Verses 103–111

Chapter 12: Yūsuf (Joseph) · Printed edition: Volume 22, pp. 83–94

This section contains the concluding verses of Sūrah Yūsuf. Its central message is that true faith, which is nothing other than pure monotheism, is very hard to attain, such that very few people ever truly achieve it. The majority are not true believers, even if you are keen for them to have faith and strive diligently for this aim. Among those few believers, many of them still have a faith tainted with some form of polytheism. Therefore, only a very small number truly embody pure faith and unadulterated monotheism.

This pure monotheism is the path of the Prophet which he invites people to follow with clear insight, as do those who follow him. God supports and saves him and those believers who follow him from perils that threaten their monotheism and faith. Furthermore, there awaits a punishment for the idolaters, just as it has been the divine modus operandi in the cases of earlier prophets, as evident from their stories. These stories of earlier prophets contain lessons, expositions of higher truths, guidance, and mercy for the believers.

وَمَا أَكْثَرُ النَّاسِ وَلَوْ حَرَصْتَ بِمُؤْمِنِينَ ١٠٣

(12:103) Yet most people will not have faith, however eager you should be.

This statement suggests that the majority of people, due to their deep attachment to the life of this world, their attraction to its allures, and their negligence of the innate knowledge of God and His signs that He secreted within their very nature as human beings, will not believe, no matter how ardently you might desire them to have faith. The evidence for this claim is provided in the subsequent verses.

وَمَا تَسْأَلُهُمْ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ أَجْرٍ إِنْ هُوَ إِلاَّ ذِكْرٌ لِّلْعَالَمِينَ ١٠٤

(12:104) You do not ask them any reward for it: it is just a reminder for all the nations.

This implies that even though they do not believe, you do not ask them for any remuneration for their faith or for this Qurʾan that has been revealed to you and which you recite to them. This indicates that it is not financial costs or the prospect of spending their cherished wealth that deters them from accepting its message and believing in it.

The statement, it is just a reminder for all the nations, serves to clarify the actual purpose of the Qurʾan: It is purely a reminder for all of humanity, invoking in them what God has instilled within the hearts of all different groups of people regarding knowledge of Him and His signs. Thus, the Qurʾan serves merely as a reminder of what heedlessness and indifference have caused most of them to forget. It is not a commodity with which one earns wealth or attains honor, prestige, or anything else.

وَكَأَيِّن مِّن آيَةٍ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ يَمُرُّونَ عَلَيْهَا وَهُمْ عَنْهَا مُعْرِضُونَ ١٠٥

(12:105) How many a sign there is (wa ka-ayyin min āyah) in the heavens and the earth that they pass by (yamurrūn ʿalay-hā) while they are disregardful of it!

The waw at the beginning of the verse could be read as adverbial (that is, ‘While how many a sign there is…’) or as signaling the beginning of a new discourse (which is how it has been translated here).

The verb murūr (from whence yamurrūn ʿalayh-hā is derived) means to come across across something and then move beyond it, as if to leave it behind. In this context, passing by the celestial and terrestrial signs means witnessing them one after another.

Therefore, the meaning of the verse is that there are numerous signs, both celestial and terrestrial, that, by virtue of their very existence and the exquisite order they exhibit, point toward the oneness of their Creator. These signs appear to them repeatedly, and yet, they turn away from them, remaining heedless.

If the statement, that they pass by, is taken literally rather than metaphorically, it serves as evidence for what modern astronomy posits about Earth’s movement, both its rotation and orbit. We, while dwelling on the surface of the Earth, ‘pass by’ celestial bodies due to Earth’s translational and rotational movements, contrary to what our senses perceive.

وَمَا يُؤْمِنُ أَكْثَرُهُمْ بِاللَّهِ إِلاَّ وَهُم مُّشْرِكُونَ ١٠٦

(12:106) And most of them do not believe in Allah without ascribing partners to Him.

