Joseph

Verily We! We have sent it down, an Arabic Recitation, that haply ye may reflect.

Alif. Lam. Ra. These are the verses of a Book luminous.

We! We recount unto thee the best of stories, by Revealing unto thee this Our'an, although thou wast before that of the unaware ones.

Recall what time Yusufj said unto his father:, y father! verily have seen eleven stars and the sun and the moon; I have seen them prostrating themselves unto me.

He said: O my son! recount not thine vision unto thy brethren, lest they plot a plot against thee; verily the Satan is unto man an enemy manifest.

And Thus will thy Lord choose thee and teach thee of the interpretation of discourses, and will fulfil His favour upon thee and upon the house of Y'aqub even as He fulfilled it upon thy fathers, Ibrahim and Is-haq aforetime; verily thy Lord is Knowing, Wise.

Assuredly in Yusuf and his brethren there have been signs for the inquirers.

Recall what time they said: surely Yusuf and his brother are dearer to our father than we, whereas we are company; verily our father is in error manifest.

Slay Yusuf or cast him forth to some land; your father's countenance will be free for you, and ye shall be thereafter a people favoured.

Said a speaker from among them; slay not Yusuf, but cast him into the bottom of a well, some of the caravan will take him up--if ye must be doing.

They said: our father! wherefore thou intrustest us not with Yusuf, whereas verily we are his well-wishers.

Send him with us tomorrow, that he may refresh himself and play, and verily we are to be his guards.

He said: verily it grieveth me that ye should take him away, and I fear lest a wolf may devour him, While ye are negligent of him.

They said: if the wolf devoured him while we were a company, we must indeed then be the losers!

So when they took him away, and resolved to place him in the bottom of the well, We Revealed unto him: surely thou wilt declare unto them this their affair, while they shall perceive not.

And they came to their father at nightfall, weeping.

They said: our father! we went off competing, and left Yusuf by our stuff, so a wolf devoured him; and thou wilt put no credence in us, even though we are the truth-tellers.

And they brought his shirt with false blood. He said: nay! your selves have embellished for you an affair; so seemly patience! and Allah is to be implored for help in that which ye ascribe

And a caravan came, and they sent their water-drawer, and he let down his bucket. He said: glad tidings! here is a youth. And they hid him as merchandise, And Allah was the Knower of that which they worked.

And they sold him for a mean price: a few dirhams numbered and they were in regard to him of the indifferent.

And he who bought him in Misr said unto his wife: make his dwelling honourable: belike he may profit us or we may take him as a son. And Thus We made a place for Yusuf in the land, and it was in order that We may teach him the interpretation of discourses. And Allah is Dominant in His purpose, but most of men know not.

And when he reached his maturity We vouchsafed unto him judgement and knowledge; and Thus We recompense the well-doers.

And she in whose house he was, solicited him against himself; and she fastened the doors, and said: come on, O thou! He said: Allah be my refuge: verily he is my lord; he hath made me a goodly dwelling; verily the wrong-doers fare not well.

And assuredly she besought him, and he would have besoughther were it not that he had seen the argument of his Lord. Thus We did, in order that We might avert from him all evil and indecency; verily he was of our bondmen single-hearted.

And the twain raced to the door, and she rent his shirt from behind, And the twain met her master at the door. She said: What is the meed of him who intended evil toward thy house hold except that he be imprisoned, or a torment afflictive?

He said: it is she who solicited me against myself And a witness from her own household bare witness: if his shirt be rent in front, then she speaketh the truth and he is of the liars.

And if his shirt be rent from behind, then she lieth, and he is of the truth-tellers.

So when he saw his shirt rent from behind, he said: verily it is of the guile of ye women; verily the guile of ye women is mighty.

Yusuf! turn away therefrom; and, thou woman! ask forgiveness for thy sin; verily thou hast been of the guilty.

And women in the city said; the wife of the AZiZ hath solicited her page against himself; he hath inflamed her with love; verily we behold her in error manifest.

Then, when she heard of their cunning talk, she sent unto them a messenger, and got ready for them a cushioned Couch, and gave a knife to each of them. And she said: come forth to them. Then when they saw him, they were astonished at him, and they made a cut in their hands, and said: how perfect is God! no man is he: he is naught but an angel noble.

She said: that then is he in regard to whom ye reproached me. Assuredly solicited him against himself but he abstained; and if he doth not that which I command him, he shall surely be imprisoned and he shall surely be of the degraded.

He said: my Lord: prison is dearer to me than that to which these women call me; and if Thou avertest not their guile from me should incline toward them and become of the Ignorant.

Then his Lord answered to him, and averted their guile from him; verily He! He is the Hearer, the Knower!

Thereafter it occurred to them even after they had, the signs, to imprison him for a season.

And there entered with him into the prison two pages. One of them said: verlly I saw myself pressing wine; and the other said: verily I saw myself carrying upon my head bread whereof the birds were eating. declare unto us the interpretation thereof, verily we see thee of the well-doers.

He said: there will not come to you any food wherewith ye are provided but I shall have declared unto the interpretation thereof ere it cometh unto you. that is of that which my Lord hath taught me; verily I have abandoned the creed of a people who believe not in Allah and who in the Hereafter are disbelievers.

