1.BY MUFTI MUBANIMAD SHAFIL2 d f 9 1MAuLB~Translated ByMuhammad ShamTmRevised By MaulZnZ Muhammad Taqi Usmani Volume 5(Siirah Yiisuf, Al-Rad, IbrZhTm, Al-Hijr, Al-Nahl, Ban; IsrZil, Al-Kahf)

2. S.NoSubject PageCONTENTS Transliteration Scheme19(Joseph) Verses 1- 6: Translation and Commentary23 The Nature of dreams: Status and kinds 27 Refuting the deception of the QadiyZni DajjZl (Imposter) - 30 The dream of a sinning Disbeliever may also betrue at times 31 Relating dreams to everyone is not correct: Rulings32 Expertise in the interpretation of dreams is bestowedby Allah on whom He wills 34 Ruling 35 Verses 7 - 20: Translation and Commentary36 Some rules about the aisposal of something ownedby an unknown person (luqtah) 41 Permissibility of a trip for pleasure43 Some rules about racing48 Two rulings49 There is no chance or accident in divine arrangements50 Verses 21 - 23: Translation and Commentary 53 The strongest defence against sin is the seeking of protectionfrom Allah Himself57 Verse 24: Translation and Commentary 59 Verses 25 - 29: Translation and Commentary 65 Injunctions and rulings68 Special note 72 Verses 30 - 35: Translation and Commentary 73 Verses 36 - 42: Translation and Commentary 77 Some notes to wonder about 80 3. 4S.No SubjectPage An example of prophetic compassion82 Injunctions and rulings 83 Verses 43 - 50: Translation and Commentary85 Verses 51 - 52: Translation and Commentary91 Rulings 94 Verses 53 - 57: Translation and Commentary96 Claiming purity for ones own self is not proper exceptunder special conditions 97 The three states of human self98 Rulings and guidelines 102 Seeking a government office is not permissible - exceptunder particular conditions 103 The seeking of office by Sayyidnii K s u f $%Iwas based on awise and benign consideration 104 Is it permissible to accept an office of a %fir government? - 104 A functional statement of some personal ability is not includedunder self-sanctification prohibited by the Holy Qur5n - 106 The objective of Sayyidnii E s u f 1-was to establish theDin of Allah106 Shun sin, have faith, keep fearing Allah:The reward of the Hereafter is yours too107 Verses 58 - 62: Translation and Commentary 108 A ruling 112 A special note 113 Verses 63 - 66: Translation and Commentary 114 Notes of guidance117 Verses 67 - 69: Translation and Commentary 120 The effect of the evil eye is true 122 Rulings and points of guidance 125 Verses 70 - 76: Translation and Commentary 127 Rulings and points of guidance 131 Verses 77 - 82: Translation and Commentary 133 Rules and principles 138 Verses 83 - 87: Translation and Commentary 139 Why was SayyidnS Yaqiibso deeply attached to 4. S.NoSubjectPage Sayyidnii Yiisuf $$!4l? 142 Points of guidance 144Patience in pain is obligatory on every Muslim 144The merit of swallowing anger and pain 145Complaining of pain before everyone145The reward for sabr145The reason why Sayyidnii Yaqiib M was put to trialI145How about looking at someone during SalZh? 14517. Verses 88 - 92: Translation and Commentary 146Points of guidance 14918. Verses 93 - 100: Translation and Commentary151Rules and points of guidance 157Patience and Gratitude: The dignified station of SayyidnZ Yiisuf15919. Verse 101: Translation and Commentary161Rules and points of guidance 16320. Verses 102 - 109: Translation and Commentary 165Rules and GuidanceThe difference between the news of the unseen and the knowledge of the unseen 171Messengers are from men172Messengers are from Towns17221. Verses 110 - 111: Translation and Commentary 173(The Thunder)1. Verses 1- 4: Translation and Commentary 181 On seeing the sky 183 In reality, it is Allah who makes things work for humanbeings while their role in it is nominal 1852. Verses 5 - 8: Translation and Commentary189 The proof of rising again after death 190 Is it necessary that a prophet appears among every people and in every country? 193 5. S.No Subject Page Verses 9 - 15: Translation and Commentary195 Verses 16 - 17: Translation and Commentary 203 Verses 18 - 24: Translation and Commentary 204 Verses 25 - 30: Translation and Commentary 211 Injunctions and rules of guidance213 Verses 31 - 33: Translation and Commentary 217 Verses 34 - 37: Translation and Commentary 224 Verses 38 - 43: Translation and Commentary 225(Abraham) Verses 1 - 3: Translation and Commentary235 The Siirah and its subjects 236 Guidance is an act of God237 The recitation of the Holy Qurgn too is a standingobjective in its own right238 The meaning in summation 240 Identifying some errors in the understanding of Qur5n - 241 Points of guidance242 Verse 4: Translation and Commentary 243 Why was the Qur5n revealed in the Arabic language?245 The distinctions of Arabic246 Verses 5 - 8: Translation and Commentary249 A subtle point 251 The Days of Allah251 The outcome of gratitude and ingratitude 254 Verses 9 - 15: Translation and Commentary256 Verses 16 - 17: Translation and Commentary 257 Verses 18 - 22: Translation and Commentary 258 Verse 23: Translation and Commentary 259 Verses 24 - 25: Translation and Commentary 259 Verses 26 - 29: Translation and Commentary 259 The similitude of disbelievers (KufGr) 262 6. 7Subject PageThe special effect of lmiin263The reward and punishment of the grave stand proved from the Qur5n and Sunnah263The lesson given by these verses266Verses 30 - 34: Translation and Commentary266The explanation of verses 267Injunctions and instructions269Verses 35 - 41: Translation and Commentary273Injunctions and instructions277The wisdom of Sayyidnii IbrZhimsprayer 280Verses 42 - 52: Translation and Commentary283S- AL-HIJRVerses 1- 5: Translation and Commentary 295Verses 6 - 8: Translation and Commentary297Explanatory note297Verse 9: Translation and Commentary 298An episode from the court of MamGn 298The promise to protect the Quran includes the protection of Had;th 299One who says that the & ~ d i t h of the RasEl of Allah are not absolutely protected is really saying that the Quriin is not protected 300Verses 10 - 15: Translation and Commentary301A lexical note of explanation 301Verse 16: Translation and Commentary302Verses 17 - 18: Translation and Commentary303The meteor 303Verses 19 - 25: Translation and Commentary 305Divine wisdom: Balanced provision for human needs306Water supply: The unique divine arrangement307Going ahead and remaining behind in righteous deeds: The difference in degrees 310Verses 26 - 44: Translation and Commentary 312 7. S.No Subject Page Blowing of spirit into the human body and making angelsprostrate to him: a brief review313 R$I (spirit) and Nafs (self):The view of Qadi Thanaullah314 The command to prostrate was given to angels - Ibliswas to follow suit316 The meaning of ShaitZn having no power overspecial servants of Allah 3 16 The seven gates of Jahannam3179. Verses 45 - 50: Translation and Commentary 31710.Verses 51 - 77: Translation and Commentary 319 A great honour for the Holy Prophet 321Swearing by non-Allah 32 1Learn your essential lesson from sites runied by divine punishment32211.Verses 78 - 86: Translation and Commentary323 A brief explanation 32512.Verses 87 - 99: Translation and Commentary325 SErah Al-FZtihah is the text and summary ofthe whole QurZn 326 On being questioned in al-Mahshar: about what will it be? - 327 On spreading the religious message stage by stageas convenient327 The spiritual defence against enemy hostility 328 S ~ R A AL-NAHL H(The Honey Bee)1. Verses 1 - 2: Translation and Commentary 331 The name of the SErah3312. Verses 3 - 8: Translation and Commentary333 Lexical explanation 334 Railroads, automobiles and aeroplanes in the Quriin! 336 Rulings 3373. Verse 9: Translation and Commentary 338 8. S.No Subject Page Verses 10 - 16: Translation and Commentary339 Verses 17 - 23: Translation and Commentary343 Verses 24 - 29: Translation and Commentary345 Verses 30 - 34: Translation and Commentary347 Verses 35 - 40: Translation and Commentary347 Has a R a s d of Allah appeared in India and Pakistan too?- 349 Verses 41 - 42: Translation and Commentary350 How does Hijrah bring better life in the present world? -350 Migration and Hijrah: different kindsand their injunctions352 (1). Going from DZr al-Kufr (abode of disbelief") DZr al-Islamto (abode of Islam)353 (2). To get out of DZr al-Bidah (abode overtaken by deviation from established religion)353 (3). To get out of a place overtaken by what is HarZm 353 (4). To move out in order to avoid being subjectedto physical pain 353 (5). To move out due to unsuitable climate or likely disease 354 (6). To secure personal property and possessions355 Verses 43 - 44: Translation and Commentary356 Non-Mujtahids must follow Mujtahid Imams:The essence of Taqlid358 Note of caution 362 Hadith is necessary to understand Quran: The rejection of Hadith is really the rejection of the QurZn363 Verses 45 - 47: Translation and Commentary365 For the understanding of QurZn, a passing knowledge ofArabic is not sufficient 366 Reading poets from JZhiliyyah is permissible, even if full ofpagan absurdities367 Even the punishment of the world is Mercy in disguise -367 Verses 48 - 57: Translation and Commentary367 Verses 58 - 60: Translation and Commentary368 Verses 61 - 65: Translation and Commentary370 Ruling370 9. S.No SubjectPage Verse 66: Translation and Commentary 371 Rulings372 Verse 67: Translation and Commentary 372 Verses 68 - 69: Translation and Commentary 374 Special Notes380 Verse 70: Translation and Commentary 382 Verse 71: Translation and Commentary 384The difference in degrees of economic status is Mercy for Mankind385 QurZnic injunctions against concentration of wealth 386 Verses 72 - 76: Translation and Commentary 389 Verses 77 - 83: Translation and Commentary 392 The real purpose of making a house is to have peacefor body and heart395 Verses 84 - 89: Translation and Commentary 397 Verse 90: Translation and Commentary 399 The command to do three things and not to do three 40 1 Verses 91 - 96: Translation and Commentary 405 Breaking pledges is forbidden407 An oath sworn to deceive someone may cause forfeitureof faith (!man)408 Accepting bribe is sternly forbidden as it breaksthe covenant of Allah 408 A comprehensive definition of bribe409 All wordly gains and states will perish - only their outcomewith Allah shall remain 410 Verse 97: Translation and Commentary 410 What is good life? 410 Verses 98 - 100: Translation and Commentary412 Related rulings413 The way of faith and trust in Allah is the way of freedomfrom the power and control of the ShaitZn 415 Verses 101 - 105: Translation and Commentary 415 Verses 106 - 109: Translation and Commentary 416 The definition of iFzrEh or compulsion 418 10. S.No SubjectPageRelated ruling 41929. Verses 110 - 113: Translation and Commentary42030, Verses 114 - 119: Translation and Commentary422Sequence and explanation in gist423Nature of prohibitions: The correct view424Repentance from sin brings forgiveness: I s it open or restricted? 