Surah Joseph [Yusuf] in English

Alif Lam Ra. These are verses from the clear Book.

We have sent down the Quran in Arabic, so that you may understand.

We recount to you the best of narratives in revealing this Quran to you, even though you were unaware of it before it came.

When Joseph told his father, \"My father, I saw eleven stars, and the sun and moon: I saw them prostrate themselves before me,\"

he replied, \"My son, do not relate your dream to your brothers, lest they plot evil against you -- Satan is the sworn enemy of man.

You shall be chosen by your Lord and He will impart to you some understanding of the inner meaning of events. He will bestow the full measure of His blessings upon you and upon the House of Jacob -- even as He formerly bestowed it in full measure upon your forefathers, Abraham and Isaac. Truly, your Sustainer is all-knowing and wise!\"

Surely, in Joseph and his brothers there are signs for the inquirers.

They said [to each other], \"Surely Joseph and his brother [Benjamin] are dearer to our father than ourselves, although we are a band. Truly, our father is clearly mistaken.

Therefore, let us put Joseph to death or cast him away to some [far-off] land, so that our father's attention should turn only to us, and you can thereafter become a righteous people.\"

One of them said, \"Do not kill Joseph, but if you must do something, cast him into the bottom of a well; some of the travellers will pick him up.\"

They said to their father, \"Why do you not trust us with Joseph? We are indeed his well-wishers.

Send him with us tomorrow, so that he may play and enjoy himself. We will look after him.\"

[Jacob] said, \"It would indeed grieve me if you took him away with you, and I fear lest the wolf should devour him while you are off your guard.\"

They said, \"Surely, if the wolf devoured him while we were a strong party, we should indeed be great losers.\"

And so, when they went away with him, they decided to cast him into the dark depths of a well. Then We revealed to him Our will, \"You shall [one day] tell them of this deed of theirs, when they do not realize who you are.\"

And at nightfall they came to their father, weeping.

They said, \"Father, we went off racing and left Joseph with our belongings, and the wolf devoured him. But you will not believe us, even though we are telling the truth.\"

And they showed him their brother's shirt, stained with false blood. \"No!\" he cried. \"Your souls have tempted you to do something evil! But it is best to be patient: God alone can help me bear the loss you speak of.\"

And there came a caravan of travellers and they sent their water-drawer to draw water from the well. He let down his bucket into the well and he exclaimed, \"Oh, what a lucky find, here is a boy!\" They hid him like a piece of merchandise, but God knew well what they did.

Later they sold him for a paltry sum, a few pieces of silver [dirhams]: So little did they value him.

The Egyptian who bought him said to his wife, \"Lodge him honourably, he may prove of benefit to us, or we may even adopt him as our son.\" Thus We established Joseph in the land, so that We might teach him the true meaning of events. God has power over all things. However, most people do not know this.

And when he reached maturity, We bestowed on him right judgement and knowledge. Thus We reward those who do good.

However, the woman in whose house he lived, wanted to seduce him. One day she bolted the doors and said, \"Come!\" He replied, \"God forbid! Truly [your husband] is my master and has treated me honourably. Wrongdoers certainly never prosper.\"

She started towards him, and he would have succumbed to her, if he had not seen a sign from his Lord -- We did this in order to keep evil and indecency away from him, for he was truly one of Our chosen servants.

They both ran to the door and, in the struggle, she tore his shirt at the back. They found her husband at the door. She cried, \"Shall not the man who wished to violate your wife be thrown into prison or sternly punished?\"

Joseph said, \"It was she who sought to seduce me.\" One of her household testified, \"If his shirt is torn at the front then she is speaking the truth, and he is lying.

But if it is torn from behind then she is lying, and he speaks the truth.\"

So when he saw his shirt torn from behind [her husband] said, \"This is the guile of you women. Your guile is great indeed.

