12. Yusuf

After that, to the person about whom Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) had gathered from the interpretation of his dream that he would be released, he said: When you are released from the prison, mention me before your master as the innocent person who is still languishing in the prison. But, once released, this person forgot about this message of Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) ، as a result of which, his freedom was further delayed and he had to stay in prison for a few more years. The word used in the Qur’ an is: بِضْعَ سِنِينَ (bid'a sinin: a few years). This word holds good for a figure between three to nine. Some commentators have said that he had to live in the prison for a period of seven more years.

After that, to the person about whom Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) had gathered from the interpretation of his dream that he would be released, he said: When you are released from the prison, mention me before your master as the innocent person who is still languishing in the prison. But, once released, this person forgot about this message of Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) ، as a result of which, his freedom was further delayed and he had to stay in prison for a few more years. The word used in the Qur’ an is: بِضْعَ سِنِينَ (bid'a sinin: a few years). This word holds good for a figure between three to nine. Some commentators have said that he had to live in the prison for a period of seven more years.

Commentary

After that, say the verses cited above, Allah Ta` ala created through the workings of what is unseen (Al-Ghayb), a particular way out for the release of Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) . This made the king of Egypt see a dream which caused him great anxiety. He assembled the known dream interpreters and soothsayers of his state and asked them to interpret his dream. None of them could understand the dream. The answer they all gave was: أَضْغَاثُ أَحْلَامٍ ۖ وَمَا نَحْنُ بِتَأْوِيلِ الْأَحْلَامِ بِعَالِمِينَ : ' (It seems to be) a mishmash of dreams, and we do not know the interpretation of dreams.' The word: أَضْغَاثُ (adghath) is the plural form of: ضِغث (dighth) which literally refers to a bundle of chaff or husk separated from grain while threshing and is a collection of different kinds of waste material. The sense of their saying was that this dream was somewhat muddled, confused and an admixture of many thoughts and things, and they did not know how to interpret such dreams. Had it been a regular dream, they would have had interpreted it.

While watching the proceedings of this event, that released prisoner recollected the message given by Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) ، though after the passage of a long time in between. He stepped forward and said that he may be able to tell him the interpretation of this dream. At that time, by mentioning the spiritual excellence of Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) his expertise in dream interpretation, and his detention in the prison despite his innocence, he submitted that he be allowed to meet him in the prison. The king arranged that for him. He came to Sayyidna. To de-scribe this entire episode, the Holy Qur'an has used only one word: فَأَرْ‌سِلُونِ (fa arsil uni).

It means: Just send me (to Yusuf علیہ السلام). Things like the introduction of Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) the official permission to see him and then the final arrival in the prison are parts of the event which can be understood contextually. Therefore, they were not described specifically, instead, the story was initiated as follows.

This begins with the address: يُوسُفُ أَيُّهَا الصِّدِّيقُ (Yusuf, 0 the truthful one ... ) in verse 46. It means that this person reached the prison and de-scribed his intent in a manner that he first confessed to the truthfulness of Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) in word and deed, and then requested him to give an interpretation of a dream. The dream he related was: The king has seen that seven fat cows are being eaten by seven lean ones; and he has seen that there are seven years of grain which are green and seven others which are dry.

After having related the dream, this person said: لَّعَلِّي أَرْ‌جِعُ إِلَى النَّاسِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَعْلَمُونَ (so that I may go back to the people, that they may know). It means: If you tell me the interpretation, it is possible that, when I go back to the people and report the interpretation to them, it is likely that, in this way, they get to know your excellence and expertise.

According to Tafsir Mazhari, the format of events present in the world of autonomous images is what one sees in dreams. In that world, these images have particular meanings. The edifice of the art of interpreting dreams solely depends on knowing what a particular autonomous image in that world means. Allah Ta` ala had blessed Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) with perfection in this art. As soon as he heard the dream related, he knew that seven fat cows and seven green ears denote seven years during which crops will grow well as usual - because animal-driven ploughing to level land and grow grain has a distinct role in it. Simi-larly, seven lean cows and seven dry ears of grain mean that, after the first seven years, there will be seven years of severe famine. As for the seven lean cows eating the seven fat ones, it means that the grain stored during the first seven years will all be eaten up during those years of famine - remaining there will be some grain needed for sowing.

Obviously, the dream of the king had told him only about seven years of good crops followed by seven years of famine. But, Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) also added to it that, following the year of drought, there will be an year of good rains and crops. Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) came to know about it either because the total number of years of famine were no more than seven whereby, as the customary practice of Allah would have it, the eighth year would be that of rains and crops. According to early commentator, Qatadah, Allah Tai a had Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) know about it through a revelation so that the amount of information they receive could be over and above that which was to be interpreted through the dream - so that the spiritual excellence of Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) is further enhanced to become the cause of his being released. Then, another factor was added to this. Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) did not consider it sufficient to limit himself to the technical interpretation of the dream only. The fact was that he also gave them a good counsel based on wisdom and fellow-feeling. He advised them to keep the extra produce yielded during the first seven years within the ears of the crop of wheat, so that it may not be affected by bacteria when old. It is borne by experience that grain while in ears is not affected by bacteria.

