12 Sūrat Yūsuf ~ Joseph
In the name of God the Compassionate the Merciful 0
Alif Lam Ra 1
These are the signs of the clear book. 2
Truly, We have sent it down, a recitation in Arabic,
So that you might comprehend.
We relate to you the best of the narratives 3
In what We have revealed to you of this Qur’ān,
Although before it you were surely among the unaware.
When Yūsuf said to his father: O my father, indeed 4
I saw eleven stars and the sun and moon,
I saw them prostrate together to me.
[Jacob] said: O my son, 5
Do not mention your dream to your brothers,
Lest they set a trap for you.
Indeed, to man the shayṭān is a clear enemy.
And in this way will your Rabb choose you, 6
And instruct you in the interpretation of narratives,
And complete His favor upon you and on the family of Jacob,
As He completed it on your two forefathers Abraham and Isaac before.
Surely your Rabb is knowing, wise.
Certainly there were in Yūsuf and his brothers 7
Signs for those who inquire.
When they said: Certainly Yūsuf and his brother 8
Are more beloved than we to our father, though we are a band.
Indeed, our father is surely in clear error.
Kill Yūsuf, or expel him to a land, 9
So that the face of your father will be freed for you.
And after that you will be a virtuous people.
Said a speaker among them: Do not kill Yūsuf. 10
If you must do,
Throw him down in the pit of the well.
Some people of the caravan will pick him up.
They said: O our father, why do you not trust us with Yūsuf? 11
And indeed, we are surely well wishers for him.
Send him with us tomorrow to feast and to play. 12
Indeed, for him we are sure guardians.
[Jacob] said: Truly, it saddens me that you should take him tomorrow, 13
And I fear that a wolf will devour him while you are distracted.
They said: If the wolf eats him, as we are a band, 14
Indeed, then surely we [would be] the losers.
So then they took Yūsuf and they agreed 15
That they [would] put him in the pit of the well.
But We revealed to him:
Surely you will inform them about this affair of theirs
When they do not recognize [you].
And they came to their father in the evening, weeping. 16
They said: Our father, indeed, we went racing each other, 17
And we left Yūsuf with our provisions.
And then the wolf ate him.
But you do not believe us, even if we are truthful.
And they brought his shirt with false blood on it. 18
[Jacob] said: No. Your souls have enticed you to a matter,
So patience is beautiful.
Allāh is the One sought for help against what you describe.
And there came a caravan and they sent their water drawer, 19
And he let down his bucket.
He said: O good news. This is a boy.
And they hid him as merchandise.
And Allāh is knowing of what they do.
And they sold him for a very low price, a few dirhams, 20
And they were of the ones to abandon him.
And the one from Egypt who had bought him said to his wife: 21
Make his abode comfortable.
It may be that he will benefit us, or we may take him as a son.
And in this way We established Yūsuf in the land,
That We might teach him of the interpretation of events.
And Allāh is dominant over His affairs,
But most of the people do not understand.
And when he reached his maturity, We gave him wisdom and knowledge. 22
And in this way We reward the doers of good.
And she in whose house he was sought to seduce him from his soul. 23
And she closed the doors and she said: Come on, you.
He said: I seek refuge in God.
Indeed, He is my Lord, [Who has] made good my stay.
Surely the wrongdoers will not succeed.
And surely she desired him, and he would have lusted for her, 24
If not that he saw the proof of his Lord.
In this way We might divert evil and immorality from him.
Indeed, he was among Our sincere servants.
And they both raced to the door, 25
And she tore at his shirt from the back,
And they both found her husband at the door. She said:
What is the recompense for one who intended ill to your wife,
Except that he be imprisoned, or a painful punishment?
[Yūsuf] said: She sought to seduce me from my soul. 26
And a witness from her family testified:
If his shirt is torn from the front, then she has spoken the truth,
And he is of the liars.
But if his shirt is torn from the back, then she has lied, 27
And he is of the truthful.
So when [the husband] saw [Yūsuf’s] shirt torn from the back, 28
He said [to his wife]: Surely, it is of your plot. Indeed, your plot is great.
Yūsuf, turn away from this and ask forgiveness for your sin. 29
Indeed, you are of the sinful ones.