Joseph, overlook this: but you [wife], ask forgiveness for your sin, for you have done wrong.\"

Women in the town began to gossip, \"The nobleman's wife is trying to seduce her slave! Love for him consumes her heart! Indeed! We see her in manifest error.\"

When she heard of their intrigues, she sent for them and prepared a party for them. She gave a knife to each of them [to cut fruits, etc.] and then asked Joseph to appear before them. When the women saw him, they were greatly amazed [at his beauty], and they cut their hands, exclaiming, \"God preserve us! This is no human being but a noble angel!\"

She said, \"This is he about whom you have been blaming me! And, indeed, I did try to make him yield to me, but he was unyielding. Now, however, if he does not do as I bid him, he shall certainly be put in prison and be humiliated.\"

Joseph said, \"O my Lord! I would prefer prison to what these women are inviting me to do. And if You do not avert their guile from me, I may yield to them and so become one of the ignorant.\"

So his Lord answered him and warded off their guile. He is All Hearing and All Knowing.

Yet, even after all the evidence they had seen, they thought it right to jail him for a time.

Two young men entered the prison along with him. One of them said, \"I saw myself [in a dream] I was pressing wine.\" The other said, \"I dreamed I was carrying bread on my head from which the birds were eating. Tell us their meaning; for we see that you are one who does good [to all].\"

Joseph said to them, \"I shall inform you of the interpretation of your dreams before your meal is brought to you. This is a part of the knowledge that my Lord has taught me. I have renounced the religion of the people who do not believe in God and who deny the Hereafter.

I follow the religion of my fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; and it is not for us to associate anyone with God as a partner. This is of God's grace upon us and upon mankind; even though most men are not grateful.

O my two fellow-prisoners! Are many diverse lords better, or God, the One, the Almighty?

All those you worship instead of Him are mere names you and your forefathers have invented, names for which God has sent down no authority: all power belongs to God alone, and He orders you to worship none but Him: this is the true faith, though most people do not realize it.

O my two fellow-prisoners, one of you will serve wine to his lord, the other of you will be crucified and birds will feed off his head. The matter about which you have been seeking my opinion has been so decreed.\"

He said to the one he thought would be saved, \"Mention me to your master.\" However Satan made him forget to mention him to his master, and so Joseph remained in prison for a number of years.

The king said, \"I saw [in a dream] seven fat cows which seven lean ones were eating, also seven green ears of corn and seven others which were dry. Tell me the meaning of this vision, my nobles, if you can interpret visions.\"

They said, \"These are confusing dreams and we do not know the interpretation of such dreams.\"

Then one of the two men who had been released and who, after a long time, remembered, said, \"I shall tell you its interpretation; therefore, give me leave to go [to Joseph in prison].\"

\"O truthful Joseph!\" he said, \"Tell us the meaning of a dream in which seven fat cows are being eaten by seven lean ones, and there are seven green ears of corn and seven others which are dry, so that I may return to my people and inform them.\"

Joseph said, \"You shall sow for seven consecutive years as usual, but leave in the ear the harvest that you reap, except for a little which you may eat.

Then there will follow seven years of great hardship which will consume all but a little of what you stored.

Then a year will come after that when people will have abundant rain and when once more they will press [wine and oil].\"

The king said, \"Bring him to me.\" When the king's messenger came to Joseph, he said, \"Go back to your master and ask him about the women who cut their hands: my Lord knows well their guile.\"

The king asked the women, \"What was the truth of the affair in which you tried to seduce Joseph?\" The women said, \"God forbid! We know no evil of him.\" The wife of the nobleman said, \"The truth has now come to light. It was I who tried to seduce him; he is surely an honest man.\"

\"From this,\" said Joseph, \"[The nobleman] should know that I did not betray him in his absence, and that God does not guide the plotting of the treacherous.

