Surah Yusuf

Ta'awwudh · Seeking Refuge

أَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ

A'udhu billahi min ash-shaytani ar-rajim. I seek refuge in Allah from Satan, the accursed.

The Name · Bismillah

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

Bismillahi ar-Rahmani ar-Rahim. In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

✦

The Surah · Verses 1 to 35

﴾١﴿ الٓر ۚ تِلْكَ ءَايَٰتُ ٱلْكِتَٰبِ ٱلْمُبِينِ

Alif-Laaam-Raa; tilka Aayaatul Kitaabil Mubeen

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

﴾٢﴿ إِنَّآ أَنزَلْنَٰهُ قُرْءَٰنًا عَرَبِيًّۭا لَّعَلَّكُمْ تَعْقِلُونَ

Innaaa anzalnaahu quraanan 'Arabiyyal la 'allakum ta'qiloon

We have sent it down as an Arabic Quran, so that you may reason.

﴾٣﴿ نَحْنُ نَقُصُّ عَلَيْكَ أَحْسَنَ ٱلْقَصَصِ بِمَآ أَوْحَيْنَآ إِلَيْكَ هَٰذَا ٱلْقُرْءَانَ وَإِن كُنتَ مِن قَبْلِهِۦ لَمِنَ ٱلْغَٰفِلِينَ

Nahnu naqussu 'alaika ahsanal qasasi bimaaa awhainaaa ilaika haazal quraana wa in kunta min qablihee laminal ghaafileen

We relate to you the best of accounts by what We have revealed to you in this Quran, and before it you were among the unaware.

﴾٤﴿ إِذْ قَالَ يُوسُفُ لِأَبِيهِ يَٰٓأَبَتِ إِنِّى رَأَيْتُ أَحَدَ عَشَرَ كَوْكَبًۭا وَٱلشَّمْسَ وَٱلْقَمَرَ رَأَيْتُهُمْ لِى سَٰجِدِينَ

Iz qaala Yoosufu li abeehi yaaa abati innee ra aytu ahada 'ashara kawkabanw wash shamsa walqamara ra aytuhum lee saajideen

When Yusuf said to his father, "My father, I saw eleven stars and the sun and the moon. I saw them prostrating to me."

﴾٥﴿ قَالَ يَٰبُنَىَّ لَا تَقْصُصْ رُءْيَاكَ عَلَىٰٓ إِخْوَتِكَ فَيَكِيدُوا۟ لَكَ كَيْدًا ۖ إِنَّ ٱلشَّيْطَٰنَ لِلْإِنسَٰنِ عَدُوٌّۭ مُّبِينٌۭ

Qaala yaa bunaiya laa taqsus ru'yaaka 'alaaa ikhwatika fayakeedoo laka kaidaa; innash Shaitaana lil insaani 'aduwwum mubeen

He said, "My son, do not relate your dream to your brothers, or they will devise a plot against you. Satan is a clear enemy to man.

﴾٦﴿ وَكَذَٰلِكَ يَجْتَبِيكَ رَبُّكَ وَيُعَلِّمُكَ مِن تَأْوِيلِ ٱلْأَحَادِيثِ وَيُتِمُّ نِعْمَتَهُۥ عَلَيْكَ وَعَلَىٰٓ ءَالِ يَعْقُوبَ كَمَآ أَتَمَّهَا عَلَىٰٓ أَبَوَيْكَ مِن قَبْلُ إِبْرَٰهِيمَ وَإِسْحَٰقَ ۚ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌۭ

Wa kazaalika yajtabeeka rabbuka wa yu'allimuka min taaweelil ahaadeesi wa yutimmu ni'matahoo 'alaika wa 'alaaa Aali Ya'qooba kamaaa atammahaa 'alaaa abawaika min qablu Ibraaheema wa Ishaaq; inna Rabbaka 'Aleemun hakeem

And in this way your Lord will choose you, and teach you the interpretation of accounts, and complete His favor upon you and upon the family of Yaqub, as He completed it upon your fathers before, Ibrahim and Ishaq. Your Lord is Knowing, Wise."

﴾٧﴿ ۞ لَّقَدْ كَانَ فِى يُوسُفَ وَإِخْوَتِهِۦٓ ءَايَٰتٌۭ لِّلسَّآئِلِينَ

Laqad kaana fee Yoosufa wa ikhwatiheee Aayaatul lissaaa'ileen

There were signs in Yusuf and his brothers for those who ask.

