Part 81

12:44). That is, these are a mixtu re oflhe drea ms that you had

durin g the ni ghl and it may be that there is no mean ing to them;

in addition to thi s, we have no expertise in thi s field. This is

why they sai d, ( and we are not skilled in the interpretation pf

dreams ) (Soorah Yoos/if 12:44). At this momen t, the one who

had been freed from jail remembered the trust with which he

had been charged by Yoosuf ~.

This is why All ah, Mos t High, says, ( Then th e man who was

released (one of the two who were in prison), now at length

remembered and said . ) (Soorall Yoo,nif 12:45) That is, he

remembered the tmst after a few years had passed, He sa id to

hi s peop le and to the king, ( "I wi ll tell yo u its interpretation ,

so send me forth ." ) (SoO/'ail Yoos/if 12:45) That is, se nd me to

Yoosuf; and he went to him and sa id, ( (I-Ie said), "0, Yoosuf,

II felli ioll of Ihe /-'mgen)' of Ibraheem 359

the mall of truth! Ex pl ain to liS (th e dream ) of seven fat cows

whom seve n lean ones were devourin g, and o f seve n green

ears o f com, and (seven) oth ers dry, that I ma y return to the

peop le, and th at th ey Illay kno w." ) (50omli YOOSIU" I 2:46) He

in terpreted for them from the dreams of the king th at which

showed that seven yea rs of abundance wou ld bc foll owed by

seven yea rs of drought. ( "Then therea fter will come a yea r in

whi ch people will have nbund ant rain." ) (SoO/'ali Yaoslif I2:49).

That is, they will ex perience rain, abundance and comfort (

"a nd in which they will press." ) (Saara" Yaosl~r 12:49). That

is, th ey wi ll press or juiee the things that th ey common ly lI sed

to press, such as suga r cane, grapes, oli ves, sesame seeds and

ot her things. He interpreted the dreams for them and guided

them as to wha t they should do during the years o f pl ent y and

the years of fa mi ne and how they should store the grai n they

had harvested duri ng th e seven years of plenty, i.e. in its ears,

except for what they set aside fo r the ir li se (i.e. 10 be eaten).

He also told them to keep onl y a minimum of seeds during

the seve n lean years, sin ce it was most lik ely th at the seeds

wou ld not produce any return. This proves how compl ete was

Yoosuf's knowledge, perce ption and understandi ng.

He, Most High, says, ( And the king said , " Bring him to me."

But when the messenger cam e to him, (Yoosuf) said , "Return

to your lord and ask him , " What happened to the wo men who

cut their hands'? Surely, my Lord (A llah) is Well -Aware of their

plot." (The king) said (to the wo men), "W hat was your a fTair

when you did seek to seduce Yoosuf!" The women s.lid, "A llah

fo rbid! No evil know we agai nst hi m!" Th e wife ofA/~ 'Azeez

sa id, "Now the truth is manifes t (to all ), it was I who sought to

seduce him , and he is surely o f th e trmhfu!. " l Ie sa id, " It was in

order that he (;1/- 'A::ee=) may know that I betrayed him not in

sec ret. And, ve rily! Allah guides not the pl ot o fth c bctra yers.

360 I\ lel/lioll of/he Pn lgellY of Ibraheem .~

And I free not mysc lf (fro m th e blame). Veril y, th e (huma n) self

is incl ined to evil, except when my Lord bestows I lis Mc rcy

(upon who m He will s). Veri ly, my Lo nJ is On-Forg ivin g,

Most Merci fu l." ) (SoO/-oil Yoosllj I2: 50-53)_ When 'he king

rea lised th e compl eteness of Yoosuf's know ledge, the perfect

na ture of his intellect, his acute powers of perception and his

understa nd ing, he ordered th at he be brought in hi s prese nce,

so th at he mi ght become a member of hi s in ner circle. When

th e king's messenger came to hi m w ith Ihis informatio n, he

preferred not to leave until it had become clear to everyone

that he had been wrongly and unj ustly impri soned and that he

was totally innocen t of the crim e th ey had false ly ascribed to

him. ( [Yoosuf] said, Retu rn to your lord ) , that is, the ki ng.

( "and ask him, " What happened to the women who cut th eir

hands? Surel y, my Lord (All ah) is Well-Aware o f thei r plot."