And the women in the city said: The wife of the great one 30
Seeks to seduce her slave boy from his soul,
And certainly he aroused her with love.
Indeed, we surely see her in in a manifest error.
So when she heard of their scheming, she sent for them, 31
And she prepared a banquet for them,
And she gave each one of them a knife,
And she said [to Yūsuf]: Come out in front of them.
Then when they saw him they admired him greatly,
And cut their hands and said: Forbid, Allāh.
This is no human. This is not but a noble angel.
She said: That is the one for whom you blamed me. 32
And certainly I sought to seduce him from his soul,
But he restrained himself.
And if he does not do what I order him,
Surely he will be imprisoned, and certainly of those who are disgraced.
[Yūsuf] said: My Rabb, 33
Prison is more loved by me than what they invite me to.
And unless you divert their plot from me,
I might lean towards them and become of the ignorant.
So his Rabb answered him, and turned their plot away from him. 34
Indeed, He is the Hearer, the Knower.
Then it appeared to them after the signs which they had seen, 35
Certainly they should imprison him for a time.
And two young men entered the prison with him. 36
One of them said: Indeed, I see myself pressing wine.
And the other one said: I see myself carrying bread over my head,
The birds eating from it.
Inform us as to its interpretation.
Indeed, we see you [to be] of the ones who do good.
[Yūsuf] said: 37
The food with which you are provided will not come to you,
Except I inform you of its interpretation before it comes to you both.
That is what my Rabb has taught me.
Indeed, I have forsaken the creed of a people who do not believe in God,
And who are disbelievers in the hereafter.
And I follow the dictates of my forefathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 38
It is not for us that we associate anyhing with Allāh.
That is from the grace of Allāh upon us and upon all humanity,
But most of mankind are not grateful.
O my companions of the prison, are separate masters better, 39
Or Allāh, the One, the Compelling?
Those whom you worship besides God are but names 40
Which you and your forefathers named,
Not sent down by God with any authority.
There is no judgment but belongs to God.
God has commanded that you worship but God alone.
That is the upright religion, but most of mankind does not know.
O my two prison companions, as for one of you, 41
He will give wine to his master to drink,
And as for the other one,
He will be crucified, and birds shall eat from his head.
Thus has been decreed the matter about which you both inquire.
And [Yūsuf] said to the one, whom he thought would be saved 42
Of the two of them: Mention me to your master.
But the shayṭān made him forget the mention to his master
And so [Yūsuf] remained in the prison some years.
And said the king said: Indeed, I have seen seven fat cows, 43
Seven lean ones eating them, and seven ears of green corn, and others dry.
O you chieftans, advise me on my vision, if you can interpret visions.
They said: Muddled dreams, 44
And we are not knowledgable in the interpretation of dreams.
But the one who was saved of the two, recalled after some time, and said: 45
I will inform you as to its interpretation. Therefore send me forth.
Yūsuf, O truthful one, advise us about the seven fat cows, 46
Seven lean ones eating them, and seven ears of green corn,
And others dry, that I may return to the people so that they may know.
He said: You will sow seven years as usual, 47
And what you reap thus, leave it in its ears,
Except a little from which you shall eat
Then after that will come seven severe years 48
Consuming what you set forth for them, except a little of what you store.
Then after that will come a year in which the people will be given 49
Abundant rain, and in it they will press [their olives and grapes].
[When he heard this] the king said: Bring him to me. 50
But when the messenger came to him, [Yūsuf] said:
Return to your master,
And ask him what is the condition of the women who cut their hands.
Indeed, my Rabb of their plot is knowing.
He [the king] said [to the women]: 51
What was your business when you tried to seduce Yūsuf from his soul?
They said: God forbid. We do not know about him any evil.
Said the wife of the great one: Now is the truth come to light.
I tried to seduce him from his soul, and indeed, surely he is of the truthful.
That he may know that I did not betray him in secret, 52
And Allāh does not guide the plan of the betrayers.
And I do not absolve myself. 53
Surely, the soul is a commander to evil,
Except on what my Rabb bestows a mercy.
Indeed, my Rabb is forgiving, merciful.
And the king said: Bring him to me. I will extract Yūsuf myself. 54
Then when he spoke to him, he said:
Indeed, today you are with us firmly established, trusted.
