12:1  Alif 'A', Lam 'L', Ra 'R'. These are the verses of the Book(which makes the truth)Manifest.

12:2  Verily We have sent it down- an Arabic Qur'an- that you may understand.

12:3  We relate unto you the best of stories, by that We have revealed to you this Qur'an; though before this, you were of those who did it not know.

12:4  When, Yusuf said to his father: 'O my father! Verily I did see(dreamt) eleven stars and the sun and the moon: I saw them prostrating themselves unto me'.

12:5  He(Jacob)said: 'O my(little)son! Do not relate your vision to your brothers, lest they devise a plot against you: for Satan is to man a manifest enemy'.

12:6  And thus will your Lord choose you and teach you the interpretation of sayings(dreams), and perfect His favor to you and to the posterity of Jacob, even as He perfected it to your fathers Abraham and Isaac aforetime! Verily your Lord is All- knowing, All- wise.

12:7  Certainly there are signs(of Allah's sovereignty)in(the story of)Yusuf and his brothers for the inquirers.

12:8  When they said: 'Verily, Yusuf and his brother(Benjamin)are dearer to our father than we, while we are a(strong)group. Verily, our father is in manifest error'.

12:9  Slay you Yusuf, or cast him out to some(far)land,(so that)your father's attention may be given on you(exclusively), and you may be after that(by repentance)a righteous people.

12:10  Said a speaker among them: 'Do not slay Yusuf, and if you must do it, throw him into the bottom of the well(so that)some caravan(of travelers)may pick him up'.

12:11  They said: 'O our father! What cause is with you that you do not trust us with Yusuf, and verily we are his sincere well- wishers ?

12:12  Send him with us tomorrow to enjoy himself and play, and verily we shall take every care of him.

12:13  He said: 'Verily it saddens me that you should take him away, and I fear lest the wolf devour him while you are heedless of him'.

12:14  They said: 'If the wolf were to devour him while we are a(strong)group, then we should be losers'.

12:15  So when they did take him with them, and they agreed to put him in the bottom of the well, and We revealed unto him: 'You will certainly inform them of this deed of theirs while they know(you)not'.

12:16  And they came to their father at nightfall, weeping.

12:17  They said: 'O' our father! Verily we went off racing and left Yusuf with our things; then the wolf devoured him. But thou will never believe us even though we be truthful'.

12:18  And they brought his shirt with false blood on it. He said: 'No, your (guilty)selves have made a matter light for you.(For me)patience is good; and Allah is He Whose help is to be sought against what you describe'.

12:19  Then there came a caravan(of travelers). They sent their water- drawer( for water)and he let down his bucket. He said: 'O' good news! This is a youth. ' So they hid him as a merchandise; while Allah is aware of what they do.

12:20  And they sold him for a small price, of a few dirhams counted out, and in him they had no interest.

12:21  And he of Egypt who bought him said to his wife: 'Receive him honorably, maybe he will profit us, or we shall adopt him as a son. ' Thus did We establish Yusuf in the land, and that We might teach him the interpretation of tales(dreams). And Allah is predominant over His affair; but most people do not know.

12:22  And when he reached his prime(maturity), We gave him wisdom and knowledge. And thus do We reward the doers of good.

12:23  And the woman, in whose house he was, sought to seduce him from his self and she closed the doors and said: 'Come here'. He said 'I seek refuge in Allah! Verily He is my Lord. He made good my abode. Verily the unjust do not prosper'.

12:24  And indeed she desired him, and he would have desired her if he had not seen the evidence of his Lord. Thus(it was)that We turned away from him evil and indecency. Verily he was(one)of Our chosen servants,(sincere and purified).

12:25  And they both raced to the door and she tore his shirt form the back. They both found her husband by the door. She said: 'What is the punishment for him who intends evil to your wife save he be imprisoned or a painful chastisement ?

12:26  He said: 'She(it was who)sought to seduce me from my(pure)self, ' and a witness from her own family bore witness, 'If it be that his shirt is torn from the front, then she speaks the truth and he is of the liars'.

12:27  And if his shirt is torn from the back, then she tells a lie, and he is of the truthful(ones).

12:28  So when he(the 'Aziz)saw his shirt was torn from behind, he said: 'Verily it is of the guile of you women! Truly, your guile is great'.

12:29  O Yusuf! Overlook this matter; and you,(O my wife), ask forgiveness for your sin, for surely you are of the wrong- doers.

12:30  And some women in the city said: 'The wife of the 'Aziz has sought to seduce her slave from his(pure)self; he has affected her with love. Verily we see her in manifest error'.