And I have followed the creed of my fathers, Ibrahim and Is'haq and ya'qub: it is not for us to associate aught with Allah. That is of Allah's and upon mankind; but grace upon us most of mankind thank not.

O My two fellow-prisoners! are sundry lords better of Allah, the One, the Subduer

Ye worship not, beside Him, but names ye have named, ye and your fathers: Allah hath not sent down for them any warranty. Judgment is but Allah's; He hath commanded that ye worship not except Him. That is the right religion, but most of the mankind know not.

O My two fellow-prisoners; as for one of you twain he will pour out wine for his lord; and as for the other, he will be crucified, and the birds will eat from off his head; O Thus is decreed the affair whereof ye twain enquired.

And he said to one of them who he imagined would be saved: mention me in the presence of thy lord. Then the Satan caused him to forget to mention him to his lord, so that he tarried in the prison several years.

And the king said: verily I saw seven fat kine which seven lean ones are devouring and seven green cornears and seven others dry. O ye chiefs! give me an answer in regard to my vision if a vision ye are wont to expound.

They said: medleys of dreams! and in the interpretation of dreams we are not skilled.

Then the one of the twain, who was saved, and now recollected himself after a period, said: I, even I, shall declare unto you the interpretation thereof; so send me forth.

Yusuf, O saint! give an answer unto us in regard to seven fat kine which seven lean ones are devouring and seven green corn-ears and seven others dry; haply may return unto the people; haply they may learn.

He said: ye shall sow seven years as is your went; and that which ye reap leave in its ears, except a little whereof ye may eat.

Then thereafter will come seven hard years which will devour that which ye have laid up beforehand for them except a little which ye shall preserve.

Then thereafter will come a year wherein mankind will have rain and wherein they will press.

And the king said: bring him Unto me. Then, when the messenger came to him, he said: return to thy lord, and ask him, what about the women who cut their hands! verily my Lord is the Knower of their guile.

He said: What was the matter with you when ye solicited Yusuf against himself! They said: how perfect is God! we knew not of any evil against him. The wife of the Aziz said: how hath the truth come to light, even I, solicited him against himself, and verily he is of the truth-tellers.

He said: that did in order that he may know that I betrayed him not in secret, and that Allah guideth not the guile of betrayers.

Nor I acquit myself; verily the self ever urgeth to evil save that self on Whom my Lord hath mercy; verily My Lord is Forgiving, Merciful.

And the king said: bring him unto me I will single him out for myself Then when he spake unto him, he said: verily thou art to-day with us placed high, intrusted.

He said: set me over the store houses of the land; verily I shall be a keeper knowing.

Thus We established Yusuf in the land so that he might settle therein wherever he listed. We bestow of Our mercy on whomsoever We will, and We waste not the hire of the well-doers.

And surely the hire of the Here after is better for those who believe and ever fear.

And the brethren of Yusuf came and entered unto him, and he recognized them, while they recognized him not.

And when he had furnished them with their furnishing, he said: bring unto me a brother of your from your father behold ye not that I give full measure and that am the best of entertainers.

But if ye bring him not unto me, there shall be no measuring for you from me, and ye shall not approach me.

They said: we will surely entice away his father from him; and verily we are doers.

And he said to his pages: place their goods in their packs, haply they will recognize them when they reach back to their household: haply they will return.

Then when they returned to their father, they said: our father! the measuring hath been denied us, wherefore send thou with us our brother, and we shall get our measure; and verily we shall be his guards.

He said: I intrust you with him only as I intrusted you with his brother aforetime; Allah is the best Guard, and He is the Most Merciful of the merciful.

And when they opened their stuff, they found their goods returned unto them. They said: our father! what more can we desire! here are our goods returned to us; We Shall supply our household and shall guard our brother and shall add anot her measure of a camel load: this is only a small measure.

He said: I will by no means send him with you until ye give me an assurance by Allah that ye will bring him back to me, unless it be that ye are encompassed. Then when they gave him their assurance, he said: Allah is over that which we have said Warden.

And he said: my sons! enter not by one gate but enter by different gates; and I cannot avail you against Allah at all: judgment is but Allah's; on Him I rely, and on Him let the relying rely.

And when they entered as their father had enjoined them, it availed them not against Allah at all; it was only a craving in the soul of Ya qub that he satisfied; verily he was endued with knowledge, for We had taught him; but most of the people know not.

And when they entered unto Yusuf, he betook his full brother unto himself, and said: verily I am thine own brother Yusuf, so sorrow not over that which they have been working.

And when he had furnished them with their furnishing; he placed the drinking-cup in his brother's pack. - Thereafter a crier cried: O caravan! verily ye are thieves.

They said while they turned toward them: what is it that ye miss!

They said: we miss the king's cup; and for him who bringeth it shall be a camel-load; and thereof I am a guarantor.

They said: by Allah! assuredly ye know that we came not to work corruption in the land, nor we have been thieves.

They said: what shall be the meed of him, if ye are found liars!

They said: his meed shall be that he, in whose pack it is found, shall himself be recompense thereof. Thus we reccmpense the wrong- doers.

