In the name of God, the Almighty,¹ the Merciful.

¹ alif lām rā¹ Those are the proofs² of the Clear Writ.³

² We have sent it down as an Arabic recitation,¹ that you might use reason.

³ We relate to thee the best of stories¹ in what We have revealed² to thee of this Qur’an,³ though thou wast before it among those unaware.

⁴ When Joseph said to his father: “O my father: I saw¹ eleven stars and the sun and the moon; I saw them submitting² to me,”

⁵ He said: “O my son: relate thou not thy dream to thy brothers lest they plan a plan against thee; the satan¹ is to man an open enemy.

⁶ “And thus will thy Lord choose thee, and teach thee the interpretation of events, and complete His favour upon thee and upon the house of Jacob as He completed it upon thy fathers before, Abraham and Isaac; thy Lord is knowing and wise.”

⁷ In Joseph and his brothers were proofs¹ for those who ask.

⁸ When they said: “Joseph and his brother are dearer to our father than are we, when we are a group; our father is in manifest error.

⁹ “Kill Joseph, or banish him to a land; the face of your father will pass to you — and be you after it a righteous people,”

¹⁰ Said a speaker among them: “Kill not Joseph, but cast him into the depth of the well — some caravan will gather him up — if you must act.”¹

¹¹ They said: “O our father: what ails thee, that thou trustest us not with Joseph when we are sincere counsellors to him?

¹² “Send thou him with us tomorrow, that he might run¹ and play; and we will guard him.”

¹³ He said: “It grieves me that you should go with him; and I fear lest the wolf should eat him when you are unmindful of him.”

¹⁴ They said: “If the wolf should eat him when we are a group, then will we be the losers.”¹

¹⁵ Then when they went with him, and agreed to place him in the depth of the well[...].¹ And We revealed² to him: “Thou wilt inform them of this deed of theirs when they perceive not.”

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

¹⁷ They said: “O our father: we went to run races, and left Joseph with our goods — and the wolf ate him; and thou wouldst not believe us, though we were truthful.”

¹⁸ And they came with false blood on his shirt. He said: “Nay,¹ your souls have enticed you into a matter; then: comely patience — and God is the one whose aid is sought against what you describe.”

¹⁹ And there came a caravan; and they sent their water-drawer,¹ and he let down his pail. He said: “O glad tidings: here is a lad!” And they hid him as merchandise; and God knows what they did.

²⁰ And they sold him for a low price — a few dirhams¹ — and they were, concerning him, of those content with little.

²¹ And said he who bought him from Egypt,¹ to his wife: “Be thou honourable in his dwelling;² it may be that he will benefit us, or we will take him as a son.” And thus did We establish Joseph in the land, and that We might teach him the interpretation of narratives; and God prevails over His affair, but most men³ understand not.

²² And when he reached maturity, We gave him judgment and knowledge; and thus reward We the doers of good.

²³ And she in whose house he was sought to lure him away from his soul;¹ and she closed the doors, and said: “Come thou hither.” He said: “I seek refuge in God — He is my Lord² who made good my dwelling; the wrongdoers³ do not succeed.”

²⁴ And she desired him; and he desired her[...]¹ were it not that he saw the evidence of his Lord.² Thus — that We might turn away from him evil and sexual immorality;³ he was among Our sincere servants.

²⁵ And they¹ raced to the door; and she tore his shirt from behind; and they² met her master at the door. She said; “What is the reward of him who wished evil on thy household save that he be imprisoned, or a painful punishment?”

²⁶ Said he: “She it was who sought to lure me away from my soul.” And there bore witness a witness from her household: “If his shirt is torn from the front, then she has spoken the truth and he is of the liars.

²⁷ “But if his shirt is torn from behind, then she has lied and he is of the truthful.”

²⁸ And when he saw his shirt torn from behind, he said: “This is a plan of you women;¹ indeed, your guile² is great.

²⁹ “Joseph: disregard thou this; and wife:¹ ask thou forgiveness for thy transgression;² thou art of the offenders.”³

³⁰ And women in the city said: “The wife of the Governor¹ is seeking to lure her houseboy away from his soul; he has enslaved² her to love; we see her in manifest error.”

³¹ And when she heard of their scheming, she sent to them, and prepared for them a feasting couch,¹ and gave to each one of them a knife, and said: “Come thou out before them.” And when they saw him, they exalted him, and cut their hands, and said: “God forbid!² This is no mortal; this is only a noble angel!”

³² She said: “This is he for whom you blamed me. And I indeed sought to lure him away from his soul, but he proved patient; but if he do not what I command him, he will be imprisoned and be of those brought low.”

³³ He said: “My Lord: prison is preferable to me than that to which they¹ invite me; and save Thou divert their² plan from me, I will incline to them³ and be of the ignorant.”

³⁴ And his Lord responded to him, and diverted their¹ plan from him; He is the Hearing, the Knowing.

³⁵ Then was it clear to them,¹ after they had seen the proofs,² that they should imprison him for a time.

³⁶ And two young men entered the prison with him. One of them¹ said: “I dreamed² that I was pressing wine.” And the other said: “I dreamed³ that I was bearing upon my head bread whereof the birds were eating — inform thou us of the interpretation; we see thou art among the doers of good.”

³⁷ Said he: “There will not come to you¹ food wherewith you² are provided save that I will have informed you³ of its interpretation before it comes to you.⁴ That is from what my Lord has taught me. I have left the creed⁵ of people who believe not in⁶ God; and they, of the Hereafter, are deniers.

³⁸ “And I have followed the creed of my fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob;¹ it is not for us to ascribe a partnership² to God with anything. That is of the bounty of God upon us, and upon mankind;³ but most men⁴ are not grateful.

³⁹ “O my two prison companions: are different lords better or God, the One, the Vanquishing?

⁴⁰ “You¹ serve, besides² Him, only names which you have named, you and your fathers; God sent not down for them any authority. Judgment is but for God. He commanded that you serve not save Him. That is the right doctrine;³ but most men⁴ know not.

⁴¹ “O my two prison companions: as for one of you: he will pour for his lord wine; and as for the other: he will be crucified,¹ and the birds will eat from his head. Decided is the matter about which you² sought opinion.”

⁴² And he said to him he knew would be delivered of the two: “Remember thou me before thy lord.” But the satan¹ caused him to forget the mention² to his lord; so he stayed in prison some years.

⁴³ And the King said: “I dreamed of¹ seven fat cows, which seven lean were eating; and seven green ears of corn and others withered.² O eminent ones: advise me concerning my dream, if you can interpret visions.”

⁴⁴ They said: “Confused, false dreams! And we are not learned in the interpretation of dreams.”

⁴⁵ And said he who was delivered of the two, and remembered after a time:¹ “I will inform you of the interpretation; so send me.”

⁴⁶ “Joseph, O man of truth: advise thou us concerning the seven fat cows which seven lean were eating, and the seven green ears of corn and others withered,¹ that I might return to the people, that they might know.”

⁴⁷ He said: “You will sow seven years as usual; what you have reaped, leave in the ear save a little whereof you will eat.

⁴⁸ “Then will come after that seven hard;¹ they will consume what you sent ahead for them save a little whereof you will keep in store.

⁴⁹ “Then after that will come a year wherein men will be given abundant rain¹ and wherein they will press.”²