12. Yusuf

O fellow-prisoners! As for one of you that is the cup-bearer he will depart after three days and he shall serve his lord his master wine to drink as usual; and as for the other he will depart after three days and he will be crucified so that the birds will eat from his head this is the interpretation of both your dreams. They said ‘We never dreamed a thing!’; he said decided concluded is the matter regarding which you sought opinion’ about which you enquired whether you spoke truthfully or were lying.

And the king the king of Egypt — al-Rayyān b. al-Walīd — said ‘I saw in a dream seven fat kine being devoured being swallowed up by seven lean ones of kine ‘ijāf is the plural of ‘ajfā’ and seven green ears of corn and others that is seven other ears of corn dry that had wound themselves around the green ones and risen above them. O courtiers! Give me your opinion about my vision expound for me its interpretation if you can interpret visions’ then interpret it for me.

They said this is ‘A jumble a mixture of dreams! And we are not knowledgeable in the interpretation of dreams’.

And he of the two who was released that is of the two young men namely the cup-bearer remembering iddakara the original tā’ of tadhakkara has been changed to a dāl and assimilated with the dhāl after a time after a period of time the predicament of Joseph said ‘I will inform you of its interpretation; so send me forth’ so they sent him forth and he came to Joseph and said

‘O Joseph O truthful one one given to truth give us your opinion concerning seven fat kine that are devoured by seven lean ones and concerning seven green ears of corn and seven others dry that I may return to the people that is to the king and his courtiers so that they might know’ its interpretation.

He said ‘You shall sow — that is go ahead and sow — seven years consecutively — and this was the interpretation of the seven fat ones — but that which you reap leave it in the ear lest it spoil except for a little which you eat thresh it.

Then after that in other words after the seven fertile years there shall come seven hard barren and unyielding years — the interpretation of the seven lean ones — which shall devour what you set aside for them of grain sown during the fertile years in other words you shall eat all this during these seven hard years all except a little which you have preserved stored.

Then after that in other words after the seven barren years there shall come a year in which the people will be granted relief through rain and in which they will press fruit grapes and other seeds because of its that year’s fertility.

And the king after the messenger had come to him and informed him of its the dream’s interpretation said ‘Bring him to me!’ that is the one who interpreted it. And when the messenger came to him that is to Joseph and summoned him in order to depart from the prison he said — with the intention of manifesting his innocence — ‘Return to your lord and ask him to inquire “What of what was the case with the women who cut their hands?” Surely my lord my master has knowledge of their guile’; he the messenger thus returned and informed the king who then summoned them the women.