| | Bijan Moeinian rendition of Surah Joseph(Yusuf)
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| 12:1 | | A.L.R. These are the verses of a Book which presents its subject of discussion clearly to the public |
| 12:2 | | God has revealed this Book to you (Arab speaking people) in Arabic language (and not in an exotic language as you are demanding—as a miracle!) so that you understand it |
| 12:3 | | God, hereby, is going to reveal to you the best story ever told; and you knew nothing about it before its revelation |
| 12:4 | | Once [little] Joseph said to his father (Jacob, son of Isaac and grand son of Abraham): “I saw in my dream that eleven stars, the sun and the moon [the solar system as we know today] were prostrating themselves before me |
| 12:5 | | Jacob said: “My little (favorite) son, do not say anything about this dream to your brothers as they may [become jealous and] hurt you; indeed Satan [who is behind all evil plots] is the man’s worse enemy (and teaches him devilish things.)&rdquo |
| 12:6 | | “[here is the meaning of your dream:] God has chosen (you as His Prophet and has decided) to teach you the knowledge of the interpretation of unknown. He will shower you, as well as the off springs of Jacob, with His blessings the same way that He favored your forefathers Abraham and Issac. Indeed God is the Most Knowledgeable, the Most Wise (and knows whom to choose and favor. |
| 12:7 | | This story of Joseph will answer many questions of those who are blessed with inquisitive minds |
| 12:8 | | This is how the story begins:] Joseph’s brothers (who were upset that their father spoils his two youngest sons the most) got together and said: “It seems that our father has lost his mind as he is favoring Joseph and his brother and does not pay any attention to us. This is not fair as we are united and stronger (which does not necessarily mean being better.)&rdquo |
| 12:9 | | “Let us kill Joseph or somehow get rid of him; then our father will notice us. We will then [commit no more sin and] chose righteousness |
| 12:10 | | One of the brothers suggested: “Do not kill him. If you have to get rid of him, cast him in a remote well. When the caravans pass by, they may take him as a slave.&rdquo |
| 12:11 | | They went to their father and said: “Why do you not trust us with Joseph? We [are his brothers after all and] do not wish nothing but the best for him.&rdquo |
| 12:12 | | “Let him come with us tomorrow; we will feed him, let him play and take good care of him.&rdquo |
| 12:13 | | Jacob said: “I am afraid that a wolf may attack him while you are busy with your work.&rdquo |
| 12:14 | | They replied: “We will be good for nothing, if a wolf attacks him while he is among us.&rdquo |
| 12:15 | | When they convinced the father, took him out and threw him in the well, I revealed to Joseph: “A time will come when you will reproach them for what they are doing. For the moment [they have admitted the Satan so deeply in themselves that] they do not realize what they are doing.&rdquo |
| 12:16 | | Then the brothers returned to their fathers at nightfall and started to cry |
| 12:17 | | They said: “Father, we left Joseph alone with our belongings to race with each other; then the wolf took advantage of our absence and devoured him. You will never believe us in spite of the fact that we are telling you the truth.&rdquo |
| 12:18 | | Then they presented the torn cloths of Joseph which they had stained with some kind of blood. Jacob said: “Your lost conscious has made it seem light for you what you have done to Joseph. All I can do is resort to patience. May God help me to bear the consequences of your wrongdoing |
| 12:19 | | Then a caravan passed by the well. When the person in charge of water supply threw his bucket in the well, he screamed joyfully and said: “How lucky! There is a boy here!” Then they took him along as a slave according to the pre-destined will of God |
| 12:20 | | Eventually they sold him for a cheap price as they did not have any need for him |
| 12:21 | | The person who bought him in Egypt [was so enchanted with him that he] said to his wife: “Take good care of him; he may prove himself to be worthy of being adopted as our son.” This was the way that I set the stage for Joseph to get established and taught him the knowledge of unknown. God is in control but most people do not realize it |
| 12:22 | | When Joseph became mature, I blessed him with wisdom and knowledge; this is the way that I reward the gracious ones |
| 12:23 | | One day, the lady of the house (who had gradually been fallen in love with Joseph) tried to seduce him. She locked the doors and said: “I am all yours.” Joseph replied: “I seek refuge in Lord; the One who has raised me in such a nice home. The Lord never let the unjust people (such as a person who has been treated nicely in a house and then develop a sinful relationship with the land lord’s wife) to succeed.&rdquo |