﴾٨﴿ إِذْ قَالُوا۟ لَيُوسُفُ وَأَخُوهُ أَحَبُّ إِلَىٰٓ أَبِينَا مِنَّا وَنَحْنُ عُصْبَةٌ إِنَّ أَبَانَا لَفِى ضَلَٰلٍۢ مُّبِينٍ

Iz qaaloo la Yoosufu wa akhoohu ahabbu ilaaa Abeenaa minnaa wa nahnu 'usbah; inna abaanaa lafee dalaalim mubeen

When they said, "Yusuf and his brother are more beloved to our father than we are, though we are a group. Our father is in clear error.

﴾٩﴿ ٱقْتُلُوا۟ يُوسُفَ أَوِ ٱطْرَحُوهُ أَرْضًۭا يَخْلُ لَكُمْ وَجْهُ أَبِيكُمْ وَتَكُونُوا۟ مِنۢ بَعْدِهِۦ قَوْمًۭا صَٰلِحِينَ

Uqtuloo Yoosufa awitra hoohu ardany yakhlu lakum wajhu abeekum wa takoonoo mim ba'dihee qawman saaliheen

Kill Yusuf or cast him to some land, so that your father's face will be free for you, and after that you will be a righteous people."

﴾١٠﴿ قَالَ قَآئِلٌۭ مِّنْهُمْ لَا تَقْتُلُوا۟ يُوسُفَ وَأَلْقُوهُ فِى غَيَٰبَتِ ٱلْجُبِّ يَلْتَقِطْهُ بَعْضُ ٱلسَّيَّارَةِ إِن كُنتُمْ فَٰعِلِينَ

Qaalaa qaaa'ilum minhum laa taqtuloo Yoosufa wa alqoohu fee ghayaabatil jubbi yaltaqithu badus sai yaarati in kuntum faa 'ileen

A speaker among them said, "Do not kill Yusuf, but throw him into the bottom of the well. Some caravan will pick him up, if you must act."

﴾١١﴿ قَالُوا۟ يَٰٓأَبَانَا مَا لَكَ لَا تَأْمَ۫نَّا عَلَىٰ يُوسُفَ وَإِنَّا لَهُۥ لَنَٰصِحُونَ

Qaaloo yaaa abaanaa maa laka laa taamannaa 'alaa Yoosufa wa innaa lahoo lanaa sihoon

They said, "Our father, why do you not trust us with Yusuf, when we are sincere to him?

﴾١٢﴿ أَرْسِلْهُ مَعَنَا غَدًۭا يَرْتَعْ وَيَلْعَبْ وَإِنَّا لَهُۥ لَحَٰفِظُونَ

Arilhu ma'anaa ghadany yarta'wa yal'ab wa innaa lahoo lahaafizoon

Send him with us tomorrow, to enjoy himself and play. We will guard him."

﴾١٣﴿ قَالَ إِنِّى لَيَحْزُنُنِىٓ أَن تَذْهَبُوا۟ بِهِۦ وَأَخَافُ أَن يَأْكُلَهُ ٱلذِّئْبُ وَأَنتُمْ عَنْهُ غَٰفِلُونَ

Qaala innee la yahzununeee an tazhaboo bihee wa akhaafu anyyaakulahuz zi'bu wa antum 'anhu ghaafiloon

He said, "It grieves me that you should take him, and I fear that a wolf will eat him while you are heedless of him."

﴾١٤﴿ قَالُوا۟ لَئِنْ أَكَلَهُ ٱلذِّئْبُ وَنَحْنُ عُصْبَةٌ إِنَّآ إِذًۭا لَّخَٰسِرُونَ

Qaaloo la in akalahuzzi'bu wa nahnu 'usbatun innaaa izal lakhaasiroon

They said, "If a wolf ate him while we are a group, we would then be losers."

﴾١٥﴿ فَلَمَّا ذَهَبُوا۟ بِهِۦ وَأَجْمَعُوٓا۟ أَن يَجْعَلُوهُ فِى غَيَٰبَتِ ٱلْجُبِّ ۚ وَأَوْحَيْنَآ إِلَيْهِ لَتُنَبِّئَنَّهُم بِأَمْرِهِمْ هَٰذَا وَهُمْ لَا يَشْعُرُونَ

Falammaa zahaboo bihee wa ajma'ooo anyyaj'aloohu fee ghayaabatil jubb; wa awyainaaa ilaihi latunabbi 'annahum bi amrihim haaza wa hum laa yash'uroon

So when they took him and agreed to put him in the bottom of the well, We revealed to him: you will inform them of this affair of theirs while they do not perceive.

