Surah Yusuf (12) — Ayah 5

(Ayah 5) ➊ {قَالَ يٰبُنَيَّ لَا تَقْصُصْ …: } means its interpretation is obvious, as soon as it is heard, it will be understood. There were eleven brothers and one father and one mother; all of them would be dependent on him, then Satan would instill envy in their hearts. (Muwaddih) What was their age at that time, Allah Almighty has not mentioned. In Ma‘alim, it is stated that it was twelve years, some people, referring to the Bible, mention seventeen years, but there is no solid evidence for a specific determination. Even if there is any Israelite narration, we can neither call it true nor false. By the way, for a seventeen-year-old youth raised in the desert, the fear of being eaten by a wolf is quite unlikely. However, it is clear that at that time they were children, but they had understanding: {’’ يَرْتَعْ وَ يَلْعَبْ ‘‘} (grazed, ate, drank, and played) and {’’ هٰذَا غُلٰمٌ ‘‘ } (this is a boy) and {’’ اَوْ نَتَّخِذَهٗ وَلَدًا ‘‘} (or we will take him as a son) support this. If it were necessary to mention the age, Allah Almighty would have surely stated it. "Yusuf" is not an Arabic name that its derivation should be sought in Arabic, rather it is a Hebrew name or from the language that Ya‘qub (peace be upon him) used. The interpretation of this dream was fulfilled after quite some time; some say forty years, some more or less, but the period from childhood to youth spent in the house of the ‘Aziz of Egypt, then seven or nine years in prison, then seven years of prosperity, after which famine began and the brothers were compelled to come—less than twenty-one or twenty-two years is not possible in any case, if more, Allah knows best. From this, it is known that the manifestation of a dream’s interpretation can take a long time.
➋ {يٰبُنَيَّ: ’’بُنَيَّ‘‘ ’’ اِبْنِيْ‘‘} is a diminutive, said with love and affection: O my little son, or O my dear son.
➌ Ya‘qub (peace be upon him) forbade Yusuf (peace be upon him) from relating his dream to his brothers, because the interpretation was obvious, and Ya‘qub (peace be upon him) also briefly explained that Allah Almighty will choose you and complete His favor upon you. Naturally, the one who receives a blessing is envied, and Satan also uses this human weakness, i.e., envy, to create enmity among brothers and friends. Allah Almighty said: «{اِنَّ الشَّيْطٰنَ يَنْزَغُ بَيْنَهُمْ }» [ بنی إسرائیل : ۵۳ ] "Indeed, Satan sows discord among them (My servants)." And this is the closest means to him, as in a lengthy hadith, Satan sends his army to misguide people: [ ثُمَّ يَجِيْئُ أَحَدُهُمْ فَيَقُوْلُ مَا تَرَكْتُهٗ حَتّٰی فَرَّقْتُ بَيْنَهٗ وَبَيْنَ امْرَأَتِهِ ] [ مسلم، صفات المنافقین، باب تحریش الشیطان… : 2813/67 ] "Then one of the devils comes and (reporting his performance) says: 'I did not leave this man until I separated him from his wife.'" Therefore, should the brothers come to know of the dream, Ya‘qub (peace be upon him) warned Yusuf (peace be upon him) of some secret plot of theirs, and along with {’’ اِنَّ ‘‘} explained the reason that indeed Satan is a clear enemy to man. And this is the same thing Yusuf (peace be upon him) said to his parents and brothers when they came to Egypt: «{ مِنْۢ بَعْدِ اَنْ نَّزَغَ الشَّيْطٰنُ بَيْنِيْ وَ بَيْنَ اِخْوَتِيْ }» [ یوسف : ۱۰۰ ] "After Satan had sown discord between me and my brothers." The statement of the Qur’an demands that Yusuf (peace be upon him), in accordance with his noble father’s instruction, did not relate the dream, because even at the time of the brothers’ plotting to kill, the dream was not mentioned, and the perfect obedience of Yusuf (peace be upon him) also demands this. However, in Israelite narrations, it is said that Yusuf (peace be upon him) told the dream to his brothers, and many stories have been based on this. From this, one can gauge the worth of Israelite narrations.