| 12:24 | | She advanced towards him and he almost gave in. If it were not that he had received the knowledge of what is right and what is wrong from his Lord, he would have been seduced. This was a trial [giving him the opportunity] to remove the root of indecency from him. Joseph was indeed a true worshipper of Mine |
| 12:25 | | Putting himself together, Joseph ran towards the door, being chased by the lady of the house. She reached his shirt, pulled it and tore it from behind. Surprisingly, they came face to face with the master of the house. The Lady [in order to show her “innocence”] cried out: “How are you going to punish the one who wanted to molest your wife? imprisonment or torture?&rdquo |
| 12:26 | | Joseph responded: “It was she who tried to seduce me.” At this one of the family members said: “If his shirt is torn from the front, she speaks the truth and Joseph lies.&rdquo |
| 12:27 | | “ But if his shirt is torn from the back, the lady is a liar and Joseph says the truth.&rdquo |
| 12:28 | | When the husband saw that the shirt was torn at the back, he said: “What a cunning woman.&rdquo |
| 12:29 | | Then he continued: “Joseph, try to forget this incidence. As for you woman, you should beg forgiveness for your sin.&rdquo |
| 12:30 | | The women of the town started to gossip about this incidence, saying: “The wife of the governor has passionately fallen in love with her slave; what kind of woman is she?&rdquo |
| 12:31 | | When governor’s wife heard about such gossips, she invited all important ladies of the town and prepared a relaxed environment for them. When they were cutting the fruits with their knives, she asked Joseph to enter the room. they were so enchanted with his look that they cut their hands. They spontaneously said: “Good Lord; is he a human being or an angel?&rdquo |
| 12:32 | | The governor’s wife said: “This is the man that you blame me of falling in love with. I have tried to seduce him, but so far he has refused me. If he continues to refuse me, I will send him to jail to be disgraced.&rdquo |
| 12:33 | | Joseph said: “My Lord, I prefer imprisonment to what they are pushing me to. If You do not save me from their plot, I may fall into their trap and behave like any other ignorant person.&rdquo |
| 12:34 | | His Lord, Who hears everything and is the Most Knowledgeable, granted his wish and made him immune to their seductive plans |
| 12:35 | | Eventually (out of vindication) they decided to cast him into the jail for a while |
| 12:36 | | Now with him there came into the jail two young men [that according to the Scripture were in charge of wine and baking needs of the king. they were cast into the jail as bugs were found in their products.]. One of them said: “I saw in my dream that I am pressing grapes into wine.” The other one said: “I had also a dream. I saw that I am carrying loaves of bread on my head. Then the birds came and started to eat the bread.” Then they turned to Joseph and said: “We have found you a graceful person; would you kindly interpret these dreams of ours?&rdquo |
| 12:37 | | Joseph [took advantage of their interest in “dream interpretation” to carry on his mission as a Propheti.e., inviting people to the right path of God. He] said: “God has blessed me with the knowledge of unknown. For instance, I can tell you what you are going to eat today before that food is offered to you. I am not like those people who do not believe neither in God nor in Hereafter; such people are indeed disbelievers |
| 12:38 | | I follow the religion of my forefathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. We do not believe that God has any partner. The knowledge of this truth is the blessing that God has showered us and people with it. What a shame that most people are not grateful being blessed with this knowledge.&rdquo |
| 12:39 | | “Tell me my fellow prisoners, which belief is better: belief in many gods or relying upon One Supreme God?&rdquo |
| 12:40 | | “The gods that you are worshipping simply do not exist. These are only the names that you and your forefathers have invented. God has not given any power to those invented names of yours. There is only One Ruler in the universe, and He has ruled that you shall not worship none but Him. This is the only true religion. What a shame that most people do not realize it.&rdquo |
| 12:41 | | “As to the interpretation of your dreams (that the One and only One Lord has blessed me with its knowledge,) the one who has dreamt of pressing the wine will serve wine (to the king of Egypt) and the other one will be crucified and the birds will eat of his head.&rdquo |
| 12:42 | | Then Joseph turned to the one whom he thought would be released and said: “When you are released, would you kindly mention my situation to the king? The Satan, however, made the man to forget everything (the same way that Satan makes people to forget good things that others have done for them and turns them into ungrateful people) and, consequently, Joseph stayed in the jail for a few more years (to learn that depending upon others than God, who are easily swayed by Satan, is fruitless and that only God can relieve the hardship that one faces with. |