This refers back to people in the context of their faith, or lack thereof. It implies that most people are not true believers, even if you do not ask them for any compensation and even if they come across numerous celestial and terrestrial signs of God’s oneness. And among those who do believe—who are the minority—most of them do not truly believe in God without mixing their faith with some form of polytheism.

Human beings can exhibit both faith in the One God and polytheism simultaneously, despite these two concepts being diametrically opposed and mutually exclusive. This resembles how individuals can hold contradictory beliefs and opposing values simultaneously. Such coexistence can be understood in terms of concepts that accommodate both intensity and weakness, thereby varying in degrees of intensity and strength of association. For example, the notions of proximity and distance are contradictory in absolute terms. However, when considered in relative terms, they can coexist harmoniously. Mecca is close in relation to Medina but far in comparison to Syria. Similarly, when Mecca is measured in relation to Medina, it is close, but when measured against Baghdad, it is distant.

Faith in God and associating partners with Him are two distinct realities. The essence of faith is to connect one’s heart to God with submission to His ultimate reality. On the other hand, polytheism is attaching one’s heart to entities other than God, entities that have no power except by His permission. These two stances differ based on degree and association. Therefore, it is possible for a person to become engrossed in the fleeting life and its deceptive allure, forgetting all truths. Conversely, it is also possible for one to disconnect from all distractions, focusing solely on God, remembering Him continuously, relying solely on His essence and attributes, and desiring only what He desires. This is the characteristic of God’s truly devoted followers.

Between these two positions lie various levels and degrees, defined by their proximity or distance from each end of the spectrum. In these levels, elements of both faith and polytheism coexist to some extent. This is evident in the characteristics and traits deeply ingrained in souls that act contrary to their professed beliefs, whether true or false. For instance, an individual might claim they have faith in God, yet their heart trembles in fear at the hint of any impending calamity. They might seek honor and status from others, even while reciting God’s words, All honor belongs to Allah (). They knock on every door seeking sustenance, even though God has guaranteed it for them. They might disobey God without feeling any shame, despite believing that God knows their innermost thoughts, hears their words, sees their actions, and nothing is hidden from Him on earth or in the heavens.

Hence, the polytheism referenced in the verse pertains to certain levels of it that can coexist with certain levels of faith. This is termed, in moral philosophy, as ‘hidden polytheism’ (al-shirk al-khafī).

Therefore, the claims suggesting that the polytheists in the verse refer exclusively to the idol-worshippers of Mecca are misplaced. Similarly, asserting that they refer specifically to the hypocrites (munāfiqūn) narrows the broad scope of the verse without a strong reason to do so.

أَفَأَمِنُواْ أَن تَأْتِيَهُمْ غَاشِيَةٌ مِّنْ عَذَابِ اللَّهِ أَوْ تَأْتِيَهُمُ السَّاعَةُ بَغْتَةً وَهُمْ لاَ يَشْعُرُونَ ١٠٧

(12:107) Do they feel secure from being overtaken by a blanket punishment from Allah (ghāshiya min ʿadhāb Allāh), or being overtaken by the Hour, suddenly (baghtatan), while they are unaware?

The term ghāshiya (‘blanket’) here refers to an enveloping punishment, which is a divine punishment that encompasses and surrounds them.

Baghtatan (‘suddenly’) refers to the unexpectedness of this punishment. When God says, while they are unaware, it refers to the state of people being caught off guard by the Hour, without any prior signs indicating its exact time or clear onset. This rhetorical question expresses astonishment, implying how strange it is for people to neglect the divine signs visible throughout the heavens and the earth, to lack pure faith in God, and to be deeply engrossed in the heedlessness of this world. How do they feel so certain that they won’t be enveloped by God’s punishment or that the Hour will not surprise and confound them?

قُلْ هَذِهِ سَبِيلِي أَدْعُو إِلَى اللَّهِ عَلَى بَصِيرَةٍ أَنَاْ وَمَنِ اتَّبَعَنِي وَسُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ وَمَا أَنَاْ مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ ١٠٨

(12:108) Say, ‘This is my way. I summon to Allah with insight—I and he who follows me. Immaculate is Allah, and I am not one of the polytheists.’

