I follow the faith of my fathers: Ibrahim, Ishaq, and Yaqub. It is not ˹right˺ for us to associate anything with Allah ˹in worship˺.That is from the favor of Allah upon us and upon the people, but most of the people are not grateful.

12:39 O  my fellow-prisoners! Which is far better: many different lords or Allah—the One, the Supreme?

12:40 Whatever ˹idols˺ you worship instead of Him are mere names which you and your forefathers have made up1—a practice Allah has never authorized. It is only Allah Who decides. He has commanded that you worship none but Him. That is the upright faith, but most people do not know.

12:41“O my fellow-prisoners! ˹The first˺ one of you will serve wine to his master, and the other will be crucified and the birds will eat from his head. The matter about which you inquired has been decided.”

12:42 Then he said to the one he knew would survive, “Mention me in the presence of your master.1” But Satan made him forget to mention Joseph to his master, so he remained in prison for several years.

12:43 And ˹one day˺ the King said, “I dreamt of seven fat cows eaten up by seven skinny ones; and seven green ears of grain and ˹seven˺ others dry. O  chiefs! Tell me the meaning of my dream if you can interpret dreams.”

12:44They replied, “These are confused visions and we do not know the interpretation of such dreams.”

12:45The man who was in prison with Joseph and who was released, recalled after so many years Joseph's (ability to interpret dreams) and said, "I can tell you the meaning of this dream if you allow me to go.

12:46 He said,˺ “Joseph, O  man of truth! Interpret for us ˹the dream of˺ seven fat cows eaten up by seven skinny ones; and seven green ears of grain and ˹seven˺ others dry, so that I may return to the people and let them know.”

12:47 [Joseph] said, "You will plant for seven years consecutively; and what you harvest leave in its spikes, except a little from which you will eat.

12:48 Then will come after that seven difficult [years] which will consume what you saved for them, except a little from which you will store.

12:49 Then after that will come a year in which people will receive abundant rain and they will press ˹oil and wine˺.”

12:50 The King ˹then˺ said, “Bring him to me.” When the messenger came to him, Joseph said, “Go back to your master and ask him about the case of the women who cut their hands. Surely my Lord has ˹full˺ knowledge of their cunning.”

12:51The King asked ˹the women˺, “What did you get when you tried to seduce Joseph?” They replied, “Allah forbid! We know nothing indecent about him.” Then the Chief Minister’s wife admitted, “Now the truth has come to light. It was I who tried to seduce him, and he is surely truthful.

12:52 From this, Joseph should know that I did not speak dishonestly about him in his absence, for Allah certainly does not guide the scheming of the dishonest.

12:53 And I do not seek to free myself from blame, for indeed the soul is ever inclined to evil, except those shown mercy by my Lord. Surely my Lord is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.”

12:54 And the king said, "Bring him to me; I will appoint him exclusively for myself." And when he spoke to him, he said, "Indeed, you are today established [in position] and trusted."

12:55 Yusuf  said: "Set me over the storehouses of the land; I will indeed guard them with full knowledge" (as a minister of finance in Egypt)

12:56 Thus did We give full authority to Yusuf (Joseph) in the land, to take possession therein, as when or where he likes. We bestow of Our Mercy on whom We please, and We make not to be lost the reward of Al-Muhsinun (the good doers)

12:57And the reward of the Hereafter is far better for those who are faithful and are mindful ˹of Allah˺.

12:58 And the brothers of Joseph came [seeking food], and they entered upon him; and he recognized them,but they were unaware of who he really was.

12:59 When he had provided them with their supplies, he demanded, “Bring me your brother on your father’s side.1 Do you not see that I give full measure and I am the best of hosts?

12:60 But if you do not bring him to me ˹next time˺, I will have no grain for you, nor will you ever come close to me again.”

12:61They said: "We shall try to get permission (for him) from his father, and verily, we shall do it."

12:62 Joseph ordered his servants to put his brothers’ money back into their saddlebags so that they would find it when they returned to their family and perhaps they would come back.

12:63 When Joseph’s brothers returned to their father, they pleaded, “O our father! We have been denied ˹further˺ supplies. So send our brother with us so that we may receive our measure, and we will definitely watch over him.”

12:64 He responded, “Should I trust you with him as I once trusted you with his brother ˹Joseph˺? But ˹only˺ Allah is the best Protector, and He is the Most Merciful of the merciful.”

12:65 When they opened their baggage, they found that their money had been returned to them. They said, "Father, what more do we want? Our money has been given back to us. We can buy more provisions with this for our family. We shall protect our brother and have one more camel load of grain which is easy to get".

12:66 Yaqub insisted, “I will not send him with you until you give me a solemn oath by Allah that you will certainly bring him back to me, unless you are totally overpowered.” Then after they had given him their oaths, he concluded, “Allah is a Witness to what we have said.”

12:67He then instructed ˹them˺, “O my sons! Do not enter ˹the city˺ all through one gate, but through separate gates.I cannot help you against ˹what is destined by˺ Allah in the least. It is only Allah Who decides. In Him I put my trust. And in Him let the faithful put their trust.”

12:68 Then when they entered as their father had instructed them, this did not help them against ˹the Will of˺ Allah whatsoever. It was just a desire in Jacob’s heart which he satisfied. He was truly blessed with ˹great˺ knowledge because of what We had taught him, but most people have no knowledge.