Then he began with their sacks before the sack of his brother; then he brought it forth from his brothers sack. In this wise We contrived for Yusuf. He was not one to take his brother by the law of the king, except that Allah willed. We exalt in degrees whomsoever We will, and above every knowing one is a Knower.

They said: if he stealeth, then surely a brother of him hath stolen afore. But Yusuf concealed it in himself, and discovered it not unto them. He said: ye are in evil plight, and Allah is the Best Knower of that which ye ascribe.

They said: Aziz! verily he hath a father, an old man very aged; So take one of us in his stead; verily we behold thee to be of the well-doers.

He said: Allah forbid that we should take anyone but him with whom we found our stuff; verily then we should be the wrong-doers.

Then when they despaired of him they counselled together privately. The eldest of them said: know ye not that your father hath taken an assurance from you before Allah? and aforetime ye have been remiss in your duty in respect of Yusuf; I so will by no means go forth from the land until my father giveth me leave or Allah judgeth for me, and He is the Best of judges.

Return unto your father, and say: our father! verily thy son hath stolen, and we testify not save according to that which we know; and of the unseen we could not be guards.

And inquire those of the city where we have been and of the caravan with whom we have travelled hither; and verily we are truth- tellers.

He said: nay! your selves have embellished for you an affair; so seemly patience! Belike Allah may bring them all unto me; verily He! only He Is the Knowing, the Wise.

And he turned away from them, and said: O my grief for Yusuf! and his eyes whitened with grief, while he was filled with suppressed sorrow.

They said: by Allah! thou wilt not cease remembering Yusuf until thou art wizened or thou be of the dead.

He said: I only bewail my cogitation and grief unto Allah, and I know from Allah that which ye know not.

O My sons! go and ascertain about Yusuf and his brother, and despair not of the comfort of Allah; verily none despair of the comfort of Allah except a people disbelieving.

And when they entered unto him, they said: O Aziz! distress hath touched us and our household, and we have brought poor goods, wherefore give us full measure, and be charitable unto us; verily Allah recompenseth the charitable.

He said: remember ye that which ye did Unto Yusuf and his brother while ye were ignorant?

They said: art thou Yusuf indeed! He said: I am Yusuf and this is my brother; Allah hath surely been gracious unto us; verily whosoever feareth and endureth, then verily Allah wasteth not the hire of the well-doers.

They said: by Allah! assuredly Allah hath chosen thee above us, and we have been sinners indeed.

He said; no reproach upon you today. May Allah forgive you; and He is the Most Merciful of the merciful.

Go with this shirt of mine and cast it upon my father's face; he shall become clear-sighted; and bring unto me all your household.

And when the caravan had departed, their father said: surely feel the smell of Yusuf, if ye think not that I am doting.

They said: by Allah! verily thou art in thine old-time error.

Then, when the bringer of the glad tidings came, he cast it upon his face and he became clear-sighted. He said: said I not unto you, verily I know from Allah that which ye know not.

They said: our father! pray for forgiveness of our sins for us; verily we have been sinners.

He said: presently I shall pray for forgiveness for you of my Lord; verily He! only He is the Forgiving, the Merciful.

Then when they entered unto Yusuf, he betook his parents unto himself. and said: enter Misr, if Allah will, in security.

And he raised his parents to the throne, and they fell down before him prostrate, And he said: O my father! this is the interpretation of my vision aforetime; My Lord hath now made it come true; and surely He did well by me when he took me forth from the prison, and hath brought you from the desert after the Satan had stirred strife between me and my brethren; verily my Lord is subtilel Unto whomsoever He will. Verily He! only He, is the Knowing, the Wise.

O My Lord! Thou hast given me of the dominion, and hast taught me of the interpretation of discourses, Creator of the heavens and the earth! Thou art my Patron in the world and the Hereafter. Make me to die a Muslim, and join me with the righteous.

This is of the tidings of the unseen, which We reveal unto thee; nor wast thou with them when they resolved on their affair while they were plotting.

And most of the people, though thou desiredest ardently, are not going to be believers.

And thou askest them not any hire therefor; it is but an admonition unto the worlds.

And how many a sign in the heavens and the earth they pass by, while they are averters therefrom.

And most of them believe not in Allah except as they are associators.

Are they secure then against this, that there may come upon them an overwhelming of Allah's torment, or that there may come upon them the Hour on a sudden while they percieve not?

Say thou: this is my way: I call unto Allah resting upon an insight---I, and whosoever followeth me. Hallowed be Allah: and I am not of the associators.

And We sent not before thee any save men unto whom We revealed from among the people of the towns. Have then they not travelled about in the land that they might observe of what wise hath been the end of those before them! And surely the abode of the, Hereafter is best for those who fear! Reflect then ye not!

Respited were they until when the apostles had despaired and imagined that they were deluded, there came unto them Our succour; then whomsoever We willed was delivered. las And Our wrath is not warded off from a people sinful.

Assuredly in their stories is a lesson for men of understanding. It is not a discourse fabricated, but a confirmation of that which went before it, and a detailing of everything, and a guidance and a mercy unto a people who believe.