Appearance
Verses 4–6
The verses recount the vision seen by Joseph, which he recounted to his father Jacob. Jacob interpreted this vision for Joseph and advised him not to share it with his brothers. This vision was one of glad tidings: God provided Joseph with this spiritual sustenance to nurture him, guiding him on the path of divine stewardship (wilāya) and closeness to his Lord. This vision serves as the prologue to his story .
إِذْ قَالَ يُوسُفُ لِأَبِيهِ يَا أَبَتِ إِنِّي رَأَيْتُ أَحَدَ عَشَرَ كَوْكَبًا وَالشَّمْسَ وَالْقَمَرَ رَأَيْتُهُمْ لِي سَاجِدِينَ ٤
(12:4) When Joseph said to his father, ‘Father! I saw eleven planets, and the sun and the moon: I saw them prostrating themselves before me.’
Note that this verse does not mention Jacob by name. Instead, he is referred to as ‘father’ to evoke the tenderness, compassion, and mercy that existed between them, as further indicated by the subsequent verse: He said, ‘My son, do not recount …’ and so on.
The phrases ‘I saw’ and ‘I saw them’ pertain to dreams and visions. They describe what one witnesses during sleep or in a trance-like state when one’s external senses are dulled, as evidenced by the next verse, … do not recount your dream to your brothers …, and a later statement in the narrative: Father! This is the fulfilment of my dream.
The repeated mention of the vision is due to the distance between the phrase ‘I saw’ and ‘prostrating … before me.’ One upshot of this is that it emphasizes that he saw all of them collectively prostrating, not individually. The visions he experienced were of two distinct types: seeing the celestial bodies (the planets, the sun, and the moon) was a visual perception, while witnessing their prostration and their reverence towards him was a spiritual one.
God refers to the planets and the planets using the masculine plural form in the statement I saw them prostrating themselves before me, which is usually reserved for rational entities, to emphasize that their prostration was out of knowledge and free will, just as one rational being might prostrate before another.
God initiated Joseph’s story with this vision, which served as a prophecy. It symbolized the divine guardianship (wilāya) he would achieve and the unique distinction and wisdom God would bestow upon him, including the ability to interpret dreams and the completion of the divine grace upon him. God’s nurturing of him began from here. The promise made to him in his vision remained ever-present throughout his life’s journey. No matter what circumstance he encountered, whether it was adversity or calamity, he would recall this vision, manifesting God’s care, grounding himself in patience, and relying on divine support.
This wisdom is reflected in the fact that God Almighty grants His chosen ones good news of the blessings they will receive, emphasizing their closeness to Him and their exalted status. This is evident in His saying: Look! The friends of Allah will indeed have no fear nor will they grieve. Those who have faith, and are Godwary. For them is good news in the life of this world and in the Hereafter. There is no altering the words of Allah. That is the great success ().
قَالَ يَا بُنَيَّ لَا تَقْصُصْ رُؤْيَاكَ عَلَىٰ إِخْوَتِكَ فَيَكِيدُوا لَكَ كَيْدًا ۖ إِنَّ الشَّيْطَانَ لِلْإِنْسَانِ عَدُوٌّ مُبِينٌ ٥
(12:5) He said, ‘My son, do not recount your dream to your brothers, lest they should devise schemes against you (fa yakīdū la-ka kaydan). Satan is indeed man’s manifest enemy.’
Al-Rāghib notes in his Mufradāt:
‘Kayd (‘scheme’) denotes a kind of strategem (iḥtiyāl), which can either be morally praiseworthy or blameworthy, though it is more often used in the perjorative sense. This also applies to terms like ‘luring into perdition’ (istidrāj) and plot (makr).’
Notably, the term kayd can be used both intransitively and transitively.
This verse shows that when Jacob heard of the vision Joseph had, he became certain of its import: that God would take care of Joseph, elevate his status, seat him on the throne of dignity, and grant him a distinction among the descendants of Jacob. Concerned for Joseph’s well-being, Jacob feared that his other sons, being a strong group, might become envious upon hearing the dream—a vision that clearly portrays them, along with Jacob and his wife, all bowing down to Joseph. Such a vision could provoke their pride and lead them to devise a scheme against Joseph to prevent the dream from coming true.
Therefore, Jacob, addressing his son Joseph with affection, as indicated by his words ‘My son’ using a diminutive term bunayya, he advised him against sharing his vision with his brothers before interpreting it for him or informing him about the divine honor that was destined for him. By enjoining his son to observe caution before sharing the good news revealed Jacob’s deep love and concern for Joseph. He sensed the jealousy and animosity his other sons harboured against him.