﴾١٦﴿ وَجَآءُوٓ أَبَاهُمْ عِشَآءًۭ يَبْكُونَ

Wa jaaa'ooo abaahum 'ishaaa 'any yabkoon

And they came to their father at night, weeping.

﴾١٧﴿ قَالُوا۟ يَٰٓأَبَانَآ إِنَّا ذَهَبْنَا نَسْتَبِقُ وَتَرَكْنَا يُوسُفَ عِندَ مَتَٰعِنَا فَأَكَلَهُ ٱلذِّئْبُ ۖ وَمَآ أَنتَ بِمُؤْمِنٍۢ لَّنَا وَلَوْ كُنَّا صَٰدِقِينَ

Qaaloo yaaa abaanaaa innaa zahabnaa nastabiqu wa taraknaa Yoosufa 'inda mataa'inaa fa akhalahuz zi'b, wa maaa anta bimu'minil lanaa wa law kunnaa saadiqeen

They said, "Our father, we went racing and left Yusuf with our belongings, and the wolf ate him. But you would not believe us, even if we were truthful."

﴾١٨﴿ وَجَآءُو عَلَىٰ قَمِيصِهِۦ بِدَمٍۢ كَذِبٍۢ ۚ قَالَ بَلْ سَوَّلَتْ لَكُمْ أَنفُسُكُمْ أَمْرًۭا ۖ فَصَبْرٌۭ جَمِيلٌۭ ۖ وَٱللَّهُ ٱلْمُسْتَعَانُ عَلَىٰ مَا تَصِفُونَ

Wa jaaa'oo 'alaa qamee shihee bidamin kazi' qaala bal sawwalat lakum anfusukum amraa; fasabrun jameel; wallaahul musta'aanu 'alaa man tasifoon

And they brought his shirt with false blood on it. He said, "Rather, your souls have enticed you to something. So beautiful patience. And Allah is the One whose help is sought against what you describe."

﴾١٩﴿ وَجَآءَتْ سَيَّارَةٌۭ فَأَرْسَلُوا۟ وَارِدَهُمْ فَأَدْلَىٰ دَلْوَهُۥ ۖ قَالَ يَٰبُشْرَىٰ هَٰذَا غُلَٰمٌۭ ۚ وَأَسَرُّوهُ بِضَٰعَةًۭ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ عَلِيمٌۢ بِمَا يَعْمَلُونَ

Wa jaaa'at saiyaaratun fa-arsaloo waaridahum fa adlaa dalwah; qaala yaa bushraa haaza ghulaam; wa asarroohu bi-daa'ah; wallaahu 'aleemum bimaa ya'maloon

And a caravan came, and they sent their water carrier, and he let down his bucket. He said, "Good news. This is a boy." And they hid him as merchandise. And Allah was Knowing of what they were doing.

﴾٢٠﴿ وَشَرَوْهُ بِثَمَنٍۭ بَخْسٍۢ دَرَٰهِمَ مَعْدُودَةٍۢ وَكَانُوا۟ فِيهِ مِنَ ٱلزَّٰهِدِينَ

Wa sharawhu bisamanim bakhsin daraahima ma'doo datinw wa kaanoo feehi minaz zaahideen

And they sold him for a low price, a few dirhams, and they were among those indifferent to him.

﴾٢١﴿ وَقَالَ ٱلَّذِى ٱشْتَرَىٰهُ مِن مِّصْرَ لِٱمْرَأَتِهِۦٓ أَكْرِمِى مَثْوَىٰهُ عَسَىٰٓ أَن يَنفَعَنَآ أَوْ نَتَّخِذَهُۥ وَلَدًۭا ۚ وَكَذَٰلِكَ مَكَّنَّا لِيُوسُفَ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ وَلِنُعَلِّمَهُۥ مِن تَأْوِيلِ ٱلْأَحَادِيثِ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ غَالِبٌ عَلَىٰٓ أَمْرِهِۦ وَلَٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ ٱلنَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ

Wa qaalal lazish taraahu mim Misra limra atiheee akrimee maswaahu 'asaaa any-yanfa'anaaa aw nattakhizahoo waladaa; wa kazaalika mak-kannaa li-Yoosufa fil ardi wa linu'allimahoo min taaweelil ahaadees; wallaahu ghaalibun 'alaaa amrihee wa laakinna aksaran naasi laa ya'lamoon

And the man from Egypt who bought him said to his wife, "Make his stay honorable. Perhaps he will benefit us, or we will take him as a son." And in this way We established Yusuf in the land, and so that We might teach him the interpretation of accounts. And Allah prevails over His affair, but most people do not know.