42431. Verses 120 - 124: Translation and Commentary425The Holy Prophet being on the way of Sayyidnii IbrZhim $,&I: Understanding the chemistry of adherence - 42732. Verses 125 - 128: Translation and Commentary428Dawah and TablTgh: Principles and curriculum 429Dawah: Principles and etiquette432The prophetic etiquette of Dawah 434The harmful worldly and other-worldly effects of current contestations 442Ineffectiveness of contemporary Dawah work 445Causing pain to a Man of Dawah: Revenge is permissible, but patience is better 446The background in which this verse was revealed and how it was implemented by the Holy Prophet $ and $ !his Noble SahZbah & 447 S-BANI ISRAIL (Al-Isra) Verse 1: Translation and Commentary453 The Q u r s n , Sunnah and Ijma prove that the MirZjwas physical 454 A brief account of MirZj - as reported by Ibn KatGr456 The testimony of a non-Muslim about the event of Miraj - 458 The date of the event of al-Isra and MirZj 459 Al-Masjid al-HarZm and al-Masjid al-Aq9E460 Al-Masjid al-AqG and blessings of the Syrian environs -461 Verses 2 - 3: Translation and Commentary46 1 11. S.NoSubjectPage3. Verses 4 - 8: Translation and Commentary 462 The events of Bani IsraTl are a lesson for Muslims and whathas happened to Bayt-al-Maqdis i n our time is a partof the same chain 467 A strange coincidence469 Disbelievers too are the servants of Allah, but not amongthe accepted ones 4694. Verses 9 - 11: Translation and Commentary470 The most upright way47 15. Verses 12 - 15: Translation and Commentary472 The sense of the book of deeds tied to the neck 473 Allah does not punish unless He sends a Messenger:A clarification473 There will be no punishment for the children of Mushriks - 4746. Verses 16 - 17: Translation and Commentary474 A doubt and its answer475 Another Tafsir of this verse475 The influence of the rich over a people is a natural phenomenon4767. Verses 18 - 21: Translation and Commentary477 A self-opinionated deed and an act of religious innovation,no matter how appealing, is not acceptable 4788. Verses 22 - 25: Translation and Commentary478 It is very important to respect and obey parents479 The merits of obeying and serving parents inHadTth narratives480 The punishment for depriving parents of their rights comes -much before a h i r a h - right here in this world too 481 Obedience to parents: When necessary and when there isroom for opposition48 1 To deserve service and good treatment it is not necessary thatthe parents be Muslims 48 1 Rulings 482 Treating parents well: Special consideration in theirold age483 Ruling485 12. 13SubjectPageA remarkable event485Verses 26 - 27: Translation and Commentary487On fulfilling the rights of relatives vigilantly488The prohibition of spend wastefully (tabdhir) 489Verse 28: Translation and Commentary489Verses 29 - 30: Translation and Commentary490The instruction for moderation in spending49 1Spending in the way of Allah so liberally as would throw one in trouble: The pros and cons of it49 1Poorly managed spending is prohibited 492Verse 31: Translation and Commentary492Ruling 492Verse 32: Translation and Commentary 492Verse 33: Translation and Commentary 495The meaning of unjust killing495Who has the right to take Qi&? 496Injustice is not answered by injustice, but by justice: So be, just even when punishing criminals496 An anecodote worth remembering497Verses 34 - 35: Translation and Commentary 497Caution in handling the property of orphans498Fulfillment of Covenants and Implementation of contracts - 498Ruling 500The prohibition of giving weights and measuresshort: Ruling500Verses 36 - 38: Translation and Commentary 501Questions will be asked on the day of QiyEmah about the ear, the eye and the heart 502A gist of Torah in fifteen verses505Verses 39 - 44: Translation and Commentary 506The meaning of Tasbih (glorification of Allah) said by the heavens and the earth and everything present therein -507Verses 45 - 48: Translation and Commentary 508Can magic affect a prophet?511A Quranic formula of remaining hidden from enemy sight - 512 13. S.NoSubjectPage Verses 49 - 52: Translation and Commentary 514 Even disbelievers will rise praising Allah on the day of resurrection515 Verses 53 - 55: Translation and Commentary516 Using foul or harsh language is not correct, even against infidels 516 Verses 56 - 58: Translation and Commentary518 Verses 59 - 60: Translation and Commentary519 Verses 61 - 65: Translation and Commentary520 Verses 66 - 70: Translation and Commentary522 Why are the children of Adam superior? 523 Verses 71 - 72: Translation and Commentary525 The book of Deeds 526 Verses 73 - 77: Translation and Commentary527 Verses 78 - 82: Translation and Commentary530 S a l a is the best defense against enemy hostility 531 The injunction of five prayers531 The time of the Salgh of Tahajjud:Injunctions and rulings533 Is the prayer of Tahajjud Fard (obligatory) orNafl (additional)? 534 Is the prayer of Tahajjud Nafl or Sunnah al-Muakkadah? - 536 The number of RakaZt in the prayer of Tahajjud 537 In what manner was the prayer of Tahajjud offered?538 The praised station 538 The intercession made by prophets and the righteouswill be accepted 538 A question and its answer 539 An important note 539 The station of intercession could be reached through theefficacy of the prayer of Tahajjud 539 A prayer for important objectives 541 It is necessary to erase customs and symbols of polytheism,disbelief and falsehood542 Verses 83 - 84: Translation and Commentary543 14. S.No SubjectPage29. Verses 85 - 89: Translation and Commentary 544 What does RW signify?545 The incident of the question: Did it happen in Makkah or Madinah? 547 The answer to the question asked548 Answering every question is not necessary unless religiously advisable 548 Whether or not it is possible for anyone to have the knowledge the reality of R* 549 An important note 54930. Verses 90 - 95: Translation and Commentary 552 A prophetic answer to hostile questions sounding absurd - 553Only a human being can be a messenger of Allah: Angels cannot be sent as messengers to human beings55431. Verses 96 - 100: Translation and Commentary55532. Verses 101 - 109: Translation and Commentary 55733. Verses 110 - 111: Translation and Commentary 561Ruling 563 A personal postscript by the author 565 (The Cave)1.Verses 1 - 8: Translation and Commentary 569The properties and merits of Siirah al-Kahf570The cause of revelation5702.Verses 9 - 12: Translation and Commentary573Lexical Explanation573The story of the people of Kahf and Raqim574Events relating to hiding in caves to protect faith have been many and widespread 577People of Kahf: Place and period 577Investigations of modern Historians580When did the event relating to the people of Kahf come to pass and why did they take shelter in the Cave? 582 15. S.No Subject Page The real foundation of nationalism and collectivism584 Are the people of Kahf still alive?586 Verses 13-16: Translation and Commentary 587 Verses 17 - 18: Translation and Commentary 589 The people of Kahf during their long sleep were in a statethat an onlooker would have taken them to be a awake -591 The dog of the people of Kahf 591 Good company is a blessing - even for a dog! 592 Allah TaZlG had invested the people of Kahf with suchawe as would make an onlooker run in terror592 Verses 19 - 20: Translation and Commentary594 Verse 21: Translation and Commentary597 The secret of the people of Kahf: How did the people ofthe city learn about it? 598 People differed after the death of AghZb al-Kahf600 Verse 22: Translation and Commentary601 The names of the people of Kahf 603 Basic rule in debatable matters: Avoid long-drawnargumentation603 Verses 23 - 26: Translation and Commentary604 Saying InshaAllah on doing something in the future 605 Verses 27 - 31: Translation and Commentary608 Dawah and Tabligh admit of no discrimination 609 Ornaments for the people of Jannah610 Verses 32 - 44: Translation and Commentary611 The gist of the arguments of these two persons, as explainedby Maulanii Ashraf Ali ThZnav; in Khula+Z-e-Tafsb613 Verses 45 - 49: Translation and Commentary614 The meaning of everlasting virtues (al-b@yat al-sElihZt) - 615 Visualize the Day of Resurrection 616 Recompense (al-jaza) is the Deed (al-amZil) itself) 617 Verses 50 - 59: Translation and Commentary618 The progeny of IblIs, and his descendants and followers -620 Verses 60 - 70: Translation and Commentary62 1 The story of SayyidnZ MGsZ %I (Moses) and 16. 17Subject Page al-KhaGr @I (Elias)624Some rules of the road and a model of high prophetic determination 627Precedence of SayyidnZ MEsZ $4 over Al-Khadir $ 3 1 his 21 up-bringing and miracles627About al-Khadir $5-51and the issue of his prophethood630It is not lawful for any waliyy or man of Allah to contravene the inunctions of codified Shariah 631Following the teacher is incumbent on the student632It is not permissible for an mim of the SharTah to patiently bear what is contrary to the Shariah 632Basic difference in the knowledge of SayyidnZ MGsZ M I andal-Khadir $ 4 : Resolution of an apparent dichotomy 2163314. Verses 71 - 78: Translation and Commentary 63515. Verses 79 - 82: Translation and Commentary 637The definition of a Miskin 638The benefit of the righteousness of parents reaches children, and their children640Prophetic Eloquence and the Nuances of Etiquette: An example 641Is al-Khadir @I alive, or is he dead?64216. Verses 83 - 88: Translation and Commentary 646Dhul-Qarnain: His identity, period and country and the reason why he was so named64717. Verses 89 - 91: Translation and Commentary 65518. Verses 92 - 98: Translation and Commentary 656Explanation of difficult words 657The identity of Yajiij MajEj and the location of the wall of Dhul-Qarnain657Hadith reports about YajGj Majiij658Conclusions drawn from the narrations of Hadith665An essential point of guidance 669 View of Muslim scholars669The wall of Dhul-Qarnain: Is it still there? Will it be there until Qiyiimah? Or, has it distintegrated? 