Evidence of their growing envy and manifest hostility is in Jacob’s warning: do not recount your dream to your brothers, lest they should devise schemes against you. He didn’t just express fear of their plotting but directly linked the act of sharing the vision with the resultant scheme, further emphasizing its likelihood by stating, , lest they should devise schemes against you. He then reiterated this with the reasoning, “Satan is indeed man’s manifest enemy. This means that their plotting had another separate reason which amplifies the root cause, which is their jealousy of Joseph. This reason is Satan, who is a manifest enemy to mankind, constantly trying to divert people from the path of righteousness and happiness. Satan tempts and misleads, turning people away from the straight path, causing discord between parents and children, siblings, and friends, always aiming to lead them astray.
Therefore, it appears that Jacob said to Joseph, ‘O my son, do not relate your vision to your brothers, for they might become envious of you and feel resentment towards your matter, thereby plotting against you under the instigation and temptation of Satan, who has gained influence over their hearts and will not allow them to refrain from scheming against you. Indeed, Satan is a clear enemy to humankind.’
وَكَذَٰلِكَ يَجْتَبِيكَ رَبُّكَ وَيُعَلِّمُكَ مِنْ تَأْوِيلِ الْأَحَادِيثِ وَيُتِمُّ نِعْمَتَهُ عَلَيْكَ وَعَلَىٰ آلِ يَعْقُوبَ كَمَا أَتَمَّهَا عَلَىٰ أَبَوَيْكَ مِنْ قَبْلُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَإِسْحَاقَ ۚ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌ ٦
(12:6) ‘That is how your Lord will choose you (yajtabī-ka), and teach you the interpretation of dreams, and complete His blessing upon you and upon the house of Jacob, just as He completed it earlier for your fathers, Abraham and Isaac. Your Lord is indeed all-knowing, all-wise.’
The term ijtibāʾ (‘to choose’) derives from jabāya, which means ‘to gather. ‘For instance, one might say, ‘I collected water in the basin’ (jabaytu al-māʾ fī al-ḥawḍ) when gathering it. Likewise, ‘tax collection’ (jabāyat al-kharāj) implies its accumulation. Hence, the term suggests the act of bringing together the components of something and keeping them safe from being scattered or dispersed. It indicates a movement from the collector towards what is being collected. When God chooses a servant from among His servants, it means He directs His mercy towards him, distinguishes him with grace and honor, consolidates his affairs, and protects him from straying onto the deceptive paths laid for him by Satan. God then sets him on the straight path, taking charge of his affairs and making him exclusively devoted to Him, as was revealed about Joseph, He was indeed one of Our dedicated servants ().
… and teach you the interpretation (taʾwīl) of dreams (aḥādīth) …—The term taʾwīl refers to the realization or actualization of a vision in external reality. It represents the reality which appears to the person who experiences the vision in a form that is appropriate to his perceptions and experiences. For instance, the prostration of Joseph’s parents and his eleven brothers was depicted as eleven planets, the sun, and the moon prostrating before him. The discussion on the meaning of interpretation has been covered earlier in the explanation of another verse: As for those in whose hearts is deviance, they pursue what is metaphorical in it, courting temptation and courting its interpretation (). The term aḥādīth is the plural of ḥadīth (lit. ‘discourse’) and might refer to dreams because they arise from the self’s internal discourse. Just as a person imagines matters in a dream, a narrator relates matters to his audience when awake. A dream is a narration of sorts, hence some scholars of language have said that dreams are termed aḥādīth because they involve the telling of a story, as should be clear.
Some scholars have said that dreams are termed aḥādīth because they arise from the discourse of an angel if they are truthful, or from the discourse of the devil if they are false. However, there are instances when dreams are not influenced by either angels or devils, like when a dream is a mere reflection of a person’s physical condition. For instance, if someone has a fever or feels unusually warm, they might dream of bathing in a pond or experiencing extreme heat. Conversely, feeling extremely cold might conjure dreams of winter or snowfall.
Some have argued against this by pointing out discrepancies with reality. For instance, Joseph’s dream did not contain a discourse, neither did the dreams of his two prison mates or the dream of the King of Egypt. This counterargument seems to stem from confusion regarding the definition of ḥadīth. They mistook the claim that a dream is from the discourse of an angel or a devil to mean a verbal narration, but that is not the case. Instead, what’s meant is that dreams present events or situations symbolically. Just as a speaker uses words to paint a picture, the mind presents scenarios. This is similar to a person contemplating an action or decision, which can be perceived as their mind ‘narrating’ or illustrating it to them. Overall, to consider dreams as ‘discourses’ is to see them as internal dialogues, whether divine, devilish, or personal in origin. More will be elaborated on this topic later.