| 12:43 | | One day the king said: “ I have seen in my dream that seven fat cows were eating seven skinny cows. I also saw seven green ears of corn and seven dry ears of corn! Can anyone among you, my advisors, interpret this dream of mine?&rdquo |
| 12:44 | | They replied: “It sounds like a meaningless dream; but again, we do not know anything about the interpretation of the dreams.&rdquo |
| 12:45 | | The one who was released from the prison (and served the king as a butler) said: “I will tell you its interpretation, if you let me visit Joseph in the prison.&rdquo |
| 12:46 | | “Joseph! O man of truth.” (he said) “What is the interpretation of this dream of seven fat cows devouring seven skinny ones and the seven green ears of corn and seven dry ears of corn? Let me know so that I explain it to my people.&rdquo |
| 12:47 | | Joseph replied: “Whatever you harvest, during the next seven years, consume a part of it and save the remainder.&rdquo |
| 12:48 | | “After these seven years of affluence, you will face seven years of drought. Then it will be the time to consume what you have saved.&rdquo |
| 12:49 | | “ Now after these seven years of hardship, you will have a year of abundance in which people will extract the juice of fruits and press the oil of olive one more time.&rdquo |
| 12:50 | | The king said: “Bring this man to me.” When they were preparing Joseph for the royal audience, he said: “Ask the king to investigate the incidence in which the women of the town cut their hands (so that I go to him as an honest man and not a person who has betrayed his master’s trust.) God is aware of my enemies’ vicious plot [and will re-instate my reputation.]&rdquo |
| 12:51 | | The king asked the women about the incidence. They all said: “God have mercy on us; we found not a bit of evil in Joseph. When it came to the woman who had accused him at first place, she said: “Now that the truth has sipped out, I confess that it was I who tried to seduce him. He is indeed a virtuous man.&rdquo |
| 12:52 | | Joseph said: “The reason for which I asked for this enquiry is to prove once and forever to my ex-master that I did not take advantage of his trust; after all, God never guides those who betray the trust.&rdquo |
| 12:53 | | “I do not claim to be a saint. The human being always leans towards indecencies; except those who (deserve the Lord’s Mercy and) God takes them under His umbrella of protection. Indeed my Lord is Forgiving and Merciful.&rdquo |
| 12:54 | | The king said: “Now let him come to my presence as I would like to hire (such a trustworthy person) him to work for me.” When Joseph arrived to the court, the king said: “I am going to offer you an honorable position as I trust you.&rdquo |
| 12:55 | | Joseph said: “make me your treasurer as I am knowledgeable in this domain.&rdquo |
| 12:56 | | Thus I established Joseph on earth, ruling as he wished. I shower whomever I decide with my blessing and I never let go waste the reward of those who are righteous |
| 12:57 | | Yet the reward of the Hereafter is much better (than the worldly reward) for those believers who choose righteousness |
| 12:58 | | Joseph’s brothers (like the other people who were caught by the draught) came to Joseph (asking for food for their tribe.) He recognized them but they did not |
| 12:59 | | Joseph gave them what they wanted and said: “Next time, bring your brother (that you claim you have) so that I see him (and be sure that you have not invented him to get more food.) Do you not see that I am a gracious host and just in distributing the food?&rdquo |
| 12:60 | | “If you do not come with him, you better do not show your face as you will get nothing from me.&rdquo |
| 12:61 | | They replied: “We will do our best to convince our father to send him with us.&rdquo |
| 12:62 | | Joseph then ordered his servants to put their goods (which they had bartered for the food) secretly in their bags. He hoped that they will appreciate his generosity and return back |
| 12:63 | | When they reached home they said to their father: “Please send our baby brother with us as this is the only way to get the food. We will promise to take good care of him.&rdquo |
| 12:64 | | Their father said: “Should I entrust him to you as I entrusted Joseph to you before? No way, I entrust him to God Who is the best Protector. He is the Most Merciful of all the merciful ones.&rdquo |
| 12:65 | | When they opened their bags, they cried out of happiness: “See father; what more do we want. The man has even returned our merchandise. We have to go back and get more food for our family. We will take good care of our baby brother and obtain an extra camel-load of food (on his account.) What a great deal.&rdquo |