[Yūsuf] said: Put me over the treasuries of the land. 55
Surely I will be a knowing guardian.
And thus we set up for Yūsuf up to take ownership in the land, 56
And to live in it wherever he willed.
We bestow Our mercy on whom We will.
And we do not neglect the reward of the good doers.
And surely the reward of the hereafter is best for the ones who believe, 57
And are conscious of God.
And the brothers of Yūsuf came and entered upon him, 58
And he recognized them but they knew him not.
And when he furnished them with their supplies, he said: 59
Bring me a brother of yours from your father.
Do you not see that I give the full measure, and I am the best of hosts?
Yet if you do not bring him to me, 60
Then there will no measure for you from me
And you will not come near me.
They said: We will seek permission for him from his father. 61
And indeed, we surely shall do.
And he said to his young servants: 62
Put their merchandise [back] in their saddlebags,
So that they may recognize it when they go back to their people,
So they may have to return.
So when [Yūsuf’s brothers] returned to their father, they said: 63
O our father, our measure has been denied to us.
So send our brother with us that we will get our portion.
And indeed, we for him are sure guardians.
[Jacob] said: Should I trust you with him 64
Other than as I trusted you with his brother before?
But Allāh is the better guardian,
And He is the Most Merciful of the Merciful.
And when they opened their baggage, 65
They found their wares returned to them.
They said: O father, what could we desire?
This is our property returned to us.
And we shall provision our family, and we will safeguard our brother,
And we shall be increased in measure a camel’s load.
That is an easy amount.
[Jacob] said: Never will I send him with you, 66
Until you give me a promise by God,
That truly you will bring him to me,
Unless it is that you are surrrounded.
And when they gave him their promise, he said:
Allāh is a trustee over what we say.
And he said: O my sons, do not enter from one gate, 67
But enter from different gates.
And I can not avail you anything against God.
There is no decision except with Allāh.
Upon Him I put my trust,
And let the ones who put trust, put trust in Allāh.
And when they entered from where their father ordered them, 68
It did not avail them anything against God.
But a need of the soul of Jacob was fulfilled.
And truly he had with him knowledge because We taught him.
But most of the people do not know.
And when they entered upon Yūsuf, 69
He took his brother to him and he said:
Truly, I am your brother, so do not grieve.
Do not despair for what they have done.
So when [Yūsuf] had equipped them with their supplies, 70
He placed the drinking cup in his brother’s bag,
Then a herald called out: O you in the caravan,
Indeed, you surely are thieves.
They said, drawing near them: What is it you miss? 71
They said: We are missing a gold artifact of the king. 72
And for whoever brings it is a camel’s load,
And it is I who am answerable for it.
They said: By God, 73
Certainly you know we did not come to cause corruption in the land,
And we are not thieves.
He said: Then what is the recompense if you are liars? 74
They said: The recompense is for the one in whose bags it is found, 75
Then he is his [own] recompense. Thus do we recompense wrongdoers.
So [Yūsuf] began with their saddlebags, before the bag of his brother, 76
Then he brought it out from the bag of his brother.
And in that way We planned for Yūsuf.
He could not take his brother by the law of the king,
Unless Allāh had willed.
We raise by degrees whom We will,
But above every possesser of knowledge is the Knowing.
They said: If he steals, then certainly a brother of his stole before. 77
But Yūsuf kept it a secret within himself,
And did not reveal it to them. He said:
You are [in] a bad situation and Allāh knows best of what you assert.
They said: O great one, indeed, he has a very old father, 78
So take one of us in his place.
Truly we see you among the good doers.
He said: Allāh forbid that we take other than whom we found 79
With our possession. Then truly indeed we would be wrongdoers.
So when they gave up their hope of him, 80
They sequestered [in] consultation. Said the oldest of them:
Do you not know your father has taken upon you an oath in God’s name?
And before that you failed with regard ot Yūsuf.
So never will I leave this land until my father permits me,
Or Allāh judges for me. And he is the Best of the Judges.
Return to your father and say: 81
O our father, certainly your son has stolen,
And we did not testify except to what we knew.
And we were not of the unseen protectors.
And ask the towns we were in and the caravan in which we returned. 82
And indeed, we surely are truthful.