After emphasizing that the essence of pure belief in Him and pure monotheism is the manifest truth that is pointed to by the signs He has placed throughout the heavens and the earth, God commands His Prophet to clarify that his way is to call toward this monotheism with clear understanding and insight.

When he says, ‘This is my way,’ it serves as a declaration of his approach. I summon to Allah with insight ‘elaborates on the nature of that path. ‘Immaculate is Allah’ emphasizes His utter transcendence. And by saying ‘and I am not one of the polytheists,’ it accentuates the essence of his call to God and underscores that this invitation isn’t just any call toward God but is fundamentally based on pure monotheism, never tainted by any form of associating partners with Him.

As for when he says, ‘I and he who follows me,’ this phrase broadens and generalizes the responsibility of this call. Even though the path is distinctly the Prophet’s, the duty of calling to it and upholding it is not exclusive to him. Everyone who truly follows him also undertakes this responsibility for themselves.

However, the context suggests that this association is not as broad as implied by ‘and he who follows me.’ The path defined by the verse refers to inviting others on the basis of clear insight and genuine conviction to pure faith and real monotheism. Only those genuinely devoted to God in their faith, knowledgeable about the stature of their Lord, possessing insight and certainty, can truly share in this with others. And not everyone who claims to follow the Prophet fits this description. It is not presumed that every believer enjoys such an elevated spiritual status, especially those whom God, in the previous verse, categorized as polytheists and criticized for being heedless of their Lord, feeling safe from His devising, and turning away from His signs. How can one who is oblivious of God, feeling safe from His punishment, and turning away from all His reminders and signs, call others to Him? God has, in numerous verses, described those with such attributes as being misguided, blind, and in a state of loss. Such traits certainly cannot coexist with true guidance and direction.

وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَا مِن قَبْلِكَ إِلاَّ رِجَالاً نُّوحِي إِلَيْهِم مِّنْ أَهْلِ الْقُرَى أَفَلَمْ يَسِيرُواْ فِي الأَرْضِ فَيَنظُرُواْ كَيْفَ كَانَ عَاقِبَةُ الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ وَلَدَارُ الآخِرَةِ خَيْرٌ لِّلَّذِينَ اتَّقَواْ أَفَلاَ تَعْقِلُونَ ١٠٩

(12:109) We did not send any before you except as men to whom We revealed from among the people of the towns. Have they not traveled over the land so that they may observe how was the fate of those who were before them? And the abode of the Hereafter is surely better for those who are Godwary. Do you not apply reason?

After describing the state of people in terms of their faith in Him and the state of the Prophet, who calls them to a divine message without asking for any reward or seeking any personal benefit, God now explains that this is nothing novel. On the contrary, the preaching of the Prophet follows the divine modus operandi of religious preaching. The messengers before were not angels but were chosen from among the very people to whom they were sent to preach. They were men from the towns who mingled with people and who were known to them, and God revealed His message to them and sent them to invite other people to Him, just as the Prophet did. Moreover, it is possible for those who the Prophet invites in his own time to travel the land and see what became of those nations before them: The ruins of their lands and their deserted dwellings bear witness to what became of them and foretell the consequences of their disbelief, denial, and rejection of God’s signs.

The Prophet invites his people to God in the same manner as the prophets before him did with their own peoples. He calls them only toward what is in their best interest and beneficial to their well-being, which is to fear God, succeed in this world, and attain eternal happiness and lasting pleasure in a perpetual abode. Indeed, the Hereafter is better for those who are righteous; do they not understand?

The passage, We did not send any before you except as men to whom We revealed from among the people of the towns, is a confirmation that the Prophet’s message is consistent with those of the messengers who came before him. Perhaps they are described as being from the towns to emphasize that they lived among the people, were known to them through interactions, and were not angels or outsiders. This is supported by their description as ‘men,’ for men are more familiar than veiled women.