67419. Verses 99 - 101: Translation and Commentary 677 17. S.No Subject Page20. Verses 102 - 108: Translation and Commentary 67821. Verses 109 - 110: Translation and Commentary 681RiyZ and its evil consequences: Stern warnings of HadTth - 684Some merits and properties of SGrah al-Kahf685An important word of advice686 18. TRANSLITERATION SCHEMEArabic Letter Name of LetterEnglish Transliteration I g l-- Alifa-- sin c 4-- shin >L . @ad. b. dad. Lb--ti &-- - s-- ayn-- ghayn U -- fa du -- qaf--kif ,Y -- lam r ,+ -- mim- 3Y-- nun b b -- ha- J jl,-- waw-- Hamzah- ii6 --yaShort Vowels: Fathah: Kasrah: Dammah: Shortened Alif: Maddah Alif: Maddah YZ: Maddah WGw:Alif and YZay (also ai in some cases): Alif and WZwaw (also au in some cases) 19. Siirah E s u f :12 : 1 - 6 23 [Joseph] Siirah YGsuf was revealed in Makkah and it has lll Verses and 22 SectionsVerses 1 6 - With the name of Allah, the Most-Merciful, the Very-Merciful Alif LZm RZ. These are verses of the enlightening Book. [ l l W have sent it down, an Arabic QurKn, so that youe may understand. [21 W narrate to you the best narrative by revealing this e QurKn to you, and surely before this, you were among the unaware. [3] 20. Siirah K s u f : 12 : 1 - 6 24(It happened) when Yusuf said to his father, "My father,I have seen eleven stars and the Sun and the Moon; Ihave seen them all prostrating to me." [41He said, "My son, do not relate your dream to your broth-ers lest they should devise against you a plan. Surely,Satan is an open enemy for mankind. And in the likemanner your Lord will choose you and teach you theinterpretation of events, and will perfect His bountyupon you and upon the House of Yaqiib, as He has per-fected it, earlier, upon your father, IbrZhTm and IshZq.Surely, your Lord is All-Wise, All-Knowing."15-61CommentaryWith the exception of four verses, SGrah K s u f is wholly a MakkiSurah. I n this Siirah, the story of Sayyidna YEsuf @has been de-scribed with continuity and order. Then, the story of SayyidnE YEsufappears in this SErah alone. It has not been repeated anywhereelse in the whole Qur5n as such (with the exception of SErah Al-AnZm -6:84 - and Siirah Al-Mumin or GhZfir - 40:34 - where only the name ofSayyidna Yilsuf @has been mentioned as a Messenger of Allah, in ap-propriate context). This is particular with the story of SayyidnE Yisuf@,otherwise the stories and events concerning all blessed prophetshave been introduced in the entire QurEn with great wisdom, part bypart, and repeatedly too.The truth of the matter is that world history and past experiencesteach human beings what to do with their lives in the future. These havea natural effect of their own which acts better on minds and hearts ascompared to the pull of formal education. This effect is deeper and fairlyeffortless. Therefore, in the Holy Quran, which has been sent for all peo-ples of the world as their last testament, a marked portion of the entirehistory of the peoples of the world - a portion that serves as the masterprescription for the betterment of the present and ultimate human condi-tion - has been taken up electively and pragmatically. Furthermore,even this portion of world history has been introduced by the HolyQuriin, with its unique and unimitable style, in a manner that its read-er simply does not get the impression that he or she was reading somebook of history. In fact, whatever part of a certain story serves the needof driving home a lesson or tendering a good counsel on any given occa-sion, it is just that part which finds mention in that setting. And should 21. Siirah E s u f :12 : 1- 6 25- - - --there be the need to allude to that particular part once again on someother occasion, it was repeated. Therefore, consideration was not givento sequential order in the narration of events in the story. At someplaces the earlier part of the story comes later, and the later part findsmention earlier. This special style of the QurZn carries a standing ruleof guidance t h a t reading or remembering world history and its pastevents is not a n end by itself. Instead of that, the purpose of everyhuman being should be to draw some lesson from every story and to culland deduce some good advice from every information.It is well-known that the human speech is classified into two forms:Descriptive (hhabar) and imperative (insha).According to the knowledg-able scholars, it is the later form (i.e. imperative) that is the essential ob-jective. Description in itself is not an end. A wise man ought to learn animperative from every description, and make use of it for correcting andreforming himself.That the story of Sayyidnii YEsuf= has been narrated in a se-quence could be because historiography is a discipline. It has particularrules of guidance for its practitioners. For instance, the narration shouldnot be so brief as to make its understanding impossible, nor should it beso long as would make reading and remembering it difficult - which be-comes clear from the Quriinic treatment of this story.According to some narrations, another reason for this could lie inwhat the Jews had said to the Holy Prophetg. To test him, they hadasked him: If you are a true prophet, tell us why did the family of Yaqiibmove from Syria to Egypt and what had actually happened to YEsuf=I? It was in answer to that that this whole story was revealed. It wasa miracle of the Holy Prophet @ , and certainly a great proof of his pro-phethood - for he was simply an Ummiyy, one who was not taught byanyone, who had never read a book and who had lived in Makkah practi-cally his whole life, yet, he narrated all events mentioned in the Torahcorrectly. In fact, he told them of what was not mentioned in the Torah.There are many injunctions and instructions which emerge from thesenarrations which will appear later in this commentary. In the first of the set of verses cited above, the words: 3 Alif Lam R Zare isolated letters (al-Huriif al-MuqattaZt) of the Holy QurEn. About 22. -these, it is the universal verdict of the majority of SahGbah and TZbiinthat they are a secret between Allah TaZlZ, the speaker, and the HolyProphet $ , the addressee - which a third person cannot understand, nor!$is it appropriate for one to exert and insist on finding it out. &,I A dAfter that it was said: 31t(These are the verses of the en- ;lightening Book). That is,these are verses of the Book which delineatethe delimitations and restrictions of what is lawful and unlawful, includ-ing those of other things in all departments of human life, and thus givespeople a simple, straight and moderate system of living, as promised inthe Torah, and as already known to the Jews. " ,djlJ+ 2The statement made in verse 2 following immediately is: I cl>- L!,,>" ,>.4 J5- % (Surely, We have sent it down, an Arabic Qursn, sh that youmay understand). It is indicative of the situation that those who had asked to be in-formed of what had happened to SayyidnE E s u f %! were the Jews of &Arabia. So, Allah TaZlE revealed this story in their language so thatthey may ponder over it and attest to the veracity of the Holy Prophet $&and tune their lives in the light of the injunctions and instructions whichemerge from this story.This is the reason why the word:9(laalla) has been brought inhere in the sense of so that because the mindset of these addresseeswas already known - that they would, despite having the benefit of veryclear verses before them, still doubt and delay their acceptance of truth.In the third verse, it was said: ;&kI f-!&4>1 i + J,. 1ipp; (jxl.. r ,r :.WI - , ;tl$ ., j & SG >@I (We narrate to you the beit narrative by reveal-ing this Quran to you, and surely before this, you were among the una-ware).This is to chasten the Jews that they had tried to test the Messengerof Allah which proved to be in vain, for its effect turned out to be just thereverse of what they had intended. It only went on to prove the excel-lence and authenticity of the Messenger of Allah in a far more evidentmanner. From this it became clear that he was already an Ummiyy andhad no knowledge of world history. Now that he came to know of thisneeds an explanation and there can be no explanation for this except 23. that he was Divinely educated and blessed with revelation as a prophetof Allah TaSZ.Moving on the verse 4, the text takes up the story of SayyidnZ K s u f@which opens with the following words: +*-I ,-IJ d 6 L I ~>,,~ 3 J: i i ,,,,, , -M . , d /I , # , !2- 3 3 ;2 1 ;G *wg( I t happened) [when Yiisuf said to hisfather, My father, I have seen eleven stars and the Sun and the Moon; Ihave seen them all prostrating to me.] This was the dream seen by SayyidnZ K s u f @interpreting whichSayyidnZ Abdullah ibn AbbZs & said: The eleven stars meant theeleven brothers of SayyidnZ Yiisuf @;and the Sun and the Moonmeant his father and mother.According to al-Qurtubi, though the mother of SayyidnZ K s u f @had passed away from this mortal world before this event, but in herplace, his father was wedded to her sister. A maternal aunt already haslove and concern for her sisters children as their natural mother wouldnormally have. Now when she, after the death of her sister, comes to bethe wife of the father, she would customarily be referred to as the moth-er. The response given by SayyidnZ Yaqiib appears in verses 5 and,,,6in the following words:r rddrWI !-&sJ , d6 3I L ,y+aZY + J i! l * J,, ,A,qji $ He said, My son, do not relate your dream to your brothersdGlest they [by finding out your greatness to come] should devise againstyou a plan. Surely, Satan is an open enemy for mankind ... [for He se-duces people to take such action for the sake of worldly wealth and pow-er]. Worth mentioning here are some religious issues which emerge fromthese verses:The Nature of Dreams: Status and KindsFirst comes the nature of dreams and the status of events and infor-mation released by them. In Tafsir Mazhari, QadT ThanZullZhd -J l >L;has said: The reality of a dream is that, when the human self - as a re-sult of sleep or unconsciousness - is freed from the management of the ac-tive body, it comes to see some shapes through the faculty of imagina-tion. This is what a dream is. Then, it has three kinds, two out of which 24. - -are totally false, having no substance and base - while one, in terms ofits being, is correct and true. But, even in this correct kind, some othercontingents may occasionally intermingle and thereby make it defectiveand unreliable.To explain this in detail, it can be said that the different shapes, im-ages, situations and events one sees in a dream come in two modes.Sometimes, what one sees while awake returns to him transformed in adream. And sometimes, it so happens that the Satan would make his in-put, introducing some forms, situations and events into a persons mindwhich would either be pleasing or terrifying. Both these kinds are false.They have no substance or reality, nor can they be interpreted in any ac-tual sense. Out of these two, the first kind is Self-suggestion (HadithAn-Nafs) and the other, The Seductive Input of the Shaytiin (TaswilAsh-Shaytiin).The third kind, correct and true, is a kind of Ilhiim (mode of inspir-ing) which is activated to warn a servant of Allah or to give him glad tid-ings. In other words, out of His unseen treasures, Allah T a a Z would putthings in ones mind and heart.In a Hadith, the Holy Prophetis reported to have said: Thedream of a believer is a dialogue in which he has the honour of talking tohis Rabb. This HadTth has been reported by al-TabarZni with a soundchain of authorities. ( M a ~ h a S ) Explaining this, Sufis say that everything, before it comes to exist inthis world, has a particular form in another universe called %lam-al-mi-thEl,* a universe where, not only the substantial objects and physical re-alities, but also the attributes and noncorporal meanings, have particu-lar shapes and forms. When the human self is freed from the concerns ofbody management while dreaming, it sometimes gets connected to theuniverse of Elam-al-mithal. There one would see the representativeforms. Then, these forms are shown from the universe of the Unseen. Attimes, it would so happen that temporary disturbances would cause falseimaginings mix up with the real, therefore, it becomes difficult for theinterpreters to interpret the dream soundly. However, when free of dis-cordant elements, they are real. But, even among these, some dreams*. The world of autonomous images - Henrv Corbin. 