12:1  Alif.Lam.Ra. Those are the signs of the clear Book.

12:2  Indeed, We have revealed it, an Arabic Quran; perhaps you may understand.

12:3  We tell you the best of stories, in inspiring you with this Quran, though you were before it surely among the heedless.

12:4  When Joseph said to his father, 'O my father! Indeed, I saw eleven stars, and the sun, and the moon, - I saw them prostrating to me.'

12:5  He said, 'O my son! Do not tell your vision to your brothers, for they will plot a plot against you; indeed, the devil is to man a clear enemy.

12:6  And thus does your Lord choose you, and teach you the interpretation of narrations, and fulfil His favour upon you and upon Jacob's people, as He fulfilled it upon your two forefathers before you, Abraham and Isaac, - indeed, your Lord is knowing, wise.'

12:7  Certainly in Joseph and his brothers were signs to those who ask.

12:8  When they said, 'Surely, Joseph and his brother are dearer to our father than we, a band although we are; indeed, our father is surely in clear error.

12:9  'Slay Joseph, or cast him in some land; that your father's face may be free for you, and thereafter you may be a righteous people.'

12:10  Said a speaker among them, 'Do not slay Joseph, but throw him into the bottom of the pit; some of the travellers may pick him up, if you do so.'

12:11  They said, 'O our father! What ails you that you will not trust us with Joseph while indeed we are unto him sincere?

12:12  Send him with us tomorrow to enjoy and to play; and indeed, we will surely be his guardians.'

12:13  He said, 'Indeed, it surely grieves me that you should go with him, and I fear lest the wolf devour him while you are heedless of him.'

12:14  They said, 'Why, if the wolf should devour him while we are a band, indeed, then are we losers.'

12:15  And when they went with him and agreed to put him in the bottom of the pit, and We inspired him, 'You shall surely inform them of this affair of theirs and they shall not perceive.'

12:16  And they came to their father in the evening, they were weeping.

12:17  They said, 'O our father! Indeed, we went forth to race and we left Joseph by our goods, and the wolf devoured him, and you believe us not though we are truth tellers.'

12:18  And they brought his shirt with false blood on it. He said, 'Nay, but your souls have induced you to do this; but patience is beautiful. And God is He whom I ask for aid against that which you describe.'

12:19  And travellers came and sent their water-drawer; and he let down his bucket. He said, 'O good news! This is a youth.' And they kept him secret as a chattel; but God knew what they were doing.

12:20  And they sold him for a paltry price, - dirhams counted out, - and they parted with him cheaply.

12:21  And the one from Egypt who had bought him said to his wife, 'Make honourable his abode; it may be he will be of use to us, or we may adopt him as a son.' Thus We established Joseph in the land; and that We may teach him the interpretation of narrations; and God is overcomer over His affairs, but most of mankind do not know.

12:22  And when he had reached his strength We brought him judgment and knowledge, and thus We reward the good-doers.

12:23  And she in whose house he was desired him for his person; and she locked the doors and said, 'Come, you!' He said, 'I seek refuge in God. Indeed, He is my Lord. He has made good my abode; indeed, the wrongdoers shall not prosper.'

12:24  And certainly she was anxious for him, and he would have been anxious for her, had it not been that he saw the proof of his Lord; thus did We turn the evil and the immorality from him; indeed, he was of Our sincere servants.

12:25  And they raced to the door and she tore his shirt from behind; and they met her master at the door. She said, 'What is the recompense of him who wishes evil for your family, but that imprisonment or a painful punishment?'

12:26  He said, 'She desired me for my person.' And a witness from her family bore witness: 'If his shirt is torn from in front, then she speaks the truth and he is of the liars;

12:27  But if his shirt is torn from behind, then she lies and he is of the truth tellers.'

12:28  And when he saw his shirt torn from behind he said, 'Indeed it is of your tricks; indeed, your tricks are mighty.

12:29  Joseph, turn away from this. (Spoken to the female) And ask forgiveness for your sin; indeed, you were of the sinners.'

