Part 14

And the king of _Egypt,[232] Er-Reiyán the son of El-Weleed_ said, Verily I saw [in a dream] seven fat kine which seven lean _kine_ devoured, and seven green ears of corn and _seven_ other _ears_ dried up. O ye nobles, explain unto me my dream, if ye interpret a dream.—They replied, _These are_ confused dreams, and we know not the interpretation of dreams. And he who had escaped, of the two _young men, namely the cup-bearer_, said (for he remembered after a time _the condition of Joseph_), I will acquaint you with the interpretation thereof; wherefore send me. _So they sent him; and he came unto Joseph, and said_, O Joseph, O thou of great veracity, give us an explanation respecting seven fat kine which seven lean [kine] devoured, and seven green ears of corn and other [seven] dried up, that I may return unto the men (_the king and his companions_), that they may know _the interpretation thereof_. He replied, Ye shall sow seven years as usual: (_this is the interpretation of the seven fat kine_:) and what ye reap do ye leave in its ear, _lest it spoil_; except a little, whereof ye shall eat. Then there shall come, after that, seven grievous [years]: (_this is the interpretation of the seven lean kine_:) they shall consume what ye shall have provided for them, _of the grain sown in the seven years of plenty_, except a little which ye shall have kept. Then there shall come, after that, a year wherein men shall be aided _with rain_, and wherein they shall press _grapes and other fruits_.—And the king said, _when the messenger came unto him and acquainted him with the interpretation of the dream_, Bring unto me him _who hath interpreted it_.

(xii. 35-50.)

And when he had spoken unto him,[233] he said _unto him_, Thou art this day firmly established with us, and intrusted _with our affairs_. _What then seest thou fit for us to do?—He answered, Collect provision, and sow abundant seed in these plentiful years, and store up the grain in its ear: then the people will come unto thee that they may obtain provision from thee. The king said, And who will act for me in this affair? Joseph_ said, Set me over the granaries of the land; for I am careful [and] knowing.—Thus did We prepare an establishment for Joseph in the land, that he might take for himself a dwelling therein wherever he pleased.—_And it is related that the king crowned him, and put a ring on his finger, and instated him in the place of Ḳiṭfeer, whom he dismissed from his office; after which, Ḳiṭfeer died, and thereupon the king married him to his wife Zeleekha, and she bore him two sons._[234] We bestow Our mercy on whom We please, and We cause not the reward of the well-doers to perish: and certainly the reward of the world to come is better for those who have believed and have feared.

_And the years of scarcity began, and afflicted the land of Canaan and Syria_, and the brethren of Joseph came, _except Benjamin, to procure provision, having heard that the governor of Egypt gave food for its price_.[235] And they went in unto him, and he knew them; but they knew him not; _and they spake unto him in the Hebrew language; whereupon he said, as one who distrusted them, What hath brought you to my country? So they answered, For corn. But he said, Perhaps ye are spies. They replied, God preserve us_ [_from being spies_]! _He said, Then whence are ye? They answered, From the land of Canaan, and our father is Jacob, the prophet of God. He said, And hath he sons beside you? They answered, Yea: we were twelve; but the youngest of us went away, and perished in the desert, and he was the dearest of us unto him; and his uterine brother remained, and he retained him that he might console himself thereby for the loss of the other._[236] _And Joseph gave orders to lodge them, and to treat them generously._ And when he had furnished them with their provision, _and given them their full measure_, he said, Bring me your brother from your father, _namely, Benjamin, that I may know your veracity in that ye have said_. Do ye not see that I give full measure, and that I am the most hospitable of the receivers of guests? But if ye bring him not, there shall be no measuring _of corn_ for you from me, nor shall ye approach me.—They replied, We will solicit his father for him, and we will surely perform _that_. And he said unto his young men, Put their money,[237] _which they brought as the price of the corn_, in their sacks, that they may know it when they have returned to their family: peradventure they will return _to us; for they will not deem it lawful to keep it_.—And when they returned to their father, they said, O our father, the measuring [of corn] is denied us _if thou send not our brother unto him_; therefore send with us our brother, that we may obtain measure; and we will surely take care of him. He said, Shall I intrust you with him otherwise than as I intrusted you with his brother _Joseph_ before? But God is the best guardian, and He is the most merciful of those who show mercy.—And when they opened their goods, they found their money had been returned unto them. They said, O our father, what desire we _of the, generosity of the king greater than this?_ This our money hath been returned unto us; and we will provide corn for our family, and will take care of our brother, and shall receive a camel-load more, _for our brother_. This is a quantity easy _unto the king, by reason of his munificence_.—He said, I will by no means send him with you until ye give me a solemn promise by God that ye will assuredly bring him back unto me unless _an inevitable and insuperable impediment_ encompass you. _And they complied with this his desire._ And when they had given him their solemn promise, he said, God is witness of what we say. _And he sent him with them_; and he said, O my sons, enter not _the city of Miṣr_ by one gate; but enter by different gates; _lest the_ [evil] _eye fall upon you_.[238] But I shall not avert from you, _by my saying this_, anything _decreed to befall you_ from God: _I only say this from a feeling of compassion._ Judgment belongeth not [unto any] save unto God _alone_. On Him do I rely, and on Him let those rely who rely.