25. be interpreted because the actuality of the event is not clear. Insuch a case too, should the interpretation be wrong, the event itself endsup being different. Therefore, only those dreams will become a trueIlhZm (inspiration) from Allah, and a proven reality, which originatefrom the command of Allah with the condition that no discordant ele-ments have intermingled with them and that it has been interpreted cor-rectly too.All dreams of the blessed prophets are like that. Therefore, theirdreams too have the status of Wahy (revelation). The dreams of commonbelieving Muslims are not free of many a probability. Therefore, they arenot a binding argument or proof for anyone. Sometimes, their dreamsget mixed up with temperamental or self-oriented elements. On other oc-casions, the after effects of sins overtake a true dream in the form ofdark and murky silhouttes making it unreliable. Then, there could be oc-casions when it becomes difficult to spell out a correct interpretationfrom given parameters. The three kinds of dreams mentioned here have been reported fromthe Holy Prophet B.He said that there are three kinds of dreams. (1)The Satanic in which the mind sees forms and shapes released by theShaytZn. (2) That which one keeps seeing while awake. These presentthemselves before one in a dream. (3) The third kind, which is correctand true, is the forty-sixth part of the ingredients of prophethood (Nu-buwwah), that is, it is an Ilhiim (inspiration) from Allah TaZIa.The Meaning of Dream being a part of Nubuwwah:An ExplanationIn this kind, which is true and correct and which has been declaredto be a part of prophethood in authentic prophetic Traditions, the narra-tions of HadTth differ. In some, it has been identified as the fortieth part,while in some others, the forty-sixth. There are other narrations as wellin which its being the forty-ninth, fiftieth and seventieth part has beenreported. All these narrations have been compiled together in TafsTral-Qurtubi where, following the investigative judgement of Ibn Abdal-Barr, it has been established that there is no contradiction amongthem, in fact, each narration is correct in its place. As for the numericalvariation in determining the parts, it depends upon the different attend-ing conditions of those seeing the dream. Whoever is armed with the 26. quality of truth, trust, honesty and is perfect of faith shall be the onewhose dream will be the fortieth part of Nubuwwah. And whoever rankssomewhat lesser in these qualities, his will be the forty-sixth or fiftiethpart of it, and whoever is still lesser, his dream will be the seventiethpart of Nubuwwah.Worth pondering here is what does a true dream being a part of pro-phethood mean? Tafsir Mazhari has explained it by saying that the pro-cess of revelation to Sayyidna Muhammad al-MusfafZ @ as a Prophet ofAllah continued for twenty three years. During the first biannual, thisDivine revelation kept coming to him in the form of dreams. During theremaining forty five biannuals, it was communicated to him through theangel, JibratZ aZ-Amin. Accounted for in this manner, true dreams turnout to be the fortieth part of the prophetic revelation. As for narrationswhere numbers vary on the lower or higher side, they either carry ap-proximative statements, or stand dropped for lack of sound authority.Imam al-Qurtubi explains this by saying that there are occasionswhen one sees things in dreams which do not lie within his control. Forexample, one may see that he is flying high in the skies, or he may seethings from the Unseen having access to which was not within ones con-trol. If so, this cannot become possible through any means other than Di-vine support and inspiration itself - which, in reality, is an intrinsic at-tribute of prophethood. Therefore, it was declared to be a part of prophet-hood. Refuting the Deception of the QZdiyZni DajjZl [Imposter] What has been stated above has led some people to run into a miser- able error because they have taken the survival and continuity of this part of prophethood in the world as the very survival and continuity of prophethood itself! This is against definite, categorical and absolute statements of the Holy QurGn and against countless sound and authen- tic AhZdith, and squarely against the collective belief of the entire Mus-lim Ummah in the finality of prophethood (the Aqidah of Khatm Nubiiw- wat). In this exercise in deception, they have failed to realize that the presence of a part of something does not mean the presence of that thing in full. If there is a single nail or strand of hair belonging to a person pre- sent anywhere, no sane human being can say that the person is present here. Think of the many parts of a machine. If someone has one part, or 27. a screw of that machine present with him and he goes about declaringthat he has such and such machine with him, the whole world would dis-miss him as a liar or fool.True dreams, as expressly explained in Hadith, are, without anydoubt, a part of Nubuwwah - but not Nubuwwah itself. What we knowas Nubuwwah or prophethood has already ended with the Last of Proph-ets, Sayyidna Muhammad al-MustaGB. It appears in the Sahih of Al-BukhZri that the Holy Prophet @ said:plg19!$$l>~~ That is, (in future) no part of the Nubuwwah will remain ex- cept Al-MubashshirEt. When the noble SahZbah asked for the meaning of Al-MubashshirZt,he said: True dreams. This proves that there is no N u b h w a h or pro-phethood of any kind or form for anyone anymore. What remains of it isonly a small part which is called Al-MubashshirZt or true dreams.The Dream of a Sinning Disbeliever may also be True at timesIt stands proved from the QurZn and Hadith, and from experience,that sinners, even disbelievers, could see dreams which are true. In theSGrah K s u f itself, mentioned there are the dreams of two prison matesof SayyidnE X s u fI&@ which were true, and similarly, the dream of theking of Egypt which was true - though, the three of them were not Mus-lims. This was in the QurZn. Mentioned in the Hadith is the dream ofKisrZ (Cyrus) who had dreamt about the coming of the Holy Prophet B;that dream turned out to be true, though KisrZ was not a Muslim. Thepaternal aunt of the Holy Prophet B, Atikah, had seen a true dreamabout the Holy ProphetBwhile she was still a disbeliever. In additionto that, the dream of the disbelieving King of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar,which was interpreted by SayyidnZ DZniyZl (Daniel)I&@ was a truedream.This tells us that the simple instance of someone seeing a true dreamand the event taking place as seen cannot become a proof of the dreamerbeing pious and righteous, even Muslim. However, it is correct to saythat this is how the customary practice of Allah operates - t h a t thedreams seen by true and good people are generally true. The dreams 28. Siirah YEisuf :12 : 1- 632seen by sinners are generally from the category of self-suggestions andSatanic inputs - but, occasionally, the opposite could also happen. In short, true dreams, as made clear in Hadith, have no place in thelives of Muslims a t large except that they can be either glad tidings, orwarning, for them. They are no binding argument in any matter, neitherfor their own selves, nor for others. Some people, unaware of this truth,fall a victim to all sorts of scruples after having seen such dreams. Someof them would start taking these as a sign of having become a saint or so-mething like that. Others would tend to give what they get out of thesedreams the status of the injunctions of the SharTah. All these ap-proaches are baseless. Specially so, when we already know that there isevery likelihood that both kinds of imaginings, self-suggested or Sa-tan-induced, can get profusely intermingled with true dreams.Relating Dreams to Everyone is not Correct :RULINGS$2 1.In verse 5: ... $ (He said, 0 my son ), SayyidnE YaqGb...Ihas prohibited SayyidnZ E s u f from relating his dream to his broth-ers. This tells us that a dream should not be related before a person whois not a well-wisher, nor before a person who is no expert in the interpre-tation of dreams.According to JEmi al-Tirmidhi, the Holy Prophet $ said: A true$!dream is one of the forty parts of Nubiiwwah. And a dream stays in sus-pension until related to someone. When related, and interpreted by thelistener, it actualizes as interpreted. Therefore, one should not relate thedream to anyone, except to a person who is knowing and wise, or is, atleast, a friend and a well-wisher. As also referred to earlier, it appears in Tirmidhi and Ibn m j a h thatthe Holy Prophetsaid: A dream is of three kinds: (1)Glad tidingsfrom Allah; (2) self-suggestions; (3) Satanic inputs. Therefore, should aperson see a certain dream about which he feels good, then, he can relateit to others, if he wishes to do so. And, should he see something bad in it,let him not tell anyone about it. Instead, he should rise and offer SalZh.The Hadith of Sahih Muslim also says: If one sees a bad dream, heshould blow his breath three times towards his left side and seek the pro-tection of Allah against its evil and tell no one about it. If this is done, 29. -the dream will not cause any harm. The reason is that some dreams arecomposed of Satanic seductions. They will stand removed with this ac-tion. And, if the dream is true, the evil part of it - it can be hoped - willalso be eliminated through this action.2. As for the sense of the interpretation of a dream remaining hingedto it, Tafsir Maqhari explains it by saying that some matters of destinyare not absolutely pre-decided, instead, they remain in a state of suspen-sion, that is, if something was done, the impending misfortune will goaway - and if it was not done, it will come. This is known as contingentor conditional destiny. In a situation like that giving a bad interpreta-tion makes things turn bad while a good interpretation makes it comeout good. Therefore, in the Hadith from Tirmidhi mentioned above, relat-ing a dream to a person who is not wise, or a well-wisher, has been pro-hibited. And there could also be another reason for this. When someonehears a bad interpretation of the dream seen, one finds himself over-whelmed by the thought that he is going to be hit by some misfortune.And it appears in Hadith that Allah TaZlii said: ; L@*&&= a that is, I !am with the opinion of My servant about Me. In other words, whatevera servant of Mine believes Me to be, just that I become for him. So,when one ends up believing that misfortune is going to come from AllahTaaii, then, true to the customary practice of Allah, the coming of thatmisfortune becomes due against him.3. Regarding the instruction given in the verse that something sug-gesting pain and misfortune seen in a dream should not be related toanyone, Hadith narrations seem to indicate that this is not a legal prohi-bition. It is only an advice based on affection and sympathy. This shouldnot be taken as something made unlawful by the ShanTah. Therefore, ifrelated to someone, this will be no sin - because it appears in authenticQiidith that the Holy Prophet $#$- at the time of the Battle of Uhud -said: I have seen in a dream that my sword, Zulfaqiir, has broken and Isaw some cows being slaughtered, the interpretation of which was theShahadah of Sayyidna Harnzah & and many other Muslim rnujEhidin,a grave misfortune indeed. But, he had