However, from the account of Prophet Joseph as related in this chapter, it becomes evident that the ‘discourses’ God taught him to interpret are not limited to dream narratives. They encompass broader occurrences and events, whether they materialise in wakefulness or in sleep. These events have undeniable connections to fundamental truths and intended outcomes. With God’s guidance, one can perceive these connections and thus understand the symbolism and truths behind these events.
Supporting this view, regarding dreams, are the accounts where God clarifies the interpretation of Joseph’s dream, as well as Joseph’s interpretation of his own dream, the dreams of his two prison mates, and the Pharaoh’s dream. As for wakefulness, we see this in Joseph’s ability to predict events in prison, as stated: He said, ‘Before the meals you are served come to you I will inform you of its interpretation. That is among things my Lord has taught me (). Furthermore, when Joseph was taken by his brothers and they decided to throw him into the well, God revealed to him, saying: you will surely inform them about this affair of theirs while they are not aware (). This will be discussed further.
Regarding the statement, … and complete His blessing (niʿma) upon you and upon the house of Jacob … al-Rāghib says in his Mufradāt:
‘The word niʿma signifies a good state or condition. It’s pattern of conjugation that it is a state in which a person finds themselves, akin to jilsa (‘sitting’) or rikba (‘kneeling’). The word naʿma signifies indulgence (tanaʿam), and its pattern of conjugation is like the one-time occurrence of an action, similar to ḍarba (‘a strike’) or shatma (‘an insult’). Niʿma in the general sense, can be used for both little and great things.’
‘The verb inʿām (‘to bestow blessings’) means to do good to another. It is only used when the one receiving is a rational being. For instance, one cannot say that someone bestowed blessings upon his horse. In the Qur’an, God says, those whom You have blessed … (), and When you said to him whom Allah had blessed, and whom you (too) had blessed … ().’
‘Naʿīm means “abundant blessings”. As in the Qur’anic verse, in the gardens of bliss ( and ). Tanaʿum means to receive the blessings and comforts of life … Examples from the Qur’an include, whenever his Lord tests him and grants him honor and blesses him (). Taʿām nāʿim refers to pleasant food, and jāriya nāʿima means a graceful young woman.’
In the word niʿma itself, there is a hint of softness, goodness, and suitability. It seems derived from naʿūma (‘softness’), which is the root of its meaning. It is used specifically for humans because they have intellects that can distinguish between what is beneficial and what is harmful, favoring the beneficial and enjoying it, unlike other beings who cannot discern what benefits them from what harms them. Wealth, children, and other such things might be a blessing for one person and a curse for another, or a blessing in one situation and a curse in another.
Thus, the Qur’an does not consider these divine gifts like wealth, status, spouses, children, and the like as a blessing (niʿma) for a person unless they lead them to felicity and are imbued with the essence of divine guardianship (wilāya) that brings humans closer to God. But if they lead to misery and fall under the guardianship of Satan, they are considered curses and not blessings. There are many such verses to this effect.
Indeed, when the blessings are attributed to God, they are a form of divine favor, grace, and mercy because He generously bestows good and does not intend harm or evil in His gifts. He is compassionate, merciful, forgiving, and loving. As the Qur’an states, If you enumerate Allah’s blessings (niʿmat Allāh), you will not be able to count them () This verse addresses all people. Another verse states, Leave Me with the deniers, the opulent (ūlī al-niʿma), and give them a little respite () Yet another says, When distress befalls man, he supplicates Us. Then, when We grant him a blessing (niʿma) from Us, he says, ‘I was given it by virtue of knowledge’ (). Such blessings, when attributed to Him, are a form of divine favor, but they become a curse when attributed to the one who is ungrateful them. As the Qur’an says, And when your Lord proclaimed, ‘If you are grateful, I will surely enhance you, but if you are ungrateful, My punishment is indeed severe’ ().
In summary, when a person is under the protection and guidance of God, all the means that sustain life and lead him towards felicity are considered divine blessings for him. However, if he is under the influence of Satan, everything can turn into curses, even if they are fundamentally blessings from God. This transformation occurs when they are ungratefully received.
Furthermore, if the means of life are insufficient and do not encompass all aspects of human flourishing, they are still considered blessings. For instance, someone who has been granted wealth but is deprived of safety and peace may not be able to fully enjoy that wealth as desired. On the other hand, if one possesses everything needed to achieve a happy life without any deficiencies, that is the epitome of being blessed.
