12:1  Alif Lam Ra. These are the signs of the clear book.

12:2  We revealed it as an Arabic Qur´an so that you might understand.

12:3  We tell you the most beautiful of stories We have revealed to you in this Qur´an, whilst you were unaware before.

12:4  When Yusuf (Joseph) said to his father, oh my father, I saw eleven stars and the sun and the moon, I saw them prostrate to me.

12:5  He said: oh my son, do not tell your dream to your brothers, so they will plot against you, for the devil is an open enemy to man.

12:6  And this is how your Lord will choose you and teach you of the interpretation of meanings and complete His favours upon you and upon the family of Ya´qub (Jacob) just as He completed it upon your fathers before, Ibrahim (Abraham) and Ishaq (Isaac), for your Lord is knowing and wise.

12:7  In Yusuf (Joseph) and his brothers there are signs for those who enquire.

12:8  When they said: Yusuf (Joseph) is dearer to our father than us whilst we are a large group. Our father is indeed in clear error.

12:9  Kill Yusuf (Joseph) or drive him away to some (distant) land, after which your father will only look at you and you will be righteous people.

12:10  A speaker amongst them said: do not kill Yusuf (Joseph) but throw him into the depth of the well, some caravan will pick him up, if you have to do it.

12:11  They said: oh our father, what is the matter with you that you do not trust us with Yusuf (Joseph) whilst we are sincere to him?

12:12  Send him with us tomorrow to enjoy himself and play and we will look after him.

12:13  He said: It worries me that you should take him and I fear the wolf will eat him whilst you are careless about him.

12:14  They said: If the wolf should eat him and we are a large group, then we would be losers.

12:15  And when they took him and agreed to place him in the depths of the well, We revealed to him that you will inform them of this affair of theirs when they will not realise.

12:16  And they came to their father in the evening crying.

12:17  They said: oh our father, we went ahead and left Yusuf (Joseph) with our provisions, then the wolf ate him. And you will not believe us even if we are truthful.

12:18  And they brought false blood on his shirt. He said: but you have made something up yourselves, so (I will have) beautiful patience and ask Allah for help against what you make out.

12:19  And a caravan came, so they sent their water carrier and he lowered his bucket. He said: good news, there is a boy, and they hid him as merchandise, and Allah has knowledge of what they do.

12:20  And they sold him for the price of only a few Dirham in order to get rid of him.

12:21  And the one who bought him from Egypt said to his wife: look after him well. Perhaps he will benefit us or we will adopt him as a son. This is how We plotted for Yusuf (Joseph) on earth and in order to teach him of the interpretation of meanings, and Allah prevails in His affairs but most people don´t know.

12:22  And when he attained his full strength We gave him the ability to judge and knowledge, and this is how We reward those who do good.

12:23  And she in whose house he was desired him and locked the doors and said: come here! He said: Allah forbid, my master has provided me with excellent lodgings and the wrongdoers will not succeed.

12:24  And she was attracted to him and he was attracted to her had he not considered the evidence of his Lord. This was so that We would turn evil and indecency away from him, for he was of Our sincere servants.

12:25  And they ran to the door and she tore his shirt from behind and they found her master near the door. She said: what other punishment is there for him who wants bad for your family except that he should be imprisoned or some other painful punishment?

12:26  He said: she desired me, and a witness of her family gave evidence that if his shirt is torn from the front then she is telling the truth and he is lying.

12:27  And if his shirt is torn from behind, then she is lying and he is telling the truth.

12:28  Then when they saw his shirt torn from behind he said: this is one of your plots, the plots of you women are enormous.

12:29  Yusuf (Joseph), let go of this, and you (woman) seek forgiveness for your sin, for you are guilty.

12:30  And some women in the town said: the wife of the governor desired her male servant, he has infatuated her with love, we consider her clearly astray.

12:31  Then when she heard of their plot she sent for them and prepared for them couches and gave each of them a knife and said: come out to them. Then when they saw him they praised him and cut their hands and said: Allah save us, this is not a man but this is a noble angel!

12:32  She said: so that is what you blamed me about and I did desire him but he resisted, and if he does not do what I command him, he will be imprisoned and will be of those humiliated.

12:33  He said: my Lord, prison is dearer to me to what they call me to, and if You do not divert their plot from me, I will give in to them and be of the ignorant.

12:34  So his Lord responded to him and diverted their plot from him, for He hears and knows.

12:35  Then it seemed right to them after seeing the signs that they should imprison him for some time.

12:36  And two male servants entered the prison with him. One of them said: I saw myself press wine, and the other said: I saw myself carry bread on my head of which the birds ate. Tell us its interpretation for we consider you amongst those who do good.

12:37  He said: I will tell you its interpretation before your provision of food will come to you. This is of what my Lord has taught me, for I left the religion of people who do not believe in Allah and who reject the hereafter.