﴾٢٢﴿ وَلَمَّا بَلَغَ أَشُدَّهُۥٓ ءَاتَيْنَٰهُ حُكْمًۭا وَعِلْمًۭا ۚ وَكَذَٰلِكَ نَجْزِى ٱلْمُحْسِنِينَ

Wa lammaa balagha ashuddahooo aatainaahu bukmanw wa 'ilmaa; wa kazaa lika najzil muhsineen

And when he reached his full strength, We gave him judgment and knowledge. That is how We reward those who do good.

﴾٢٣﴿ وَرَٰوَدَتْهُ ٱلَّتِى هُوَ فِى بَيْتِهَا عَن نَّفْسِهِۦ وَغَلَّقَتِ ٱلْأَبْوَٰبَ وَقَالَتْ هَيْتَ لَكَ ۚ قَالَ مَعَاذَ ٱللَّهِ ۖ إِنَّهُۥ رَبِّىٓ أَحْسَنَ مَثْوَاىَ ۖ إِنَّهُۥ لَا يُفْلِحُ ٱلظَّٰلِمُونَ

Wa raawadat hul latee huwa fee baitihaa 'an nafsihee wa ghallaqatil abwaaba wa qaalat haita lak; qaala ma'aazal laahi innahoo rabbeee ahsana maswaay; innahoo laa yuflihuz-zaalimoon

And the woman in whose house he was sought to seduce him. She closed the doors and said, "Come." He said, "I seek refuge in Allah. He is my master, who made my stay good. The wrongdoers do not succeed."

﴾٢٤﴿ وَلَقَدْ هَمَّتْ بِهِۦ ۖ وَهَمَّ بِهَا لَوْلَآ أَن رَّءَا بُرْهَٰنَ رَبِّهِۦ ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ لِنَصْرِفَ عَنْهُ ٱلسُّوٓءَ وَٱلْفَحْشَآءَ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ مِنْ عِبَادِنَا ٱلْمُخْلَصِينَ

Wa laqad hammat bihee wa hamma bihaa law laaa ar ra-aa burhaana rabbih;; kazaalika linasrifa 'anhu sooo'a walfa hshaaa'; innahoo min 'ibaadi nal mukhlaseen

And she certainly inclined toward him, and he would have inclined toward her, had he not seen the proof of his Lord. In this way, so that We might turn away from him evil and indecency. He was among Our chosen servants.

﴾٢٥﴿ وَٱسْتَبَقَا ٱلْبَابَ وَقَدَّتْ قَمِيصَهُۥ مِن دُبُرٍۢ وَأَلْفَيَا سَيِّدَهَا لَدَا ٱلْبَابِ ۚ قَالَتْ مَا جَزَآءُ مَنْ أَرَادَ بِأَهْلِكَ سُوٓءًا إِلَّآ أَن يُسْجَنَ أَوْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌۭ

Wastabaqal baaba wa qaddat qameesahoo min dubu rinw wa alfayaa saiyidahaa ladal baab; qaalat maa jazaaa'u man araada bi ahlika sooo'an illaaa any-yusjana aw azaabun aleem

And they raced to the door, and she tore his shirt from behind, and they found her husband at the door. She said, "What is the penalty for one who intended evil against your family, except that he be imprisoned, or a painful punishment?"

﴾٢٦﴿ قَالَ هِىَ رَٰوَدَتْنِى عَن نَّفْسِى ۚ وَشَهِدَ شَاهِدٌۭ مِّنْ أَهْلِهَآ إِن كَانَ قَمِيصُهُۥ قُدَّ مِن قُبُلٍۢ فَصَدَقَتْ وَهُوَ مِنَ ٱلْكَٰذِبِينَ

Qaala hiya raawadatnee 'an nafsee wa shahida shaahidum min ahlihaa in kaana qameesuhoo qudda min qubulin fasadaqat wa huwa minal kaazibeen

He said, "She sought to seduce me." And a witness from her household testified: "If his shirt is torn from the front, she has told the truth and he is among the liars.

