˹Remember˺ when Joseph said to his father, “O my dear father! Indeed I dreamt of eleven stars, and the sun, and the moon—I saw them prostrating to me!”
He replied, “O my dear son! Do not relate your vision to your brothers, or they will devise a plot against you. Surely Satan is a sworn enemy to humankind.
And so will your Lord choose you ˹O Joseph˺, and teach you the interpretation of dreams, and perfect His favour upon you and the descendants of Jacob—˹just˺ as He once perfected it upon your forefathers, Abraham and Isaac. Surely your Lord is All-Knowing, All-Wise.”
˹Remember˺ when they said ˹to one another˺, “Surely Joseph and his brother ˹Benjamin˺ are more beloved to our father than we, even though we are a group of so many. Indeed, our father is clearly mistaken.
Kill Joseph or cast him out to some ˹distant˺ land so that our father’s attention will be only ours, then after that you may ˹repent and˺ become righteous people!”
One of them said, “Do not kill Joseph. But if you must do something, throw him into the bottom of a well so perhaps he may be picked up by some travellers.”
And so, when they took him away and decided to throw him into the bottom of the well, We inspired him: “˹One day˺ you will remind them of this deed of theirs while they are unaware ˹of who you are˺.”
12:16
wajāū abāhum ʿishāan yabkūna
Then they returned to their father in the evening, weeping.
They cried, “Our father! We went racing and left Joseph with our belongings, and a wolf devoured him! But you will not believe us, no matter how truthful we are.”
And they brought his shirt, stained with false blood. He responded, “No! Your souls must have tempted you to do something ˹evil˺. So ˹I can only endure with˺ beautiful patience! It is Allah’s help that I seek to bear your claims.”
And there came some travellers, and they sent their water-boy who let down his bucket into the well. He cried out, “Oh, what a great find! Here is a boy!” And they took him secretly ˹to be sold˺ as merchandise, but Allah is All-Knowing of what they did.
12:20
washarawhu bithamanin bakhsin darāhima maʿdūdatin wakānū fīhi mina l-zāhidīna
They ˹later˺ sold him for a cheap price, just a few silver coins—only wanting to get rid of him.
12:21
waqāla alladhī ish'tarāhu min miṣ'ra li-im'ra-atihi akrimī mathwāhu ʿasā an yanfaʿanā aw nattakhidhahu waladan wakadhālika makkannā liyūsufa fī l-arḍi walinuʿallimahu min tawīli l-aḥādīthi wal-lahu ghālibun ʿalā amrihi walākinna akthara l-nāsi lā yaʿlamūna
The man from Egypt who bought him said to his wife, “Take good care of him, perhaps he may be useful to us or we may adopt him as a son.” This is how We established Joseph in the land, so that We might teach him the interpretation of dreams. Allah’s Will always prevails, but most people do not know.
And the lady, in whose house he lived, tried to seduce him. She locked the doors ˹firmly˺ and said, “Come to me!” He replied, “Allah is my refuge! It is ˹not right to betray˺ my master, who has taken good care of me. Indeed, the wrongdoers never succeed.”
12:24
walaqad hammat bihi wahamma bihā lawlā an raā bur'hāna rabbihi kadhālika linaṣrifa ʿanhu l-sūa wal-faḥshāa innahu min ʿibādinā l-mukh'laṣīna
She advanced towards him, and he would have done likewise, had he not seen a sign from his Lord. This is how We kept evil and indecency away from him, for he was truly one of Our chosen servants.
12:25
wa-is'tabaqā l-bāba waqaddat qamīṣahu min duburin wa-alfayā sayyidahā ladā l-bābi qālat mā jazāu man arāda bi-ahlika sūan illā an yus'jana aw ʿadhābun alīmun
They raced for the door and she tore his shirt from the back, only to find her husband at the door. She cried, “What is the penalty for someone who tried to violate your wife, except imprisonment or a painful punishment?”
12:26
qāla hiya rāwadatnī ʿan nafsī washahida shāhidun min ahlihā in kāna qamīṣuhu qudda min qubulin faṣadaqat wahuwa mina l-kādhibīna
Joseph responded, “It was she who tried to seduce me.” And a witness from her own family testified: “If his shirt is torn from the front, then she has told the truth and he is a liar.
12:27
wa-in kāna qamīṣuhu qudda min duburin fakadhabat wahuwa mina l-ṣādiqīna
But if it is torn from the back, then she has lied and he is truthful.”
12:28
falammā raā qamīṣahu qudda min duburin qāla innahu min kaydikunna inna kaydakunna ʿaẓīmun
So when her husband saw that Joseph’s shirt was torn from the back, he said ˹to her˺, “This must be ˹an example˺ of the cunning of you ˹women˺! Indeed, your cunning is so shrewd!
12:29
yūsufu aʿriḍ ʿan hādhā wa-is'taghfirī lidhanbiki innaki kunti mina l-khāṭiīna
O Joseph! Forget about this. And you ˹O wife˺! Seek forgiveness for your sin. It certainly has been your fault.”
Some women of the city gossiped, “The Chief Minister’s wife is trying to seduce her slave-boy. Love for him has plagued her heart. Indeed, we see that she is clearly mistaken.”