) (SoO/'ail Yoosllj I 2:50) It was said that it means: Verily,

my master, AI- 'Azeez knows that I am innocent of what was

attributed to me; i.e, so te lllh e king to ask them how I strongly

rejected their advances, when they attempted to seduce me

and encourage them to tell the truth about thi s matter, which is

neither hon orab le nor ri ght. So when they were asked about it,

they acknowledged what had actually happened and confimled

Yoos uf's pra iseworthy conduct. ( Th c wo mcn said, " Allah

forbid! No evil know we against him! " ) (SoO/'ah YooslIf I2:5 1).

At this point, ( th e wife of A/· 'Azeez said ) , That is, Zu lai kha.

( " Now the truth has hasha.w ." ) (Soorah Yoosuf 12:5 1). That

is, now the truth has become man ifest to all; and the tnuh

has a greater right to be heeded (than fa lsehood)_ ( " It was I

who sought to seduce hi m, and he is surely of the truth fuL" )

(SoO/'all YOOSlI! 12:51). Th at is regardi ng hi s cl aim that he is

inn ocent, that he did not attempt to seduce me and that he was

wrongfull y and unj ustly imprisoned, based on fa lse testimony.

Melllioll of/he ProgellY of Ibraheem 361

And He, Most High, says, ( He sa id, " It wa s in order that he

(111A=ee=) may know that I be trayed him not in secret. And,

veril y! Allah guides not th e plot o f the betrayers." ) (SoOl'all

YooslI! 12:52). 1i was sa id Ih allhis was Ihe saying ofYoosuf Wl;

i.e. I only requested thi s invest igati on in order that AI-'Azeez

should know that I did not betray him in hi s absence. It was

also said that it was the concl us ion of the speec h of Zul aik ha,

i.e. I only acknow ledged thi s (s in) ill order that my hu sband ,

AI-' Azeez should know that I di d not aclually belray him in

this matter (by committing adultery). It was only an attempted

sedu cti on, and it did not res ult in unl awfu l sex ual interco urse.

This interpretation was supported by a great number of the

later scholars and others. But Ibn Jareer and Ibn Abi I-Iatim

only related the first interpreta tion.

( "A nd I free not myse lf( frol11 lhe blame). Verily, Ihe (human)

sclfis incli ncd to evi l. exccp t whe n my Lord bestows His Mcrcy

(upon whom He wills). Verily, my Lord is On-Forgiving, Most

Mcrcifnl." ) (SoO/'ail YOOS II! 12:53) It was sa id that this was

from th e speech of Yoosuf ~ and it was also said that from

the speech of Zulaikha; the view that it is a continuati on of

the speech of Zulai kh a is more apparent, more appropriate and

stronger. And All ah knows better.

And He, Most Hi gh, says, ( And th e king sa id, " Bring him to

me tha i I may attac h him to my perso n." Th en, when he spoke

to him. he said. "Vcril y, thi s day, you arc wilh us hi gh in rank

and full y lniSled." (Yoosu f) said , "Sel mc ove r the storehouses

of the la nd; I am ind eed /wfeez and ·a/eell/ ." (as Minister o f

Financc in Egypt, in place of AI- 'A=ee: who was dead at that

time). Thus did We g ive full authority to Yoosuf in the land. to

take possession therein, as when or whe re he lik es. We beslow

of Our Me rcy on whom We please, and We make n OI to be lost

362 Melliioll oflhe Progeny oj lbmlJecm ~

the reward of AIMllhsinooll. ) (Soorah YOOSII/ 12:54-57)

When Yoosuf's spotl ess character and his in nocence of the

accusati on they had leve led aga in st him bcc<lme appa rent to

the king, he sa id, ( Bring hi m to me that I may allach him

to my person." ) That is, I wi ll make him one of my inner

circl e members , a prominent member of my governm ent and

an eminent personage in my entourage. When he had spoken

to him and heard his words and his situation had become clear

to hi m, ( I-Ie said, " Verily, this day, you arc with li S high in

rank and full y trusted." ) (SoO/'all Yoosllf 12:54) That is a

perso n occupying a posit ion of aut hority and tru stworthi ness.

( [YoosufJ sa id, "Set me o ve r the storehoLl ses ort he l<l ncl ; 1 am

indeed IIqfee:: and 'aleem." ) (500roll }oos/if 12:55) He as ked

the king to appoi nt him to ove rsee the g ra in stores, because

of the ex pec ted depletio n in the amount of gra in stored a ft er

seven years of plenty, as he wo uld then be in a position to

manage the si tuati on in a manner that was pleasing to Allah, by

making provisions fo r thcm and treating them w ith kindn ess.

He in fo rmed the kin g that he was ( "lwJeez" ) . That is, strong

in preserving what was in his hands and hc could be tru sted

not to deal with it in any d ishonest way. He a lso said that he