﴾٢٧﴿ وَإِن كَانَ قَمِيصُهُۥ قُدَّ مِن دُبُرٍۢ فَكَذَبَتْ وَهُوَ مِنَ ٱلصَّٰدِقِينَ

Wa in kaana qameesuhoo qudda min duburin fakazabat wa huwa minas saadiqeen

But if his shirt is torn from behind, she has lied and he is among the truthful."

﴾٢٨﴿ فَلَمَّا رَءَا قَمِيصَهُۥ قُدَّ مِن دُبُرٍۢ قَالَ إِنَّهُۥ مِن كَيْدِكُنَّ ۖ إِنَّ كَيْدَكُنَّ عَظِيمٌۭ

Falammaa ra-aa qamee sahoo qudda min duburin qaala innahoo min kaidikunna inna kaidakunna 'azeem

So when he saw his shirt torn from behind, he said, "This is from your scheming. Your scheming is great.

﴾٢٩﴿ يُوسُفُ أَعْرِضْ عَنْ هَٰذَا ۚ وَٱسْتَغْفِرِى لِذَنۢبِكِ ۖ إِنَّكِ كُنتِ مِنَ ٱلْخَاطِـِٔينَ

Yoosofu a'rid 'an haaza wastaghfiree lizambiki innaki kunti minal khaati'een

Yusuf, turn away from this. And you, ask forgiveness for your sin. You were among those at fault."

﴾٣٠﴿ ۞ وَقَالَ نِسْوَةٌۭ فِى ٱلْمَدِينَةِ ٱمْرَأَتُ ٱلْعَزِيزِ تُرَٰوِدُ فَتَىٰهَا عَن نَّفْسِهِۦ ۖ قَدْ شَغَفَهَا حُبًّا ۖ إِنَّا لَنَرَىٰهَا فِى ضَلَٰلٍۢ مُّبِينٍۢ

Wa qaala niswatun filma deenatim ra atul'Azeezi turaawidu fataahaa 'an nafsihee qad shaghafahaa bubbaa; innaa lana raahaa fee dalaalim mubeen

And women in the city said, "The wife of the Aziz is seeking to seduce her servant. He has filled her with love. We see her in clear error."

﴾٣١﴿ فَلَمَّا سَمِعَتْ بِمَكْرِهِنَّ أَرْسَلَتْ إِلَيْهِنَّ وَأَعْتَدَتْ لَهُنَّ مُتَّكَـًۭٔا وَءَاتَتْ كُلَّ وَٰحِدَةٍۢ مِّنْهُنَّ سِكِّينًۭا وَقَالَتِ ٱخْرُجْ عَلَيْهِنَّ ۖ فَلَمَّا رَأَيْنَهُۥٓ أَكْبَرْنَهُۥ وَقَطَّعْنَ أَيْدِيَهُنَّ وَقُلْنَ حَٰشَ لِلَّهِ مَا هَٰذَا بَشَرًا إِنْ هَٰذَآ إِلَّا مَلَكٌۭ كَرِيمٌۭ

Falammaa sami'at bimak rihinna arsalat ilaihinna wa a'tadat lahunna muttaka anw wa aatat kulla waahidatim min hunna sikkeenanw wa qaala tikh ruj 'alaihinna falammaa ra aynahooo akbarnahoo wa qatta'na aydiyahunna wa qulna haasha lillaahi maa haaza basharaa; in haazaaa illaa malakun kareem

So when she heard of their scheming, she sent for them and prepared for them a banquet, and gave each one of them a knife, and said, "Come out to them." When they saw him, they exalted him and cut their hands and said, "Allah be praised. This is no human being. This is only a noble angel."