I am not trying to absolve myself: for man's very soul incites him to evil unless my Lord bestows His mercy. Indeed, my Lord is forgiving and merciful.\"

The king said, \"Bring him to me. I will take him for my special service.\" And when he had spoken to him, he said, \"From now on you will dwell with us, honoured and trusted.\"

Joseph said, \"Place in my charge the storehouses of the land; for I am a good and knowledgeable custodian.\"

Thus We caused Joseph to be established in a position of authority in the land. He could dwell therein wherever he pleased. We bestow Our mercy on whomever We please, and We do not allow the reward of the righteous to go to waste.

Yet the reward of the hereafter is best for those who believe and are mindful of God.

Joseph's brothers arrived and presented themselves before him. He recognized them, but they did not know him.

When he had made provision for them, he told them, \"Bring me your brother on your father's side. Do you not see that I give you full measure and that I am the best of hosts?

But if you do not bring him to me, you shall have no grain from me, nor shall you ever approach me again.\"

They replied, \"We shall try to persuade his father to send him with us. We shall do [our utmost]!\"

Joseph said to his servants, \"Put their money back into their saddlebags, so that they will recognize it when they return home to their family; thus they may come back.\"

When they returned to their father, they said, \"Our father, any [further] measure of grain has been denied us, so send our brother [Benjamin] along with us, so that we may obtain our measure [of grain]; and, we shall guard him well.\"

He replied, \"Am I to trust you with him as I once trusted you with his brother? But God is the best of guardians, the Most Merciful of all.\"

When they opened their packs, they discovered that their money had been returned to them. They said, \"Our father, what more do we desire than this? This money of ours has been returned to us, so we shall [again] buy food for our family and we shall guard our brother, and we shall obtain an additional camel-load of grain. This [that we bring now] is a small quantity.\"

He [Jacob] said, \"I will never send him with you until you give me a solemn pledge, before God, that you will indeed bring him back to me, unless you yourselves are trapped [in a compulsive situation].\" And when they had given him their solemn pledge, [Jacob] said, \"God shall be witness to all that we say.\"

\"O my sons! Do not all of you enter [the city] by one gate; enter by separate gates. I cannot help you in any way against God; judgement is His alone. In Him I have put my trust. In Him let the faithful put their trust.\"

They entered [safely] as their father had told them. However, he had no power to guard them against God's decree. It was only a wish in Jacob's soul which he had thus fulfilled. He was possessed of knowledge which We had given him. But most people have no knowledge.

When they presented themselves before Joseph, he took his brother [Benjamin] aside. He said, \"I am your brother, so do not feel distressed about whatever they have been doing.\"

And when he had given them their provisions, he placed a drinking-cup in his brother's pack. Then a crier called out after them, \"Men of the caravan! You have committed theft!\"

They said, turning towards him, \"What is it that you have lost?\"

\"We miss the royal measuring bowl,\" he replied. \"He who brings it shall have a camel-load of corn. I pledge my word for it.\"

They said, \"By God, you [ought to] know we have not come here to cause any trouble in the land. We are not thieves!\"

The Egyptians asked them, \"And if we find that you are lying, what penalty shall we mete out to you?\"

They replied, \"The penalty should be that he in whose saddlebag it is found, should be held [as bondman] to atone for the crime. That is how we punish the wrongdoers.\"

He [the herald] searched their bags before his brother's and then took out the cup from his brother's bag. In this way, We devised a plan on behalf of Joseph. He could not have detained his brother under the King's law, unless God so willed. We exalt whoever We please: but above those who have knowledge there is One all knowing.

They said, \"If he is a thief, a brother of his had [also] committed theft before him.\" But Joseph kept his secret and revealed nothing to them. He said [to himself], \"Your deed was worse. God best knows the things you speak of.\"

They said, \"O exalted one, he has a very aged father, take one of us in his place. We can see that you are a very good man.\"

He replied, \"God forbid that we should take anyone other than the person on whom we found our property. In that case, we would clearly be wrongdoers.\"

When they had lost all hope of [persuading] him, they withdrew, conferring among themselves. The eldest said, \"Do you not know that your father took from you a pledge in God's name. You have already failed with regard to Joseph, so I shall never leave the land until my father permits me to, or God decides [things] for me. He is the best judge!