related this dream before theSahZbah. (Qurtubi)4. This verse also tells us that it is permissible to disclose the eviltrait or intention of a person about to cause harm to a Muslim. Being an 30. Siirah K s u f :12 : 1- 634effort to offset an evil design, this action is not included under Ghibah orbackbiting. For example, if a person finds out that A is planning to com-mit theft in the house of B, or intends to kill him, then, he should fore-warn B. This does not fall under the purview of GhTbah which is HarEm.This is what was done by SayyidnZ Yaqllb 1- when he had disclosedto Sayyidnii K s u f T@&that there was a danger to his life at the handsof his brothers.5. If a person is blessed by Allah, and he apprehends that his addres-see will be jealous against him, he should not mention the blessings ofwealth, status, and things like that before that person. The Holy Proph-ethas said: To make your objectives succeed, seek help from keeping them secret - because, every holder of blessing is envied in this world.6. From this verse and from the later in which the plan and execu-tion of killing or throwing Sayyidnii Ylisuf @in a well has been men-tioned, it becomes evident that the brothers of SayyidnZ Yiisufmwereno prophets or messengers of Allah, otherwise, they would have notstooped to the act of conspiring to kill him, then to put him out of theirway by lowering him down in a desolate well, and ultimately, to disobeytheir father - because, the blessed prophets r U I+ have to be free ofall sins, and protected from them. Their reference as prophets in thebook of al-Tabari is not correct. (Qurtubi)Expertise in the Interpretation of Dreams is Bestowed by Allahon whom He wills In the sixth verse, Allah TaZlE has promised some blessings for Sayy-idnZ Yiisuf @I: (1)dJ % U (And in the like manner your Lord& ,Zwill choose you ...) that is, He will choose him for His blessings and fa-vours, something which manifested itself when wealth, recognition andpower came into his hands in the country of Egypt. (2) &$ ,,-5&?LYI teach you the interpretation of events ...). The word: t ; > L Y I : (andal-ahZdTth here means the dreams of people. It means that Allah TaZliiwill teach him how to interpret dreams. This also tells us that interpret-ing dreams is a standing area of expertise which is bestowed by AllahTaZlE on a chosen few - everyone is not fit to have it. 31. Ruling:I t appears in Tafsir al-Qurtubi t h a t Abdullah ibn Shaddad ibnal-Had said that the interpretation of this dream of SayyidnZ K s u fmactualized after forty years. This tells us that an instant actualization ofan interpretation is not necessary either. , , 8 >/ ,(3) As for the third promise: LJ$= $3 (and will perfect His bounty G,upon you), it refers to the bestowal of NubGwwah (prophethood) uponhim. And this is what has been alluded to in the later sentences: U-G,,t . I.J>, I* - ,*&!j e3!3J3 2 (as He has perfected it, earlier, upon your father,.1 d1IbrZhid and I s h a ) . That which has been said here also indicates thatthe skill of interpreting dreams as given to SayyidnZ Ytisuf @& wasalso taught to SayyidnZ IbrZhim and IshZq, peace be on them both.At the end of the verse, it was said: ps c+ ,"d ! (Surely, your Lordis All-Wise, All-Knowing). So He is. For Him, teaching an art to someoneis not difficult, nor does He, as His wisdom would have it, teach this artto just anyone. Instead of that, He elects someone, in His wisdom, andlets him have this expertise.Verses 7 20- 32. Surely, in (the story of) f i s u f and his brothers, thereare signs for those who ask [71 when they said, "fisufand his brother are dearer to our father than we arewhile we are a powerful group (for him). Surely, ourfather is in clear error. [81 Kill Ksuf or throw him insome l a n d , so that your fathers face may be yoursalone, and after that you may become a righteous peo-ple." [91One of them said, "Do not kill Yiisuf, rather, cast himinto the bottom of a pit, so that some wayfarer picks himup, if you are going to do something at all." [lo]They said, "Our father, why is it that you do not trust uswith Yiisuf while indeed, we are his well-wishers. 1111Send him with us tomorrow, that he may eat and play,and of course, we are his guards." [I23He said, "It makes me sad that you should take himaway and I fear lest a wolf should devour him while youare heedless of him." [I31They said, If the wolf eats him while we are a stronggroup, we are then losers indeed." [I41So, when they went with him and were determined toput him in the bottom of a pit (which they did). And Werevealed to him, "You will (one day) tell them of this 33. deed of theirs while they will not recognize (you)." [I51 And they came weeping to their father at nightfall, [I61 They said, "Father, we went running races and left S s u f with our belongings and the wolf ate him up. And you will never believe us, even though we are telling the truth." [I71 And they came with fake blood on his shirt. He said, "Rather, your inner desires have seduced you to someth- ing. So, patience is best. And it is Allah whose help is sought against what you describe." 1181 And there came some wayfarers and sent one of them to go for water. So, he let down his bucket. He said, "What a good news! Here is a boy." And they kept him hidden as merchandise, while Allah was aware of what they were doing. [19] And they sold him for a paltry price, for a few silver-coins, and they were disinterested in him. [201Commentary In the first of the fourteen verses cited above (7), a notice of warninghas been served to the effect that the story of f i s u f , peace be on him,should not be taken as a common story - because, in it, there are greatsigns of the perfect power of Allah TaEilii, and His instructions, both forthose who have asked and for those who would seek guidance through it.The statement made here could be explained by saying that the signsreferred to here are for the Jews who had put the Holy Prophet $ to$ !test by asking him to relate this story to them. When, according to a nar-ration, the Holy Prophet was in Makkah al-Muaggamah, the newsabout him reached Madinah. The Jews living there sent a group of theirmen to Makkah to make investigations and test his claim to prophet-hood. Therefore, the question they asked of him was put in a somewhatvague manner, that is, if you are a true prophet of Allah, tell us aboutthe prophet one of whose sons was taken from Syria to Egypt, an eventwhich had caused his father to become blind due to constant weepingduring his absence.The Jews had chosen to ask about this event because it was not wide-ly known, nor did anyone in Makkah was aware of it. That was a timewhen there was no member of the people of Book living in Makkah, one 34. from whom some part of this story as appearing in the Torah and Injilcould be ascertained. So, it was following this very question that the en-tire Siirah K s u f was revealed, a Siirah which relates the whole story ofSayyidnE YaqEb and Yiisuf I U I L+?r - and does it in such details as donot appear even in Torah and InjTl. Therefore, when the Holy Prophet &described it, it was an open miracle shown a t his blessed hands.Alternately, this verse could also mean that this event in itself -aside from the question asked by the Jews - was full of great signs of theperfect power of Allah TaWE and that, in it, there were major elementsof Divine guidance, and instructions and injunctions. One could imaginethe destiny of a child who was thrown in a pit when the power of Allahtook over, carried him from one stage to the other guarding him allalong, from his childhood to his youth. Then, Allah TaWZ has blessedhim with a divine colour as He would do with His special servants for hestood steadfast as His servant against trials which would make obedi-ence difficult. I t is all the more difficult when one is young and chal-lenged by opportunities. But, here is he, armed with the fear of Allah.He holds his ground, controls his self from desiring the undesirable andwalks out clean from the stranglehold of temptation. Then, the storytells us how Allah rewards a person who takes to righteousness and fearof Allah as his conscious and determined way of life, how He makes himrise higher than his adversaries in power and recognition, and how theystand subdued before him finally. These are lessons and truths, allpointing to the great signs of the Divine power which can be realized byanyone who would care to look and find out. (Qurtubi & Mazhari) This verse mentions the brothers of SayyidnE YGsuf & % IThe .reference is to the twelve sons of SayyidnZ Yaqiib =I,includingSayyidnZ K s u fm.Every son from among them had their children.Their families prospered. Since the title by which SayyidnZ YaqCb @was known was IsrZil, therefore, all these twelve families wereidentified as Bani IsrZil (the children of Israil). Out of these twelve sons, the eldest ten were from the first blessedwife of SayyidnZ Yaqiib M I , Sayyidah Layya, daughter of LayyZn.After her death, SayyidnZ YaqCb %& married her sister, RZhTl* (Rach-el). She became the mother of his two sons, SayyidnZ E s u f @ and*. See editorial note on page 156. 35. Sayyidnii K s u f=.Benyiimin (Benjamin). Therefore, BenyZmin was the only real brother of The rest of the ten were his half-brothers from thefathers side. RQTl, the mother of Sayyidna Yusuf MI, had died duringhis childhood at the time of the birth of Benyiimin. (Qurtubi)From the second verse (8), begins the story of Sayyidnii Yusuf @which tells that the brothers of Sayyidna Yiisuf @ saw that theirfather, Sayyidn;?:YaqGb @loved Sayyidnii f i s u funusually morethan them who were older than him. Therefore, this made them envyhim. And it is also possible that they had somehow found out about thedream of SayyidnZ Yusuf which may have led them to become un-comfortable at the prospect of his coming rise in status, and which mayhave made them envious of him. They talked about it among themselves:We see that our father loves Yiisuf and his brother Benyamin muchmore than us, although we are ten of us and older than them. We havethe ability and group strength to manage the affairs of the family whilethey both are small children who cannot do much. Our father shouldhave noticed this and we are the ones he should have been loving more.But, what he is doing is open injustice. Therefore, you should either killYiisuf, or throw him away into some far out spot of land from where hecould not come back. In this verse, these brothers have referred to themselves as: * (u~ Gbah). This word is used in the Arabic for a group from five to ten. As fortheir remark about their father:&1 . & ;pf 6 ~ 5! (Surely, our father is in1 3clear error), the word: 3s (dalal) appearing here lexically means theerror of straying. But, a t this place, dalEl or error does not mean relig-ious error. If so, such a connotation would have made all of them E f i r s(disbelievers) - because, Sayyidnii Yaqiib @is an exalted prophet ofAllah Taaii and such a thought in his case is an absolute Kufr.And about the brothers of SayyidnZ Yiisuf @, has been men- ittioned in the QurZn itself that they, later on, admitted their crime andrequested their father to pray for their forgiveness which he accepted todo. This makes it obvious that their mistake was forgiven. Now, this canbecome possible only when all of them are believers - otherwise, the pray-er for the forgiveness of a disbeliever is not permissible. This is the rea-son why there is no difference of opinion about their being believers, al-though Ulama do differ about these brothers being prophets. This tells 36. us that the word: Jb (dalE1:error) has been uttered at this place in thesense that he does not treat brothers equally in the matter of theirrights. The third verse (9) describes how the brothers exchanged opinionsamong themselves. Some suggested that E s u f be killed. Others optedfor throwing him into a desolate pit so that the thorn in their side couldbe removed and they could thus become the sole recepients of theirfathers attention. As for the sin they would be earning for themselves bykilling or throwing him in a pit, that was something which could betaken care of later when they could repent for what they did and thus be-come righteous. This is the meaning of the sentence: C ?