النص المفهرس

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the House of Prophets. Such a statement of personal excellence - if it is
based on the intention to serve people to become better and not to prove
one's personal rank - will not be considered as the 'self-praise' which has
been prohibited in the Holy Qur'an: ◌ْفَلاَ تُزَكُّوًا أَنْفُسَكُم that is, do not talk
about the purity of your own self. (Tafsir Mazhari)
4. Pointed to here is an important principle of communication and
correction (Tabligh and Irshad). It is the duty of the carrier of a Call
(Da'i) and reformer (Muslih) that he should, at all times and under all
circumstances, keep his constant mission of Da'wah and Tabligh come
first of all he does. In other words, if someone comes to him for someth-
ing, he should not forget his real mission - as was done by Sayyidna
Yusuf Seal when these prisoners came to him to ask for an interpreta-
tion of their dreams. At that time, before answering their request for the
interpretation of their dreams, he gave them the gift of right guidance
through his Tabligh and Irshad. Please do not take Da'wah and Tabligh
as something which takes place in a conference, or on a pulpit or stage
alone. This job is done far more effectively through personal contacts and
private exchanges.
5. Another aspect of this very effort of telling people what is right
and seeking their betterment through it (Irshad and Islah) is : Whatever
is said in this connection should be said with the strategy of wisdom in a
way that it goes into the heart of the addressee. This is how it was done
by Sayyidna Yusuf See. He succeeded in showing to them that the excel-
lences he had were the direct outcome of his disengagement with disbe-
lief and adoption of Islam as his faith. After that he described the draw-
backs and shortcomings of Kufr and Shirk in a soft manner which
appeals to the heart.
6. Another problem resolved here is about how bad news should be
handled. If, that which has to be communicated to an addressee happens
to be painful or repugnant, yet it be necessary that it be disclosed, then,
it should be presented before the addressee, as far as possible, in a way
that it brings the least discomfort to him. This is as it was when the
death of one person was destined as interpreted on the basis of his
dream, but Sayyidna Yusuf &del kept it ambiguous. He did not make it
precise and fixed by telling him that he will be the one to be hanged. (Ibn
Kathir, Mazharī)

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7. It will be recalled that Sayyidna Yusuf
had sought his release
from the prison when he asked the acquitted prisoner: Mention me be-
fore your master. This tells us that making someone a medium of effort
in order to get out of some difficulty is not against the principle of Tawak-
kul (Trust in Allah).
8. Another view of this problem is that Allah Ta'ala does not like His
great prophets making efforts to achieve everything permissible and go
on to make a human being the medium of their release. This is so
because the absence of any medium between them and Allah Ta'ala
spells out the true identity of prophets. Perhaps, that was why this
prisoner forgot about the message given by Sayyidna Yusuf Seel which
made him stay in the prison for many more years. In a Hadith too, the
Holy Prophet
has pointed out in this direction.
Verses 43 - 50
وَقَالَ الْمَلِكُ إِنِّىَّ أَرْى سَبُعَ بَقَرْتٍ سِمَانِ يَّأْكُلُهُنَّ سَبُعٌ عِجَافٌ
وَّسَبْعَ سُبُلْتٍ خُضُرٍ وَأُخَرَ بُبِسْتٍ ﴿ يََّ يُّهَا الْمَلَأ ◌َقْتُوُنِىُ فِىُ رُءُيَاىَ
إِنُ كُمْ لِلرُّءُيَا تَعْبُرُونَ ﴿٤﴾ قَالُوَّا أَضُغَاتُ أَخْلاَمٍ، وَمَا نَحُنُ بِتَأْوِيْلٍ
الْأَحْلاَمِ بعُلِمِينَ ﴿٤٤﴾ وَقَالَ الَّذِىُ نَجَا مِنُهُمَا وَاذَّكَرَ بَعُدَ أُمَّةٍ أَنَا
أَنَبِّئُكُمُ بِتَأْوَيُلِهِ فَاَرُسِلُوُن ﴿٤٥) يُوُسُفُ أَيُّهَا الصِّدِّيْقُ أَفْتِنَا فِىُ سَبُعِ
بَقَرْتٍ سِمَانٍ يََّكُلُهُنَّ سَبْعٌ عِجَافٌ وَّسَبْعِ سُبُّلتٍ خُضُرٍ وَّ أُخَرَ
يُيِسْتٍ ا لَعَلِّىَّ أَرْجِعُ إِلَى النَّاسِ لَعَلَّهُمُ يَعْلَمُونَ ﴿٦؛﴾ قَالَ تَزْرَعُونَ
سَبْعَ سِيْنَ دَابَاءَ فَمَا حَصَدُّمُ فَذَرُؤُهُ فِىُ سُنَبْلِةٍ إِلاَّ قَلِيْلاً مِّمَّا
تَأْكُلُونَ ﴿٤٧﴾ ثُمَّ يَأْتِىُ مِنُ بَعُدِ ذَلِكَ سَبُعٌ شِدَادٌ يَّأَكُلُنَ مَا قَدَّمْتُمُ
لَهُنَّ إِلاَّ قَلِيلاً مِّمَّا تُحُصِنُونَ ﴿٤٨﴾ ثُمَّ يَأْتِىُ مِنُ بَعُدِ ذَلِكَ عَامٌ فِيْهِ
يُغَاثُ النَّاسُ وَفِيْهِ يَعُصِرُونَ ﴿٤﴾ وَقَالَ الْمَلِكُ الْتُونِىُ بِهِ، فَلَمَّا جَاءَهُ
الرَّسُوُلُ قَالَ ارْجِعُ إِلَى رَبِّكَ فَسَلُهُ مَا بَالُ النِّسُوَةِ الْتِىُ قَطَّعْنَ