When God asks, Have they not traveled over the land so that they may observe how was the fate of those who were before them?, this is meant as a warning to the Prophet’s community, much like the vanished communities that did not heed the warnings of their own messengers and thus suffered the consequences of their deeds.

And the abode of the Hereafter is surely better for those who are Godwary. Do you not apply reason? This is the succinct exposition of the core of the Prophet’s message from another angle, namely that what they are invited to, namely piety and Godwariness (taqwā), has only good in store for them and contains their ultimate happiness.

حَتَّى إِذَا اسْتَيْأَسَ الرُّسُلُ وَظَنُّواْ أَنَّهُمْ قَدْ كُذِبُواْ جَاءَهُمْ نَصْرُنَا فَنُجِّيَ مَن نَّشَاء وَلاَ يُرَدُّ بَأْسُنَا عَنِ الْقَوْمِ الْمُجْرِمِينَ ١١٠

(12:110) When the messengers lost hope (istayʾasa al-rusul) and they thought that they had been told lies, Our help came to them, and We delivered whomever We wished, and Our punishment will not be averted from the guilty lot.

The verbs yaʾs (‘to despair’) and istayʾasa (‘to lose hope’) have similar meanings. One could say that the subtle distinction between them is that istayʾasa means to approach yaʾs (that is, the loss of hope signals the approach of despair) and to begin showing signs of it, because the verb istayʾasa is a Form X (bāb al-istifʿāl) verb (one of whose meanings is to approach or seek the meaning of the root, in this case yaʾs or ‘despair’). Therefore, while in common parlance istayʾasa and yaʾs might be treated as synonymously, istayʾasa is not complete and utter despair, but rather the sensation of its onset.

Regarding the statement. When the messengers lost hope …, this pertains to the ultimate goal that was referenced in the preceding verse. Therefore, the meaning is: ‘Those messengers, who were men just like you from the towns and their distant cities, called to their people, but they did not respond. They warned them of God’s punishment, but they would not desist. Until, when the messengers despaired of their people ever believing them and the people to whom they had sent thought that the messengers had lied—meaning they falsely conveyed warnings of punishment—Our help came, and with it, We saved those whom we willed, and they were the believers. Our might and our wrath does not turn away from the guilty lot.’

As for the messengers’ despairing of their people’s faith, it is as related in the story of Noah: It was revealed to Noah: ‘None of your people will believe except those who already have faith; so do not sorrow for what they used to do’ (). Noah’s plea is also recorded as, ‘My Lord! ‘Do not leave on the earth any inhabitant from among the faithless. If You leave them, they will lead astray Your servants and will not beget except vicious ingrates (). Similar accounts can be found in the stories of Hūd, Ṣāliḥ, Shuʿayb, Moses, and Jesus.

As for the fact that their people thought the messengers had lied to them, this is portrayed in Noah’s story, when his people told him, ‘Rather we consider you to be liars’ (). Similar instances can be found in the stories of Hūd and Ṣāliḥ, and in Pharaoh’s words to Moses: Pharaoh said to him, ‘O Moses, indeed I think you are bewitched’ ().

And as for God saving the believers with His help, this is akin to the verses,

Regarding the salvation of the believers with help, it is like God’s declaration: Certainly We sent messengers to their people before you, and they brought them manifest proofs. Then We took vengeance upon those who were guilty, and it was a must for Us to help the faithful. (). This is further elucidated in the destruction of certain nations, such as when He says, And when Our edict came, We delivered Hūd and the faithful who were with him (), So when Our edict came, We delivered Ṣāliḥ and the faithful who were with him (), and And when Our edict came, We delivered Shu’ayb and the faithful who were with him (), among other instances.

As for the undeniable fact that God’s punishment will befall the guilty, it is mentioned in numerous verses both generally and specifically, like His statement: There is an messenger for every nation; so when their messenger comes, judgment is made between them with justice, and they are not wronged (). Then there is the verse: And when Allah wishes to visit ill on a people, there is nothing that can avert it, and they have no protector besides Him (), among many other verses. This is the best explanation of the verse of the various meanings given. The evidence for this is that the content of the verse in such a reading serves as the culmination of the message of the previous verse, as we have already mentioned. Other explanations have been suggested by commentators, but none of them are free from weaknesses. Therefore, it is best to put them aside.