12:30  And women in the city said, 'The wife of the Aziz desires her young man for his person; indeed he has infatuated her with love; indeed, we surely see her in clear error.'

12:31  And when she heard of their plotting, she sent to them and prepared for them a banquet, and gave each one of them a knife; and she said, 'Come out to them!' And when they saw him they exalted him and cut their hands and said, 'God forbid, this is no mortal, this is not except a noble angel.'

12:32  She said, 'And that is the one concerning whom you blamed me. I desired him for his person, but he abstained. But if he will not do what I command him he will surely, definitely be imprisoned and will surely be among the little ones.'

12:33  He said, 'My Lord! Prison is dearer to me than what they call on me to do; and unless You turn from me their guile I shall feel a passion for them and shall be among the ignorant.'

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

12:35  Then it seemed good to them, after they had seen the signs, to imprison him until a time.

12:36  And there entered the prison with him two young men. One of them said, 'Indeed, I see myself pressing wine.' And the other said, 'Indeed, I see myself carrying on my head bread from which the birds were eating. Inform us of its interpretation; indeed, we see that you are of those who do good.'

12:37  He said, 'There shall not come to you any food with which you are provided, but I will inform you both of its interpretation before it comes to you. That is of what my Lord has taught me; indeed, I have left a faith of a people who do not believe in God, and they, they are disbelievers in the hereafter.

12:38  And I have followed the faith of my fathers, Abraham and Isaac and Jacob; it was not for us that we associate anything with God; that is from God's grace upon us and upon mankind: but most of mankind do not give thanks.

12:39  O my two companions of the prison! Are separate lords better, or God, the One, the Subduer?

12:40  What you worship beside Him are nothing but names which you have named, you and your fathers, for which God has sent down no authority. Judgment is only God's; He commands you worship only Him. That is the right religion, - but most men do not know.

12:41  O my two companions of the prison! As for one of you, He shall pour out wine for his lord: and as for the other, He shall be crucified, and the birds shall eat of his head. The matter concerning which you both enquire for a decision has been decreed.'

12:42  And he said to him whom he thought would escape of those two, 'Remember me with your lord!' But the devil made him forget the remembrance of his Lord, so he tarried in prison a few years.

12:43  Then the king said, 'Indeed, I see seven fat cows which seven lean cows devoured; and seven green ears of corn and others dry. O chiefs! Explain to me my vision, if you can expound a vision.'

12:44  They said, 'Confused dreams, and we know nothing of the exposition of such dreams.'

12:45  And he who had escaped of those two said, - and he remembered after a while, - 'I will inform you of its interpretation, so send me forth.'

12:46  'Joseph, the truthful one! Explain to us the seven fat cows which seven lean devoured; and the seven green ears of corn and others dry. Perhaps I may go back to the people, perhaps they may know.'

12:47  He said, 'You shall sow for seven years as usual; but what you reap, let it remain in the ear except a little from which you shall eat.

12:48  Then there shall come after that seven severe which shall devour what you have put by before for them, except a little of what you shall preserve.

12:49  Then there will come after that a year in which the people shall have rain and in which they shall press.'

12:50  And the king said, 'Bring him to me.' And when the messenger came to him, he said, 'Go back to your lord, and ask him, 'What is the condition of the women who cut their hands? Indeed, my Lord knows of their plot.'

12:51  He said, 'What was your design when you desired Joseph for his person?' They said, 'God forbid! We know no bad of him.' The wife of the Aziz said, 'Now does the truth appear. I desired him for his person and indeed, He is surely of the truthful.'

12:52  'That was that he might know that I did not betray him in the unseen, and that God does not guide the guile of the treacherous.

12:53  And I do not clear myself, indeed the soul is very urgent to evil, except what my Lord has had mercy on; indeed, my Lord is forgiving, compassionate.'

12:54  And the king said, 'Bring him to me. I will take him specially for myself.' And when he had spoken with him he said, 'Indeed, today you are with us in a permanent place of trust.'