Said in verse 48 was: ثُمَّ يَأْتِي مِن بَعْدِ ذَٰلِكَ سَبْعٌ شِدَادٌ يَأْكُلْنَ مَا قَدَّمْتُمْ لَهُنَّ (Then there shall come, after that, seven hard years which shall eat up what you have stored for them). Since, seen in the dream was that seven lean cows ate up the seven fat ones, therefore, while giving his interpretation of the dream, he considered it appropriate to say that the years of the famine will eat up what they had stored over the past years. Though, an year is no eatable, the sense is that the people and animals will eat up during the time of famine whatever grain was stored up during past years.

The context of the story shows that this person, after having found out the interpretation of the dream, returned to the king and told him about it. He was pleased with it and convinced of the intellectual and spiritual excellence of Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) . But, the Holy Qur’ an has not considered it necessary to mention all these things because they are self-explanatory. What transpired later was described by saying:

Said in verse 48 was: ثُمَّ يَأْتِي مِن بَعْدِ ذَٰلِكَ سَبْعٌ شِدَادٌ يَأْكُلْنَ مَا قَدَّمْتُمْ لَهُنَّ (Then there shall come, after that, seven hard years which shall eat up what you have stored for them). Since, seen in the dream was that seven lean cows ate up the seven fat ones, therefore, while giving his interpretation of the dream, he considered it appropriate to say that the years of the famine will eat up what they had stored over the past years. Though, an year is no eatable, the sense is that the people and animals will eat up during the time of famine whatever grain was stored up during past years.

The context of the story shows that this person, after having found out the interpretation of the dream, returned to the king and told him about it. He was pleased with it and convinced of the intellectual and spiritual excellence of Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) . But, the Holy Qur’ an has not considered it necessary to mention all these things because they are self-explanatory. What transpired later was described by saying:

وَقَالَ الْمَلِكُ ائْتُونِي بِهِ (And the king said, 'Bring him to me.' ). It means that the king gave the order that Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) be taken out of the prison and be produced before him in his court. So, some emissary of the king arrived at the prison with the message of the king.

Obviously, this was an occasion which should have been welcomed by Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) . He had been in the prison for a long time, restricted and helpless. He wished to be released. When the message of the king arrived at the prison that he was wanted by the king, he should have welcomed it and got himself ready to go. But, Allah Ta` ala bestows upon His Messengers a very high moral station which other people just cannot comprehend.

The answer he gave to the emissary of the king was:

قَالَ ارْ‌جِعْ إِلَىٰ رَ‌بِّكَ فَاسْأَلْهُ مَا بَالُ النِّسْوَةِ اللَّاتِي قَطَّعْنَ أَيْدِيَهُنَّ إِنَّ رَ‌بِّي بِكَيْدِهِنَّ عَلِيمٌ

'Go back to your lord and ask him, ` What about the women who cut their hands?' Surely, my Lord knows their guile well.'

Here, by asking this question, the objective is to find out if he is still held in doubt about what had happened then and if he is still taken to be at some fault in that matter.

Also noteworthy at this stage is that Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) is, in the present context, talking about the women who had cut their hands - he has not mentioned the wife of the ` Aziz who was the main cause of what had happened. In this conduct of his, there was consideration for the right of his master's house where he lived and where he was brought up, something elementally respected by a person of natural gentleness in him. (Qurtubi)

Then, not any less important was his real purpose, the need to be exonerated from blame conclusively. If proof was needed, it could have come from those women as well. And it would have not brought much of a disgrace on them. Had they confessed to what was the truth, they would have been, at the most, charged for having given false advice only. This would have been contrary to the case of the wife of the ` Aziz for, if she was made a target of the investigations, it would have proved far more disgraceful for her. And, along with this, Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) said: إِنَّ رَ‌بِّي بِكَيْدِهِنَّ عَلِيمٌ (Surely, my Lord knows their guile well). He said this so that the king too will get to know the truth of the matter - which is a delicate approach to register his innocence in it.

On this occasion, reported in the Sahih of Al-Bukhari and the Jami' of Tirmidhi, following a narration of Sayyidna Abu Hurairah ؓ ، there is a Hadith of the Holy Prophet ﷺ in which he said: If I had been in a prison for so long, as Yusuf (علیہ السلام) had been, and had I then been summoned for release, I would have accepted it immediately.

And in a report from Imam al-Tabari, the words are: The patience, forbearance and many other noble traits of his character are astonishing. When he was asked to give an interpretation of the dream of the king while still being in prison, had I been in his place, I would have, before giving the interpretation, placed a condition that I should be taken out of the prison before …