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Surah Yusuf : 12 : 43 - 50
آَيْدِيَهُنَّ﴿ إِنَّ رَبِّىُ بِكَيْدِهِنَّ عَلِيمٌ ﴿ .. )
And the king said, "I have seen (in a dream) seven fat
cows being eaten by seven lean ones, and seven ears of
grain which are green and (seven) others which are dry.
O people, tell me about my dream, if you do interpret
dreams." [43] They said, "(It seems to be) a mishmash of
dreams, and we do not know the interpretation of
dreams." [44]
And said the one who was released out of the two and re-
called (Yusuf) after a long time, "I shall tell you its inter-
pretation. Just send me (to Yusuf)." [45]
"Yusuf, O the truthful one, tell us about seven fat cows
eaten by seven lean ones, and seven ears of grain which
are green and (seven) others which are dry, so that I
may go back to the people, that they may know." [46]
He said, "You will grow crops for seven years consecu-
tively. So, what you have harvested, leave it in its ear,
except a little which you eat. [47] Then there shall come
after that seven hard years which shall eat up what you
have stored for them, except a little which you preserve
(to sow). [48] Then there shall come after that a year in
which people shall have rains and in which they shall
extract juices." [49]
And the king said, "Bring him to me." So, when the mes-
senger came to him, he said, "Go back to your lord and
ask him, 'What about the women who cut their hands?'
Surely, my Lord knows their guile well." [50]
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 Mell. This made the king of Egypt see a dream
which caused him great anxiety. He assembled the known dream inter-
pretors 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: ◌َاضُغَاتُ أَحُلاَمٌ وَمَا نَحُنُ بِتَأْوِيْلِ الْأَحْلَامِ بِعِلِمِين :«(It seems to be) a mishmash
of dreams, and we do not know the interpretation of dreams.' The word:
she's (adghath) is the plural form of: das (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 say-

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ing was that this dream was somewhat muddled, confused and an admix-
ture of many thoughts and things, and they did not know how to inter-
pret 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 Sel, 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 , his expertise
in dream interpretation, and his detention in the prison despite his inno-
cence, he submitted that he be allowed to meet him in the prison. The
king arranged that for him. He came to Sayyidna Yusuf Seal. To de-
scribe this entire episode, the Holy Qur'an has used only one word:
.(fa arsiluni) فَآَرُسِلُونِ
It means: Just send me (to Yusuf). Things like the introduction of
Sayyidna Yusuf Mel, 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 الصِّدِّيق (Yusuf, O 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 Mell 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 ears of grain which are green and seven
others which are dry.
لَعَلِّىَّ أَرُجِعُ إِلَى النَّاسِ لَعَلَّهُمْ :After having related the dream, this person said
Syl (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 inter-

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preting dreams solely depends on knowing what a particular autono-
mous image in that world means. Allah Ta'ala had blessed Sayyidna
Yusuf Xcell with perfection in this art. As soon as he heard the dream re-
lated, he knew that seven fat cows and seven green ears denote seven
years during which crops will grow well as usual - because animal-driv-
en 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 fa-
mine - 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 Seal also added to it that, following the year of drought, there will
be an year of good rains and crops. Sayyidna Yusuf He 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 com-
mentator, Qatadah, Allah Ta'ala had Sayyidna Yusuf Skal 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
is further
enhanced to become the cause of his being released. Then, another factor
was added to this. Sayyidna Yusuf Hall 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 fel-
low-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 يَأْتِىُ مِنْ بَعُدٍ ذُلِكَ سَبْعٌ شِدَادٌ يَّكُلُنَ مَا قَدَّمْتُمُ لَهُن (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 fa-
mine will eat up what they had stored over the past years. Though, an

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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
1. 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: Ju,
And the king said, 'Bring him to me.'). It means that the king) الْمَلِكُ انْتُوُنِىُ بِه
gave the order that Sayyidna Yusuf Meel be taken out of the prison and
be produced before him in his court. So, some emissary of the king ar-
rived at the prison with the message of the king.
Obviously, this was an occasion which should have been welcomed by
Sayyidna Yusuf el. He had been in the prison for a long time, re-
stricted 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:
قَال ارْجِعُ إِلَى رَبِّكَ فَشْثَلُهُ مَابَالُ النِّسُوَةِ الْتِىُ قَطَّعُنَ آَيْدِيَهُنَّ إِنَّ رَبِىُ 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
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. (Qurțubi)