12:55  He said, 'Place me over the treasures of the land; indeed, I will be a knowing guardian.'

12:56  And thus did We establish Joseph in the land that he might settle in what part thereof he pleased - We overtake with Our mercy whom We will, nor do We waste the reward of those who do good;

12:57  And surely the reward of the hereafter is better for those who believed and used to fear.

12:58  And the brothers of Joseph came, and they entered upon him and he knew them, but they recognised him not.

12:59  And when he had equipped them with their equipment he said, 'Bring me a brother that you have from your father; do you not see that I give good measure and that I am the best of entertainers?

12:60  But if you do not bring him to me, there shall be no measure for you with me, nor shall you come near me.'

12:61  They said, 'We will try to obtain him from his father and indeed we are surely doers.'

12:62  And he said to his young men, 'Put their chattels in their packs, perhaps they may recognise it when they have gone back to their people; perhaps they may return.

12:63  And when they returned to their father, they said, 'O our father! The measure is withheld from us; so send with us our brother that we may get measure; and indeed, we will surely be his guardians.'

12:64  He said, 'Shall I entrust you with him, except as I entrusted you with his brother before? But God is the best guardian, and He is the most merciful of the merciful.

12:65  And when they opened their goods they found their chattels restored to them. They said, 'O our father! What more can we seek? Here are our chattels restored to us, and we shall get provision for our family, and we shall guard our brother, and shall obtain an extra camel's load - that is an easy measure.

12:66  He said, 'I will not send him with you until you give me a promise by God that you will surely bring him to me, unless you are surrounded.' So when they had given him their promise he said, 'God is a trustee over what we say.'

12:67  And he said, 'O my sons! Do not enter from one gate but enter from different gates; but I cannot avail you anything against God. Judgment is only God's; upon Him do I rely, and upon Him then let those who rely rely.'

12:68  And when they had entered as their father commanded them, it availed them nothing against God, except for a want in Jacob's soul which it fulfilled; and indeed, he was a possessor of knowledge, because We taught him; but most of mankind do not know.

12:69  And when they entered upon Joseph, he took his brother to himself, he said, 'Indeed, I am your brother, so do not sorrow for what they did.'

12:70  And when he had equipped them with their equipment he placed the drinking cup in his brother's pack; then an announcer announced, 'O caravan! Indeed you surely are thieves.'

12:71  They said approaching them, 'What is it that you miss?'

12:72  They said, 'We miss the goblet of the king, and whoever brings it shall have a camel-load, and I am guarantee thereof.'

12:73  They said, 'By God, certainly you knew we came not to do evil in the land, and that we were not thieves.'

12:74  They said, 'And what shall be its recompense if you are liars?'

12:75  They said, 'Its recompense is he in whose pack it is found - then he shall be its recompense; thus do we recompense the unjust.'

12:76  And he began with their sacks before the sacks of his brother; then he pulled it out from his brother's sack. Thus did We devise a stratagem for Joseph. He could not take his brother by the king's religion except God willed; - We raise in degrees whomsoever We will, and over every lord of knowledge is one who knows.

12:77  They said, 'If he has stolen, then verily, a brother of his has stolen before.' But Joseph kept it secret in his soul and did not disclose it to them. He said, 'You - evil place, and God knows best what you describe.'

12:78  They said, 'O Aziz! Indeed, he has a father, a very old man; take then one of us instead of him; indeed we, we see you are of the good-doers.'

12:79  He said, 'I seek refuge in God that we should take any except him with whom we found our property; indeed, we should then be certainly unjust.'

12:80  And when they despaired of him they retired to discourse secretly. The eldest of them said, 'Do you not know that your father has taken a promise from you by God, and before you exceeded in the matter of Joseph? - So I will not leave the land until my father permits me, or God judge for me, for He is the best of the wise ones.

12:81  Return to your father and say, "O our father! Indeed, your son has committed theft, and we bore testimony to nothing but what we knew; and we were not guardians of the unseen.

