Surah Yusuf (12) — Ayah 6

(Ayah 6) ➊ { وَ كَذٰلِكَ يَجْتَبِيْكَ رَبُّكَ : ’’يَجْتَبِيْ‘‘ ’’جَبَي يَجْبِيْ‘‘ } is a present tense verb from the form ifti‘āl of (ض), which means to gather, to select on the basis of some excellence. Rāghib has written that by Allah selecting one of His servants ({’’اِجْتِبَاءٌ‘‘}), it means to single him out for such grace from Himself that he receives various kinds of blessings without any effort of his own. This is something that is granted to the Prophets or those close to them, such as the Siddiqīn and the martyrs. (Mufradāt) Indeed, the highest degree of ijtibā’ is granted to the Prophets, Siddiqīn, and martyrs, but there are many levels of Allah’s selection, as you can reflect upon yourself: how Allah selected you, making you a human instead of a stone, plant, or animal; then making you a Muslim, not a disbeliever; then protecting you from major sins; then making you a monotheist instead of a polytheist who recites the kalimah, and a follower of the Sunnah instead of an innovator. If you have also received the blessing of knowledge of the Book, then you are among those about whom it is said: «{ ثُمَّ اَوْرَثْنَا الْكِتٰبَ الَّذِيْنَ اصْطَفَيْنَا مِنْ عِبَادِنَا }» [ فاطر : ۳۲ ] “Then We gave the inheritance of the Book to those whom We chose.” If you have been granted the ability to call to Allah, then you have received even more grace. In short, there are many levels of isṭifā’ and ijtibā’, and whatever share one receives, one should be extremely grateful to Allah for it, as Allah has said: «{وَمَا كُنَّا لِنَهْتَدِيَ لَوْ لَاۤ اَنْ هَدٰىنَا اللّٰهُ }» [ الأعراف : ۴۳ ] “(The people of Paradise will say) And we would never have been guided if Allah had not guided us.” O Allah! By Your grace, include us among those who will enter Paradise and thank You with these words. (Ameen)

➋ In this verse, the meaning of {’’ وَ كَذٰلِكَ ‘‘} (and likewise) is that just as Allah showed you this dream, and did not show anyone else such a dream, likewise your Lord will select you and… By selection is meant the highest degree of selection, as quoted above from Imam Rāghib, that is, He will grant you prophethood and siddiqiyyah, and by the prostration of the eleven stars, the sun, and the moon is meant that by raising you to a high rank, He will grant you superiority over all the servants of your time.

➌ {وَ يُعَلِّمُكَ مِنْ تَاْوِيْلِ الْاَحَادِيْثِ: ’’ الْاَحَادِيْثِ ‘‘ ’’حَدِيْثٌ‘‘} is the plural of ‘ḥadīth’, which means “word.” {’’ تَاْوِيْلِ ‘‘} means to understand the correct meaning of a word and to reach its depth, because it is derived from {’’ تَاْوِيْلِ ‘‘ ’’أَوْلٌ‘‘}, which means “to return,” and the meaning of ta’wīl is to return something to its original purpose, that is, what is meant by it. Here, by {’’ تَاْوِيْلِ الْاَحَادِيْثِ ‘‘ } is meant sharp insight in understanding speech and, along with perfect understanding, the interpretation of dreams.

➍ {وَ يُتِمُّ نِعْمَتَهٗ عَلَيْكَ وَ عَلٰۤى اٰلِ يَعْقُوْبَ … :} will complete His favor upon you just as He completed it upon your (two fathers) grandfather and great-grandfather before you, that is, He will grant you prophethood, messengership, and authority. Shah Abdul Qadir (may Allah have mercy on him) says: “({اَبَوَيْكَ} meaning upon your two fathers) the names of Ibrahim and Ishaq (peace be upon them) were mentioned, not his own, out of humility.” (Mawḍiḥ) The completion of favor upon the family of Ya‘qub means all those blessings that were bestowed upon the Children of Israel and which are mentioned in detail in the Noble Qur’an.

➎ {اِنَّ رَبَّكَ عَلِيْمٌ حَكِيْمٌ :} as to which of His servants is worthy of honor.

6. 1. That is, just as your Lord has chosen you to show you a dream of great magnificence, in the same way your Lord will also grant you distinction and will teach you the interpretation of dreams. The original meaning of "ta'weel al-ahadith" is to reach the depth of matters. Here, the interpretation of dreams is meant.

6. 2. This refers to prophethood, which was granted to Yusuf (عليه السلام). Or it refers to those blessings with which Yusuf (عليه السلام) was favored in Egypt.

6. 3. This refers to the brothers of Yusuf (عليه السلام), their descendants, etc., who later became deserving of divine blessings.

6. And thus will your Lord choose you [5], and teach you the interpretation of events, and perfect His favor upon you and upon the family of Jacob, just as He perfected it upon your forefathers, Abraham and Isaac, before. Surely, your Lord is All-Knowing, All-Wise.”

[5]
The Clear Outcomes of Sayyiduna Yusuf's ؑ Dream:

From this dream, the conclusions that Sayyiduna Ya'qub ؑ himself drew and conveyed to Sayyiduna Yusuf were that Allah Almighty would assign Sayyiduna Yusuf ؑ the service of His religion and would teach him the interpretation of events. The meaning of "interpretation of events" is not limited to the interpretation of dreams, but also includes understanding the context and appropriateness of every matter, immediately discerning the outcomes of affairs, and reaching the depths of the meanings of Allah's commands, among other things. Thirdly, Allah would bless him with the bounty of prophethood, which He had already granted to his two forefathers, Sayyiduna Ishaq ؑ and Sayyiduna Ibrahim ؑ. At this point, Sayyiduna Ya'qub ؑ, out of humility and modesty, did not consider it appropriate to mention his own name, otherwise he himself was a noble prophet, and the chain of prophethood continued in his progeny, except for the Last Prophet, who was from the descendants of Sayyiduna Isma'il ؑ. This reality is illuminated by the following hadith:

Sayyiduna Yusuf ؑ — The Most Honored:

Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah narrates that people asked: "O Messenger of Allah ﷺ, who is the most honored?" He ﷺ replied: "The one who is the most God-fearing." They said, "We are not asking about this." Then he ﷺ said: "Yusuf ؑ, the Prophet of Allah, the son of Allah's Prophet, the grandson of Allah's Prophet, the great-grandson of Allah's Prophet, is the most honored." [بخاري، كتاب الانبياء باب قول الله تعاليٰ : __QUR_0__]