12:38  And I followed the religion of my fathers Ibrahim (Abraham), Ishaq (Isaac) and Ya´qub (Jacob). We would not associate anything with Allah. That is of the favours of Allah upon us and upon mankind, but most people give no thanks.

12:39  Oh my companions in prison, are different masters better or Allah, the one and dominant?

12:40  You only serve besides Allah names which you have invented, you and your fathers. Allah has not sent any authority for it. The judgement is Allah´s alone, He has commanded that you serve only Him, that is the upright religion but most people do not know.

12:41  Oh my companions in prison, as for one of you, he will pour wine for his master, and for the other, he will be crucified and the birds will eat from his head. Decided is the matter about which you asked.

12:42  And he said to the one of them who thought he would be saved: mention me to your master, but the devil made him forget to make mention to his master, so he stayed in prison a number of years.

12:43  And the king said: I saw seven fat cows being eaten by seven skinny cows and seven green ears of grain and another dried batch. Oh leaders, explain me my visions if you understand visions.

12:44  They said: confused dreams, and we do not know the interpretation of dreams.

12:45  And the one of the two who was saved and remembered after some time said: I will inform you of the interpretation of it, so send me.

12:46  Yusuf (Joseph), oh you truthful one, explain to us seven fat cows being eaten by seven skinny ones and seven green ears of grain and another dried batch, so that I can return to the people so that they will know.

12:47  He said: sow for seven years and what you harvest, leave it on its ear but for a little which you eat.

12:48  Then seven severe years will come after that which will consume what you have stored up for them but for a little which you keep safe.

12:49  Then a year will come after that during which people receive rain and press (grapes and oil).

12:50  And the king said: bring him to me, and when the messenger came to him he said: go back to your master and ask him about the women who cut their hands, for my master knows their plots.

12:51  He said: what do you women have to say about when you desired Yusuf (Joseph)? They said: Allah save us, we do not know any bad about him. The wife of the governor said: now the truth has come out, I desired him and he is telling the truth.

12:52  This so that he would know that I did not deceive him secretly and that Allah does not guide the plot of the treacherous.

12:53  And I do not call myself blameless, for the soul commands evil except when my Lord has mercy, for my Lord is forgiving and merciful.

12:54  And the king said: bring him to me, I will keep him for myself, and when he spoke to him he said: you are influential and safe with us today.

12:55  He said: place me over the storehouses of the earth, for I am a knowledgeable keeper.

12:56  And this is how We established Yusuf (Joseph) on earth to settle wherever he liked. We grant Our mercy to whom We will and do not waste the reward of those who do good.

12:57  And the reward of the hereafter is even better for those who believe and beware (of Allah).

12:58  And the brothers of Yusuf (Joseph) came and entered upon him, and he recognised them whilst they did not recognise him.

12:59  And when he issued them with their supplies he said: bring me your brother from your father, do you not see that I give full measure and am one of the best hosts?

12:60  But if you do not bring him, then you will have no measure with me and you shall not come close.

12:61  They said: we will implore our father, we will certainly do that.

12:62  And he said to his male servants: place their merchandise in their luggage so that they find it when the return to their family so that they come back.

12:63  Then when they got back to their father they said: oh our father, measure has been denied to us, so send our brother with us, we will obtain measure and we will look after him.

12:64  He said: shall I entrust him to you like I entrusted his brother to you before? But Allah is the best keeper and the most merciful of all.

12:65  And when they opened their provisions they found their merchandise had been returned to them. They said: oh our father, what more do we want? This our merchandise has been returned to us, and we will provide for our family and add the measure of a camel, that will be an easy measure.

12:66  He said: I will not send him with you until you give me a promise by Allah that you will bring him back unless you are surrounded. Then when they gave him their promise he said: Allah is a guardian over what we say.

12:67  And he said: oh my children, do not enter from a single gate but enter from different gates, and I will not benefit you in any way against Allah, for the judgement is only for Allah, on Him I have relied, and on Him let all those rely who want to rely on something.

12:68  And when they entered from where their father had commanded them, it did not benefit them in any way against Allah but was a need within Ya´qub (Jacob) which he discharged, and he had much knowledge of what We taught him, but most people don´t know.

12:69  And when they entered upon Yusuf (Joseph), he took his brother in his care and said: I am your brother, so don´t be sad about what they used to do.

12:70  Then when he issued their supplies he placed the drinking cup in his brother´s luggage, then a caller announced: oh you travellers, you are thieves.

12:71  They said, whilst they approached them: what are you missing?

12:72  They said: we are missing the king´s measuring cup, and whoever brings it will have a camel´s load, and I am going to claim it.

12:73  They said: by Allah, you know that we did not come to cause corruption on earth and that we are not thieves.

12:74  They said: and what is the punishment if you are lying?