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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 Sel said:
Surely, my Lord knows their guile well). He said this so) إِنَّ رَبِىُ بِكَيْدِهِنَّ عَلِيمٌ
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 Şahin of Al-Bukhari and the Jami'
of Tirmidhi, following a narration of Sayyidna Abu Hurairah 4e6, there is
a Hadith of the Holy Prophet
§ in which he said: If I had been in a pri-
son for so long, as Yusuf Meel had been, and had I then been summoned
for release, I would have accepted it immediately.
And in a report from Imam al-Țabari, the words are: The patience,
forbearance and many other noble traits of his character are astonish-
ing. 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, be-
fore giving the interpretation, placed a condition that I should be taken
out of the prison before I could give an interpretation of that dream.
Again, when the emissary of the king brought in the message of his re-
lease, had I been in his place, I would have immediately started walking
towards the gate of the prison. (Qurțubi)
It should be noted that the purpose in this Hadith is to praise the pa-
tience, forbearance and the many noble traits of the character of
Sayyidna Yusuf 8. But, by comparing the response of Sayyidna Yusuf
in the present situation which he supposedly attributed to himself, he
seems to be saying that had he been there in his place, he would have
not elected to delay his release. If this is taken to mean that the Holy
Prophet
g is calling the conduct of Sayyidna Yusuf a better and, in
the case of his own august person, he is saying that had he been in his
place, he would have not been able to match that preferred conduct, rath-
er, would have settled for the less preferred, it is obviously not upto the
station of the one who is called the foremost among prophets, may peace

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Surah Yusuf : 12 : 51 - 52
be upon them all. To answer that, it may be said that he is, no doubt,
the foremost among prophets, but the precedence of some other prophet
in a certain part of his conduct would not be considered contrary to it.
In addition to that, as said in Tafsir al-Qurtubi, it is also possible
that the modus operandi employed by Sayyidna Yusuf el is an out-
standing proof of his patience, forbearance and noble traits of character -
and is highly commendable at its place. But, the pragmatic method of
doing things which the Holy Prophet
attributed to himself was partic-
ularly appropriate to and better for educating his community and offer-
ing to its teeming masses the best course of action likely to bring nothing
but good to them. The reason in the present setting is that the tempera-
ment of kings changes. Placing trust in them is not a wise thing to do.
On an occasion such as this, putting conditions or delaying the process is
not the appropriate thing to do for common people. The probability re-
mains that the king may change his opinion and one is left to rot in that
prison, as it had long been the practice. As for Sayyidna Yusuf Sel, he
is a prophet of Allah. As such, he could have been given to understand
by Allah Ta'ala that the delay he would cause would not go against his
interest in any way. But, others do not enjoy that degree of closeness to
Allah. The Holy Prophet
was mercy for all the worlds. In his tempera-
ment and taste, he had an elemental rapport with the entire creation of
Allah. He always preferred to make things easier and better for the
great masses of people. To him this was more important. Therefore, he
said: If he had the opportunity, he would have not delayed. Allah knows
best.
Verses 51 - 52
قَالَ مَا خَطْبُكُنَّ إِذْ رَاوَدتُّنَّ يُوسُفَ عَنْ نَّفُسِهِ ﴿ قُلْنَ حَاشَ لِلْهِ مَا
عَلِمُنَا عَلَيْهِ مِنُ سُؤٍَّ* قَالَتِ امْرَتُ الْعَزِيزِ الْغُنَ حَصْحَصَ الْحَقُّ أَنَا
رَاوَدُّتُّهُ، عَنُ نَّفُسِهِ وَإِنَّهُ لَمِنَ الصَّدِقِيْنَ ﴿٥١) ذُلِكَ لِيَعُلَمَ آَنِّىُ لَمُ أَخُنُهُ
بِالْغَيْبِ وَأَنَّ اللّهَ لاَ يَهْدِىُ كَيْدَ الْخَابِنِينَ ﴿٥٢﴾
He (the king) said, "What was your case, O women, when
you seduced Yusuf?" They said, "God forbid, we know of

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no evil in him." The governor's wife said, "Now the truth
has come to light. I did seduce him, and he is of the
truthful." [51] (Then Yusuf said,) "That was because he
(the governor) may know that I did not betray him in
his absence and that Allah does not lead the guile of
betrayers to success." [52]
Commentary
When the royal emissary delivered to Sayyidna Yusuf Heal the order
of his release and invited him to see the king, he asked him to first have
his case investigated through the women who had cut their hands. His
approach was based on many wise considerations. Allah Ta'ala bestows
on His prophets a perfect faith, He also gives them matching intelligence
and insight into matters and conditions they have to face. From the
tenor of the royal message, Sayyidna Yusuf & had deduced that the
king of Egypt was going to confer some honour on him after his release
from the prison. At that time, wisdom demanded that the reality of the
misconduct for which he was blamed and because of which he was con-
fined into the prison must become fully clear before everyone concerned
and no one remains in doubt about his innocence. If this was not done,
the outcome would be that people would stop talking for a while because
of the royal honour bestowed on him, but these doubts would keep tick-
ing in their hearts making them think that he was the person who had
violated the honour of his master. That such conditions could emerge in
royal courts and the king becomes influenced by such popular thoughts
is not a possibility too far out. Therefore, he considered it necessary that
this matter should be straightened out and cleaned up before his release.
In the second (52) of the two verses cited above, Sayyidna Yusuf &cel has
himself pointed out to two considerations implied in the way he acted
and in the option of delaying his release.
The first consideration was: ◌ِذلِكَ لِيَعُلَمَ أَنِّىُ لَمُ أَخُنُهُ بالْغَيْب It means: I delayed
my release so that the 'Aziz of Misr comes to know for sure that I did not
betray him in any way during his absence.
He was so concerned about making the 'Aziz of Mir become assured
of his innocence because he thought it would be terrible if the 'Aziz of
Mișr continues to harbour doubts in his heart against him and suffer
more from them when unable to say much after the royal honour has
been conferred on him. If so, he would be displeased with the honour