& 1 9$?> $ ,3 (and after that you may become a righteous people) according tosome reports. And the verse could also be taken to mean that things willcome out right for them after the killing of E s u f because that focus ofthe fathers attention on E s u f will not be there anymore, or that theywould, once they have apologized to their father after the killing ofE s u f , become normal as they were.This proves that these brothers of Sayyidna Yiisuf $k& were notprophets because, in this case, they had committed many major sins,such as, the intention to kill someone innocent, disobedience to theirfather and causing pain to him, contravention of pledge, conspiracy, andthings like that. Such sins, according to the Muslim consensus, cannotbe committed by the noble prophets, may peace be upon them all, evenbefore they are ordained to be one.Mentioned in the fourth verse (10)is that, hearing this whole conver-sation, one of these brothers advised that K s u f should not be killed. Ifsomething has to be done, let him be thrown into some pit of a wellwhere he could remain alive so that when wayfarers stop a t this well,they would take him out and away. Thus, it would serve their purposewhile they would not have to take the trouble of traveling with him tosome far out place. Some caravan passing this way would itself do thisfor them by taking him away to some distant destination. The giver of this advice was their eldest brother, YahiidZ (Judah).Some narrations report that Ruebel (Rueben) was the eldest and it washe who gave this advice. And this is the same person mentioned later, 37. sayyidnZ K s u f =that is, he was the one who, when BenyZmin, the younger brother of was detained in Egypt, came forward and said:How am I going to face my father when I go to him without him with me,therefore, I am not going back to Canaan.The expression used in this verse is: * $G (ghayabatil-jubb: bot-I ,tom of a pit). Literally, ghayabah means everything which hides someth-ing in or makes it disappear. Therefore, a grave is also called ghayzbah.And jubb refers to a well without raised sidings. Another word: @ Cyaltaqithu) appearing in the next sentence: & && (SO that some wayfarer picks him up) needs explanation. Thisword: h ! a (iltiqat) is a derivation from: dad (luqtah). The word: dad (IZ(Q[ah) refers to something left or dropped which is found by someone with-out having the desire to have it. If it is inert, it is called luqtah, and if itis live, it is identified as laqTt (@) in the terminology of Muslim jurists.A human being will be called a laq$ when he or she is a child, not ration-al and pubert. It is from this word that Al-Qurtubi proves that, whenSayyidnZ Yilsuf !&%I thrown in the pit of a well, he was a non-pu-wasbert child. In addition to that, the saying of SayyidnZ Yaqiib %& that Ifear lest a wolf should devour him (13) also indicates his being a child -because, the likelihood of being eaten up by a wolf can only be imaginedin the case of a child. As reported by Ibn Jarir, Ibn al-Mundhir and IbnA T Shaiybah, the age of SayyidnE Yilsuf !&%Ibwas seven years at thattime.Some rules about the disposal of something owned by anunknown person (luqtah)At this place, Imam Al-Qurtubl has given details of Islamic legal in-junctions relating to luqtah and laqT[ for which this is not the appropri-ate occasion. However, it is necessary to understand a matter of princi-ple operative in this connection. Islam has a system of its own in whichthe protection of the life and property of common people, the upkeep andcleanliness of walkways and streets, and similar other civic duties, havenot been left in the sole charge of the departments of the government. In-stead of that, it has made everyone obligated to the duty of keeping themsafe and clean. The Hadith has sternly warned those who make thingsdifficult for passersby by crowding or lingering or depositing or throwingtheir belongings on public walkways and streets. It says: The Jihad of a 38. person who blocks or clogs the passageway of Muslims is not acceptable.Similarly, there is the instance of thorns or nails or broken glass or rocksand things like that which may be lying on walkways and which pose adanger of hurting others. Islam has not made their removal from publicthoroughfare the sole responsibility of a city council or municipal board.Instead of that, it has made every believing Muslim responsible for it. Ofcourse, it does t h a t in a mode of persuasion and great reward andthawab has been promised for those who do so.If, on this principle, the property lost by a person is found by some-one, his Islamic legal responsibility does not remain simply limited tonot stealing it - it goes much beyond that. In fact, it also becomes his re-sponsibility that he must pick it up as an article of trust, keep it safe,make an announcement, look for the owner and, when he finds him andhis description of the lost property before him makes him sure that thelost property does belong to him, then, he should give it to him. Andwhen, despite his announcement and search, the owner remains un-traced and, given the general valuation and status of the lost property,one becomes convinced that its owner is not going to look for it anymore,then, one has two choices. If he himself is poor, he may use it personally;if not, he should give it in charity to those poor and needy. However, inboth these situations, the lost property thus used shall be taken as sada-qah (charity) from the owner. The thawab for it shall reach the owner -as if, it was deposited in his name in the Treasury of the Heavens.These are golden principles of public service and social self-help. Theresponsibility of putting them in regular practice has been placed onevery individual of an Islamic society. Only if Muslims would under-stand their religion and start acting in accordance with it, they will benoticed by the whole world with surprise as to how do they accomplishthings so easily and so effectively, things which big departments ofgovernments fail to accomplish at the cost of millions and billions.Appearing in the fifth (111)and sixth (112) verse is the request ofthese brothers before their father in which they wondered why he wouldnot trust them with f i s u f , although they wished him fully well. So, theypleaded, he should send him along with them to enjoy himself freely byeating and drinking and playing with them and that they all shall bethere to take care of him. 39. The tone of the very request made by the brothers of SayyidnZ Yusuf@ indicates that they had already made such a request earlier toowhich was not accepted by their father. Therefore, in the present re-quest, they seem to have tried to assure their father with added effortand insistence.permissibility of a trip for pleasureIn this verse, the permission sought from SayyidnZ YaqZbmis togo for an outing and have the freedom to enjoy eating and playing togeth-er. This was something SayyidnZ YaqEb 1-did not disallow a t all. Heonly showed his reluctance in sending SayyidnZ K s u f @with them,which will appear in the next verse. From here we find out that goingout to enjoy and play is allowed under permissible limits. Authentic A&-dith too seem to indicate its justification. But, the condition is that inthis activity of fun and games, there should be no transgression of thelimits set by the Sharlah, nor should it be mixed up with any act not per-missible there. (QurtubI & others)When the brothers of SayyidnZ YGsuf @requested their fatherthat he should send E s u f with them on a recreational outing, SayyidniiYaqEb @told them that he did not favour sending him out for two rea-sons: (1)He remains uncomfortable without him in sight and (2) he ap-prehends that, in the wilderness out there, it might so happen that theybecome neglectful a t some time and a wolf might eat him up.The apprehension of Sayyidnii Ya6qGb m may have been caused ei-ther due to the abundance of wolves in Canaan, or because he had seenin a dream that he is standing on top of a hill and SayyidnZ Yusuf @Iis there on the slope downhill. All of a sudden ten wolves surround himand try to attack him. But, one of the wolves came forward to rescue himfrom the rest. Once released, SayyidnZ K s u f && took refuge inside theterrain.The interpretation of that dream manifested later when it turned outthat the ten wolves were these ten brothers and the wolf which defendedSayyidnZ Ylisuf && and saved him from being killed was his elderbrother, YahEdZ (Judah). And the depth of the pit was the interpreta-tion of his hiding under the land. In a narration from SayyidnZ AbdullZh ibn AbbZs&,it has been re- 40. Siirah S s u f :12 : 7 - 20 44ported that SayyidnZ YaqGb % & Ibecause of this dream, felt the danger ,of an unfortunate situation coming a t the hands of these brothers. Thus,in fact, they were the ones he had alluded to as wolves - but, in consider-ation of his wisdom, he did not lay the truth bare. (Qurtubi)After hearing what Sayyidna YaqGb 1 - said, those brotherscountered it by saying that his apprehension was strange in view of thepresence of a strong group of the ten of them to protect Yiisuf. If a wolfcould be expected to eat up K s u f despite their being there to guard him,it would render their very presence around him totally senseless. If so,they could not be taken as good for anything.SayyidnZ Yaqiib %&, acting with the elegance of a great prophet hewas, did not say it plainly before his children that it was they aboutwhom he feared a foul play because, firstly it would have been a painfulstatement to make against all of them and, secondly, there was the dan-ger that such a statement from the father would have increased the en-mity of the brothers to higher proportions - that is, if they somehowabandoned their idea of killing him now, they might have done so atsome later occasion under some other excuse. For this reason, he allowedthem to go. But, he did make sure that the brothers give him a solemnpledge that they would see that no harm comes to YEsuf. As added pre-caution, he entrusted him with his