… and complete His blessing upon you and upon the house of Jacob—This means that God has bestowed upon you blessings that bring felicity to your lives. However, this completion of blessings is specific to you and the family of Jacob, which includes Jacob, his wife, and all his children, as was seen in a vision.
God made Joseph the main subject and the family of Jacob supplementary to him when He said, upon you and upon the house of Jacob. This is supported by the dream in which Joseph saw the celestial bodies prostrating to him, in which he saw the family of Jacob represented as the sun, the moon, and eleven planets, all bowing down to him.
Among the blessings that God completed for Joseph was granting him governance, prophecy, kingship, and honor in Egypt. Additionally, God chose him specially and taught him the interpretation of dreams. For the family of Jacob, a significant blessing was the comforting sight of Joseph for his father Jacob, bringing him and his entire family from their pastoral life in the wilderness to the civilised land of Egypt.
… just as He completed it earlier for your fathers, Abraham and Isaac—This means similar to the blessings God previously bestowed upon Abraham and Isaac, who are your ancestors. He granted them the best of this world and the hereafter. The phrase ‘earlier’ relates to ‘He completed it’, implying the blessings were completed on your forefathers who came before you.
The phrase, ‘Abraham and Isaac’, is either a permutation (badal) or explanatory clause (ʿaṭf bayān) for the phrase, ‘your fathers.’ The significance of this construction is to underscore that God’s blessings are a continuous legacy within Abraham’s household, passed on through Isaac. God completed His favor on Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and all the descendants of Jacob.
Therefore, the verse means: ‘As you saw in your vision, God will choose you for Himself, purifying you from any form of idolatry, ensuring that there’s no part of you devoted to anyone but Him. He teaches you the interpretation of dreams, which are the significance of events witnessed in visions that occur during sleep or wakefulness. This blessing, which is divine guardianship, is consummated through your residence in Egypt and your reunion with your family, and bestowed sovereignty and honor He has bestowed upon you, your fathers, and your siblings. Your Lord does this because He is well-acquainted with His servants, fully aware of their circumstances, and wise in administering what they deserve. He is fully aware of your condition and what others warrant of His wrath.’
Reflecting on the meaning of this verse reveals:
First, that Jacob was also amongst those chosen by God, and He taught him the interpretation of dreams as well, as Jacob, in this verse, interprets Joseph’s dream. He would not have spoken of it without certitude, and this knowledge could not have been mere conjecture, but rather must have been something that God taught him.
Even when God recounted Jacob’s advice to his sons, ‘My sons, do not enter by one gate, but enter by separate gates …’ () He affirmed about Jacob, Indeed he had the knowledge of what We had taught him, but most people do not know ().
Similarly, when Joseph in prison informed his fellow inmates that, ‘Before the meals you are served come to you I will inform you of its interpretation. That is among things my Lord has taught me …’ (), he indicated that this was part of his knowledge of the interpretation of dreams that God had taught him. He then justified this knowledge by saying, Indeed I renounce the creed of the people who have no faith in Allah and who disbelieve in the Hereafter. I follow the creed of my fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. It is not for us to ascribe any partner to Allah’ (). This affirms that he, like his forefathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, devoted himself exclusively to God, with a heart purified from any form of setting up others as partners besides God. Thus, God taught him the interpretation of dreams. The fact that a common rationale is given for all of the prophets together, as should be clear, indicates that Joseph’s forefathers—Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—were similarly devoted to God and were taught the interpretation of dreams. This is further supported by another verse, And remember Our servants Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, men of strength and insight. Indeed We purified them with the exclusiveness of the remembrance of the abode (). This suggests that knowledge of the interpretation of dreams is the result of one’s exclusive devotion to God Almighty.
Second, all that Jacob relayed aligns precisely with what Joseph saw in his vision, namely the prostration of the sun, the moon, and eleven planets to him. Their prostration, which included Jacob—who is amongst the sincere ones who prostrate only to God—indicates that they prostrated in front of Joseph for God. They regarded Joseph similar to the Kaʿba, to which one prostrates, but the ultimate intention is always to worship God Almighty alone. Joseph possessed nothing and sought nothing but God. This reflects the essence of a servant’s sincere devotion solely to his Lord, not associating any partners with Him. This idea is echoed in Joseph’s statement: ‘It is not for us to ascribe any partner to Allah.’ We have already discussed that the knowledge of dream interpretation stems from sincere devotion to God.