He said: No, you have enticed your souls to an affair. 83
So patience is beautiful.
It may be that Allāh will bring them all to me.
Indeed, He is the Knowing, the Wise.
And he turned away from them and said: 84
O my grief over Yūsuf.
And his eyes turned white from the grief
And he was a suppressor [of grief].
They said: By Allāh, you will not cease remembering Yūsuf 85
Until you are inflamed or become of those who perished.
He said: Indeed, I only unfold my suffering and my grief to Allāh, 86
And I know from Allāh what you do not know.
O my sons, go and inquire about Yūsuf and his brother, 87
And do not despair of the grace of Allāh.
Indeed, no people despairs of the grace of Allāh
Except the disbelievers.
So when they entered upon him, they said: O great one, 88
Adversity has touched us and our family,
And we have come with merchandise of little value.
But fulfill themeasure to us and be charitable to us.
Indeed, God rewards those who give charity.
He said: Do you know what you did with Yūsuf 89
And his brother when you were ignorant?
They said: Are you indeed really you, Yūsuf? 90
He said: I am Yūsuf and this is my brother.
Truly, God has been gracious to us.
Indeed, he who fears God and is patient,
Then surely, God does not neglect the reward of the good doers.
They said: By Allāh, certainly Allāh has preferred you over us, 91
And indeed, we have been sinners.
He said: There is no blame upon you today. 92
God will forgive you and He is the Most Merciful of the Merciful.
Go with this shirt of mine and cast it over the face of my father. 93
He will regain sight.
And bring me your family all together.
And when the caravan set out, their father [Jacob] said: 94
Indeed, I find the scent of Yūsuf, were it not that I would be demented.
They said: By Allāh, you are certainly wandering astray in old age. 95
Then when the bearer of good news arrived, 96
He cast [Yūsuf’s shirt] over the face [of Jacob],
And so his sight was restored. He said: Did I not say to you
That surely I know from Allāh what you do not know?
They said: O our father, ask forgiveness of our sins for us. 97
Indeed, we have been sinners.
[Jacob] said: Soon, I will ask for forgiveness for you from my Rabb. 98
Indeed, He is the Forgiving, the Merciful.
Then, when they entered upon Yūsuf, 99
He gave shelter to his parents with him and said:
Enter Egypt safely, if Allāh wills.
And he raised his parents upon the throne, 100
And they fell down before him in prostration.
And he said: O my father, this is the fulfillment of my vision from before.
Certainly, my Rabb has made it come true, and indeed,
He was good to me when He took me out of the prison,
And brought you from the bedouin life,
After the shayṭān sowed strife between me and between my brothers.
Surely my Rabb is subtle to what He wills.
Truly, He is the the Knower, the Wise.
My Rabb, certainly You have given me of the sovereignty, 101
And You taught me of the interpretation of events.
Creator of the heavens and the earth, You are my Protector in the world
And the hereafter. Cause me to die a muslim,
And join me with the pious ones.
That is from the news of the unseen We reveal to you. 102
You were not with them when they put together their plan,
And they were plotting.
And most of humanity, even though you desire, are not believers. 103
And do not ask them for any reward for it. 104
It is not but a reminder to the world.
And how many a sign in the heavens and the earth do they pass over? 105
And they are the ones who turn away from them.
And most of them do not have faith in Allāh, 106
Except that they associate partners with Him.
Do they then feel secure that a veil of Allāh’s punishment comes to them, 107
Or the hour comes to them suddenly, while they do not perceive?
Say: This is my way. 108
I invite to Allāh with discernment, I and whoever follows me.
And glory be to Allāh, and I am not of the polytheists.
And We did not send before you men from the people of the villages, 109
Except We revealed to them.
So have they not traveled on the earth and thus observed
How was the end of those who were before them?
And surely the home of the hereafter is best
For those of God consciousness.
Then will you not use reason?
Until when the messengers gave up hope, 110
And thought that they were certainly denied,
Our help came to them, and whom We willed was saved.
And Our wrath cannot be repelled from the criminal people.
Verily, there is in their stories a lesson for people of understanding. 111
It is not an invented narration,
But a confirmation of that which went before it,
And a detailed explanation of all things,
And a guidance and a mercy for people of faith.