﴾٣٢﴿ قَالَتْ فَذَٰلِكُنَّ ٱلَّذِى لُمْتُنَّنِى فِيهِ ۖ وَلَقَدْ رَٰوَدتُّهُۥ عَن نَّفْسِهِۦ فَٱسْتَعْصَمَ ۖ وَلَئِن لَّمْ يَفْعَلْ مَآ ءَامُرُهُۥ لَيُسْجَنَنَّ وَلَيَكُونًۭا مِّنَ ٱلصَّٰغِرِينَ

Qaalat fazaalikunnal lazee lumtunnanee feeh; wa laqad raawattuhoo 'an nafsihee fasta'sam; wa la'il lam yaf'al maaa aamuruhoo la yusjananna wa la yakoonam minas saaghireen

She said, "This is the one you blamed me for. And I did seek to seduce him, but he refused. And if he does not do what I order him, he will be imprisoned and will be among the debased."

﴾٣٣﴿ قَالَ رَبِّ ٱلسِّجْنُ أَحَبُّ إِلَىَّ مِمَّا يَدْعُونَنِىٓ إِلَيْهِ ۖ وَإِلَّا تَصْرِفْ عَنِّى كَيْدَهُنَّ أَصْبُ إِلَيْهِنَّ وَأَكُن مِّنَ ٱلْجَٰهِلِينَ

Qaala rabbis sijnu ahabbu ilaiya mimma yad'oo naneee 'ilaihi wa illaa tasrif 'annee kaidahunna asbu ilaihinna wa akum minal jaahileen

He said, "My Lord, prison is dearer to me than what they call me to. And if You do not turn their scheming away from me, I will incline toward them and be among the ignorant."

﴾٣٤﴿ فَٱسْتَجَابَ لَهُۥ رَبُّهُۥ فَصَرَفَ عَنْهُ كَيْدَهُنَّ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ ٱلسَّمِيعُ ٱلْعَلِيمُ

Fastajaaba lahoo rabbuhoo fasarafa 'anhu kaidahunn; innahoo Huswas_Samee'ul 'Aleem

So his Lord answered him and turned their scheming away from him. He is the Hearing, the Knowing.

﴾٣٥﴿ ثُمَّ بَدَا لَهُم مِّنۢ بَعْدِ مَا رَأَوُا۟ ٱلْءَايَٰتِ لَيَسْجُنُنَّهُۥ حَتَّىٰ حِينٍۢ

Summa badaa lahum mim ba'di maa ra-awul Aayaati layasjununnahoo hatta heen

Then it appeared to them, after they had seen the signs, that they should imprison him for a time.

The Tafsir · The Breakdown

What This Part Means

Overview

The Best of Accounts.

Verse 3 names what is coming before it starts. We relate to you the best of accounts. Ahsan al-qasas. And then, unlike every other narrative in the Book, it runs from beginning to end without breaking away. Part One covers the first collapse and the second one. A boy is told a future in a dream, betrayed by his own household, dropped into a well, sold for pocket money, and installed in a great house. Then, in that house, he is offered everything he could want by someone with the power to ruin him, and he asks for prison instead. The part ends with him walking into a cell after the evidence had already proved he was innocent.

Verses 1 to 18

Do Not Tell Your Brothers.

Verse 5 is the first instruction in the surah and it comes from a father who understands people. Do not relate your dream to your brothers, or they will devise a plot against you. Before the blessing has arrived, before anything has happened, the father's first counsel is discretion. Not modesty as a manner. Concealment as protection. A man who announces what he has been shown hands other people a reason. Verse 8 gives the brothers' reasoning, and the last clause of it is what should stop a reader. Our father is in clear error. They did not merely resent the boy. They ruled that a prophet was mistaken, in order to justify what they wanted to do. Verse 9 then contains the most chilling piece of planning in the surah. Kill Yusuf or cast him to some land, so that your father's face will be free for you, and after that you will be a righteous people. They schedule the repentance before committing the crime. The intention to become righteous afterward is used as the permission to proceed. Verse 12 shows the request they made, and it is entirely reasonable on its surface: send him with us tomorrow, to enjoy himself and play, we will guard him. Verse 15 is the verse to hold on to from this whole section. So when they took him and agreed to put him in the bottom of the well, We revealed to him: you will inform them of this affair of theirs while they do not perceive. At the lowest physical point in his life, in the dark, at the bottom of a shaft, abandoned by his own blood, he is told that a day is coming when he will tell them about this and they will not even know who he is. The promise is delivered in the pit. Not before, and not after. Verse 18 gives the father's response to a shirt with false blood on it, and it is three moves in one line. He rejects the story: rather, your souls have enticed you to something. He names his posture: so beautiful patience. And he names where he is taking it: Allah is the One whose help is sought. Sabrun jamil, a patience with no complaint attached to it and no collapse in it. He does not accuse them of murder and he does not pretend to believe them.