12:69And when they went in before Yusuf, he called his brother (Benjamin) aside and said: "Verily!I am your brother, so grieve not for what they used to do."

12:70 When he had furnished them with provisions, he placed the King's drinking cup in his own brother's baggage. Then someone shouted, "People of the caravan, you are thieves!"

12:71 Yusuf's brothers turned around and asked, "What is missing?"

12:72 They were told, "The King's drinking cup is missing and whoever brings it will receive a camel's load of grain. I promise you that".

12:73 They said: "By Allah! Indeed you know that we came not to make mischief in the land, and we are no thieves!"

12:74 Joseph’s men asked, “What should be the price for theft, if you are lying?”

12:75 They Yusuf's  brothers] said: "The penalty should be that he, in whose bag it is found, should be held for the punishment (of the crime). Thus we punish the Zalimun.

12:76 Joseph began searching their bags before that of his brother ˹Benjamin˺, then brought it out of Benjamin’s bag. This is how We inspired Joseph to plan. He could not have taken his brother under the King’s law, but Allah had so willed. We elevate in rank whoever We will. But above those ranking in knowledge is the One All-Knowing.

12:77They said, "If he steals - a brother of his has stolen before." But Joseph kept it within himself and did not reveal it to them. He said, "You are worse in position, and Allah is most knowing of what you describe."

12:78 They appealed, “O Chief Minister! He has a very old father, so take one of us instead. We surely see you as one of the good-doers.”

12:79 Joseph responded, “Allah forbid that we should take other than the one with whom we found our property. Otherwise, we would surely be unjust.”

12:80 When they lost all hope in him, they spoke privately. The eldest of them said, “Do you not know that your father had taken a solemn oath by Allah from you, nor how you failed him regarding Joseph before? So I am not leaving this land until my father allows me to, or Allah decides for me. For He is the Best of Judges.

12:81 Return to your father and say, ‘O our father! Your son committed theft. We testify only to what we know. We could not guard against the unforeseen.

12:82 Ask ˹the people of˺ the land where we were and the caravan we traveled with. We are certainly telling the truth.’”

12:83 He cried, “No! Your souls must have tempted you to do something ˹evil˺. So ˹I am left with nothing but˺ beautiful patience! I trust Allah will return them all to me. Surely He ˹alone˺ is the All-Knowing, All-Wise.”

12:84 And he turned away from them and said: "Alas, my grief for Yusuf (Joseph)!" And he lost his sight because of the sorrow that he was suppressing.

12:85 They said, "You are always remembering Joseph. By God, it will either make you sick or you will die".

12:86 He said: "I only complain of my grief and sorrow to Allah, and I know from Allah that which you know not.

12:87 O  my sons! Go and search ˹diligently˺ for Joseph and his brother. And do not lose hope in the mercy of Allah, for no one loses hope in Allah’s mercy except those with no faith.”

12:88 When they entered Joseph’s presence, they pleaded, “O Chief Minister! We and our family have been touched with hardship, and we have brought only a few worthless coins, but ˹please˺ give us our supplies in full and be charitable to us. Indeed, Allah rewards the charitable.”

12:89 He asked, “Do you remember what you did to Joseph and his brother in your ignorance?”

12:90They replied ˹in shock˺, “Are you really Joseph?” He said, “I am Joseph, and here is my brother ˹Benjamin˺! Allah has truly been gracious to us. Surely whoever is mindful ˹of Allah˺ and patient, then certainly Allah never discounts the reward of the good-doers.”

12:91They admitted, “By Allah! Allah has truly preferred you over us, and we have surely been sinful.”

12:92 Joseph said, “There is no blame on you today. May Allah forgive you! He is the Most Merciful of the merciful!

12:93 Go with this shirt of mine and cast it over my father’s face, and he will regain his sight. Then come back to me with your whole family.”

12:94And when the caravan departed [from Egypt], their father said, "Indeed, I find the smell of Joseph [and would say that he was alive] if you did not think me weakened in mind."

12:95They said, "By Allah , indeed you are in your [same] old error."

12:96When someone brought him the glad news, Joseph's shirt was placed on his face and his eye-sight was restored, he said, "Did I not tell you that I know about God that which you do not know?"

12:97 They begged, “O our father! Pray for the forgiveness of our sins. We have certainly been sinful.”

12:98 He said, “I will pray to my Lord for your forgiveness.1 He ˹alone˺ is indeed the All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.”

12:99When they entered Joseph’s presence, he received his parents ˹graciously˺ and said, “Enter Egypt, Allah willing, in security.”

12:100 Then he raised his parents to the throne, and they all fell down in prostration to Joseph,1 who then said, “O my dear father! This is the interpretation of my old dream. My Lord has made it come true. He was truly kind to me when He freed me from prison, and brought you all from the desert after Satan had ignited rivalry between me and my siblings.2 Indeed my Lord is subtle in fulfilling what He wills. Surely He ˹alone˺ is the All-Knowing, All-Wise.”

YUSUF DUA

12:101“My Lord! You have surely granted me authority and taught me the interpretation of dreams. ˹O˺ Originator of the heavens and the earth! You are my Guardian in this world and the Hereafter. Allow me to die as one who submits and join me with the righteous.”

12:102 That is from the stories of the unseen which We reveal to you ˹O Prophet˺. You were not present when they ˹all˺1 made up their minds, and when they plotted ˹against Joseph˺.