12:82  Ask then in the city where we were, and of the caravan in which we approached it, and indeed, we surely are truthful."'

12:83  He said, 'Nay, your souls have induced you into something. But patience is beautiful. It may be that God will give me them all together; - indeed, He is the Knowing, the Wise.'

12:84  And he turned away from them and said, 'O my lament for Joseph! And his eyes grew white with grief, and he repressed.

12:85  They said, 'By God, you will not cease to remember Joseph till you are at the point of death, or are of those who perish.'

12:86  He said, 'I complain of my emotion and my grief to God, and I know from God what you do not know.

12:87  O my sons! Go and enquire concerning Joseph and his brother, and do not despair of God's mercy; indeed, no one despairs of God's mercy except the disbelieving people.'

12:88  And when they entered upon him they said, 'O prince! Distress has touched us and our families, and we have brought trifling chattel. So give us full measure and bestow upon us in charity; indeed, God rewards the charitable.'

12:89  He said, 'Do you know what you did with Joseph and his brother, when you were ignorant?'

12:90  They said, 'Are you indeed, surely you, Joseph?' He said, 'I am Joseph, and this is my brother; indeed God has been gracious towards us. Indeed, He who fears and is patient, - then indeed, God does not waste the reward of those who do good.'

12:91  They said, 'By God! Certainly God has chosen you over us; and we indeed were sinners.'

12:92  He said, 'No reproach on you today. God will pardon you, for He is the most merciful of the merciful.

12:93  Take this my shirt, and throw it over the face of my father, He will become able to see; and bring me your families all together.'

12:94  And when the caravan departed, their father said, 'Indeed, I find the smell of Joseph, unless you think I dote.'

12:95  They said, 'By God, indeed, you are surely in your old error.'

12:96  And when the herald of glad tidings came he threw it on his face, and he was restored to sight. He said, 'Did I not tell you, indeed, I know from God what you do not know?'

12:97  They said, 'O our father! Ask forgiveness for us of our sins; - indeed, we were sinners.'

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

12:99  And when they entered upon Joseph, he took his father to himself, and said, 'Enter Egypt, if God wills, safe.'

12:100  And he raised his father upon the throne, and they fell down to him prostrating. And he said, 'O my father! This is the interpretation of my vision before; verily, my Lord has made it come true, and indeed, He has been good to me, when He brought me forth from prison, and brought you from the desert, after the devil incited between me and my brothers; - indeed, my Lord is gentle to what He wills; - indeed, He is the Knowing, the Wise.

12:101  My Lord! Indeed, you have given me of the sovereignty, and have taught me of the interpretation of narrations; O Originator of the heavens and the earth! You are my patron in the world and the hereafter; cause me to die as one who submits, and join me with the righteous.'

12:102  That is from the stories of the unseen which We inspire you with, and you were not with them when they agreed in their affair, and they were crafty.

12:103  And though you are eager, most of mankind will not believe.

12:104  You do not ask them for it a reward; it is nothing but a reminder to the worlds.

12:105  And how many a sign in the heavens and the earth do they pass by and turn away therefrom.

12:106  Nor do most of them believe in God without associating others with Him.

12:107  Are they safe, then, from overwhelming vengeance coming on them from the punishment of God? Or from the Hour coming upon them suddenly while they do not perceive?

12:108  Say, 'This is my way; I call to God upon evidence, I and whoever follows me; and glory be to God, and I am not of the idolaters.'

12:109  Nor did We ever send before you any except men whom We inspired, of the people of the cities. Have they not journeyed on in the earth, and beheld how was the end of those before them? But the abode of the hereafter is surely better for those who fear; - Have they then no sense?

12:110  Until when the messengers despaired and they thought that they certainly were proved liars, Our help came to them, and whom We will was saved; but Our violence is not averted from the sinful people.

12:111  Verily, their stories were a lesson for possessors of understanding. It was not an invented story, but a verification of what was before it, and a detailing of everything, and a guide and a mercy to a people who believe.