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given to him and far more painful would be the silence he would have to
maintain. Since, he had been his master when he lived with him, his
pain was too much to bear for Sayyidna Yusuf &KHI, intrinsically gentle
as he was. Then, it was equally obvious that once the 'Aziz of Mişr came
to believe in his innocence, people will stop talking by themselves.
The second consideration he mentions is:َوَأَنَّ اللّهَ لاَ يَهُدِىُ كَيُدَ الْخَايِنِين ,that
is, he asked for investigations to be made in order that people may know
that Allah does not lead the guile of betrayers to success.
This statement could be taken to mean that an investigation would
expose the betrayal of the betrayers and people would stand warned that
betrayers are finally disgraced leaving a lesson for others to stay away
from doing things like that in the future. Also possible here is another
meaning, that is, had Sayyidna Yusuf Meal received the royal honours in
the same climate of doubt, it may have occured to all watchers that it
was not impossible to betray and be honoured at the same time. This
would have distorted their faith in fidelity and would have driven away
the distaste for betrayal from their hearts. However, it was because of
these two considerations that Sayyidna Yusuf & did not favour his
leaving the prison immediately after having received the message of his
release. In fact, there was a touch of royal elegance in his manner when
he demanded that his case be investigated first.
A gist of this appears in verse 51:قَالَ مَا خَطَبُكُنَّ إِذْ رَا وَدُتُنَّ يُوسُفَ عَنُ نَّفُسِه that
is, the king called for the women who had cut their hands and asked
them: 'What was your case, O women, when you seduced Yusuf?' This
question of the king tells us that he, on his part, had become certain that
the party at fault was not Sayyidna Yusuf Sel. He took those women to
be at fault, therefore, he said: 'when you seduced Yusuf.' After that, the
answer given by the women appears as follows:
قُلْنَ حَاشَ لِلّهِ مَا عَلِمُنَا عَلَيْهِ مِنْ سُوْءٍ ﴿ قَالَتِ امْرَاتُ الْعَزِيزِ الْنَ حَصُحَصَ الْحَقُّ أَنَا
رَاوَدُّنُّهُ عَنْ نَّفُسِهِ وَنَّهْ لَمِنَ الصُّدِقِيْنَ
They said, 'God forbid, we know of no evil in him.' The govern-
or's wife (also present there) said, 'Now, the truth has come to
light. I did seduce him, and he is of the truthful.'
Sayyidna Yusuf Meel had not named the wife of the governor, the
'Aziz of Mişr, as part of the investigations, but that is how things happen

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when Allah jalla thana'uh decides to honour someone - people would rise
and speak up, come forward and tell the truth, without let or hinderance
or demur. So it was on this occasion. The wife of the governor found the
courage. She herself proclaimed the truth.
Upto this point, in what you have heard about Sayyidna Yusuf Sell,
there is good guidance for our lives and solutions of many problems as
well. Eight of such rulings have appeared under our comments on Verses
36-42. An additional six which come out from the present verses are being
given below.
Rulings:
9. Allah Ta'ala Himself manages things for His favoured servants by
releasing unseen arrangements which help them achieve their objectives
- for He does not like them to become indebted to anyone else created by
Him. This was the reason why the message of Sayyidna Yusuf Sel
given to the prisoner-to-be-released in which he was asked to mention
him to the king was made to be forgotten. Later, in its place, a very spe-
cial arrangement was made through the workings of the unseen which
was designed to serve two objectives at the same time, that Sayyidna
Yusuf Mel would not become indebted to anyone's favour to start with,
and that the main purpose of his release from the prison would stand
achieved with full honour and dignity waiting for him.
To set this unseen plan in motion, the king of Egypt was made to see
a disturbing dream, the interpretation of which proved to be beyond the
abilities of the experts he had at his court. So, driven by need, recourse
had to be made to Sayyidna Yusuf el. (Ibn Kathir)
10. Prophetic conduct is a mirror of high morals. Consider the behavi-
our of the prisoner who was released. Sayyidna Yusuf &dal had simply
asked him to mention his name to the king. But he was unable to do
even this much for him. As a result of his neglect, he had to spend seven
more years in the prison. Now the same prisoner returns to him after
seven years carrying a job of his own, that of finding out the interpreta-
tion of the same king's dream, the king to whom he had been asked to
mention Sayyidna Yusuf's name and which he did not. In a situation like
that, it was natural that he should have admonished him, even become
angry at him for not having done something so insignificant. But, Sayyid-

