12:30  Some prominent women of the city began to say, “The captain’s wife was in love with her servant; she has fallen in love. We believe she is wrong.”

12:31  After hearing their gossip, she sent for them, and prepared sofas for them at a banquet, giving each of them a knife before telling Yusuf, “Go out to present yourself before them.” When they saw him, they were captivated by his beauty, and cut their hands and said, “Allah the Great! This is no mortal. This can only be a splendid great angel.”

12:32  Then she said, “That’s the one you blamed me for. I tried to seduce him, but he held back. However, if he doesn’t do as I tell him now, he will go to prison and be disgraced.

12:33  “My Lord,” said Yusuf, “I prefer prison to what they tell me to do. If You hadn’t deflected their cunning scheme from me, I would have yielded to them and acted unwisely.”

12:34  His Lord accepted his prayer and deflected their scheme away from him. He is the Listener, the Knower.

12:35  And so, even after seeing the evidence, of his innocence they thought it is right to imprison him for a short term

12:36  Two young men entered the prison with him, one asked him, “I had a dream, I was pressing grapes,” the other said, “I had a dream, I was carrying bread on my head and birds were eating from it. Tell us their meaning, we see you’re a righteous person.”

12:37  He said, “I will tell you their meaning before your next meal arrives, it’s one of the things My Lord has taught me. I have kept away from the religion of people who don’t believe in Allah and who deny the Hereafter,

12:38  I follow instead the religion of my forefathers Ibrahim, Ishaq and Yaqub. The associating of anything with Allah is not for us; that is one of Allah’s favours to us and to people generally, but most people are ungrateful.

12:39  My fellow prisoners, tell me, are many gods better or the one, Allah, the Supreme?

12:40  Whatever you worship besides Him are only names you and your forefathers coined, Allah hasn’t revealed any authority for them. Ultimate authority belongs to Allah alone; He has commanded you to worship Him alone. That’s the true religion, unfortunately, most people are ignorant

12:41  My fellow inmates, one of you will serve wine to his master once more; sadly, the other will be crucified, and the birds will peck his head. The matter on which you sought my opinion has already been decided.”

12:42  Then Yusuf asked the one who he knew would be spared, “Mention me to your master.” However, Satan made him forget to mention him to his master, and so Yusuf lingered in the prison for several years

12:43  The King said, “I had a dream of seven fat cows eating seven lean ones, and of seven green ears of grain and seven others all dried up. Counsellors, advise me concerning my dream, if you can interpret dreams.”

12:44  They replied, “What baffling dreams! We have no expertise in interpreting dreams.”

12:45  Then the one who had been spared of the two in prison finally remembered Yusuf after a long time, said, “I can tell you how to interpret it, so send me.”

12:46  Returning to the prison, he said, “Yusuf, you who tells the truth, advise us concerning seven fat cows eating seven lean, and seven green ears of grain and seven others all dried up, so that I may go back to the people, so they may know.”

12:47  Yusuf said, “For seven years you will plant crops as normal, but you will leave what you harvest in the ears, except for a small amount that you will eat.

12:48  This will be followed by seven years of hardship, during which you will consume all but a little of what you have stored.

12:49  After that will come a year of rain aplenty, in which people will press grapes for wine.

12:50  “Bring him to me,” said the King, when the King’s envoy came to him, Yusuf told him, “Go back to your master and let him inquire about the women who cut their hands. My Lord knows all about their cunning scheme.”

12:51  So the King asked the women, “What happened when you tried to seduce Yusuf?” They said, “Allah the Great! We know nothing bad about him.” Then the captain’s wife said, “Now the truth is out. It was me who tried to seduce him, and he told the truth.”

12:52  Yusuf said, “All this was so that my master would know I didn’t betray him in his absence,” and Allah does not guide the schemers of cunning plots.

12:53  “I don’t claim to be blameless since human ego continually incites one to do evil, except when My Lord is kind to me. My Lord is Forgiving, Kind.

12:54  “Bring him to me,” the King said, “I will select him for my personal service.” Once he had interviewed him, he said, “From this day on, you will hold a position of trust with us.”

12:55  “Put me in charge of the country’s stores,” Yusuf said, “for I am prudent and knowledgeable.”