➍ Here, Ya‘qub (peace be upon him) is forbidding Yusuf (peace be upon him) from relating the dream to his brothers. It is obvious that the command of Ya‘qub, a prophet, was based on revelation. Our Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) also said: [ اِسْتَعِيْنُوْا عَلٰی إِنْجَاحِ الْحَوَائِجِ بِالْكِتْمَانِ فَإِنَّ كُلَّ ذِيْ نِعْمَةٍ مَحْسُوْدٌ ] [ السلسلۃ الصحیحۃ : 436/3، ح : ۱۴۵۳ ] "Seek help in fulfilling your needs by keeping them secret, for every blessed person is envied." That is, he is envied. In this dream too, there was the glad tidings of the completion of a blessing, so to make it successful, he was ordered to keep it hidden. Here a question arises: Allah Almighty said: «{ وَ اَمَّا بِنِعْمَةِ رَبِّكَ فَحَدِّثْ }» [الضحٰی : ۱۱ ] "But as for the favor of your Lord, then proclaim it." How will this command and the command of Ya‘qub (peace be upon him) to conceal be reconciled? One answer is that the blessing was yet to be completed upon Yusuf (peace be upon him), whereas upon the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) the blessing had been completed. For us too, it is necessary to keep in mind the difference between the two, so that there is no hindrance in the completion of the blessing. The second answer, which is found in books of tafsir, is that this verse is evidence that sometimes it is permissible not to express a blessing but to conceal it, as the hadith from Silsilah Sahihah has already been mentioned above. Thus, when expressing a blessing poses a risk of conspiracy or harm due to envy, one should conceal it, and if there is no such risk, then one should proclaim the blessing of the Lord Almighty.
➎ A good dream is a glad tiding from Allah Almighty. Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: [ لَمْ يَبْقَ مِنَ النُّبُوَّةِ اِلاَّ الْمُبَشِّرَاتُ، قَالُوْا وَمَا الْمُبَشِّرَاتُ؟ قَالَ الرُّؤْيَا الصَّالِحَةُ ] [ بخاری، التعبیر، باب المبشرات : ۶۹۹۰ ] "Nothing remains of prophethood except glad tidings." The people asked: "What are glad tidings?" He said: "Good dreams." And the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: [ اَلرُّؤْيَا الْحَسَنَةُ مِنَ الرَّجُلِ الصَّالِحِ جُزْءٌ مِنْ سِتَّةٍ وَّ أَرْبَعِيْنَ جُزْءً مِنَ النُّبُوَّةِ ] [ بخاری، التعبیر، باب رؤیا الصالحین : ۶۹۸۳، عن أنس رضی اللہ عنہ ] "A good dream of a righteous man is one part of forty-six parts of prophethood." Abu Salamah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: I used to see dreams which would make me sick (with worry), until I heard Abu Qatadah (may Allah be pleased with him) say: I too used to see dreams which would make me sick, until I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: [ اَلرُّؤْيَا الْحَسَنَةُ مِنَ اللّٰهِ، فَإِذَا رَأَی أَحَدُكُمْ مَا يُحِبُّ فَلَا يُحَدِّثْ بِهِ إِلاَّ مَنْ يُّحِبُّ، وَ إِذَا رَأَی مَا يَكْرَهٗ فَلْيَتَعَوَّذْ بِاللّٰهِ مِنْ شَرِّهَا، وَمِنْ شَرِّ الشَّيْطَانِ وَلْيَتْفِلْ ثَلاَثاً وَلَا يُحَدِّثْ بِهَا أحَدًا فَإِنَّهَا لَنْ تَضُرَّهٗ ] "A good dream is from Allah Almighty, so when any of you sees a dream that he likes, he should not relate it except to one whom he loves, and when he sees a dream that he dislikes, he should seek refuge with Allah from its evil and from the evil of Satan, and spit three times (to his left), and he should not relate it to anyone, and then that dream will not harm him at all." [ بخاری، التعبیر، باب اذا رأی ما یکرہ…:۷۰۴۴ ] In another narration it is also stated: [ وَلْيَتَحَوَّلْ عَنْ جَنْبِهِ الَّذِيْ كَانَ عَلَيْهِ ] that he should turn over to his other side. [ مسلم، الرؤیا، باب في کون الرؤیا من اللّٰہ… : ۲۲۶۲ ] And it is not unlikely that Allah Almighty makes this action a means of safety from every kind of harm, just as charity and alms become a means of averting calamities.
➏ From Ya‘qub (peace be upon him) expressing his opinion about his other sons, it is known that they were not prophets. In the special book of Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) on this subject, it is stated that the Qur’an, language, and events all indicate that they were not prophets. Nor is there any indication in the Qur’an or hadith towards their prophethood. (Sayyid Tantawi) However, later on, many prophets and messengers came from their descendants (the tribes).