سُوْرَةُ يُوسُفَ
Surah Yusuf (12) — Ayah 42
وَقَالَ لِلَّذِى ظَنَّ أَنَّهُۥ نَاجٍ مِّنْهُمَا ٱذْكُرْنِى عِندَ رَبِّكَ فَأَنسَىٰهُ ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنُ ذِكْرَ رَبِّهِۦ فَلَبِثَ فِى ٱلسِّجْنِ بِضْعَ سِنِينَ ﴿42﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
And he said to the one whom he knew to be saved: "Mention me to your lord (i.e. your king, so as to get me out of the prison)." But Shaitân (Satan) made him forget to mention it to his Lord [or Satan made Yûsuf (Joseph) to forget the remembrance of his Lord (Allâh) as to ask for His Help, instead of others]. So [Yûsuf (Joseph)] stayed in prison a few (more) years.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَقَالَ
waqāla
And he said
لِلَّذِى
lilladhī
to the one whom
ظَنَّ
ẓanna
he thought
أَنَّهُۥ
annahu
that he
نَاجٍۢ
nājin
(would be) saved
مِّنْهُمَا
min'humā
of both of them
ٱذْكُرْنِى
udh'kur'nī
Mention me
عِندَ
ʿinda
to
رَبِّكَ
rabbika
your master
فَأَنسَىٰهُ
fa-ansāhu
But made him forget
ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنُ
l-shayṭānu
the Shaitaan
ذِكْرَ
dhik'ra
(the) mention
رَبِّهِۦ
rabbihi
(to) his master
فَلَبِثَ
falabitha
so he remained
فِى
fī
in
ٱلسِّجْنِ
l-sij'ni
the prison
بِضْعَ
biḍ'ʿa
several
سِنِينَ
sinīna
years
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran — Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran (Facilitation of the Quran) is a comprehensive Quran commentary by Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. Known for his eloquent and accessible writing style, Kilani authored this tafsir with a focus on clarity — making Quranic meanings understandable to the common reader. The tafsir provides detailed historical context for verses related to battles and expeditions, and firmly refutes modernist ideologies using strong scriptural evidence. It is widely regarded as an invaluable resource for understanding the Quran and countering deviant interpretations. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
42. And of the two, the one whom Joseph was sure would be released, he said to him: "Mention me to your master." But Satan made him forget to mention Joseph to his master, so Joseph remained in prison for several years [42].
[41] When the word "an" comes after the word "zann," it gives the meaning of certainty. (For details, see Mufradat al-Qur'an by Imam Raghib Isfahani.) And there are many other examples of this in the Quran as well. For example, ﴿الَّذِيْنَ يَظُنُّوْنَ اَنَّهُمْ مُّلٰقُوْا رَبِّهِمْ﴾ [2: 42] meaning those who are certain that they will meet their Lord, and Yusuf (peace be upon him) was certain regarding the cupbearer that he would be released from prison and reinstated to his former position. When he was about to leave the prison, Yusuf (peace be upon him) said to him to mention him to the king, that an innocent man has been imprisoned for a long time and that his attention is needed in this matter.
[42]
The Duration of the Imprisonment of Sayyiduna Yusuf (peace be upon him):
However, the cupbearer who was to be released became so engrossed and overjoyed with the news of his release and then the restoration of his job that he completely forgot to mention his benefactor, Sayyiduna Yusuf (peace be upon him), before the king. The forgetfulness has been attributed to Satan because Satan is never helpful or supportive in any good deed. His whispers are such that either a good deed is not performed at all, or if that is not possible, then his aim is that there be as much delay as possible in the performance of that good deed. Just as the Quran generally attributes heedlessness from the remembrance of Allah to Satan. As a result, several more years passed with him remaining in prison, and no one even thought to pay attention to his case. The Quran has used the word ﴿بِضْعَ سِنِيْنَ﴾, which applies to odd numbers less than ten, and according to the statements of the commentators, the duration of his imprisonment was either 7 years or 9 years.
[41] When the word "an" comes after the word "zann," it gives the meaning of certainty. (For details, see Mufradat al-Qur'an by Imam Raghib Isfahani.) And there are many other examples of this in the Quran as well. For example, ﴿الَّذِيْنَ يَظُنُّوْنَ اَنَّهُمْ مُّلٰقُوْا رَبِّهِمْ﴾ [2: 42] meaning those who are certain that they will meet their Lord, and Yusuf (peace be upon him) was certain regarding the cupbearer that he would be released from prison and reinstated to his former position. When he was about to leave the prison, Yusuf (peace be upon him) said to him to mention him to the king, that an innocent man has been imprisoned for a long time and that his attention is needed in this matter.
[42]
The Duration of the Imprisonment of Sayyiduna Yusuf (peace be upon him):
However, the cupbearer who was to be released became so engrossed and overjoyed with the news of his release and then the restoration of his job that he completely forgot to mention his benefactor, Sayyiduna Yusuf (peace be upon him), before the king. The forgetfulness has been attributed to Satan because Satan is never helpful or supportive in any good deed. His whispers are such that either a good deed is not performed at all, or if that is not possible, then his aim is that there be as much delay as possible in the performance of that good deed. Just as the Quran generally attributes heedlessness from the remembrance of Allah to Satan. As a result, several more years passed with him remaining in prison, and no one even thought to pay attention to his case. The Quran has used the word ﴿بِضْعَ سِنِيْنَ﴾, which applies to odd numbers less than ten, and according to the statements of the commentators, the duration of his imprisonment was either 7 years or 9 years.
