الر ۚ تِلْكَ آيَاتُ الْكِتَابِ الْمُبِينِ ١

Alif, Lam, Ra. (Only Allah and the Messenger [blessings and peace be upon him] know the real meaning.) These are the Verses of the illumining Book.

إِنَّا أَنزَلْنَاهُ قُرْآنًا عَرَبِيًّا لَّعَلَّكُمْ تَعْقِلُونَ ٢

Verily, We have revealed it as a Qur’an in the Arabic language so that you comprehend (it directly).

نَحْنُ نَقُصُّ عَلَيْكَ أَحْسَنَ الْقَصَصِ بِمَا أَوْحَيْنَا إِلَيْكَ هَٰذَا الْقُرْآنَ وَإِن كُنتَ مِن قَبْلِهِ لَمِنَ الْغَافِلِينَ ٣

(O Beloved!) We relate to you the best narrative by means of this Qur’an which We have revealed to you, though you were unaware (of this story) before this.

إِذْ قَالَ يُوسُفُ لِأَبِيهِ يَا أَبَتِ إِنِّي رَأَيْتُ أَحَدَ عَشَرَ كَوْكَبًا وَالشَّمْسَ وَالْقَمَرَ رَأَيْتُهُمْ لِي سَاجِدِينَ ٤

(Recall) when Yusuf (Joseph) said to his father: ‘O my venerable father! I have seen (in a dream) eleven stars and the sun and the moon. I have seen them prostrating themselves before me.’

قَالَ يَا بُنَيَّ لَا تَقْصُصْ رُؤْيَاكَ عَلَىٰ إِخْوَتِكَ فَيَكِيدُوا لَكَ كَيْدًا ۖ إِنَّ الشَّيْطَانَ لِلْإِنسَانِ عَدُوٌّ مُّبِينٌ ٥

He said: ‘O my son, do not relate your dream to your brothers, lest they should maneuver a plot against you. Surely, Satan is an open enemy to man.

وَكَذَٰلِكَ يَجْتَبِيكَ رَبُّكَ وَيُعَلِّمُكَ مِن تَأْوِيلِ الْأَحَادِيثِ وَيُتِمُّ نِعْمَتَهُ عَلَيْكَ وَعَلَىٰ آلِ يَعْقُوبَ كَمَا أَتَمَّهَا عَلَىٰ أَبَوَيْكَ مِن قَبْلُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَإِسْحَاقَ ۚ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌ ٦

And in the same way, your Lord will choose you (for a divine station) and will teach you how to infer conclusions (i.e., the knowledge of the interpretation of dreams) and will perfect His favour upon you and the House of Ya‘qub (Jacob) as He perfected it upon your fathers (grandfather and great grandfather) Ibrahim (Abraham) and Ishaq (Isaac). Indeed, your Lord is All-Knowing, Most Wise.’

۞ لَّقَدْ كَانَ فِي يُوسُفَ وَإِخْوَتِهِ آيَاتٌ لِّلسَّائِلِينَ ٧

Surely, there are (many) signs (in the parable of) Yusuf (Joseph) and his brothers for those who are inquisitive.

إِذْ قَالُوا لَيُوسُفُ وَأَخُوهُ أَحَبُّ إِلَىٰ أَبِينَا مِنَّا وَنَحْنُ عُصْبَةٌ إِنَّ أَبَانَا لَفِي ضَلَالٍ مُّبِينٍ ٨

(Recall) when the brothers of Yusuf (Joseph) said: ‘Certainly, Yusuf (Joseph) and his brother are dearer to our father than we are, whereas we are a stronger party (comprising ten members). No doubt, our father is lost in an evident ecstasy (resulting from deep love for them).’

اقْتُلُوا يُوسُفَ أَوِ اطْرَحُوهُ أَرْضًا يَخْلُ لَكُمْ وَجْهُ أَبِيكُمْ وَتَكُونُوا مِن بَعْدِهِ قَوْمًا صَالِحِينَ ٩

(Now the only solution is:) ‘Kill Yusuf (Joseph), or banish him to some distant, unknown place. (Thus) your father’s attention will be focused purely on you, and after that you will become a group of righteous people (by turning towards Allah in repentance).’

قَالَ قَائِلٌ مِّنْهُمْ لَا تَقْتُلُوا يُوسُفَ وَأَلْقُوهُ فِي غَيَابَتِ الْجُبِّ يَلْتَقِطْهُ بَعْضُ السَّيَّارَةِ إِن كُنتُمْ فَاعِلِينَ ١٠

A negotiator from amongst them said: ‘Do not kill Yusuf (Joseph), rather lower him down at the bottom of a deep, dark well. Some traveller will pick him up and carry him away. (So do this) if you are (at all) up to (something).’

