Yusuf: 48

Ayah

Word by Word

ثُمَّ

Then

يَأۡتِي

will come

مِنۢ

after

بَعۡدِ

after

ذَٰلِكَ

that

سَبۡعٞ

seven

شِدَادٞ

hard (years)

يَأۡكُلۡنَ

(which will) consume

مَا

what

قَدَّمۡتُمۡ

you advanced

لَهُنَّ

for them

إِلَّا

except

قَلِيلٗا

a little

مِّمَّا

of what

تُحۡصِنُونَ

you (will) store

Translation

"Then will come after that (period) seven dreadful (years), which will devour what ye shall have laid by in advance for them,- (all) except a little which ye shall have (specially) guarded.

Tafsir

"The Dream of the King of Egypt

Allah tells:

وَقَالَ الۡمَلِكُ إِنِّي أَرَى سَبۡعَ بَقَرَاتٍ سِمَانٍ يَأۡكُلُهُنَّ سَبۡعٌ عِجَافٌ وَسَبۡعَ سُنبُلَتٍ خُضۡرٍ وَأُخَرَ يَابِسَاتٍ

يَا أَيُّهَا الۡمَلُ أَفۡتُونِي فِي رُوۡيَايَ إِن كُنتُمۡ لِلرُّوۡيَا تَعۡبُرُونَ

And the king (of Egypt) said:""Verily, I ﷺ (in a dream) seven fat cows, whom seven lean ones were devouring, and seven green ears of corn, and (seven) others dry. O notables! Explain to me my dream, if it be that you can interpret dreams.""

The King of Egypt had a dream that Allah the Exalted made a reason for Yusuf's release from prison, with his honor and reputation preserved. When the king had this dream, he was astonished and fearful and sought its interpretation. He gathered the priests, the chiefs of his state and the princes and told them what he had seen in a dream, asking them to interpret it for him. They did not know its interpretation and as an excuse, they said

قَالُواۡ أَضۡغَاثُ أَحۡلَمٍ

They said:""Mixed up false dreams, (which you saw),

وَمَا نَحۡنُ بِتَأۡوِيلِ الَاحۡلَمِ بِعَالِمِينَ

and we are not skilled in the interpretation of dreams.

They said, had your dream been a vision rather than a mixed up false dream, we would not have known its interpretation

وَقَالَ الَّذِي نَجَا مِنۡهُمَا وَادَّكَرَ بَعۡدَ أُمَّةٍ

Then the man who was released, now at length remembered and said:

The man who was saved from the two, who were Yusuf's companions in prison, remembered. Shaytan plotted to make him forget the request of Yusuf, to mention his story to the king. Now, years later, he remembered after forgetfulness and said to the king and his entourage,

أَنَاۡ أُنَبِّيُكُم بِتَأۡوِيلِهِ

I will tell you its interpretation,

the interpretation of this dream,

فَأَرۡسِلُونِ

so send me forth.

to the prison, to Yusuf, the man of truth.

So they sent him, and he said to Yusuf

يُوسُفُ أَيُّهَا الصِّدِّيقُ أَفۡتِنَا

O Yusuf, the man of truth! Explain to us...

and mentioned the king's dream to him.

فِي سَبۡعِ بَقَرَاتٍ سِمَانٍ يَأۡكُلُهُنَّ سَبۡعٌ عِجَافٌ وَسَبۡعِ سُنبُلَتٍ خُضۡرٍ وَأُخَرَ يَابِسَاتٍ لَّعَلِّي أَرۡجِعُ إِلَى النَّاسِ لَعَلَّهُمۡ يَعۡلَمُونَ

seven fat cows whom seven lean ones were devouring, and seven green ears of corn, and (seven) others dry, that I may return to the people, and that they may know.""

Yusuf's Interpretation of the King's Dream

This is when Yusuf, peace be upon him, told the interpretation of the dream, without criticizing the man for forgetting his request that he had made to him. Neither did he make a precondition that he be released before explaining the meaning. Rather

قَالَ تَزۡرَعُونَ سَبۡعَ سِنِينَ دَأَبًا

(Yusuf) said:""For seven consecutive years, you shall sow as usual)

`you will receive the usual amount of rain and fertility for seven consecutive years.'

He interpreted the cows to be years, because cows till the land that produce fruits and vegetables, which represent the green ears of corn in the dream.

He next recommended what they should do during these fertile years,

فَمَا حَصَدتُّمۡ فَذَرُوهُ فِي سُنبُلِهِ إِلاَّ قَلِيلً مِّمَّا تَأۡكُلُونَ

ثُمَّ يَأۡتِي مِن بَعۡدِ ذَلِكَ سَبۡعٌ شِدَادٌ

and that (the harvest) which you reap you shall leave it in the ears, (all) except a little of it which you may eat. Then will come after that, seven hard (years),

He said, `Whatever you harvest during those seven fertile years, leave it in the ears so as to preserve it better. This will help the harvest stay healthy longer, except the amount that you need to eat, which should not be substantial. Stay away from extravagance, so that you use what remains of the harvest during the seven years of drought that will follow the seven fertile years.'

This was represented by the seven lean cows that eat the seven fat cows. During the seven years of drought, they will eat from the harvest they collected during the seven fertile years, as represented by the dry ears of corn in the dream. Yusuf told them that during these years, the remaining ears will not produce anything and whatever they try to plant, will not produce any harvest, so he said,

يَأۡكُلۡنَ مَا قَدَّمۡتُمۡ لَهُنَّ إِلاَّ قَلِيلً مِّمَّا تُحۡصِنُونَ

which will devour what you have laid by in advance for them, (all) except a little of that which you have guarded (stored).

ثُمَّ يَأۡتِي مِن بَعۡدِ ذَلِكَ عَامٌ فِيهِ يُغَاثُ النَّاسُ وَفِيهِ يَعۡصِرُونَ

""Then thereafter will come a year in which people will have abundant rain and in which they will press (wine and oil).""

He delivered the good news to them that after the consecutive years of drought, there will come a fertile year, during which people will receive rain and the land will produce in abundance. The people will then press wine and oil as usual."