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37
قالَ لا يَأتيكُما طَعامٌ تُرزَقانِهِ إِلّا نَبَّأتُكُما بِتَأويلِهِ قَبلَ أَن يَأتِيَكُما ۚ ذٰلِكُما مِمّا عَلَّمَني رَبّي ۚ إِنّي تَرَكتُ مِلَّةَ قَومٍ لا يُؤمِنونَ بِاللَّهِ وَهُم بِالآخِرَةِ هُم كافِرونَ

Yusuf Ali

He said: “Before any food comes (in due course) to feed either of you, I will surely reveal to you the truth and meaning of this ere it befall you.1 That is part of the (Duty) which my Lord hath taught me.2 I have (I assure you) abandoned the ways of a people that believe not in God and that (even) deny the Hereafter.3
  • The dream of one foreboded good to him, and of the other, evil to him. It was good that each should prepare for his fate. But Joseph’s mission was far higher than that of merely foretelling events. He must teach the truth of God and the faith in the Hereafter to both men. He does that first before he talks of the events of their phenomenal life. And yet he does it so tenderly. He does not tantalise them. In effect he says, 'You shall learn everything before our next meal, but let me first teach you Faith!”
  • Joseph does not preach a pompous sermon, or claim any credit to himself for placing himself at their service. He is just doing his duty, and the highest good he can do to them is to teach them Faith.
  • These men were Egyptians, perhaps steeped in materialism, idolatry, and polytheism. He must teach them the Gospel of Unity. And he does it simply, by appealing to his own experience: 1 have found the Lord good: in prosperity and adversity I have been supported by Faith: in life no man can live by error or evil: perhaps one of you has done some wrong for which you find yourself here: perhaps one of you is innocent: in either case, will you not accept Faith and live forever?