Verses 19 to 22

Sold Cheap, and Established Anyway.

Verse 20 records the transaction, and every word of it is deliberate. They sold him for a low price, a few dirhams, and they were among those indifferent to him. Bakhs, low. Dirhams that could be counted. And the sellers are described as having no interest in him. The most valuable person in the account is priced by people who did not know what they were holding, which is the ordinary condition of anything valuable early. Verse 21 then places two things in one sentence that a reader will want to separate. The Egyptian tells his wife to make his stay honorable, and then, immediately: And in this way We established Yusuf in the land. Kadhalika makkanna. The establishment is attributed to the same sequence that included the well and the sale. There is no gap in the text where the disaster stopped and the plan began, because there was no such gap. And verse 21 closes with the line that governs the entire surah. And Allah prevails over His affair, but most people do not know. Ghalibun ala amrih. Nothing that happened to him was outside it. Verse 22 then states what he was given and when: when he reached his full strength, We gave him judgment and knowledge. Hukm before ilm, the ability to decide before the material to decide with, and both arriving at maturity rather than in the pit.

Verses 23 to 35

Prison Is Dearer to Me.

Verse 23 records the moment and Yusuf's answer, and the answer is worth taking apart. I seek refuge in Allah. He is my master, who made my stay good. The wrongdoers do not succeed. Three things in three clauses. Refuge sought immediately, before any reasoning. Then the loyalty owed to a man who treated him well, named out loud. Then the principle, stated flatly: this does not work out for anyone. Verse 24 is one of the most carefully worded verses in the Quran, and it does not hide the pull. She certainly inclined toward him, and he would have inclined toward her, had he not seen the proof of his Lord. The burhan arrives and the sentence turns. What the verse establishes is that he was a man, not a statue, and that what held him was shown to him rather than manufactured by him. Verses 26 and 27 then bring in a witness who does not testify about character or motive but about physical evidence: which side the shirt was torn from. The case is settled by looking at the cloth. Verse 28 gives the husband's conclusion, and verse 29 gives his solution, which is to bury it. Yusuf, turn away from this. The innocent man is asked to be quiet about it for the sake of the household. Verse 31 shows what happened when the women of the city, who had been talking, were put in the same room as the man they were talking about. They cut their hands without noticing. The surah offers that as an answer to their gossip without a word of argument. And verse 33 is the sentence this part is named for. My Lord, prison is dearer to me than what they call me to. He does not say he is strong enough. He chooses the worse outcome deliberately, and then, in the same breath, he says the thing most men would never admit: if You do not turn their scheming away from me, I will incline toward them and be among the ignorant. A prophet states plainly that without help he would fall. That is not false modesty. It is an accurate reading of what a man is. Verse 34 answers him. And verse 35 is the sentence that tests every reader's assumptions about how this is supposed to work. Then it appeared to them, after they had seen the signs, that they should imprison him for a time. After the evidence cleared him. He was proven innocent and jailed anyway, and the surah reports it without protest, because the story is not over.

Structural Summary

Verses One to Thirty-Five. Allah Prevails Over His Affair.

A father's first instruction is to keep a blessing quiet. Brothers schedule their repentance before the crime and rule that a prophet is mistaken so they can proceed. At the bottom of a well, with nothing left, a promise is delivered that will take decades to arrive. A father meets a false shirt with a patience that neither accuses nor pretends. A boy is priced by people who did not know what they were holding, and the establishing is attributed to the same sequence as the sale. And in a locked house, a man seeks refuge first, names the loyalty he owes, admits he would fall without help, and asks for the prison over the offer.

The Practice

Take It Into the Week

Verse 5. Take the thing you have been shown or been given that you have not yet built. Stop announcing it. Finish it first.

Verse 15. Name the pit you are currently in, and write down what you were promised before you entered it.

Verse 33. In your next real temptation, do not claim strength. Ask for it in the wording Yusuf used, and choose the harder option deliberately.

آمِين

Prepared with discipline · Ameen

Verse-By-Verse · Test Yourself

The Quiz

Two questions per verse. Translation and a key Arabic word. Walk through it slow. The goal is comprehension, not speed.

Verse 31 / 12

The Verse

What does verse 3 call this account?