• The King seeks interpretation of his dream

• None of his courtiers could do it

• Joseph in the prison interprets it

Yusuf (Joseph) Verses 43 – 49

وَقَالَ الْمَلِكُ إِنِّي أَرَىٰ سَبْعَ بَقَرَاتٍ سِمَانٍ يَأْكُلُهُنَّ سَبْعٌ عِجَافٌ وَسَبْعَ سُنْبُلَاتٍ خُضْرٍ وَأُخَرَ يَابِسَاتٍ يَا أَيُّهَا الْمَلَأُ أَفْتُونِي فِي رُؤْيَايَ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ لِلرُّؤْيَا تَعْبُرُونَ

And said the king “Verily, I did see in (dream) seven fat kine which seven lean ones devoured, and seven green ears and (seven) others dry; O’ chiefs (of my court)! Explain1ye unto me my dream, if ye can interpret a dream.” (12:43)

قَالُوا أَضْغَاثُ أَحْلَامٍ وَمَا نَحْنُ بِتَأْوِيلِ الْأَحْلَامِ بِعَالِمِينَ

Said they: “Confused2dreams (are these)! and we know not the interpretation of such (confused) dreams.” (12:44)

وَقَالَ الَّذِي نَجَا مِنْهُمَا وَادَّكَرَ بَعْدَ أُمَّةٍ أَنَا أُنَبِّئُكُمْ بِتَأْوِيلِهِ فَأَرْسِلُونِ

And said he of the two who had been released, and re membered after a long3time; “I will expound unto you its interpretation, so let me go (to the prison).” (12:45)

يُوسُفُ أَيُّهَا الصِّدِّيقُ أَفْتِنَا فِي سَبْعِ بَقَرَاتٍ سِمَانٍ يَأْكُلُهُنَّ سَبْعٌ عِجَافٌ وَسَبْعِ سُنْبُلَاتٍ خُضْرٍ وَأُخَرَ يَابِسَاتٍ لَعَلِّي أَرْجِعُ إِلَى النَّاسِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَعْلَمُونَ

“Joseph! O’ truthful4one! expound thou unto us seven fat kine which seven lean ones devour, and seven ears green and seven (others) dry, that I may return unto the people so that they may know.” (12:46)

قَالَ تَزْرَعُونَ سَبْعَ سِنِينَ دَأَبًا فَمَا حَصَدْتُمْ فَذَرُوهُ فِي سُنْبُلِهِ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا مِمَّا تَأْكُلُونَ

Said 5he: “Ye shall sow seven years as usual, but that which ye reap leave ye in its ears, except a little of which ye eat.” (12:47)

ثُمَّ يَأْتِي مِنْ بَعْدِ ذَٰلِكَ سَبْعٌ شِدَادٌ يَأْكُلْنَ مَا قَدَّمْتُمْ لَهُنَّ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا مِمَّا تُحْصِنُونَ

Then shall come after that seven years of hardship (famine), which shall eat away all that ye have laid by beforehand for them, except a little of which ye have preserved.6(12:48)

ثُمَّ يَأْتِي مِنْ بَعْدِ ذَٰلِكَ عَامٌ فِيهِ يُغَاثُ النَّاسُ وَفِيهِ يَعْصِرُونَ

“Then will come after that a year people will have abundant rain and in having it they will press wine.” (12:49)

Commentary

Verses 43 - 45

When the chiefs, the great scholars who were experts in interpreting dreams got helpless against the confused nature of the dreams, the one of the two fellow-prisoners, (i.e., the Saqi), requested permission to go to the prison and get the correct interpretation from the one (i.e., Joseph) who had proved himself to be an expert interpreter of dreams. The King immediately consented.

Verse 46

The Saqi went into the prison and asked the interpretation of the dream from Joseph.

Note that the address ‘Siddeeq’, the truthful one, is given to the one like Joseph the Apostle of God who never, not even once in his life had uttered any falsehood. Thus, the title could not be had by anyone and every one who once worshipped idols and uttered all falsehoods of a false faith and the free practice of infidelity and later embraced the truth.

Verse 47

Joseph advises the ruling authority to hoard the surplus of the foodstuff for the unseen emergencies in the interest of the people and how to preserve it so that it may not get rotten and useless. It is a lesson to the authorities to be always on guard against a possible famine which might overtake a country. (A.P.).

• 1. Opine.
• 2. Fantastic – Jumbled.
• 3. Arabic: ‘Ummat’ used here as time. Considerable lapse of time.
• 4. The term ‘Siddeeq’ can never be applicable to one who has ever believed in anything besides God.
• 5. Joseph.
• 6. For seeds.