12:56  And that is how We gave Yusuf power to exercise in the land of Egypt, and to live wherever he wished. We treat anyone kindly, and never allow the reward of the righteous to be lost.

12:57  And the reward of the Hereafter is even better for those who believe and are mindful of Allah

12:58  Years later, Yusuf’s brothers came and entered his office, and he recognised them at once, but they didn’t recognise him.

12:59  After he had supplied them with their provisions, he said, “Bring me a half-brother of yours from your father’s side. Don’t you see that I am honest in my measures, and that I am the best host?

12:60  If you fail to bring him to me then you won’t get a single measure from me, nor should you approach me ever again.”

12:61  “We will try to persuade his father,” they said, “We will certainly do that.”

12:62  And so Yusuf told his servants, “Put the goods they exchanged with us back in their saddlebags so they recognise them when they return to their family and, hopefully, they will come back.

12:63  When they returned to their father, they said, “Father, we will be stopped from taking a single measure next time so send our brother along with us so that we may get more. We will take care of him.”

12:64  He said, “If I entrust you with him, won’t it be the same as before, when I entrusted you with his brother? Allah is the best guardian, and He is the most kind.”

12:65  When they opened their saddlebags, they found their goods were returned to them, so they said, “Our father, what more do we want? These goods of ours have been returned to us. We can provide for our family, take care of our brother, and we’ll get an extra camel-load. That would be an easy load!

12:66  “I will not send him with you,” said Yaqub, “until you give me a solemn pledge by Allah to bring him back safely to me unless it happens that if you are ambushed.” When they had given their pledge to him, he said, “Allah is the Guardian over what we have pledged here.

12:67  He said, “My sons, don’t enter together through one gate, but enter from different gates. I can’t shield you against anything from Allah, as ultimate authority belongs to Him alone. I have put my trust in Him, so let everyone put his trust in Him.

12:68  When they entered the way their father had told them, it couldn’t shield them against anything from Allah; but, it satisfied Yaqub’s wish. He had knowledge that We had taught him, unfortunately most people are ignorant

12:69  When they entered Yusuf ’s office again, he took his brother aside, saying, “I’m your brother. Don’t be saddened by what they did.”

12:70  After giving their provisions, he placed a drinking cup in his brother’s saddlebag, then a herald called out: “people of the caravan, you are thieves.”

12:71  “What have you lost?” The brothers said, as they turned to face them.

12:72  “We have lost the King’s measuring bowl,” they said, “and whoever brings it back will get an extra camel-load; I guarantee it.”

12:73  “By Allah,” they said, “you know that we didn’t come to make trouble in the land, nor are we thieves.”

12:74  They said, “What is the penalty, if you are lying?”

12:75  “In whoever’s saddlebag the measuring bowl is found will have to give himself up and become a slave,” the brothers said, “that is how we punish wrongdoers.”

12:76  So Yusuf began by searching their bags before his brother’s bag, then he produced the goblet from his brothers. That is how We devised a plan for Yusuf to succeed. It would not have been proper for him to arrest his brother under the king’s law, unless Allah had so willed. We elevate in rank anyone We please; and above every knowledgeable person is the One who knows all

12:77  “If he has stolen,” the brothers said, “then his full-brother before him also stole.” Yusuf kept his feelings to himself and didn’t reveal anything to them. Instead he said, “You are all in far worse position. Allah is well aware of what you describe.”

12:78  “Your Lordship,” they said, “his father is an old man, so arrest one of us instead. We consider you to be a gracious person.”

12:79  “Allah forbid! We should arrest anyone other than him in whose possession we found our belongings,” he said, “Then we would be blatant wrongdoers.”

12:80  When they were hopeless about him changing his mind, they went off into a huddle to talk privately, and the eldest of them said, “Don’t you know that your father took your solemn pledge by Allah because you had previously been negligent with Yusuf? I won’t leave this land until either my father gives me permission or else Allah decides for me, He is the best Judge.

12:81  Go back to your father and say, “Our father, your son has stolen.” They told him, “We are only testifying to what we know, and we could not be expected to protect against the unforeseen.

12:82  Ask the townsfolk where we have been and the caravan with whom we travelled. We’re telling the truth.”