| 12:66 | | Jacob said: “I will not send him with you, unless you swear by God that you will do everything humanly possible to bring him back to me.” When they gave him their solemn pledge, he said: “Never forget that the Lord is a witness to your pledge.&rdquo |
| 12:67 | | Jacob then said: “When you arrive (to the capital of Egypt,) do not enter from the same gate (to attract attention.) Enter from different gates and know that (even though I am a prophet and the Lord may grant my wishes) I cannot save you from what is pre-determined by God. I put my trust in Him the same way that all those who have to make a decision should put their trust in Him.&rdquo |
| 12:68 | | They followed the instructions of their father and entered to the city from different gates. Although this could not have changed anything that the Lord has decreed, Jacob had a personal reason for asking them to do so. He had been blessed by a certain type of knowledge from God. what a shame that most people do not understand these things |
| 12:69 | | When they entered Joseph’s place, he talked privately to his brother, introduced himself to him, and said: “Do not be upset with what your brothers have done.&rdquo |
| 12:70 | | When Joseph provided them with their provision, he slid his cup inside his brother’s bag. Then one of his workers accused them of the theft |
| 12:71 | | Turning back, they asked: “What is lost?&rdquo |
| 12:72 | | The royal servants said: “The royal cup is lost.” Then their supervisor said: “Whoever returns it, will get an extra camel-load of grain; I personally guarantee this.&rdquo |
| 12:73 | | The brothers said: “You know very well, and we take God as our witness, that we have not come here to do mischief and that we are not thieves.&rdquo |
| 12:74 | | The servants asked: “Tell us, what shall be your punishment, if you are proven to be guilty?&rdquo |
| 12:75 | | The brothers replied: “If the cup is found in anybody’s bag, he would be yours as a slave. This is the way that we punish the thief.&rdquo |
| 12:76 | | Joseph then started to search his (step) brothers’ loads first, before searching his brother’s bag. Then he took the cup out from the pack of his brother (Benjamin.) This is how I helped Joseph to complete his plan in order to be able to keep his brother with him. He could not have kept his brother, if he had applied the law of the land. Yes; it was the will of God. I rais whoever I will to a higher rank; and above every knowledgeable person, there is One All-Knowledgeable Who is above all knowledgeable ones |
| 12:77 | | The other brothers (in order to disassociate themselves from Benjamin) said: “Of course; he is a thief like his brother Joseph!” Joseph [in order not to reveal his identity] said to himself: “What evil people you are. Good thing God knows the truth.&rdquo |
| 12:78 | | The brothers said: “Your highness, he has a very old father (which may have a heart attack or something, hearing his baby is enslaved.) You are a kind man; take one of us in his place.&rdquo |
| 12:79 | | Joseph replied: “God forbid. It will be injustice to punish any one other than the thief.&rdquo |
| 12:80 | | Disappointed, they went to a corner to talk about the incidence. The elder one said: “Your father has taken a solemn pledge from you at the presence of God. You also know that what you did to Joseph was wrong. I am not going to leave this place without my father’s permission or the Lord’s judgment in my favor; I bear witness that the Lord is the best Judge.&rdquo |
| 12:81 | | Go back to your father and explain how his son was caught red hand. Let him know that we guarded him against what we were able to see and that we could not have protected him against [the Satan’s temptation, his hidden theft, etc. which was happening in] the world of unseen |
| 12:82 | | Ask your father to question those who witnessed the whole thing and returned with your caravan |
| 12:83 | | Hearing their story, Jacob said: “How lightly you accept the things at their face value. Well, I have to bear this with a graceful patience. May the Lord, Who knows everything and is the Most Wise, bring back my lost ones to me.&rdquo |
| 12:84 | | Jacob then turned away from them saying: “Now let me mourn for my Joseph.” His eyes turned white from grieving so much and he went into a deep depression |
| 12:85 | | Jacob’s sons said: “For God’s sake; If you keep on mourning for Joseph, you will become sick and you may even die of grief.&rdquo |
| 12:86 | | Jacob replied: “I simply pray to God about my sorrow and grief. You do not know as much as I know about the Lord.&rdquo |
| 12:87 | | “Listen my children; go look for Joseph and Benjamin and do not give up on God’s grace. Only the disbelievers give up on God’s mercy.&rdquo |