elder brother Ruebel (Rueben) orYahiidZ (Judah) so that they specially take care of his needs there andsee that he returns soon and safe. The brothers lifted Yiisuf up on theirshoulders, and kept doing so one by one. Sayyidna Yaqiib followed themupto a certain distance to bid them farewell. When these people, as described by Al-Qurtubi following historicalnarrations, disappeared from the sight of Sayyidna Yaqiib %&I,thebrother on whose shoulders SayyidnZ Yllsuf was perched threw himdown on the ground. He started walking by himself. But, being toosmall, he could not keep pace with them and tried to seek help fromanother brother. He remained cold. So did every brother he went to forhelp. They told him that he better call for help those eleven stars, theSun and the Moon he had seen prostrating to him - they should helphim. From here, Al-Qurtub; concludes that the brothers had somehow 41. Siirah S s u f :12 : 7 - 2045found out about the dream of SayyidnZ YGsuf %&. That dream becamethe cause of their extreme hostility.Finally, SayyidnZ K s u f appealed to YahiidZ as his elder broth-er telling him about his plight. He was weak and small and needed pro-tection, at least for the sake of their old father to whom they had giventhe pledge to help him. YahGdZ was moved and he told him that until hewas alive, he would not let these brothers hurt him.Thus, when Allah TamZ put mercy in the heart of Yahiidii and theability to do what was right, he told the other brothers of his that killingsomeone sinless was an extremely grave sin, therefore, they should fearAllah and take the innocent child back to his father. However, to makethings easy on them, they could take a pledge from him that he wouldnot complain to him in any way about their behaviour.The brothers told YahTidZ: We know what you mean. You wish torise higher than us in the sight of our father. So, you better listen to us.If you do anything to resist our intention, we shall kill you too. WhenYahiidii realized that he alone could do nothing against his nine broth-ers, he told them: Well, if you have decided to get rid of this child, then,listen to me carefully. There is an old well nearby with a lot of wildgrowth in it and now a home for many lethal crawlers. Put him in thatwell. If a snake or scorpion bites and kills him there, you shall havewhat you are looking for. Thus, you shall remain free of the blame ofshedding his blood by your own hands. And, in case, he still remainsalive, then, may be there comes a caravan this way, lowers its bucket todraw water from it and finds him instead. It is likely that they wouldtake him away with them to some other country in which case too youwould have achieved your objective. To this, all brothers agreed - as stated in the ninth of the presentverses (15) cited above in the following words: So, when they went with him and were determined to put him in the bottom of a pit (which they did). And We revealed to him (Yiisuf), You will (one day) tell them of this deed of theirs while they will not recognize (you). 42. Here, the word: L&;ij (And We revealed) is the principal clause of thepreceding conditional clause: I j(when they went). The letter: j I j(and) at this place in the former is zaidah i.e. has no meaning (Qurtubl).The sense is: When the brothers did finally decide to throw SayyidnZYusufinto the pit of the well, Allah TaZlZ revealed to SayyidnZYusuf mwords of comfort for him in which he has been given the gladtidings that some time in the future he will meet his brothers and that itwill be a time when he would be free of any need of help from thesebrothers, rather, would have an upperhand over them. And by virtue ofthese changed circumstances, he would be in a position to take accountof their unjust treatment meted out to their younger brother while theythemselves would be unaware of the whole matter.Imam Al-Qurtubi says that there could be two possible situations inthis connection: (1)That the revelation came to him after he was thrownin the pit of the well and that it was to give him comfort in that stateand to give him the good news that he would be delivered soon from thisordeal. (2) That Allah TaZlZ had, much before he was thrown into thepit of the well, oriented SayyidnZ YiFsuf with conditions and eventshe would face through a revelation in which he was also told that hewould come out of this death-trap safely and that particular conditionswill unravel when he would have the opportunity to admonish thesebrothers who would not even recognize him at that time as their ownbrother, K s u f .According to Tafsir Mazhari, this revelation which came to him dur-ing the time of his childhood was not the commonly recognized wahy orrevelation sent to prophets - because, that is conferred on them a t theage of forty. In fact, this was a revelation similar to that which was sentto the mother of Sayyidna MGsZ MI. The usual channel of revelation asreceived by prophets started when SayyidnZ YGsuf had reachedEgypt and attained maturity - as stated in the Qur7Zn:aq7h$u l ; i jwj (And when he reached at the prime of his age, We gave him wisdomand knowledge - 22). And Ibn Jarir, Ibn Abi HZtim and others havetaken this revelation to be nothing but prophetic, though in an exception-al way, as was the case of SayyidnZ IsZ %& who was invested with pro-phethood during his childhood. (Mazhari)SayyidnZ AbdullZh ibn AbbZs& hassaid: After he had reached 43. ~ g y p tAllah TaaZ had forbidden SayyidnZ Wsuf,athrough a revela-tion that he should not report his circumstances back to his home. (Qurtu- bi) This was the reason why a prophet of Allah like Sayyidna Ytisuf a did not - even after having been released from the prison and later hav- ing the reins of the government of Egypt in his hands - make an effort to find a way through which he could have provided relief to his old and af- flicted father by sending to him a message that he was safe and set.Who knows or could know the wisdom of Allah jalla thanauh hiddenbehind this arrangement? Perhaps, of the many considerations, it mayalso be His will that Sayyidna YaqiIba be sounded out that suchboundless love for someone other t h a n Allah was not ideally fa-vour-worthy - and that by making those brothers come to SayyidnZEsufa1in need, the purpose may be to mildly censure him too for hisconduct.At this point, Imam Al-Qurtubi and other commentators have de-scribed the event of the lowering of SayyidnZ E s u fainto the pit ofthe well. When his brothers started doing that, he clung to the outeredge of the well. They took his shirt out and tied his hands with it. Atathat time, SayyidnZ f i s u f pleaded for mercy from his brothers onceagain. But, once again, he got the same answer: Call those eleven starswho prostrate to you, let them help you. Then, they put him in a bucketand lowered him down into the well. When he was down as far as halfthe depth of the well, they cut off the rope releasing the bucket for a freefall. But, Allah being the protector of His prophet, saved him when he re-mained unhurt as he fell into the water. There was a protruding rockclose to him. Safe and sound, he sat on it. According to some narrations,a command was given to SayyidnZ Jibrailawho put him on the rock.SayyidnZ f i s u f 1 -remained in that well for three days. Hidingaway from others, his brother, Yahiidg, brought food and water for himevery day and lowered it down to him through a bucket. ,, 5 - -,, - = / 3 IAs in verse 16: d&. cL.+ jCz;, : They came weeping to their father+Iat nightfall. Hearing the sound of their crying, SayyidnZ Yaqiibcame out and asked: What has happened? Was the flock of your goats at-tacked by someone? And where is Xsuf? The brothers, then, said: 44. Father, we went running races and left Ksuf with our belong- ings and the wolf ate him up. And you will never believe us, even though we are telling the truth.Some rules about racingIn AhkZm al-Qur75n,Ibn al-Arabi has said; Running races againsteach other is legitimate in the Shariiah. It is a good habit which comeshandy in JihZd. Therefore, the Holy Prophet #$$, proved by authentic asAhZdith, has personally participated in such running of races. Alsoproved is making horses run against each other (not to be confused withinstitutionalized horse-racing with bets, as clarified later). Out of thenoble Companions, Sayyidnii Salamah ibn al-Akwa & ran a one-on-onerace against a person and won it.That the racing of horses as such is permissible stands proved fromthe verse under reference and from Hadhh reports cited above. In addi-tion to the racing of horses, mutual competition in racing and archeryand in other fields is also permissible, and equally permissible is the giv-ing of awards from a third party to the winner in this mutual competi-tion. But, fixing an amount of money in a bilateral agreement that theloser will pay it to the winner is gambling or Qimiir which has been de-clared Haram or unlawful by the Holy QurZn. Today, none of the prevail-ing forms of horse racing is free from gambling and Qimar. Therefore, allof them are Haram, impermissible and unlawful.Mentioned in the previous verses was that the brothers of Sayyidn5E s u f @&, after talking to each other back and forth, finally put himdown in a desolate well and returned to their father telling him that hehas been eaten up by a wolf. From verse 18, the story onwards has been&.taken up in the following words: y$ < & & j r c 3 ~ L . j (And they cameI-, Iwith fake blood on his shirt) that is, t h i brothers of Sayyidnii K s u f %&came back with his shirt they had smeared in fake blood so that theycould make their father believe that he has been eaten up by a wolf. But, Allah T a s k had His way of exposing their lie. He made themneglect something else they should have done besides smearing the shirtwith fake blood. Had they also torn the shirt, it would proved his being 45. eaten up by a wolf. Here they were coming with an intact shirt smearedwith the blood of a kid goat and trying to deceive their father. After see-ing this shirt totally unscratched, SayyidnZ Yaqiib w said: My sons,certainly wise was this wolf who ate Ytisuf in a way that his shirt wasnot torn from anywhere.Thus, their deceit was exposed before SayyidnZ Yaqiib mand hesaid: Rather, your inner desires have seduced you to something. So, patience is best. And it is Allah whose help is sought against what you describe.Two Rulings:1. SayyidnE Yaqiib r%$% has used the intact shirt as evidence to es-tablish that the brothers of SayyidnZ K s u f %& were lying. This tells usthat a QZdi or judge should also keep an eye on circumstancial evidencealongwith the claims and arguments of the parties concerned (Qurtubi).Al-Mawardi has said: The legendary shirt of K s u f is a wonder of theworld in its own way. Three great events of prophetic annals are con-nected with his shirt: (I) The first event relates to the smearing of theshirt with fake blood, cheating a father and the evidence of the shirtwhich established the lie. (11) The second event relates to Zulaikhii inwhich it is the shirt of SayyidnZ K s u f @which appears as the conclu-sive evidence. (111)The third event relates to,the return of SayyidnZYaqiibs eyesight in which it is the shirt of SayyidnE K s u f @whichstands out as the cause of that miracle. 