لَقَدْ كَانَ فِي قَصَصِهِمْ عِبْرَةٌ لِّأُولِي الأَلْبَابِ مَا كَانَ حَدِيثًا يُفْتَرَى وَلَكِن تَصْدِيقَ الَّذِي بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ وَتَفْصِيلَ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ وَهُدًى وَرَحْمَةً لِّقَوْمٍ يُؤْمِنُونَ ١١١

(12:111) There is certainly a moral (ʿibra) in their accounts for those who possess intellect. This is not a fabricated discourse; rather it is a confirmation of what was before it, and an elaboration of all things, and a guidance and mercy for a people who have faith.

According to al-Rāghib al-Iṣfahānī: ‘The root ʿabara (from whence ʿibra is derived) means to cross from one state of being to another (al-ʿabar min hālin ilā hāl), the term ʿubūr refers specifically to crossing over water … while iʿtibār and ʿibra mean to transition from witnessing an event to understanding an unseen implication thereof. As God states: There is indeed a moral in that (inna fī dhālika la-ʿibra).’

The pronoun ‘their’ in their accounts refers to the prophets, one of whom is Joseph, the main subject of the present chapter. It could also possibly refer to Joseph and his brothers. Therefore, the essene of its meaning is: ‘Indeed, in the stories of the prophets or in the accounts of Joseph and his brothers, there is a lesson for those with intellect. The story recounted in this chapter is not a fabricated tale, but rather a confirmation of what preceded the Qurʾan, which is the Torah in which this story is mentioned, which is the scripture of Moses.

Regarding the phrase: ‘… and an elaboration of all things …,’ it means a clear and distinguishing explanation of everything that people need for their faith, and upon which their happiness in this world and the hereafter depends. This guidance leads them to prosperity and success and is a special mercy from God, exalted is He, for those who believe in Him. For them, it is a mercy from God, which guides them to a straight path.

Examining Narrations

1. In Tafsīr al-Qummī, it is narrated from al-Fuḍayl, from Abū Jaʿfar al-Bāqir, regarding the verse, And most of them do not believe in Allah without ascribing partners to Him (): ‘“Ascribing partners” (shirk) here refers to obedience (ṭāʿa) rather than worship (ʿibāda). The sins they commit are a form of associating partners with God in obedience; they obeyed Satan in these acts, thus associating with God obedience to another, and not associating with God worshipping of someone other than Him.’
2. In Tafsīr al-ʿAyyāshī, it is narrated by Muḥammad b. al-Fuḍayl, from al-Riḍā: ‘This is a form of associating partners with God that does not amount to disbelief.’
3. And in the same source, it is narrated from Mālik ibn ʿAṭiyya from Abū ʿAbd Allah regarding the same verse: ‘It is when someone says, “If it wasn’t for so-and-so, I would have perished” or “If not for so-and-so, I would have suffered such and such, and my family would have been ruined.” Do you not see that he is attributing to God a partner in His sovereignty that provides for him and repels harm?’ The narrator asked: ‘Suppose someone says, “If not for God’s favor upon me through so-and-so, I would have perished”—is that acceptable?’ He replied: ‘Yes, there is no problem with this.’
4. In the same source, it is narrated from Zurāra: ‘I asked Abū Jaʿfar about God’s saying, And most of them do not believe in Allah without ascribing partners to Him. He said: ‘This refers to when someone says, “No, by your life (lā wa ḥayātak).”’

Author’s comment: This means swearing by someone other than God, as it elevates the entity in a manner of which they are undeserving. There are numerous reports in this regard.

