The story of Joseph (Yusuf) in the Quran, from the dream to its fulfilment
Joseph's story in his own surah, scene by scene — the dream, the inclination and the proof, the prison and "Satan made him forget", "I do not acquit myself", and the prostration — read in al-Tafsir al-Muyassar, al-Safi and al-Mizan.
Joseph's story is told whole in one surah that bears his name, from verse 4 to verse 101. His name occurs twenty-seven times in twenty-six verses: twenty-four of them in Surah Yusuf, one in Al-An'am 84 and one in Ghafir 34. This article follows the scenes in order and, at each hard verse, gives the Sunni reading of al-Tafsir al-Muyassar first, then the Shia readings of al-Safi (al-Fayd al-Kashani) and al-Mizan (al-Tabataba'i).
Quotations from the three commentaries are my renderings of the Arabic.
The best of stories, and the dream
We relate to you, [O Muhammad], the best of stories in what We have revealed to you of this Qur'an although you were, before it, among the unaware.
[Of these stories mention] when Joseph said to his father, "O my father, indeed I have seen [in a dream] eleven stars and the sun and the moon; I saw them prostrating to me."
Al-Muyassar: We relate to you, O Messenger, the best of stories by revealing this Quran to you; before it you were unaware of these accounts and knew nothing of them. The surah opens with the dream and closes with its fulfilment in verse 100, and the phrase "the best of stories" occurs nowhere else in the Quran.
The inclination and the proof
And she certainly determined [to seduce] him, and he would have inclined to her had he not seen the proof of his Lord. And thus [it was] that We should avert from him evil and immorality. Indeed, he was of Our chosen servants.
Al-Muyassar: she inclined to commit the sin, and Joseph's self spoke to him in passing thoughts of yielding, had he not seen one of his Lord's signs that restrained him. Al-Safi reads the grammar differently: it means that, had he not seen his Lord's proof, he would have inclined to her; the answer to "had not" is left out because what came before points to it. It then relays from al-Sadiq that the proof is prophethood, which bars from committing sins, and the wisdom that turns away from what is foul, and from al-Rida: she resolved to do it, and he resolved not to. Al-Mizan: the meaning is that, had he not seen his Lord's proof, he would have inclined to her and come close to doing it.
Where they agree
All three agree that Joseph did nothing, that the proof is what turned evil and immorality away from him, and that he was of God's chosen servants.
Where they differ
They differ on "he inclined to her". Al-Muyassar makes it passing thoughts his self spoke to him; al-Safi and al-Mizan read the inclination as hanging on the condition, so he never inclined at all, because he saw the proof. And they differ on the proof: for al-Muyassar a sign from his Lord that restrained him; in al-Safi's report, prophethood that bars from sin.
The prison
And he said to the one whom he knew would go free, "Mention me before your master." But Satan made him forget the mention [to] his master, and Joseph remained in prison several years.
Al-Muyassar: Joseph said to the one he knew would be saved: mention me to your master the king and tell him I am wronged, imprisoned without guilt; but Satan made that man forget to mention Joseph to the king, so Joseph stayed in prison some years. Al-Mizan: both pronouns go back to "the one" — Satan made the freed companion forget to mention him to his master, so Joseph stayed in prison several years. Al-Safi gives both readings — it is said Satan made the cupbearer forget to mention him to his master, or made Joseph forget the remembrance of God until he sought help from another — then relays from al-Sadiq that Joseph did not turn to God in his plight to call on Him; that is why God said "Satan made him forget the remembrance of his Lord".
So al-Muyassar and al-Mizan agree that the one who forgot was the freed prisoner; al-Safi carries both views and relays a report that points to Joseph.
"I do not acquit myself"
That is so al-'Azeez will know that I did not betray him in [his] absence and that Allah does not guide the plan of betrayers.
And I do not acquit myself. Indeed, the soul is a persistent enjoiner of evil, except those upon which my Lord has mercy. Indeed, my Lord is Forgiving and Merciful."
The commentaries differ on who speaks these two verses. Al-Muyassar gives them to the governor's wife: I do not declare myself pure or free of blame; the soul greatly urges its owner to sin, except whom God protects. Al-Mizan gives them to Joseph: "And I do not acquit myself…" completes Joseph's words. Al-Safi first reads them as Joseph's — I do not declare it pure: humility before God, and a sign that he did not mean to praise himself but to show the protection and success God had granted him — then sets out the other view: that both verses complete the wife's words, so that Joseph would know I did not lie about him in his absence; and still I do not acquit myself of betraying him when I accused him and had him imprisoned — an apology for what she had done.
The prostration
And he raised his parents upon the throne, and they bowed to him in prostration. And he said, "O my father, this is the explanation of my vision of before. My Lord has made it reality. And He was certainly good to me when He took me out of prison and brought you [here] from bedouin life after Satan had induced [estrangement] between me and my brothers. Indeed, my Lord is Subtle in what He wills. Indeed, it is He who is the Knowing, the Wise.
Al-Muyassar: he seated his father and mother beside him on his royal throne to honour them, and his parents and eleven brothers greeted him with prostration, as a greeting and an honour, not as worship or submission; that was permitted in their law and is forbidden in ours, to close the way to associating others with God. Al-Mizan: the proof that it was not a prostration of worship to Joseph is that Jacob was among those who prostrated, and the Quran declares him one devoted purely to God, associating nothing with Him. Al-Safi relays from al-Sadiq: the throne is the seat, and their prostration was worship of God.
All three agree the prostration was not worship of Joseph. They differ on what it was: a greeting permitted in their law, for al-Muyassar; for al-Mizan, the "to him" refers to Joseph and Jacob's devotion rules out worship; in al-Safi's report, worship directed to God.
What the verses do not say
- They do not name the governor's wife, or any of the brothers.
- They do not say what the proof was that Joseph saw.
- They do not say how many years he spent in prison, only "several years".
Counted on the mushaf
- Joseph's name: twenty-seven times in twenty-six verses; twenty-four of them in Surah Yusuf.
- "The best of stories": once in the whole Quran.
Sources
- al-Tafsir al-Muyassar — King Fahd Complex for the Printing of the Holy Quran.
- Tafsir al-Safi — al-Fayd al-Kashani.
- al-Mizan fi Tafsir al-Quran — al-Sayyid Muhammad Husayn al-Tabataba'i.
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