Return to your father and say, 'Father, your son has committed a theft. We testify only to what we know. How could we guard against the unforeseen?

Inquire of [the people of] the city where we lodged, and of the caravan with which we travelled. We are telling you the truth.'\"

Jacob said, \"No, but you have yourselves contrived a story. But it is best to be patient. God may well bring them all back to me [in the end]. For He is indeed full of knowledge and wisdom.\"

And he turned away from them, crying, \"Alas for Joseph!\" His eyes went white with grief, and he was filled with sorrow.

They said, \"By God, will you keep on remembering Joseph until your health is ruined, and you die?\"

He said \"I only complain of my anguish and my sorrow to God. God has made known to me things that you do not know.

Go, my sons, and seek news of Joseph and his brother. Do not despair of God's mercy; none but those who deny the truth despair of God's mercy.\"

When his brothers presented themselves before Joseph, they pleaded, \"Exalted one, distress has afflicted us and our family and we have brought only a paltry sum; but give us full measure. Be charitable to us. Truly, God rewards the charitable.\"

He said, \"Are you aware of what you did to Joseph and his brother in ignorance?\"

They exclaimed, \"Are you indeed Joseph?\" He replied, \"I am Joseph and this is my brother. God has indeed been gracious to us. The truth is that God does not waste the reward of those who do good, who are righteous and steadfast.\"

[The brothers] said, \"By God! Most certainly God has raised you high above us, and we have indeed been guilty!\"

He said, \"No blame [shall fall] on you this day; may God forgive you! And He is the Most Merciful of those who show mercy.

Go with this shirt of mine and cast it upon my father's face. He will recover his sight; thereupon come [back] to me with all your family.\"

When the caravan set out from Egypt, their father [in Canaan] said, \"You may think I am senile, but I certainly perceive the breath of Joseph.\"

They said, \"By God, you still persist in your illusions!\"

But when the bearer of the good news arrived and cast the shirt on Jacob's face, his eyesight returned and he said, \"Did I not tell you that I know from God what you do not know?\"

They said, \"O our father! Ask forgiveness for our sins -- we were truly in the wrong.\"

He said, \"I shall certainly ask my Lord to forgive you. Surely, He is the Most Forgiving and Merciful.\"

Then, when they presented themselves before Joseph, he drew his parents to him and said, \"Welcome to Egypt, in safety, if God wills!\"

He helped his parents to a couch and they all fell down on their knees before him. He said, \"My father, this is the interpretation of my dream. My Lord has made it come true! He was kind to me when He let me out of prison and brought you from the desert after Satan had brought about discord between me and my brethren. My Lord is the best planner in achieving what He will; He is All Knowing, and Truly Wise.\"

Then Joseph prayed, \"My Lord, You have given me power and taught me the interpretation of dreams. Creator of the heavens and the earth, You are my patron in this world and the Hereafter! Make me die in submission to You and admit me among the righteous.\"

These are tidings of the unseen that We reveal to you, [O Prophet], though you were not present with them when they plotted and agreed upon a plan.

Yet most men will not become believers, no matter how eager you may be.

You shall not ask them for any reward for this. It is but a reminder for all mankind.

And there are many signs in the heavens and the earth that they pass by and give no heed to --

and most of them, even when they profess belief in God, attribute partners to Him.

Do they feel secure that the all-encompassing punishment of God will not come upon them, or that the Last Hour will not come upon them suddenly when they least expect it?

Say, \"This is my way; on the basis of sure knowledge, I call on you to have faith in God, I and those who follow me. God is Holy; I am not one of those who associate partners with God.\"

All the messengers We sent before you [Muhammad] were human beings to whom We made revelations; they were men chosen from the people of their towns. Did they not travel across the earth and see the end of those before them? Those who are mindful of God prefer the life to come. Will you not then understand?

When the messengers lost all hopes and thought that they had been told lies, Our help came to them: We saved whoever We pleased, but Our punishment will not be averted from the guilty.