5. In al-Kāfī, al-Kulaynī narrates via his chain of narrators from Salām b. al-Mustanīr from Abū Jaʿfar regarding the verse: Say, ‘This is my way. I summon to Allah with insight—I and he who follows me…’ (). He told me: ‘This refers to the Messenger of God and the Commander of the Faithful, and the legatees (awṣiyāʾ) after them.’
6. In the same source, al-Kulaynī narrates from Abū ʿAmr al-Zubayrī, from Abū ʿAbd Allāh, regarding the same verse. He said: ‘It refers to ʿAlī: The first of those who followed him in faith and believed in him and in what he brought from God, the Almighty and Majestic, from among the community from whom he came, among whom he was raised up, and to whom he was sent, before anyone else; who never associated partners with God and never mixed his faith with wrongdoing (ẓulm), which is associating partners with God.’

Author’s comment: The two narrations support our earlier explanation of the verse. There are other narrations in the same vein, and perhaps this is a case in which the general meaning of the verse is being applied to a specific and exemplary context.

7. In the same source, al-Kulaynī narrates from Hishām b. al-Ḥakam, who said: ‘I asked Abū ʿAbd Allāh about God’s statement: “Glory be to God.” What does it mean? He replied: God’s self-exaltation.
8. And from Hishām al-Jawālīqī, he said: I asked Abū ʿAbd Allāh about God’s statement, the Mighty and Majestic: ‘Immaculate is Allah (subḥān Allāh).’ He replied: ‘It signifies His transcendence above all things.’
9. In Maʿāni al-akhbār, al-Ṣadūq narrates via his chain from al-Sayyar, from al-Ḥasan b. ʿAlī, from his forefathers, from al-Ṣādiq, in a tradition in which he delivered a sermon: ‘Don’t you know that God, the Exalted, never left the earth without a prophet or a leader among humans? Does not God the Exalted say: We did not send any before you …—meaning to the creation—… except as men to whom We revealed from among the people of the towns? So, He informed that He did not send angels to earth to be leaders and rulers, but they were sent to the prophets to deliver His revelations.’
10. In ʿUyūn Akhbār al-Riḍā, al-Ṣadūq narrates via his chain of transmitters from ʿAlī b. Muḥammad b. al-Jahm: ‘I attended a meeting with the caliph al-Maʾmūn, and with him was al-Riḍā, ʿAlī b. Mūsā. Al-Maʾmūn asked him, “O scion of God’s Messenger, do you not believe that the prophets are infallible?” He replied, “Yes.” … al-Maʾmūn asked Abū al-Ḥasan, “Can you explain to me what God means when he says, When the messengers lost hope and they thought that they had been told lies, Our help came to them?” Al-Riḍā replied, “God is saying that when the messengers despair of their people, and their people think that the messengers are lying, then Our support comes to the messengers.”

Author’s comment: This supports what we have previously stated in the interpretation of the verse. Those narrations which claim that the messengers thought that Satan was appearing to them in the guise of angels in order to deceive them cannot be relied upon.

11. In Tafsīr al-ʿAyyāshī, it is narrated from al-Zurāra: ‘I asked Abū ʿAbd Allāh: “How is it that God’s Messenger did not fear that what came to him from God could have been an inspiration from Satan?” He replied, “When God chooses a servant as a messenger, He bestows upon him tranquility (sakīna) and dignity (waqqār), and what comes to him from God is as clear as what he sees with his own eyes.’
12. In Al-Durr al-manthūr, Ibn Jarīr and Ibn al-Mundhir narrate from Ibrāhīm, from Abū Hamza al-Jazarī, who said: ‘I prepared a meal and invited some of our companions, including Saʿīd b. Jubayr and al-Ḍaḥḥāk b. Muzāḥim. A young man from the Quraysh asked Saʿīd b. Jubayr: “O Abū ʿAbd Allāh, how do you recite this verse? For whenever I come across it, I wish I did not have to recite this chapter: When the messengers lost hope and they thought that they had been told lies …” He answered, “Yes, until the messengers despair of their people believing them, and the one to whom they were sent thinks that the messengers are lying.” Al-Ḍaḥḥāk then said, “If I had to travel to Yemen for this understanding of the verse, it would have been a small price to pay.”’