سُوْرَةُ يُوسُفَ
Surah Yusuf (12) — Ayah 3
نَحْنُ نَقُصُّ عَلَيْكَ أَحْسَنَ ٱلْقَصَصِ بِمَآ أَوْحَيْنَآ إِلَيْكَ هَـٰذَا ٱلْقُرْءَانَ وَإِن كُنتَ مِن قَبْلِهِۦ لَمِنَ ٱلْغَـٰفِلِينَ ﴿3﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
We relate unto you (Muhammad صلى الله عليه و سلم) the best of stories through Our Revelations unto you, of this Qur’ân. And before this (i.e. before the coming of Divine Revelation to you), you were among those who knew nothing about it (the Qur’ân).
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
نَحْنُ
naḥnu
We
نَقُصُّ
naquṣṣu
relate
عَلَيْكَ
ʿalayka
to you
أَحْسَنَ
aḥsana
the best
ٱلْقَصَصِ
l-qaṣaṣi
of the narrations
بِمَآ
bimā
in what
أَوْحَيْنَآ
awḥaynā
We have revealed
إِلَيْكَ
ilayka
to you
هَـٰذَا
hādhā
(of) this
ٱلْقُرْءَانَ
l-qur'āna
the Quran
وَإِن
wa-in
although
كُنتَ
kunta
you were
مِن
min
before it
قَبْلِهِۦ
qablihi
before it
لَمِنَ
lamina
surely among
ٱلْغَـٰفِلِينَ
l-ghāfilīna
the unaware
Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim — Hafiz Abdus Salam Bin Muhammad Bhutvi
Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim is a 4-volume Quran commentary by Hafiz Abdus Salam bin Muhammad Bhutvi, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar and Sheikh ul-Hadith from Pakistan. Based on over 45 years of teaching and research, this tafsir follows the methodology of Tafsir bil-Ma'thur — interpreting the Quran through authentic Hadith, statements of the Companions, and the understanding of the early generations (Salaf). It is distinguished by its complete avoidance of Israeliyyat (Judeo-Christian narratives) and unverified reports. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
(Ayah 3) ➊ { نَحْنُ نَقُصُّ عَلَيْكَ اَحْسَنَ الْقَصَصِ: ’’ الْقَصَصِ ‘‘ ’’قَصَّ يَقُصُّ‘‘} is a verbal noun (masdar), not the plural of qissah (story). (See {جواب اهل العلم}, p. 1 to 20) The plural of qissah is qasas with a kasrah under the qaf. It is said: «{ نَحْنُ نَقُصُّ }» “We narrate.” Whenever Allah uses the plural form for Himself, the reason is that every action of Allah requires a different attribute, for example, narrating requires the attribute of speech, creating the heavens and the earth requires the attribute of creation. There is no one besides Allah who possesses all the attributes of perfection and truly deserves to call Himself “We.” Therefore, Allah, expressing this status, uses the word “We” for Himself, and where He uses the singular, for example: «{ اِنَّنِيْۤ اَنَا اللّٰهُ لَاۤ اِلٰهَ اِلَّاۤ اَنَا }» [ طٰہٰ : ۱۴ ], it is to express His oneness, because He alone is One, Unique, without partner. In this surah, since many attributes are mentioned that express Allah’s dominance over every action according to His will, the discourse begins with {’’ نَحْنُ ‘‘} (We).
➋ {بِمَاۤ اَوْحَيْنَاۤ اِلَيْكَ هٰذَا الْقُرْاٰنَ :} That is, through the revelation of this Qur’an, We narrate to you the best account. This does not mean that Surah Yusuf is better than all other surahs of the Qur’an, rather the entire Qur’an is ahsan al-qasas, meaning the best of all accounts, and this surah is included in it.
➌ { وَ اِنْ كُنْتَ مِنْ قَبْلِهٖ:} This {’’ اِنْ ‘‘} was actually {’’اِنَّكَ‘‘}, for ease the kaf was omitted and {’’اِنَّ‘‘} was changed to {’’ اِنْ ‘‘}. The proof is the lam that comes on {’’ لَمِنَ الْغٰفِلِيْنَ ‘‘}, and this is an established rule of Arabic, according to which the translation has been done. {’’ اِنْ ‘‘} And the emphasis with lam is so that no one assumes that you already knew all this, as some of our ignorant brothers say, rather, elsewhere it is said: «{ تِلْكَ مِنْ اَنْۢبَآءِ الْغَيْبِ نُوْحِيْهَاۤ اِلَيْكَ مَا كُنْتَ تَعْلَمُهَاۤ اَنْتَ وَ لَا قَوْمُكَ مِنْ قَبْلِ هٰذَا }» [ھود : ۴۹ ] “This is from the news of the unseen which We reveal to you; before this, neither you knew it nor your people.”
➍ { لَمِنَ الْغٰفِلِيْنَ :} That is, you had no knowledge of this before, you were unlettered, neither knew how to write nor read. The revelation of such an unparalleled book upon such a person, that great knowledgeable people become students of this unlettered one, is proof that this book is from Allah and that you are a true Messenger. It is also understood that you were not ‘alim al-ghayb (knower of the unseen); whatever was revealed, you would know, the rest of the knowledge remained with the Knower of the unseen, who knows everything without being told by anyone. ‘Alim al-ghayb refers only to such a being, and that is only Allah, Blessed and Exalted.
➋ {بِمَاۤ اَوْحَيْنَاۤ اِلَيْكَ هٰذَا الْقُرْاٰنَ :} That is, through the revelation of this Qur’an, We narrate to you the best account. This does not mean that Surah Yusuf is better than all other surahs of the Qur’an, rather the entire Qur’an is ahsan al-qasas, meaning the best of all accounts, and this surah is included in it.
➌ { وَ اِنْ كُنْتَ مِنْ قَبْلِهٖ:} This {’’ اِنْ ‘‘} was actually {’’اِنَّكَ‘‘}, for ease the kaf was omitted and {’’اِنَّ‘‘} was changed to {’’ اِنْ ‘‘}. The proof is the lam that comes on {’’ لَمِنَ الْغٰفِلِيْنَ ‘‘}, and this is an established rule of Arabic, according to which the translation has been done. {’’ اِنْ ‘‘} And the emphasis with lam is so that no one assumes that you already knew all this, as some of our ignorant brothers say, rather, elsewhere it is said: «{ تِلْكَ مِنْ اَنْۢبَآءِ الْغَيْبِ نُوْحِيْهَاۤ اِلَيْكَ مَا كُنْتَ تَعْلَمُهَاۤ اَنْتَ وَ لَا قَوْمُكَ مِنْ قَبْلِ هٰذَا }» [ھود : ۴۹ ] “This is from the news of the unseen which We reveal to you; before this, neither you knew it nor your people.”
➍ { لَمِنَ الْغٰفِلِيْنَ :} That is, you had no knowledge of this before, you were unlettered, neither knew how to write nor read. The revelation of such an unparalleled book upon such a person, that great knowledgeable people become students of this unlettered one, is proof that this book is from Allah and that you are a true Messenger. It is also understood that you were not ‘alim al-ghayb (knower of the unseen); whatever was revealed, you would know, the rest of the knowledge remained with the Knower of the unseen, who knows everything without being told by anyone. ‘Alim al-ghayb refers only to such a being, and that is only Allah, Blessed and Exalted.