12:31  So when she heard about their malicious talk, she sent for them and prepared a repast for them. Then she gave each one of them a knife, and said to him(Yusuf): 'Come forth to them. ' When they saw him, they extolled him, and( in their amazement)cut their hands and said(exclaimed): 'Allah Blameless! This is not a human being. This is not other than a noble angel!

12:32  She said: 'This is before you he about whom you did blame me! And indeed I sought to seduce him from his(pure)self, but he proved continent. And(now), if he does not do what I command him, he shall certainly be imprisoned, and will certainly be of the humiliated!

12:33  He said: 'My Lord! The prison is dearer to me than that to which they invite me; and if You turn not their guile from me, I may incline towards them and become of the ignorant ones'.

12:34  So his Lord answered him and He turned away from him their guile; verily He is the All Hearing, the All Knowing.

12:35  Then it seemed to them, after they had seen the signs(of his innocence), to imprison him till a time.

12:36  And with him there entered into the prison two youths. One of them said( unto Yusuf): 'I saw(in dream)myself pressing wine' The other said: 'I saw(in my dream)myself carrying on my head bread from which the birds were eating. ' Tell us its interpretations, verily we see you of the righteous ones'.

12:37  He said: 'There shall not come to you the food with which you are fed but I will inform you both of its interpretation before it comes to you. This is of what my Lord has taught me. Verily, I have abandoned the religion of a people who do not believe in Allah and they are disbelievers in the Hereafter'.

12:38  And I have followed the religion of my fathers, 'Ibrahim, Ishaq and Ya'qoub. And it beseems us not to associate aught with Allah. That is of Allah's favor upon us and upon mankind, but most people do not give thanks.

12:39  O my(two)mates of the prison! Are(many)diverse lords better, or Allah, the One, the All- Dominant

12:40  You do not worship besides Him but(mere)names which you have named, you and your fathers, for which Allah has not sent down any authority. Judgment belongs only to Allah. He has commanded that you worship none but Him. That is the right religion, but most people do not know.

12:41  O' my(two)mates of the prison! as for one of you, he shall pour out wine for his lord to drink; whereas the other will be crucified and the birds shall eat on his head. The matter is decreed about which you do enquire.

12:42  And he said to him whom he knew would be saved of the two: 'Mention me to your lord. ' However, Satan caused him to forget to mention him to his lord, so he(Yusuf)remained in prison a few years.

12:43  And(once)the king(of Egypt)said: 'Verily I saw(in a dream)seven fat cows which seven lean cows were eating; and seven green ears of corn and other (seven)dry. O' chiefs(of my court)! Explain to me my dream, if you are able to interpret dreams'.

12:44  They said: 'confused medley of dreams(they are), and we do not know the interpretation of(such confused)dreams'.

12:45  And of the two(prisoners), he who had been released, remembered(Yusuf) after a time and said 'I will inform you of its interpretation, so send me(to Yusuf)'.

12:46  Yusuf, O truthful one! Expound to us regarding(the dream of)seven fat cows which seven lean ones were devouring, and seven green ears of corn and other(seven)dry, that I may go back to the people, that they may know.

12:47  He said: 'You shall sow for seven consecutive years and that which you have harvested you leave it in its ear, except a little whereof you eat'.

12:48  Then after that seven years of hardship will come that(people)will consume what you have before hand laid up for them, except a little of what you will have preserved.

12:49  Then there will come after that a year in which the people will have rain, and in it they will press(wine and oil).

12:50  So the king said: 'Bring him to me. ' Then, when the messenger came to him, he(Yusuf)said: 'Go back unto your lord and ask him: What was the case of the women who cut their own hands Verily my Lord is aware of their guile'.

12:51  He(the king)said(to the women): 'What was the matter with you women when you sought to seduce Yusuf from his(pure)self ' They answered: 'Allah Blameless! We know no evil of him. ' The wife of the 'Aziz said: 'Now the truth has become manifest, I(it was who)sought to seduce him from his(pure)self, and verily he is of the truthful ones'.

12:52  (Yusuf said): That, so that he(the 'Aziz)may know that I have not betrayed him in secret, and that Allah does not guide the device of the treacherous.

12:53  And I do not absolve myself, verily the(human)soul enjoins to evil, save that whereon my Lord has mercy; verily my Lord is the Forgiving, the Merciful.

12:54  And the king said: 'Bring him to me. I will attach him to my person. ' Then when he had spoken with him, he said: 'Verily today you are of high standing in our presence, a trusted one'.

