Nuh

“Then the man who was released (one of the two who were in prison), now at length remembered and said, "I will tell you its interpretation, so send me forth." (TMQ, 12:45)[1]. In this ayah, the Arabic word used for ‘remembered’ is eddakara. This word, in particular, means he had to spend some effort to remember. Together with Ummah; "at length", it indicates that Yusuf (AS) spent a very long time in prison. The same word eddakara was used in another surah, Allah (SWT) the Almighty says what can be translated as, “And we have indeed made the Qur'an easy to understand and remember; then is there any one who will remember (or receive admonition)?” (TMQ, 54:17) This ayah means that the Qur'an is simple and easy but it still needs an effort to fully understand and remember.

The man then says, "I will tell you its interpretation" in order to conceal the identity of the person who is to interpret the dream so that no one would go to Yusuf (AS) before him and take the credit for himself. The Arabic word faarsilun translated as "so send me forth" implies that the prison in which Yusuf (AS) is kept is in a desolate area far away from the city.

After that we read, Allah (SWT) says what can be translated as, "O Yusuf, the man of truth…" (TMQ, 12:46) which is a very beautiful expression. Being a man of truth here means being truthful in speech, deeds and actions. In spite of the fact that Yusuf (AS) was charged in an offence against morality, the man could not call him anything but a man of truth[2].

The man then starts telling Yusuf (AS) the dream. If we compare the ayah in which the man asks Yusuf (AS) for his interpretation with the one in which the king's dream was first related, we will notice how accurate the retelling was. Such a merit is very hard to find nowadays, especially among females. We tend to exaggerate what we hear not knowing that changing one word could have far-reaching effects, sometimes serious enough to cause family break-ups. This is in contrast to the fact that we are the Muslims who should act like the man did, while this man was not a Muslim. Those who add words, facial expressions or looks, or even smiles to change someone else’s words should know that all of this is prohibited. It is even considered as Fisq (evil). Allah (SWT), the Almighty says what can be translated as, “O you who believe! If a Fasiq (liar - evil person) comes to you with any news, verify it, lest you should harm people in ignorance, and afterwards you become regretful for what you have done.” (TMQ, 49:6).

In the last three ayahs, Yusuf (AS) interprets the dream. He tells them that there will be seven fertile years followed by seven years of hardship as the Nile will dry up and there will be no rain. He tells them that the solution is to work very hard in the first seven years, and store what they harvest to make up for the seven years of drought that will follow. He shows them how to store the grains by keeping them in the ears and not taking them out; a method that was shown later on by modern science to be the most practical for seed preservation. He also tells them not to use up all the stock, but to keep some for planting new crops after the famine! He then says that there will come a fertile year after the dry seven years, in which the land will produce in abundance. This is implied by the word yaasiroon (press); only when there is prosperity do people start thinking about squeezing fruits and making juices. It is worth noting that this last year of prosperity was not in the king's dream. However, Yusuf (AS) expected it to come because only seven years of drought were mentioned. This shows that he was not only a worshipper who had great patience or a smart economist, but was a man of extraordinary intelligence as well.

Moreover, the nobility of his character is evident in the way he gave them the solution while he was still in prison in spite of everything they had done to him. Being a Muslim, he would not leave all these people to starve while he had a solution. This is a rule he sets for us. Therefore, I call upon all the young university graduates who come out honest and truthful and who see, after graduating, bad examples in the society to remember this ayah, and to stand firm and never abandon their principles.

Muhammad (SAWS) once told his companions about a particular man who will be one of those going to al-Jannah (paradise). Abdullah Ibn-Omar looked for this man, wanting to know what was so special about him. He found an ordinary Muslim who prayed moderately and led a normal life. Surprised, he asked him if he did anything special to make the Prophet (SAWS) say that. The man said that he did not do anything unusual, but it might be that he every night when he goes to sleep, he makes sure he has no grudges against anyone, and clears his heart from any hard feelings towards anyone.

This is how a Muslim should be. You should care about your fellow human beings and fellow Muslims. You should always have the same moral principles regardless of any changes around you. This is how Yusuf (AS) was; he remained steadfast and wanted prosperity for all human beings.

Another important issue we need to point out is: Is it permissible for a Muslim to guide a non Muslim or even a disbeliever to prosperity? Yes! The people Yusuf (AS) helped were not Muslims; actually they had several gods and they drank wine, yet he helped them. Being merciful to people is part of our religion. Compare between what Yusuf (AS) did and what others did, who dropped an atomic bomb on another country, or who is throwing tons of wheat into the sea for economic reasons. Be proud of your Islam and do not be attracted by other civilizations, copying them in things like listening to songs you do not even understand, or by not wearing the hijab (veil) thinking that makes you more civilized, because it refers to a civilization that has weakened. It is the religion which tells us to hold no grudges against anyone and to want prosperity for all people even if they are not Muslims.

The final part of the ayah mentions Yusuf's unique economic scheme. He was the first man ever to draw up a fifteen-year economic plan. Such method of planning was not known before the 20^th century. The plan is as follows:

1. Allah (SWT) says what can be translated as, "For seven consecutive years, you shall sow as usual…" (TMQ, 12:47). This is what we now call increasing production.

All of this was a wonderful economic plan and this was how Yusuf (AS) was like: a prophet, a talented interpreter of dreams; a smart economist; a skilled strategist; a patient, strong and good-looking man. I think that after all this, you should be proud of your Islam. Those of you who understood Surat Yusuf must have also understood that in addition to being religious it is important to have good manners. What good would it be if you attend this lecture and do not try to brush up your skills and learn something useful?

[1] TMQ=Translation of the Meaning of the Qur'an. This translation is for the realized meaning, so far, of the stated (Surah:Ayah) of the Qur'an. Reading the translated meaning of the Qur'an can never replace reading it in Arabic, the language in which it was revealed.

[2] Editor’s note: It is worth noting that the first one ever to be called "a man of truth" after Yusuf (AS) was Abu-Bakr. (The lecturer's remark placed as a footnote by the translator).

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