Recall that Joseph said to his father, "O my father, I saw eleven planets, and the sun, and the moon; I saw them prostrating before me."

Joseph was a prophet and messenger of God. He was the son of Jacob and a descendant of Abraham and Isaac, and God names him among the guided descendants of Noah, along with David, Solomon, Job, Moses and Aaron (6:84, 12:6). His mission was to the people of Egypt. He came to them "with clear revelations," but they kept doubting his message, and when he died they said, "GOD will not send any other messenger after him" (40:34). Sura 12, which carries his name, tells his life as "the most accurate history" (12:3) and says it holds "lessons for the seekers" (12:7).
The story begins with a dream. As a boy, Joseph saw eleven planets, the sun and the moon bowing down to him, and Jacob warned him not to tell his brothers (12:4-6). The brothers were jealous of their father's love for Joseph and his brother. They talked Jacob into sending him out with them, threw him into a well, and came home weeping with his shirt stained with fake blood. Jacob saw through them and turned to "a quiet patience" (12:8-18). In the well, God inspired Joseph that one day he would tell his brothers about all this (12:15). Dr. Khalifa notes that while the brothers were deciding his fate, God had already decided it (12:9). A caravan found him and sold him in Egypt for a few coins to a man who took him into his home. There God taught him to interpret dreams, and when he grew up God gave him wisdom and knowledge (12:19-22).
The governor's wife tried to seduce him, and God turned the sin away from him. His shirt, torn from the back, proved he was innocent (12:23-29). When the women of the city also schemed against him, he prayed, "My Lord, the prison is better than giving in to them" (12:33). He was imprisoned even though the evidence cleared him (12:35). In prison he preached pure monotheism to two fellow inmates: "are several gods better, or GOD alone, the One, the Supreme?" (12:39). Then he interpreted their dreams. But he asked the inmate who would be freed to mention him to his master, and the devil made him forget his Lord, so he stayed in prison a few more years (12:41-42). Dr. Khalifa explains that by relying on someone other than God to get him out, Joseph made a serious slip, because only God relieves hardship (12:42).
Later the king had a dream about seven fat cows and seven thin ones, and Joseph interpreted it as seven years of plenty followed by seven years of drought (12:43-49). Before he would leave prison, he asked that the women's scheme be investigated. The governor's wife confessed that he had been truthful (12:50-53). The king made him treasurer, and God established him in the land (12:54-56). When the famine brought his brothers to Egypt, he recognized them but they did not recognize him. He insisted they bring his younger brother, then used the planted cup to keep that brother with him (12:58-79). Jacob, nearly blind with grief, never gave up hope in God's grace (12:84-87). Joseph finally revealed who he was and forgave his brothers, saying, "There is no blame upon you today" (12:92). His shirt restored his father's sight (12:93-96). The family moved to Egypt and bowed before him, which fulfilled his childhood dream (12:99-100). Dr. Khalifa notes that this was the beginning of the Children of Israel in Egypt (12:93). Joseph's closing prayer was, "Let me die as a submitter, and count me with the righteous" (12:101).
The Quran draws several lessons from his story. God's command always comes to pass, "but most people do not know" (12:21). Steadfast righteousness is never left unrewarded (12:90). God protects His devoted servants from sin (12:24). And a believer depends on God alone, as Joseph learned through his extra years in prison. The sura then widens the lesson. Most people who believe in God still mix that belief with idol worship (12:106). Victory comes to the messengers just when they begin to despair (12:110). The sura ends by saying that this history is no fabricated Hadith but part of a Quran that "provides the details of everything" (12:111). Joseph's own people show one more lesson: they doubted him while he lived and then declared him the last messenger (40:34). Dr. Khalifa points out that the same mistake was later made about Muhammad (40:34).
Verses
SubmissionAI can make mistakes. Check the sources.
Recall that Joseph said to his father, "O my father, I saw eleven planets, and the sun, and the moon; I saw them prostrating before me."
He said, "My son, do not tell your brothers about your dream, lest they plot and scheme against you. Surely, the devil is man's worst enemy.
"Your Lord has thus blessed you, and has given you good news through your dream. He has perfected His blessings upon you and upon the family of Jacob, as He did for your ancestors Abraham and Isaac before that. Your Lord is Omniscient, Most Wise."
They said, "Joseph and his brother are favored by our father, and we are in the majority. Indeed, our father is far astray.
"Let us kill Joseph, or banish him, that you may get some attention from your father. Afterwards, you can be righteous people."*
*12:9 We learn from Joseph's dream that he was destined for a bright future. Thus, while his brothers met to decide his fate, his fate was already decided by God. Everything is done by God (8:17), and is already recorded (57:22).
One of them said, "Do not kill Joseph; let us throw him into the abyss of the well. Perhaps some caravan can pick him up, if this is what you decide to do."
They said, "Our father, why do you not trust us with Joseph? We will take good care of him.
"Send him with us tomorrow to run and play. We will protect him."
He said, "I worry lest you go away with him, then the wolf may devour him while you are not watching him."