| 12:88 | | When they returned back to the presence of Joseph’s, they said: “Your highness, we and our family are going through a lot of hardship now. We have brought some merchandise of less value to barter for food. Please be charitable and give us enough food for our survival in return. You know well that God highly rewards the charitable people.&rdquo |
| 12:89 | | In reply he said: “Do you recall what you did to Joseph and his brother at the climax of your ignorance?&rdquo |
| 12:90 | | They were so taken by surprise that they cried: “You must be Joseph.” He said: “Yes; I am Joseph, and here is my brother (and not my slave as you think.) God has been good to us. He never fails to reward those who lead a righteous life and recourse to patience |
| 12:91 | | They said: “We were wrong and [among other things that is why] God has made you superior to us.&rdquo |
| 12:92 | | Joseph replied: “Do not blame yourself. May God forgive you. Of all those who are merciful, God is the Most Merciful.&rdquo |
| 12:93 | | “No go back and put this shirt of mine over my father’s eyes; this will restore his vision. Then take all your families and come back to me |
| 12:94 | | When their caravan left Egypt, their father said to his folk: “I can sense the smell of Joseph; do not call me names (such as senile, crazy, etc.)&rdquo |
| 12:95 | | His folk replied: “You are still living in the past!&rdquo |
| 12:96 | | When the sons arrived and put the shirt of Joseph on his eyes, he got his eye sight back and said: “Did I not tell you that I was blessed with the revelations from the Lord that you were unaware of ?&rdquo |
| 12:97 | | His sons said: “Father, please pray to God to forgive us. We were absolutely wrong.&rdquo |
| 12:98 | | Jacob said: “I will beg my Lord to forgive you. He is the Forgiver, Most Merciful |
| 12:99 | | When they arrived to Egypt and met Joseph, he embraced his parents and said: “Welcome to Egypt. God willing, you will be safe here.&rdquo |
| 12:100 | | Joseph placed his parents at the highest seat and then they all fell prostrate before him. He said: “Father, do you remember my dream. My Lord has made it come true. God has been good to me. He took me out of prison and brought you all to me from the heart of the desert and made Satan to fail in his plot to create animosity between me and my brothers. My Lord is Most Kind unto Whom He wills (and deserves.) He knows everything and He is the Most Wise.&rdquo |
| 12:101 | | “My Lord, You have given me the power and You have taught me the interpretation of dreams. Originator of the heavens and the earth! I bear witness that you are my Lord in this world as well as in the Hereafter. When my time comes, please let me die as a Muslim (in Arabic meaning “submitter to the Lord.”) and join me with the righteous servants of yours.&rdquo |
| 12:102 | | You (Mohammad) are thus being informed about this story which took place in the past (and its detailed are kept as unknown to the people.) After all, you were not there when they conspired against Joseph (to throw him in the well. |
| 12:103 | | What a shame that most people, no matter what you do, will choose not to believe |
| 12:104 | | You charge people nothing for delivering this message, which is a reminder for the intelligent residents of the whole universe |
| 12:105 | | As a matter of fact there are so many signs in the heavens and the earth (which testifies for the existence, greatness, and oneness of the Lord.) Yet, they pass by and do not show any interest in it |
| 12:106 | | As to those who believe in God, most of them believe in other (man-invented) gods (Christians believe that Jesus in God and most people fall so much in love with their women, wealth employer, etc. that they raise them to the heaven and start to worship them! |
| 12:107 | | Do they not realize that the Lord may subject them to a sever punishment? Do they not mind of the Day of Judgment which may catch up with them all of a sudden |
| 12:108 | | Say: “This is my path. I invite you to God. My followers and I see the path fully lit. Glorious (Perfect) is the Lord and (I seek refuge in Him as) I do not associate none with Him |
| 12:109 | | All the Prophets that I sent before you, were also human beings (chosen from their own communities) to relay My revelations. Do these people ever travel to see what happened to people who passed away before them? Know that the life after death is much better for those who lead a righteous life. Do you get it |
| 12:110 | | The previous Prophets went on spreading My Words for the longest time till they became disappointed. When they were treated as liar, My help reached them; I saved whoever I had decided and the punishment of the guilty people was unavoidable |
| 12:111 | | There are many lessons in their stories to be learnt by those people who use their brain. This is not a fabricated story. Qur’an confirms all previous Scriptures, gives details of everything (which is required for the success of man), is a guidance, and a mercy for those who have chosen to believe |