12:83  “On the contrary,” Yaqub said, “you have made all this up. It’s better to be patient! It may be that Allah brings them all back to me, for it is He Who is Knowing, Wise.

12:84  Yaqub turned away from them, saying, “Oh, how I grieve for Yusuf!” His eyes clouded over, turning white, such was his sadness; yet he controlled his emotions.

12:85  “By Allah,” they said, “Will you never stop mentioning Yusuf until you become ill or die?”

12:86  “I am complaining to Allah of My deep sorrow and sadness,” Yaqub said, “I have knowledge from Allah that you don’t.

12:87  My sons, go and search for Yusuf and his brother; don’t despair of Allah’s kindness, it is only the disbelievers who despair of Allah’s kindness.

12:88  When they entered again into Yusuf ’s office, they said, “Your Lordship, severe hardship has struck us and our family. We have brought but a few goods, so give in full measure and be charitable to us; the reward of the charitable rests with Allah.”

12:89  He said, “Do you now know what you did to Yusuf and his brother when you were ignorant?”

12:90  They said, “Yusuf, is that really you?” “I am Yusuf,” he said, “and this is my brother. Allah has favoured us. Whoever is mindful of Allah and is patient, Allah will not waste the reward of the righteous.”

12:91  “By Allah,” they said, “Allah has preferred you over us, and we are the sinners.”

12:92  Yusuf said, “There is no blame on you today. Allah will forgive you, for He is the most Kind.

12:93  Then Yusuf said, “Take this shirt of mine, and place it over my father’s face, and his sight will return; then bring your whole family here to me.”

12:94  Once the caravan had set off from Egypt, their father said, “I smell Yusuf ’s breath in the air, even though you might think I am senile.”

12:95  Those around him said, “By Allah, you are back to your old love again.”

12:96  But when the bearer of good news came and placed the shirt over his face, his eyesight returned, he said, “Did I not tell you that I have knowledge from Allah that you don’t have?”

12:97  “Our father,” the brothers said, “seek forgiveness for our sins, we have been sinners.”

12:98  He said, “I will seek my Lord’s forgiveness for you,” Yaqub said, “ He is the Forgiver, the Kind.

12:99  When they entered Yusuf’s office, he received his parents as honoured guests, saying, “Enter Egypt, Allah willing, in safety.”

12:100  As he invited his parents to sit on the throne, they fell before him in prostration. Yusuf said, “My dear father, this is the meaning of my long ago dream, which My Lord has made come true. Allah has been gracious to me, getting me out of the prison and bringing you from the desert after Satan had sown enmity between me and my brothers. My Lord has made it come true as He pleases. He is the Knower, the Wise

12:101  My Lord, you have given me power and authority and taught me how to interpret dreams, Creator of the Heavens and Earth, You are my Protector in this world and the Hereafter; let me die submitting to Your will, and include me among the righteous.

12:102  This is one of the accounts of the unseen that We have revealed to you; and you were not there with them, Messenger, when they conspired to hatch a plot against Yusuf.

12:103  Most people will never believe, no matter how keen you are to guide them,

12:104  you don’t seek reward for it from them. This Quran is a reminder for humanity

12:105  How many signs in the Heaven and Earth do they pass by and they turn their backs to.

12:106  Most of them will believe in Allah whilst also associating partners with Him.

12:107  Are they insured against being overwhelmed by Allah’s punishment, or being taken all of a sudden and unaware by the Final Hour?

12:108  Say: “This is the path that I am on: I call others to Allah. I and those who follow me base our beliefs on clear evidence. Glory be to Allah! I am no associator of partners with Allah.”

12:109  Even before you, Messenger, the men who We sent, and to who We revealed Our signs to, were townsfolk. Have the disbelievers not travelled about the land and seen how the end came to those who rejected Allah’s signs before them? The home in the Hereafter is much better for the mindful. Doesn’t any one of you understand?

12:110  When the messengers lost hope in outward signs of success, and the disbelievers believed they were lied to, then Our help came to them. Whoever We wanted was saved, but nothing can turn away Our punishment from the guilty.

12:111  In the story of Yusuf and his brothers, there is a lesson for those who understand. It isn’t a made-up account, but confirmation of what happened in the past, it explains all things, a guidance that is useful for those who believe