They said, "Indeed, if the wolf devours him, with so many of us around, then we are really losers."
When they went away with him, and unanimously decided to throw him into the abyss of the well, we inspired him: "Some day, you will tell them about all this, while they have no idea."
They came back to their father in the evening, weeping.
They said, "Our father, we went racing with each other, leaving Joseph with our equipment, and the wolf devoured him. You will never believe us, even if we were telling the truth."
They produced his shirt with fake blood on it. He said, "Indeed, you have conspired with each other to commit a certain scheme. All I can do is resort to a quiet patience. May GOD help me in the face of your conspiracy."
A caravan passed by, and soon sent their waterer. He let down his bucket, then said, "How lucky! There is a boy here!" They took him along as merchandise, and GOD was fully aware of what they did.
They sold him for a cheap price— a few Dirhams—for they did not have any need for him.
The one who bought him in Egypt said to his wife, "Take good care of him. Maybe he can help us, or maybe we can adopt him." We thus established Joseph on earth, and we taught him the interpretation of dreams. GOD's command is always done, but most people do not know.
The lady of the house where he lived tried to seduce him. She closed the doors and said, "I am all yours." He said, "May GOD protect me. He is my Lord, who gave me a good home.* The transgressors never succeed."
*12:23 Joseph worded this statement in such a way that the governor's wife thought that he was talking about her husband, when in fact he was talking about God.
She almost succumbed to him, and he almost succumbed to her, if it were not that he saw a proof from his Lord. We thus diverted evil and sin away from him, for he was one of our devoted servants.
The two of them raced towards the door, and, in the process, she tore his garment from the back. They found her husband at the door. She said, "What should be the punishment for one who wanted to molest your wife, except imprisonment or a painful punishment?"
He said, "She is the one who tried to seduce me." A witness from her family suggested: "If his garment is torn from the front, then she is telling the truth and he is a liar.
"And if his garment is torn from the back, then she lied, and he is telling the truth."
When her husband saw that his garment was torn from the back, he said, "This is a woman's scheme. Indeed, your scheming is formidable.
"Joseph, disregard this incident. As for you (my wife), you should seek forgiveness for your sin. You have committed an error."
Some women in the city gossiped: "The governor's wife is trying to seduce her servant. She is deeply in love with him. We see that she has gone astray."
When she heard of their gossip, she invited them, prepared for them a comfortable place, and gave each of them a knife. She then said to him, "Enter their room." When they saw him, they so admired him, that they cut their hands.* They said, "Glory be to GOD, this is not a human being; this is an honorable angel."
*12:31 This is the same word used in 5:38 regarding the hand of the thief, and the sum of sura and verse numbers (12+31 and 5+38) are the same. Therefore, the thief 's hand should be marked, not severed as practiced by the corrupted Islam (see Footnote 5:38).
She said, "This is the one you blamed me for falling in love with. I did indeed try to seduce him, and he refused. Unless he does what I command him to do, he will surely go to prison, and will be debased."
He said, "My Lord, the prison is better than giving in to them. Unless You divert their scheming from me, I may desire them and behave like the ignorant ones."
His Lord answered his prayer and diverted their scheming from him. He is the Hearer, the Omniscient.
Later, they saw to it, despite the clear proofs, that they should imprison him for awhile.
Two young men were in the prison with him. One of them said, "I saw (in my dream) that I was making wine," and the other said, "I saw myself carrying bread on my head, from which the birds were eating. Inform us of the interpretation of these dreams. We see that you are righteous."
He said, "If any food is provided to you, I can inform you about it before you receive it. This is some of the knowledge bestowed upon me by my Lord. I have forsaken the religion of people who do not believe in GOD, and with regard to the Hereafter, they are really disbelievers.
"And I followed instead the religion of my ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. We never set up any idols beside GOD. Such is the blessing from GOD upon us and upon the people, but most people are unappreciative.
"O my prison mates, are several gods better, or GOD alone, the One, the Supreme?
"You do not worship beside Him except innovations that you have made up, you and your parents. GOD has never authorized such idols. All ruling belongs to GOD, and He has ruled that you shall not worship except Him. This is the perfect religion, but most people do not know.
"O my prison mates, one of you will be the wine butler for his lord, while the other will be crucified— the birds will eat from his head. This settles the matter about which you have inquired."
He then said to the one to be saved "Remember me at your lord."* Thus, the devil caused him to forget his Lord, and, consequently, he remained in prison a few more years.
*12:42 When Joseph begged his companion to intercede with the king on his behalf, he exhibited dependence on other than God to be saved from the prison. This does not befit a true believer, and such a serious slip cost Joseph a few years in the prison. We learn from the Quran that only God can relieve any hardship that might befall us. A true believer trusts in God and depends totally on Him alone (1:5, 6:17, 8:17, 10:107).
The king said, "I saw seven fat cows being devoured by seven skinny cows, and seven green spikes (of wheat), and others shriveled. O my elders, advise me regarding my dream, if you know how to interpret the dreams."
They said, "Nonsense dreams. When it comes to the interpretation of dreams, we are not knowledgeable."