2. Some Ulama have said t h a t the comment: $iwJpd&3(Rather, your inner desires have seduced you to something - 18)made a tthis time before his sons was also made a t the time when BenyZmin, thereal brother of SayyidnZ K s u f w,was detained in Egypt having beencharged with theft. When his brothers reported this incident to SayyidnZ i J 3YaqGb %&,he said: F&(Rather, your inner desires have se-duced you to something - 83). Worth pondering here is that SayyidniiYaqiibmhad made both these comments as based on his opinion. Thefirst of them turned out to be true; the other was not - because, in this, 46. -- -the brothers were not to be blamed. This tells us that a wrong personalopinion is possible even from prophets initially - though, later on, theyare not left to stand by that wrong opinion by means of Divine revela-tion.According to Al-Quflubi, it proves that an error of opinion can becommitted by the highest of the high. Therefore, every man or woman ofopinion should take his or her opinion as suspect, and should not becomeso rigid about it as not to be ready to listen or entertain what othershave to say.There is N o Chance or Accident in Divine Arrangements2% It is said in verse 19: 4+Jj J&;G :; L;c (And there came &some wayfarers and sent one of them to go for water. So, he let down hisbucket). The word: :>&(sayyara) means wayfarers or a caravan. Warid(>Jlj) is a person who moves ahead of the caravan as its vanguard. Sucha person is responsible for taking care of the needs of the caravan, waterbeing one of them. Id12 (~$9 means to lower the bucket into the well todraw water. The sense is that a caravan passed by this part of land bychance. According to Tafsb al-QurtubT, this caravan was coming fromSyria on its way to Egypt. Having lost its bearing, it strayed into thisdesolate place and sent some of his men to bring water from the well.That the Syrian caravan lost its regular route, reached that exactspot and decided to send their water-carrier to that deserted well is a se-quence of events which is referred to by people as accidental. But, theknower of the secret of the creation knows that all these events arechains of a system which is breathtakingly coordinated and formidable.It is but the Creator of Ytisuf, and his Protector, who moves the caravanaway from its set route and brings it here and sends its men to this de-serted well. This is a mirror of all other states and events which commonpeople see as accidental happenings - and philosophers as contingents -all of which is based on an unawareness of how the system of the uni-verse really works. Otherwise, in creation, there is no chance or accident(which Einstein, though no formal believer, did concede: God does notplay dice!). However, the most true Creator of the universe is known bythe majesty of His unique state of being. He is, as the QurZn declares: 47. J r r ,"r 6,-4f?--!JGDoer of what He intends - 85:16 His wisdom works in unimaginable ways when He creates conditionsand circumstances which do not seem to synchronize with the obvious se-quence of events. When this happens, one fails to comprehend the real-ity, and takes what he does not understand as something accidental.However, their man whose name has been identified as Malik ibnDubar reached that well, lowered his bucket which K s u f saw as Divinehelp coming down. He took hold of the rope. Up it came with no waterbut with the shining face of someone whose instant mystique of beautyand signs of forthcoming spiritual excellence were no less impressivethan the real greatness he was going to achieve in the future. Intrigued,surprised and flushed with delight, the man looked at this young, hand-some and promising child coming suddenly face to face before him emerg-ing from the depths of a well and making him exclaim: ? G L S (What$ ~a good news! This is a boy). In the Hadith concerning the Night of MirZj(the Ascent to the Heavens) appearing in the Sahlh of Muslim, the HolyProphet $& has been reported to have said: When I met K s u f =I, Isaw that Allah TaSlZ has blessed him with half of the beauty of thewhole world, while the other half has been spread over the rest of it.Following immediately after is the statement:j>i; (And theykept him hidden as merchandise). It means that Malik ibn Dubar, whenhe first saw this boy, did exclaim taken by surprise. But, an afterthoughtover the matter made him decide not to let this be known. Instead, hethought, he would keep him hidden from others so that he could sell himfor good money later. He did not want the caravan to know about it forthe whole caravan would then be claiming a share in the money so ac-quired.nZ K s u f=,However, the expression could also mean that the brothers of Sayyid-by concealing the truth of the matter, themselves madehim into merchandise. This is as it appears in some narrations where itis said that YahTidZ used to carry food to SayyidnZ K s u fevery daywhile he was in the well. On the third day, when he did not find himthere, he returned to his brothers and told them about it. Together, they 48. went there, made investigations, and found him with the people of thecaravan. They told them: This boy is our slave. He has escaped and youhave done something bad by detaining him in your possession. Mdik ibnDubar and his companions were scared lest they be taken as thieves.Therefore, they started talking about a deal to purchase him from thebrothers.Thus, the verse would come to mean that the brothers of SayyidnZfisuf themselves made him into merchandise and sold him out.After that it was said: 3&J *& hij (while Allah was aware of what;they were .doing). The sense is that Allah TadZ, in His perfect knowl-edge, was fully aware of what the legendary brothers of K s u f would do,and also that which will be done by the people of the caravan who wouldbuy him. Allah TaZlZ had all power to undo the designs of both, but itwas under His own wise considerations that He let these designs carryon.In this sentence, according to Ibn KathTr, there is an element of guid-ance for the Holy Prophet #$ as well. It tells him that nothing his peopleare doing to him, or will do in the future, is outside the scope of Allahsknowledge and power. He could, if He so willed, change everything andeveryone outright. But, wisdom demanded that they be allowed to showtheir power at this time. Finally, by making him overcome them, it willbe truth itself seen triumphant over them - as was done in the case offisuf W . IVerse 20 begins with the words: $+u ;.; &41; I > > , , , I A I (shira) is used for buying and sell-ing both. The probability of both meanings exists here. If the pronoun isreverted back to the brothers of SayyidnZ f i s u f @&I, it will mean sell-ing - and if applied to the people of the caravan, it would mean buying.Thus, the sense would be: the brothers of E s u f sold him - or, the peopleof the caravan bought him - for a paltry price, that is, for a counted fewdirhams in return. Al-Qurtubi says: The Arab traders used to transact deals involvingbig amounts by weight while, for amounts not more than forty, theywould go by count. Therefore, the word: G jL (maCdZdah: few) used with: 49. +r" (darahim: plural of dirham: silver-coins) tells us that the count ofd i r h a m s was less t h a n forty. Ibn Kathir, citing t h e authority ofsayyidnZ AbdullZh ibn Masiid &,has written that the deal was closeda t twenty d i r h a m s which the ten brothers had divided among them-selves a t the rate of two dirhams per person. As for the exact amount ofdirhams, reported there are other narrations a s well which put them astwenty two and forty. (Ibn Kathir) In the last sentence of the verse: ;+Dl ;% 2 Gcj (and they were dis-interested in him), the word: 2 ~ l j l l ( a z ~ z ~ h i dis )the plural of zahidhwhich is a derivation from zuhd. Literally, zuhd means indifference, dis-interestedness. In usage, the lack of interest in and the avoidance ofwealth and property in worldly life is referred to as zuhd. The meaningof. the verse is that the brothers of K s u f were really not interested inany financial gain for themselves in this matter. Their real purpose wasto separate SayyidnZ YEsuf from their father. Therefore, theystruck a deal for a very few dirhams.Verses 21 -23And the one who bought him from Egypt said to hiswife, "Make his stay graceful. He may be useful for us.Or, we may adopt him as a son." And thus W estab- elished S s u f in the land, so that W should teach him ethe interpretation of events. And Allah is powerful in(enforcing)His command, but most of the people do notknow. [21] 50. And when he reached the prime of his age, W gave hime wisdom and knowledge, and this is how W reward e those good in deeds. [221 And she, in whose house he was, seduced him away from his (resisting) self and bolted the doors, and said, "comeon!"He said, "MayAllah save me. Surely, he is my master. He has given me a good lodging. Surely, the wrongdoers do not prosper." [231CommentaryDescribed in the previous verses was an early account of SayyidnZKsuf as to how the people from the caravan took him out of thewell, and how his brothers made him out to be their escaped slave andtraded him for a few dirhams. First of all, they did not know the valueand station of their great brother. Secondly, their real purpose was notto make money by selling him - they wanted to remove him away fromhis father. Therefore, they did not stop a t simply selling him becausethey felt the danger that the caravan may somehow leave him behind asa result of which he may somehow reach their father and tell him allabout their conspiracy. So, according to a report from TafsTr authority,Mujahid, these people waited for the caravan to leave with him forEgypt. When the caravan actually departed, they went with the caravanupto a certain distance warning them on the way that he is in the habitof running away, therefore, they should not leave him free to movearound, better still, they should tie him up. Thus, the caravan, unawareof the precious merchandise they were carrying with them, took him inthat condition as far as Egypt. (Tafsir Ibn Kathir)The part of the story as taken up onwards in the present versesshows the eloquent brevity of the Quran when sections of the storywhich can be understood independently have not been necessarily de-scribed. For instance, the trip of the caravan through various stages en-route Egypt and the actual selling of Sayyidna K s u f @there. All thishas been skipped. Stated from here is:-, ,,> I > , J&$aJ$Iy yfl ,> .9, 3 ,,&$I &$I 2,K And the one who bought him from Egypt said to his wife, Make his stay graceful...I. According to ~ a f s i al-QurtubI, when the caravan reached Egypt andr 51. -~fferedhim for sale, people vied with each other with increasing bidswhich rose to gold, to musk and to silk equal to his weight. But, Allah TamG had destined this human treasure to go to the mostpowerful authority of the time in Egypt, the Aziz of Migr. He beat all thebids and bought SayyidnZ K s u f @I.As we already know from the statement of the Holy Quriin, all thesethings happening were nothing ac