From this perspective, Jacob begins to interpret Joseph’s dream by saying, ‘That is …’—meaning ‘as you saw yourself being prostrated to’—‘how your Lord will choose you’—meaning ‘He will purify you for Himself’—‘and teach you the interpretation of dreams.’
Likewise, Joseph’s vision of the house of Jacob in the form of the sun, the moon, and eleven ‘planets’ (kawākib), which are celestial bodies elevated in position, radiant in light, and vast in orbits, signifies that their status will rise, and they will ascend and flourish in their human existence. This existence, both religiously vibrant in this world and the hereafter, distinguishes them from all others.
Following on from this, Jacob said, ‘and complete His blessing upon you’—meaning you alone, as distinct from others, just as you saw yourself—’and upon the house of Jacob’—meaning: ‘Upon me, upon my wife, and upon all your siblings, as you saw us united with similar features’—’just as He completed it earlier for your fathers, Abraham and Isaac. Your Lord is indeed all-knowing, all-wise.’
Third, the intention behind ‘complete His blessing’ is to couple divine guardianship with elevating all aspects of a felicitous human life and combining the blessings of worldly life with those of the Hereafter. There’s no contradiction in completing the blessings of all, while uniquely choosing Jacob and Joseph from among them for the interpretation of dreams. For the blessing, which is divine guardianship (wilāya), can vary in its degrees and levels. Insofar as this can be attributed to all, each individual receives their share.
However, it is possible to attribute a matter to a group based on its encompassing certain components, where some of them fulfil the meaning of that quality, as illustrated in the verse, Certainly We gave the Children of Israel the Book, judgement and prophethood and We provided them with all the good things (). Being endowed with scripture, wisdom, and prophecy is specific to some of them but not all, unlike being provided for out of all good things.
Fourth, Joseph was the means by which God completed His blessings upon the house of Jacob. This is why Jacob placed Joseph at the forefront of his discourse and highlighted him above all others. He distinguished Joseph from among his family by saying: ‘and complete His blessing upon you and upon the house of Jacob.’
This is also why Jacob attributed this special care and mercy to God, mentioning time and again: ‘your Lord.’ Note that he did not say, ‘God will choose you’, nor did he say, ‘God is indeed all-knowing and all-wise.’ All of this indicates that Joseph was at the forefront of God’s completion of His blessings upon the house of Jacob. Furthermore, the way that God invokes his fathers, Abraham and Isaac, the phrasing, ‘just as He completed it earlier for your fathers, Abraham and Isaac’, removes them from being the principal focus in comparison to Joseph.
Examining Narrations
- In Tafsīr al-Qummī, we read: ‘In a narration from Abū al-Jārūd, from Abū Jaʿfar : “The interpretation of this dream is that Joseph would come to rule Egypt, and his parents and brothers would come to him. The sun represents Joseph’s mother, Rachel, the moon represents Jacob, and the eleven planets symbolise his brothers. When they entered Joseph’s presence, they prostrated in gratitude to God alone upon seeing him, and this prostration was for God.”’
- In al-Durr al-manthūr, al-Suyūṭī cites Ibn al-Mundhir, who narrates from Ibn ʿAbbās regarding the verse, ‘… eleven planets, and the sun and the moon …’: ‘Eleven planets refers to his brothers, the sun represents his mother, and the moon symbolizes his father. Joseph’s mother, Rachel, was famous for her beauty.’
Author’s comment: Both narrations, as you can see, interpret the sun as his mother and the moon as his father. However, neither narration is without its weaknesses. There is also a report suggesting that the woman who entered Egypt with him was his aunt, not his mother, as his mother had passed away before that. This is also mentioned in the Torah.
- In Tafsīr al-Qummī, it is narrated from Imām al-Bāqir : ‘Joseph had eleven brothers, and from his mother, he had one brother named Benjamin. Joseph had this vision when he was nine years old, and he related it to his father, who responded: “‘My son, do not recount your dream …”’
Author’s comment: According to some traditions, he was seven years old at the time of the vision. In the Torah, he is described as being sixteen years old. However, the latter seems improbable.
There are other narrations concerning the vision, some of which will be discussed later in the chapter.
Translator’s note: See Genesis 46:27, which does not mention Jacob’s wife coming to Egypt with the rest of his house. ↩︎
Translator’s note: See Genesis 37:1–11, which says he told his brothers of his dream at 17 years of age. However, note also that in the Torah’s version, Jacob rebukes Joseph for his dream: ‘And he told it to his father, and to his brethren; and his father rebuked him, and said unto him: ‘What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down to thee to the earth?’’ ↩︎