The one who was saved (from the prison) said, now that he finally remembered, "I can tell you its interpretation, so send me (to Joseph)."
"Joseph my friend, inform us about seven fat cows being devoured by seven skinny cows, and seven green spikes, and others shriveled. I wish to go back with some information for the people."
He said, "What you cultivate during the next seven years, when the time of harvest comes, leave the grains in their spikes, except for what you eat.
"After that, seven years of drought will come, which will consume most of what you stored for them.
"After that, a year will come that brings relief for the people, and they will, once again, press juice."
The king said, "Bring him to me." When the messenger came to him, he said, "Go back to your lord and ask him to investigate the women who cut their hands. My Lord is fully aware of their schemes."
(The king) said (to the women), "What do you know about the incident when you tried to seduce Joseph?" They said, "GOD forbid; we did not know of anything evil committed by him." The wife of the governor said, "Now the truth has prevailed. I am the one who tried to seduce him, and he was the truthful one.
"I hope that he will realize that I never betrayed him in his absence, for GOD does not bless the schemes of the betrayers.
"I do not claim innocence for myself. The self is an advocate of vice, except for those who have attained mercy from my Lord. My Lord is Forgiver, Most Merciful."
The king said, "Bring him to me, so I can hire him to work for me." When he talked with him, he said, "Today, you have a prominent position with us."
He said, "Make me the treasurer, for I am experienced in this area and knowledgeable."
We thus established Joseph on earth, ruling as he wished. We shower our mercy upon whomever we will, and we never fail to recompense the righteous.
Joseph's brothers came; when they entered, he recognized them, while they did not recognize him.
After he provided them with their provisions, he said, "Next time, bring with you your half-brother. Do you not see that I give full measure, and treat you generously?
"If you fail to bring him to me, you will get no share from me; you will not even come close."
They said, "We will negotiate with his father about him. We will surely do this."
He then instructed his assistants: "Put their goods back in their bags. When they find them upon their return to their family, they may come back sooner."
When they returned to their father, they said, "Our father, we can no longer get any provisions, unless you send our brother with us. We will take good care of him."
When they entered Joseph's place, he brought his brother closer to him and said, "I am your brother; do not be saddened by their actions."
When he provided them with their provisions, he placed the drinking cup in his brother's bag, then an announcer announced: "The owners of this caravan are thieves."
They said, as they came towards them, "What did you lose?"
They said, "We lost the king's cup. Anyone who returns it will receive an extra camel-load; I personally guarantee this."
They said, "By GOD, you know full well that we did not come here to commit evil, nor are we thieves."
They said, "What is the punishment for the thief, if you are liars?"
They said, "The punishment, if it is found in his bag, is that the thief belongs to you. We thus punish the guilty."
He then started by inspecting their containers, before getting to his brother's container, and he extracted it out of his brother's container. We thus perfected the scheme for Joseph; he could not have kept his brother if he applied the king's law. But that was the will of GOD. We exalt whomever we choose to higher ranks. Above every knowledgeable one, there is one who is even more knowledgeable.
They said, "If he stole, so did a brother of his in the past." Joseph concealed his feelings in himself, and did not give them any clue. He said (to himself), "You are really bad. GOD is fully aware of your accusations."
They said, “O you noble one, he has a father who is elderly; would you take one of us in his place? We see that you are a kind man."
He said, "GOD forbid that we should take other than the one in whose possession we found our goods. Otherwise, we would be unjust."
When they entered (Joseph's) quarters, they said, "O you noble one, we have suffered a lot of hardship, along with our family, and we have brought inferior goods. But we hope that you will give us full measure and be charitable to us. GOD rewards the charitable."
He said, "Do you recall what you did to Joseph and his brother when you were ignorant?"
They said, "You must be Joseph." He said, "I am Joseph, and here is my brother. GOD has blessed us. That is because if one leads a righteous life, and steadfastly perseveres, GOD never fails to reward the righteous."
They said, "By GOD, GOD has truly preferred you over us. We were definitely wrong."
He said, "There is no blame upon you today. May GOD forgive you. Of all the merciful ones, He is the Most Merciful.
"Take this shirt of mine; when you throw it on my father's face, his vision will be restored. Bring your whole family and come back to me."*
*12:93 This marks the beginning of the Children of Israel in Egypt. Moses led them out of Egypt a few centuries later.
When they entered Joseph's quarters, he embraced his parents, saying, "Welcome to Egypt. GOD willing, you will be safe here."
He raised his parents upon the throne. They fell prostrate before him. He said, "O my father, this is the fulfillment of my old dream. My Lord has made it come true. He has blessed me, delivered me from the prison, and brought you from the desert, after the devil had driven a wedge between me and my brothers. My Lord is Most Kind towards whomever He wills. He is the Knower, the Most Wise."
"My Lord, You have given me kingship and taught me the interpretation of dreams. Initiator of the heavens and the earth; You are my Lord and Master in this life and in the Hereafter. Let me die as a submitter, and count me with the righteous."