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na Yusuf Sell
acted in accord with his prophetic morals when he, not to
say much about an admonition, did not even mention the episode itself.
(Ibn Kathir & Qurțubi)
11. Anbiya' and 'Ulama' have a dual duty. They should naturally be
concerned about the attitude of people towards their 'Akhirah. They
have to help them out with good counsel in this crucial matter by shield-
ing them from deeds which will become their punishment in the 'Akhi-
rah. Then, along with it, they should also keep a constant watch on the
economic condition of Muslims so that they do not suffer - as was done
by Sayyidna Yusuf SCell. On this occasion, he did not consider it suffi-
cient to simply give the interpretation of the dream. Instead, he gave a
wise and well-meaning advice as well. He suggested to them that they
should leave the entire wheat crop in the ears only taking out what was
needed so that the grain so stored would not go bad in later years.
12. An 'Alim whose guidance is relied upon by Muslims should also
watch out that he is not suspected by people - even though such a suspi-
cion be totally unfounded. Efforts should be made to stay safe from this
too - because suspicion, whether from ignorance or misunderstanding,
does interfere with the work of da wah and teaching they carry out, and
goes on to lighten the effect of what is said. (Qurtubi) The Holy Prophet
has said: Stay away even from places and occasions of blame. It
means that one should try to stay away from places and occasions where
and when someone gets an opportunity to put a blame on the next per-
son. This rule applies to Muslims generally. Those who are prominent
among them, the 'Ulama' particularly, they have to observe twice as
much precaution. The example of the Holy Prophet
is before us. He
was Divinely protected from all defects and sins. He too made a point to
observe this precaution. Once, when one of his blessed wives was pass-
ing by a small side-street of Madinah with him, some Companion ap-
peared before them. While he was still some distance away from them,
the Holy Prophet
told him that such and such wife of his was with
him. He did this so that the onlooker does not fall into some doubt that
the lady going there was a stranger. In the present situation, Sayyidna
Yusuf gel, despite orders for his release and the invitation to see the
king, tried well before his release that any doubts people may have
should be removed.

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13. If someone is obligated to a person, because of his rights on him
and is, as such, deserving of respect, then, should there come a situation
in which, under inevitable circumstances, some sort of action has to be
taken against that person, in that case too, giving due consideration to
the right and respect of that person, to the best of one's ability, is the
duty of a thorough gentleman. This is as it was done by Sayyidna Yusuf
Scel to secure his absolvement from the blame. It will be recalled that
while referring his matter for investigations, he had not named either
the 'Aziz of Mir, or his wife. He had simply mentioned the women who
had cut their hands. (Qurtubi) - because, he could still achieve his
objective.
14. Taught here are the highest and noblest traits of character. We
can see that Sayyidna Yusuf Seal had suffered the loss of his freedom for
seven or twelve years in the prison but, when he was released, the tak-
ing of revenge was a far cry, he did not even bear by the idea that some-
one would be put to the least inconvenience on his account - as particu-
larly taken into consideration in the verse: ◌ِلِيَعُلَمَ أَنِّىُ لَمُ أَخُنُهُ بالْغَيْب (so that he
may know that I did not betray him in his absence - 52).
Verses 53 - 57
وَمَآ أُبَرِّئُ نَفْسِىُّ إِنَّ النَّفُسَ لَآَمَّارَةٌ بِالسُّوْءِ إِلَّ مَارَحِمَ رَبِّىٌ * إِنَّ
رَبِّىُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ ﴿٠٣﴾ وَقَالَ الْمَلِكُ الْتُوُنِىُ بِهِ اسْتَخْلِصُهُ لِنَفْسِىُّ؟
فَلَمَّا كَلَّمَهُ، قَالَ إِنَّكَ الْيَوْمَ لَدَيْنَا مَكِيْنٌ آَمِيْنٌ ﴿٤﴾ قَالَ اجُعَلْنِىُّ عَلى
خَزَآئِنِ الْأَرْضِ ، إِىُ حَفِيظٌ عَلِيمٌ ﴿٠٥﴾ وَكَذَلِكَ مَكَنَّا لِيُوسُفَ فِى
الْأَرْضِ ، يَتَبَوّأُ مِنْهَا حَيْثُ يَشَآءُ، نُصِيْبُ بِرَحُمَتِنَا مَنْ نَّشَاءُ وَلاَ
نُضِيعُ أَجُرَالْمُحُسِنِينَ ﴿٥٦) وَلَاَجُرُ الْآخِرَةِ خَيْرٌ لِلَّذِيْنَ امَنُوا وَكَانُوا
يَتَّقُونَ (٠٢)
"And I do not absolve my inner self of blame. Surely,
man's inner self often incites to evil, unless my Lord
shows mercy. Certainly, my Lord is the Most-Forgiving,
Very-Merciful." [53]

