3 Preface نَحنُ نَقُصُّ عَلَيكَ أَحسَنَ القَصَصِ بِما أَوحَينا إِلَيكَ هٰذَا القُرآنَ وَإِن كُنتَ مِن قَبلِهِ لَمِنَ الغافِلينَYusuf AliWe do relate unto thee the most beautiful of stories,1 in that We reveal to thee this (portion of the) Qur-ān: before this, thou too was among those who knew it not.Most beautiful of stories: see Introduction to this Sūra. Eloquence consists in conveying by a word or hint many meanings for those who can understand and wish to learn wisdom. Not only is Joseph’s story “beautiful” in that sense; Joseph himself was renowned for manly beauty: the women of Egypt, called him a noble angel (12:31), and the beauty of his exterior form was a symbol of the beauty of his soul.