قَالُوا يَا أَبَانَا مَا لَكَ لَا تَأْمَنَّا عَلَىٰ يُوسُفَ وَإِنَّا لَهُ لَنَاصِحُونَ ١١

They said: ‘O our father, what has happened to you that you do not trust us in the case of Yusuf (Joseph), whilst we are certainly his well-wishers?

أَرْسِلْهُ مَعَنَا غَدًا يَرْتَعْ وَيَلْعَبْ وَإِنَّا لَهُ لَحَافِظُونَ ١٢

Send him with us tomorrow. He will eat lavishly and play and certainly we are his guards.’

قَالَ إِنِّي لَيَحْزُنُنِي أَن تَذْهَبُوا بِهِ وَأَخَافُ أَن يَأْكُلَهُ الذِّئْبُ وَأَنتُمْ عَنْهُ غَافِلُونَ ١٣

He said: ‘This idea indeed makes me sad that you take him along, and I am (also) afraid (of this idea) that some wolf may devour him, whilst you are careless of his (safeguard).’

قَالُوا لَئِنْ أَكَلَهُ الذِّئْبُ وَنَحْنُ عُصْبَةٌ إِنَّا إِذًا لَّخَاسِرُونَ ١٤

They said: ‘If the wolf devours him whilst we, a strong party, too are (present), then we are inept losers.’

فَلَمَّا ذَهَبُوا بِهِ وَأَجْمَعُوا أَن يَجْعَلُوهُ فِي غَيَابَتِ الْجُبِّ ۚ وَأَوْحَيْنَا إِلَيْهِ لَتُنَبِّئَنَّهُم بِأَمْرِهِمْ هَٰذَا وَهُمْ لَا يَشْعُرُونَ ١٥

Then, when they took him along and all agreed to throw him into some deep, dark well, We revealed to him: ‘(O Yusuf [Joseph], do not worry. A time will come when) you will certainly remind them of this affair of theirs, and they will not have the sense (of your exalted station).’

وَجَاءُوا أَبَاهُمْ عِشَاءً يَبْكُونَ ١٦

And (throwing Yusuf [Joseph] into the well,) they came to their father at night, weeping (deceptively).

قَالُوا يَا أَبَانَا إِنَّا ذَهَبْنَا نَسْتَبِقُ وَتَرَكْنَا يُوسُفَ عِندَ مَتَاعِنَا فَأَكَلَهُ الذِّئْبُ ۖ وَمَا أَنتَ بِمُؤْمِنٍ لَّنَا وَلَوْ كُنَّا صَادِقِينَ ١٧

They said: ‘O our father, we went racing with one another and left Yusuf (Joseph) with our belongings. Then a wolf devoured him, but you will not believe us even though we are truthful.’

وَجَاءُوا عَلَىٰ قَمِيصِهِ بِدَمٍ كَذِبٍ ۚ قَالَ بَلْ سَوَّلَتْ لَكُمْ أَنفُسُكُمْ أَمْرًا ۖ فَصَبْرٌ جَمِيلٌ ۖ وَاللَّهُ الْمُسْتَعَانُ عَلَىٰ مَا تَصِفُونَ ١٨

And they produced Yusuf’s (Joseph’s) shirt, smeared (also) with false blood. (Ya‘qub [Jacob]) said: ‘(This is not the truth.) But your (jealous, ill-commanding) selves have made (a colossal) task easy and pleasant-looking for you (which you eventually did accomplish). So better it is to be steadfast (over this tragedy), and I seek only Allah’s help against whatever you are narrating.’

وَجَاءَتْ سَيَّارَةٌ فَأَرْسَلُوا وَارِدَهُمْ فَأَدْلَىٰ دَلْوَهُ ۖ قَالَ يَا بُشْرَىٰ هَٰذَا غُلَامٌ ۚ وَأَسَرُّوهُ بِضَاعَةً ۚ وَاللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ بِمَا يَعْمَلُونَ ١٩

And (there) came a caravan of travellers. They sent their water-drawer. So he lowered his bucket (into the well) and he exclaimed: ‘Good news! Here is a boy!’ And they hid him, regarding him a valuable trade item. And Allah knows well the activities they were busy doing.

وَشَرَوْهُ بِثَمَنٍ بَخْسٍ دَرَاهِمَ مَعْدُودَةٍ وَكَانُوا فِيهِ مِنَ الزَّاهِدِينَ ٢٠

And Yusuf’s (Joseph’s) brothers (who had returned to the site showed him as their deserter servant and) sold him (to the same caravan) for a low price—a few dirhams—because the travellers were (already) disinterested in (buying) him. (And later, the travellers took him to Egypt where they sold him.)