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And the king said, "Bring him to me, and I shall make
him (work) for myself alone." So, when he (the king)
talked to him (Yusuf), he said, "To day you are with us
firmly accomodated and trusted." [54] He said, "Appoint
me to (supervise) the treasures of the land. I am indeed
a knowledgeable keeper." [55]
And thus We gave Yusuf power in the land. He could set-
tle there wherever he wished. We extend Our mercy to
whomsoever We will, and We do not waste the reward of
those who are good in deeds. [56] And the reward of the
Hereafter is surely better for those who believe and
keep fearing Allah. [57]
Commentary
Claiming Purity for one's own Self is not proper except under
special Conditions
Stated in the previous verse (52) was the statement of Sayyidna
Yusuf Xes
that he did not favour his release from the prison before he
has been exonerated through a full investigation of the blame imputed to
him so that the governor and the king of Egypt can arrive at full certain-
ty that he was not guilty of any betrayal and that the blame was totally
unfounded. In this statement, the reference to his freedom from blame
and his purity of conduct was being made as based on an inevitable ne-
cessity - which outwardly gave the impression of a pronouncement of per-
sonal integrity and purity - and that was something not welcome in the
sight of Allah Ta'ala as is proved from the words of the Holy Qur'an
where it is said: ◌ُآلَمُ تَرَ إِلَى الَّذِينَ يُزَكُّونَ أَنفُسَهُمُ بَلِ اللَّهُ يُزَكِّىُ مَنْ يَّشَاء (Have you not seen
those who claim sanctity for themselves? In fact, Allah sanctifies whom-
soever He wills - 4:49). Again, in Surah An-Najm, it was said: 0, 50
Do not claim sanctity for your selves; He knows best) أَنْفُسَكُمُ هُوَ أَعُلَمُ بِمَنِ اتَّقُى
who it is that guards against evil - 53:32).
It was for this reason that Sayyidna Yusuf deel has, in the present
verse (53), not allowed his plea of innocence in this matter to remain un-
qualified. As evident, he has stressed upon the reality that by saying
what he is saying he has no intention to claim any piety or purity for
himself. The truth of the matter is that human self, by nature, keeps
pulling everyone to what is bad - except those who are blessed with
mercy from the Lord who would make them immunely pure against the
evil instigations of their self. They are the blessed prophets. The Qur'an

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calls such immunized selves: la på (the self or soul at peace) (Al-Fajr:
89:27). Thus, the substance of what Sayyidna Yusuf Meel said was: In a
trial of such magnitude, my remaining safe from sin was no personal
achiement of mine. In fact, this was a result of the mercy and help of
Allah Ta'ala alone. Had He not removed evil desires from my heart, I
would have become like the rest of human beings who would be prone to
surrender before their desires.
According to some narrations, Sayyidna Yusuf & said this sen-
tence because a kind of 'thought' did, after all, emerge in his heart -
though, limited to a non-voluntary scruple - but, was an unwelcome slip
anyway considering the elegant station of prophethood with which he
was blessed. Therefore, he expressly confessed that he did not totally ab-
solve his inner self from blame.
The Three States of Human Self
In this verse (53), a problem which needs to be considered is that it
declares every human self as often inciting to evil: ¿ Ju gul (ammara-
tum-bis-su'). This is as it appears in a Hadith in which the Holy Prophet
has been reported to have asked the Sahabah : What do you think
about a companion who, if you treat him nicely, feed him, clothe him,
still he would throw you in all sorts of troubles - and if you insult him,
and keep him hungry and naked, he would do what is good for you? The
Şaņabah
said: Ya Rasul Allah, there just cannot be a companion
worse than him in this whole world! He said: By Him in whose hands
rests my life, your self inside you is such a companion. (Qurțubi) And it ap-
pears in another Hadith: Your greatest enemy is your own self which not
only disgraces you by getting you involved in evil deeds, but also makes
you run into all sorts of troubles.
However, the cited verse and Hadith narrations given above tell us
that human self does usually demand the doing of what is bad from us.
But, in Surah Al-Qiyamah, this very human self has been given the hon-
our of being called by the sobrequit: 41 (lawwamah : reproaching) plac-
ing it at a level that the Lord of All Honour has sworn by it: the family
I do swear by the day of Judgement and I do swear by) وَلَا أُقُسِمُ بِالنَّفْسِ اللَّوَّامَةِ
the reproaching self - 75:1,2). Then, in Surah Al-Fajr, by calling this very
human self: disk me (mutma'innah: at peace), glad tidings of Jannah
have been given : ◌ِياَ يَّتُهَا النَّفُسُ الْمُطْمَئِنَّةُ ارجعِىَّ إِلَى رَبّك (O self at peace, come back to