12:55  He(Yusuf)said: 'Set me over the storehouses of the land. Verily I am a knowing guardian'.

12:56  And thus did We give power to Yusuf in the land, to make his dwelling there wherever he wished. We reach with Our mercy on whomsoever We please, and We do not waste the reward of the righteous.

12:57  And certainly the reward of the Hereafter is(much)better for those who believe and are constant in keeping from evil.

12:58  And the brothers of Yusuf came and entered unto him, then he knew them but they did not recognize him.

12:59  And when he provided them with their provisions, he said: 'Bring unto me a brother of years from your father. Do you not see that I give full measure, and( that)I am the best of hosts

12:60  But if you do not bring him to me you shall have no measure(of corn)from me nor shall you(even)come near me.

12:61  They said: 'We will seek to get him from his father; and verily we certainly will do(it)'.

12:62  And he told his servants to put their merchandise(with which they had bartered)into their saddle- bags, so that they may recognize it when they return to their family in order that they might come back(again).

12:63  So, when they returned to their father, they said: 'O our father! The measure was denied to us, therefore send our brother with us that we may get our measure; and verily we will certainly guard him'.

12:64  He said: 'Shall I trust you with him save as I trusted you with his brother before But Allah is the best guardian, and He is the Most Merciful of the merciful ones'.

12:65  And when they opened their baggage, they found their merchandise had been returned to them. They said: 'O our father! What(more)can we desire This is our merchandise(that)has been returned to us. We shall get provision for our family, and guard our brother. And we shall obtain an extra camel's load. That is an easy measure'.

12:66  He said: 'Never will I send him with you until you pledge a solemn covenant to me, in Allah's name, that you will surely bring him back to me, unless you are surrounded in(an evil accident). ' And when they had sworn their solemn pledge, he said: 'Allah is Guardian over what we say'.

12:67  He also said: 'O' my sons! Do not enter by one gate, but enter by separate gates. Yet I cannot avail you anything against Allah. Judgment belongs no one but Allah. In Him do I put my trust, and in Him let all that trust put their trust'.

12:68  And when they entered in the manner their father had enjoined them, it availed them nothing against Allah; but(it was)a need in Jacob's soul which he so satisfied; and verily he was possessed of a knowledge for that We had taught him, but most people do not know.

12:69  And, when they entered unto Yusuf, he lodged his(own)brother(Benyamin) with himself, saying: 'I am your brother; so do not grieve at what they were doing'.

12:70  Then, when he provided them with their provisions, he put the drinking cup into his brother's saddle- bag. Then a herald shouted: 'O you men of the caravan! You are certainly thieves!

12:71  They said, while turning to them: 'What is it that you have lost

12:72  They said: 'We have lost ?the king's cup, and whoever brings it shall receive( the reward of)a camel- load, and I guarantee it'.

12:73  They said: 'By Allah! You know well(that)we have not come to make mischief in the land, and we are not thieves'.

12:74  They said: 'What is the penalty thereof, if you are liars

12:75  They said: 'The penalty thereof is that he in whose bag it is found shall himself be(held as bondsman)in penalty for it. Thus do we punish the unjust'.

12:76  And so he began(the search)with their bags before the bag of his brother. Then he drew it out from his brother's bag. Thus did We contrive for Yusuf's sake; for he could not take his brother in accordance with the king's law, except that Allah willed. We raise the degrees of whomsoever We please, and above everyone endued with knowledge, there is one more knowing.

12:77  They said: 'If he steals, a brother of his had stolen before. ' But Yusuf kept it secret within his heart and did not reveal it to them. He said: 'You are in a worse situation, and Allah knows best(the truth)of what you state'.

12:78  They said: 'O' 'Aziz! He has a father, aged and advanced in years, so take one of us in his place; verily we see you of the doers of good'.

12:79  He said: 'Allah forbid that we take(anyone)other than him with whom we found our property. Indeed(if we did so)we would certainly be of the unjust ones'.

12:80  So when they despaired of(moving)him, they conferred in private. The eldest of them said: 'Don't you know that your father has taken a solemn covenant from you in Allah's name, and before that you failed to perform your duty with Yusuf Therefore, I will never leave this land until my father permits me, or Allah decides for me; and He is the best of judges'.

12:81  Go back to your father and say: 'O' father! Verily your son has committed theft, and we did not bear witness except to what we knew, and we were not guardians of the Unseen'.

12:82  And ask at the town in which we were and the caravan with which we travelled hither, and verily we are indeed truthful.

