Yusuf

In the name of God, the Gracious, the
Merciful.

1. Alif, Lam, Ra. These are the Verses of
the Clear Book.
2. We have revealed it an Arabic Quran, so
that you may understand.
3. We narrate to you the most accurate
history, by revealing to you this Quran.
Although, prior to it, you were of the unaware.
4. When Joseph said to his father, “O my
father, I saw eleven planets, and the sun,
and the moon; I saw them bowing down
to me.”
5. He said, “O my son, do not relate your
vision to your brothers, lest they plot and
scheme against you. Satan is man's sworn
enemy.

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