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your Lord ... 89:27,28). Thus, the human self has been called as inciting to
evil at one place, as reproaching at another, and as being at peace at yet
another.
To explain, it can be said that the human self when on its own does
incite to evil deeds and is called: Ammarah. But, when one does not fol-
low its dictates because of the fear of Allah and 'Akhirah, his or her self
becomes Lawwamah, that is, hates evil deeds, repents from them and
seeks forgiveness - as is true in the case of the righteous people of the
Muslim Ummah at large. And when someone keeps striving hard
against his or her self, and brings it to a state where the very urge to
turn to evil deeds does not remain there anymore, then, that self be-
comes what is called: Mutma'innah (the self at peace). Righteous people
can arrive at this state through spiritual strivings. Still, there is no cer-
tainty that this state will continue for ever. But, the prophets of Allah,
may peace be upon them all, are Divinely blessed with such self at peace
without any previous striving - and it always remains constant at that
state. Thus, it is in terms of three states of human self that three kinds
of acts have been attributed to it.
At the end of the verse (53), it was said:ٌإِنَّ رَبِّى لَغَفُورٌ رَّحِيم (Certainly, my
Lord is the Most-Forgiving, Very-Merciful) which has a hint in the word:
JA : Ghafur: Most-Forgiving. When the self that incites to evil deeds
(Ammarah) is ashamed of its doings, repents, corrects and becomes the
reproaching self (Lawwamah), then, certainly great is the forgiveness of
Allah - He will forgive. The word: , (Rahim : Very-Merciful) indicates
that a person who is blessed with a self at peace (Mutma'innah), that too
is nothing but a result of the mercy of Allah.
وَقَالَ الْمَلِكُ الْتُوُنِىُ به :In the next verse (54) which begins with the words
(Bring him to me ... ), it has been said, when the king of Egypt investigat-
ed about the event, as requested by Sayyidna Yusuf &Cel, Zulaikha and
all other women concerned with it confessed to the truth. The king, then,
ordered that Sayyidna Yusuf
be brought to him so that he can ap-
point him as his personal adviser. According to the royal order, Sayyidna
Yusuf Seel was brought with full honours from the prison to the royal
court. When he got an idea of his full potential by talking to him, the
king said: 'Today you are with us firmly accomodated and trusted.'

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Imam al-Baghawi reports: When the emissary of the king arrived
again at the prison to convey the invitation of the king to Sayyidna
Yusuf Sel, he prayed for all inmates of the prison, took a ritual bath
and donned a new dress. When he arrived at the royal court, the du'a' he
made was:
حَسُبِىُ رَّبِّىُ مِنْ دُنْيَاىَ وَحَسْبِىُ رَبِّىُ مِنْ خَلْقِهِ عَزّ جَارُهُ، وَجَلَّ ثَنَاتُهُ، وَلاَ إِلَّهَ غَيْرُه،
For me sufficient is my Lord against my world and, for me, suf-
ficient is my Lord against the whole creation. Mighty is he who
comes under His protection; and most sublime is His praise;
and there is no deity worthy of worship other than Him.
When he reached inside the court, he turned to Allah again, prayed
again in the same spirit and greeted the court in Arabic saying: JÍ
Peace on you and the mercy of Allah). For the king, the) عَلَيُكُمُ وَرَحْمَةُ اللهِ
prayer he made was in Hebrew. The king, though he knew many lan-
guages, was not aware of Arabic and Hebrew. It was Sayyidna Yusuf
who told him that the Salam was in Arabic and the Du'a', in He-
brew.
It also appears in a narration that the king talked to Sayyidna Yusuf
Xcell in many different languages and Sayyidna Yusuf Mal replied to
him in the language spoken by him, adding Arabic and Hebrew as two
additional languages which the king did not know. This episode greatly
increased respect for Sayyidna Yusuf See in the heart of the king.
After that, the king wished to hear him give the interpretation of his
dream directly before him. In response, Sayyidna Yusuf Seal first de-
scribed before him particular details of his dream which he himself had
not told anyone about, and then told him the interpretation as he had
wished.
The king was astonished. Though, it was not so much about the
interpretation given. What made him really wonder was how could he
find out all those details. After that, the king sought his counsel on what
should he do next. The advice given by Sayyidna Yusuf ys was: During
the first seven years of expected heavy rains, you should have
arrangements made so that cultivation and crops yield their highest.
This could be done by giving incentives to people to make sure that their
maximum land areas come under cultivation and crops turn out plentiful