12:75  They said: the punishment is that whoever it is found in his luggage, he will be the punishment, this is how we punish the wrongdoers.

12:76  Then he started with their bags before the bag of his brother, then he took it out of the bag of his brother. This is how We plotted for Yusuf (Joseph): he could not have taken his brother under the king´s rule unless Allah willed. We raise in stages whom We will, and above everybody with knowledge is He who knows.

12:77  They said: if he stole, then his brother stole before, but Yusuf (Joseph) kept it inside and did not disclose it to them. He said: you are in a bad situation, and Allah knows best what you make out.

12:78  They said: oh governor, he has a very old father, so take one of us in his place, we consider you of those who do good.

12:79  He said: Allah forbid that we take except him whom we found our belongings with, otherwise we would be wrongdoers.

12:80  And when they gave up on him, they drew apart to consult. Their eldest said: don´t you know that your father has already taken your promise by Allah and how you abandoned Yusuf (Joseph)? So I will not leave this land until my father gives me permission or Allah judges for me and He is the best of judges.

12:81  Go back to your father and say: oh our father, your son has stolen, and we only witness that which we know and we are not keepers of the unseen.

12:82  So ask the town we were in and the caravan that we came with, and we are telling the truth.

12:83  He said: but you have made something up yourselves, so (I will have) beautiful patience. Maybe Allah will bring them all to me, for He is knowing and wise.

12:84  And he turned away from them and said: oh my grief over Yusuf (Joseph), and his eyes turned white from suppressed worry.

12:85  They said: by Allah, you will not stop remembering Yusuf (Joseph) until you ruin your health or will be destroyed.

12:86  He said: I only disclose my anguish and worry to Allah and I know from Allah what you do not know.

12:87  Oh my sons, go and look for Yusuf (Joseph) and his brother and do not despair of relief from Allah, for only people who reject (the truth) despair of relief from Allah.

12:88  And when they entered upon him they said: oh governor, hardship has afflicted us and our family and we have come with meagre merchandise, but give us full measure and give us charity, for Allah rewards those who give charity.

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

12:90  They said: are you actually Yusuf (Joseph)? He said: I am Yusuf (Joseph) and this is my brother. Allah has bestowed His favours on us, for if someone bewares (of Allah) and is patient, then Allah does not waste the reward of those who do good.

12:91  They said: by Allah, Allah has preferred you over us and we were guilty.

12:92  He said: you will not be blamed today, may Allah forgive you, and He is the most merciful of all.

12:93  Go with this shirt of mine and throw it onto my father´s face, he will become sighted (again), and come to me with all your family.

12:94  And when the caravan broke up (on arrival) their father said: I notice the scent of Yusuf (Joseph) even if you contradict me.

12:95  They said: by Allah, you are in your old aberration.

12:96  Then when the bringer of good news came, he threw it over his face and he became sighted again. He said: did I not say to you that I know from Allah what you do not know?

12:97  They said: oh our father, ask forgiveness for our sins, for we were guilty.

12:98  He said: I will ask my Lord for forgiveness, for He is the forgiving and merciful.

12:99  And when they entered upon Yusuf (Joseph) he took care of his parents and said: enter Egypt safely if Allah wills.

12:100  And he raised his parents on to the throne and they fell prostrate before him, and he said: oh my father, this is the outcome of my earlier dream, Allah has made it come true and He was good to me when He brought me out of prison and brought you from the desert after the devil came between me and my brothers, for my Lord is kind to whom He pleases, for He is the knowing and wise.

12:101  My Lord, you have given me a kingdom and taught me the interpretation of meanings, originator of the heavens and the earth, You are my protector in this world and the hereafter, take me away whilst having submitted (as Muslim) and join me with the righteous.

12:102  This is of the information of the unseen which We reveal to you, and you were not with them when they agreed on their affairs and schemed.

12:103  And most people do not believe even if you are eager.

12:104  And you do not ask them for a reward for it, for it is only a reminder for all the worlds.

12:105  And how many signs in the heavens and on earth do they pass by and turn away from them?

12:106  And most of them do not believe in Allah without being idolaters.

12:107  Are they then safe that a disaster from the punishment of Allah reaches them or the hour reaches them suddenly without them realising it?

12:108  Say: this is my way, I call to Allah based on my understanding - I and those who follow me, and glorified is Allah, and I am not of the idolaters.

12:109  And before you We did not send anything else but men from the people of the towns to whom We revealed. Do they not travel on the earth so they see what the outcome was like for those before them? And the abode of the hereafter is better for those who beware (of Allah), do you not understand?

12:110  Until when the messengers gave up and thought they had already been denied, Our help reached them, so We rescue whom We will, and Our distress is not averted from the sinful people.

12:111  In their story is a lesson for those with understanding. It is not an invented tale but a confirmation of what came before it and an explanation of everything and a guidance and mercy for people who believe.