12:83  He(Ya'qoub)said: 'No, but your(guilty)selves have made a matter fair for you, so patience is good. Maybe Allah will bring them to me all together; verily He is the All- Knowing, the All- Wise'.

12:84  And he turned away from them and said: 'Alas for Yusuf! ' And his eyes became white with the grief of that he repressed.

12:85  They said: 'By Allah! You will never cease to remember Yusuf until you are ill or(until)you are of the perished ones'.

12:86  He said: 'I only complain of my anguish and my grief to Allah, and I know from Allah that which you do not know'.

12:87  O' my sons! Go and enquire about Yusuf and his brother, and never despair of Allah's Mercy. Verily none despairs of Allah's Mercy except the unbelieving people.

12:88  Then, when they entered unto him(Yusuf), they said: 'O' 'Aziz! Affliction has visited us and our family, and we have brought scanty merchandise. So pay us full measure and bestow you charity on us; verily Allah will reward the charitable ones'.

12:89  He(Yusuf)said: 'did you know what you did with Yusuf and his brother when you were ignorant

12:90  They said: 'Are you indeed Yusuf ' He said: '(Yes), I am Yusuf and this is my brother. Allah has been indeed gracious to us. Verily whoever keeps from evil and is patient(is always rewarded)for verily Allah does not waste the reward of the righteous'.

12:91  They said: 'By Allah! Allah has indeed preferred you above us, and we certainly have been guilty'.

12:92  He said: 'There is no reproach against you this day. Allah may forgive you; and He is the most Merciful of the merciful(ones)'.

12:93  Go with this shirt of mine and lay it on my father's face, he will(again ) be able to see; and bring me your family all together.

12:94  And when the caravan set out(from Egypt to Kan'an), their father said: 'Verily I perceive Yusuf's scent, unless you think me doting'.

12:95  They said: 'By Allah! you are in your ancient error'.

12:96  Then, when the bearer of the good news came, he cast it(the shirt)on his(Jacob's)face and(forthwith)he regained his sight. He said: 'Did I not tell you I know from Allah what you do not know

12:97  They said: 'O' our father! Ask forgiveness of our sins for us, verily we were guilty'.

12:98  He said: 'Soon I will ask forgiveness for you from my Lord; He is the Forgiving, the Merciful'.

12:99  Then when they entered unto Yusuf, he lodged his parents with him and said: 'Enter Egypt, Allah willing,(all)in security'.

12:100  And he raised both his parents upon the throne, and they fell down prostrating before him, and he said: 'O' my father! This is the interpretation of my dream of aforetime! My Lord has made it come true; and He was indeed kind to me when He brought me out of the prison, and He brought you out of the desert(of Kan'an into Egypt) after Satan had made strife between me and my brothers. Verily my Lord is Benignant unto what He wills. Verily He is indeed the All- Knowing, the All- Wise'.

12:101  O my Lord! You have given me to rule, and have taught me the interpretation of dreams.(O!)Originator of the heavens and the earth! You are my Protector in the world and the Hereafter. Cause me die a Muslim(in submission(unto you)and join me with the righteous.

12:102  That is of the news of the Unseen(which)We reveal to you(O' Prophet); and you were not with them(the brothers of Joseph)when they agreed upon their plan and they were plotting.

12:103  And most people will not believe, though you desire it.

12:104  And you do not ask them for any reward for it; it(the Qur'an)is no other than a reminder for all mankind.

12:105  And how many a sign there is in the heavens and on the earth which they pass by while they turn away from it.

12:106  And most of them do not believe in Allah except that they associate others(with him).

12:107  Do they then feel secure from the enveloping punishment coming upon them from Allah, or the coming of the Hour suddenly, while they are unaware

12:108  Say(O' Our Apostle): 'This is my way. I invite to Allah with clear sight, I and whoever follows me; and glory be to Allah! And I am not(one)of the polytheists'.

12:109  And We did not send(apostles)before you but men from the people of the towns whom We did inspire with revelations. Have they not traveled in the earth and seen what was the end of those who came before them And certainly the abode of the Hereafter is better for those who are pious. Do you not understand

12:110  Till when the messengers despaired and they(disbelievers)thought they had been told a lie, Our help came to them and We delivered whom We pleased. But Our punishment will not be averted from the guilty people.

12:111  Indeed in their stories, there is a lesson for the possessors of intellect. It is not an invented tale, but a confirmation of what came before it, and a clear exposition of all things, and a guidance and a mercy for people who believe.