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- and let them keep storing one fifth of their total produce with them.
Thus, the people of Egypt would have stored with them enough for the
seven years of famine and you would not have to worry on their account.
Keep whatever supply of grains comes to the government through fixed
taxes or state lands stored for those coming from outside the country -
because, this famine will be wide-spread. People living in adjoining
countries would need your help. At that time, you may come to the help
of many a deprived people around you by giving it to them. Even if you
were to put an ordinary price on it, you can be sure of collecting in the
government treasury the amount of wealth that had never been there.
The king was immensely pleased with this advice, but did wonder how
would such a stupendous plan be managed, and who would do that.
Thereupon, Sayyidna Yusuf ◌َِّالش said:ٌإِجْعَلُنِىُ عَلى خَزَآمِنِ الْأَرْضِ إِنِّيُ حَفِيظٌ عَلِيم that
is, 'appoint me to the treasures of the land (which includes the produce
of the land) for I am indeed a knowledgeable keeper (fully capable of
conserving and guarding it, and aware of where to spend and how much
to spend). (Qurțubi & Mazharī)
In the two words appearing here (hafiz and 'alim), Sayyidna Yusuf
XCel has combined together all functional virtues a genuine Finance
Minister should have. To make it simple, it can be said that the chief
trustee and manager of a national treasury needs to do two things: (1)
He should not allow government property to be wasted, in fact, should
collect, conserve and protect it fully. Then, he should see to it that it is
not spent on non-deserving people, or on false heads of expenditure. (2)
Then, he should not fall short in spending what has to be spent and
where it has to be spent and, at the same time, he should not spend
more than the quantum of the need. Thus, the word: L'x (hafiz : keeper)
is the full guarantee of the first need, and the word: e ('alim : knowl-
edgeable), that of the second.
Though the king of Egypt was personally attached to Sayyidna Yusuf
Scell because of his many excellences, honesty and wisdom, but he did
not actually hand over the office of the Finance Ministry to him. Howev-
er, he did make him stay with him as his honoured guest for a year.
After the passage of one year, not only that he appointed him to be
the Finance Minister, but also entrusted to him the management of the
rest of his state affairs. Perhaps, he thought that giving such major of-

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fice to him without first getting acquainted with his manners, morals
and habits by keeping him close to him at his house was not appropri-
ate.
Some commentators have written, when Qitfir (Potiphar), the hus-
band of Zulaikha died during this period, the king of Egypt arranged her
marriage with Sayyidna Yusuf Sal. Then, he said to her: Is it not better
than what you had wished? Zulaikha confessed to her being at fault, giv-
ing her excuse for having done what she did.
Allah jalla thana'uh granted them a life full of honour and comfort.
According to historical narrations, they were also blessed with two sons,
named Ifra'īm and Mansha.
According to some narrations, after the marriage, Allah Ta'ala had
put in the heart of Sayyidna Yusuf
more love for Zulaikha than she
ever had for him. So much so that there came a time when Sayyidna
Yusuf XE complained to her: Why is it that you do not love me as much
as you did before? Zulaikha told him: Through you I am now blessed
with the love of Allah Ta'ala. With this in view, other relationships and
thoughts seem to have dimmed out. This episode has been described,
along with some other details, in Tafsir al-Qurtubi and Mazhari.
Many teachings and guidelines which appear as part of the story of
Sayyidna Yusuf Sal, and are good for all human beings, have been
talked about earlier. Some others are being mentioned as follows:
Rulings and Guidelines
1. In the saying of Sayyidna Yusuf وَمَا أُبَرّئُ نَفُسِى: الكَلَيْئا (And I do not ab-
solve my inner self of blame - 53), there is good guidance for the servants
of Allah who fear Him and are righteous, pious and abstaining. They
should realize that they should not, when they have the Taufiq of re-
maining safe from some sin, wax proud about it, never taking those in-
volved with sins as low and inferior. Instead of that, they should ponder
over the saying of Sayyidna Yusuf Meel, let it go into their heart and be-
come its fixed response - that is, 'this is no personal achievement of ours;
it is only Allah Ta'ala whose grace stopped our inner self, which incites
to evil, overcome us - otherwise, this self of man would often pull him to-
wards deeds which are evil.'

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Seeking a Government Office is Not Permissible - Except under
Particular Conditions
2.From: ◌ِإِجْعَلُنِىُ عَلَى خَزَآمِنِ الْأَرْض (Appoint me to (supervise) the treasures
of the land - 54), we learn that the seeking of an office or position with
the government is permissible under particular conditions - as was done
by Sayyidna Yusuf & when he sought to be appointed to supervise
and manage the treasures of the land.
But, in the light of details regarding this matter, when it is known
about a particular office that no one else would be able to manage it well
- and one's honest self-assessment indicates that he will be able to dis-
charge the responsibilities of that office well enough, and that there is,
in it, no danger of getting involved in some sin - then, this would be a sit-
uation in which taking the initial step of seeking the office is also permis-
sible, subject to the condition that the reason for doing this should not be
the love of recognition, power and wealth. Instead, the main purpose be-
hind this should be to serve Allah's creation genuinely and to carry to
them their rights with justice and equity - as it was with Sayyidna
Yusuf Seel whose sole purpose was no other but this. But, wherever such
a situation does not prevail, the Holy Prophet
has prohibited the seek-
ing of any government office on one's own. And he did not give an office
to anyone who himself made a request for it.
It appears in a Hadith of Sahih Muslim that the Holy Prophet
said to Sayyidna 'Abd-ur-Rahman ibn Samurah 4ee: Never seek an office
(of authority or responsibility) because even if you get it by asking for it,
the support of Allah Ta'ala, through which you could stay safe from slips
and errors, will not be there. And if you get an office without the asking
and seeking, help and support of Allah Ta'ala will be there, because of
which, you will be able to fulfill the rights of that office as due.
Similarly, according to another Hadith of Sahih Muslim, someone re-
quested the Holy Prophet
that he be appointed to a certain office. To
him, he said:
إِنَّا لَنُ نَّسْتَعُمِلَ عَلَى عَمَلِنَا مَنْ آَرَادَه"
'We would not give our office to a person who asks for it.'