And when they entered as their father had commanded them, _separately_, it did not avert from them anything _decreed to befall them_ from God, but [only satisfied] a desire in the soul of Jacob, which he accomplished; _that is, the desire of averting the_ [evil] _eye, arising from a feeling of compassion:_ and he was endowed with knowledge, because We had taught him: but the greater number of men, _namely the unbelievers_, know not _God’s inspiration of His saints_. And when they went in unto Joseph, he received unto him (_or pressed unto him_) his brother. He said, Verily I am thy brother;[239] therefore be not sorrowful for that which they did _from envy to us_. _And he commanded him that he should not inform them, and agree with him that he should employ a stratagem to retain him with him._ And when he had furnished them with their provision, he put the cup, _which was a measure made of gold set with jewels_,[240] in the sack of his brother _Benjamin_. Then a crier cried, _after they had gone forth from the chamber of Joseph_, O company of travellers, ye are surely thieves. They said (and turned unto them), What is it that ye miss? They answered, We miss the king’s measure; and to him who shall bring it [shall be given] a camel-load _of corn_, and I am surety for it, _namely the load_. They replied, By God! ye well know that we have not come to act corruptly in the land, and we have not been thieves. _The crier and his companions said_, Then what shall be the recompense of him _who hath stolen it_, if ye be liars _in your saying, We have not been thieves,—and it be found among you?_ They answered, His recompense [shall be that] he in whose sack it shall be found _shall be made a slave:_ he, _the thief_, shall be compensation for it; _namely, for the thing stolen. Such was the usage of the family of Jacob._ Thus do We recompense the offenders _who are guilty of theft.—So they turned towards Joseph, that he might search their sacks._ And he began with their sacks, _and searched them_ before the sack of his brother [Benjamin], _lest he should be suspected_. Then he took it forth (_namely, the measure_) from the sack of his brother. Thus, _saith God_, did We contrive a stratagem for Joseph. It was not [lawful] for him to take his brother _as a slave for theft_ by the law of the king of _Egypt_ (_for his recompense by his law was beating, and a fine of twice the value of the thing stolen; not the being made a slave_), unless God had pleased, _by inspiring him to inquire of his brethren and inspiring them to reply according to their usage_. We exalt unto degrees [of knowledge and honour] whom We please, _as Joseph_; and [there is who is] knowing above every one [else] endowed with knowledge.—They said, If he steal, a brother of his hath stolen before; _namely, Joseph;[241] for he stole an idol of gold belonging to the father of his mother, and broke it, that he might not worship it._ And Joseph concealed it in his mind, and did not discover it to them. He said _within himself_, Ye are in a worse condition _than Joseph and his brother, by reason of your having stolen your brother from your father and your having treated him unjustly_; and God well knoweth what ye state _concerning him_.—They said, O prince, verily he hath a father, a very old man, _who loveth him more than us, and consoleth himself by him for the loss of his son who hath perished, and the separation of him grieveth him_; therefore take one of us _as a slave_ in his stead; for we see thee [to be one] of the beneficent. He replied, God preserve us from taking [any] save him in whose possession we found our property; for then (_if we took another_), we [should be] unjust.

And when they despaired of [obtaining] him, they retired to confer privately together. The chief of them _in age_ (_namely, Reuben, or in judgment, namely, Judah_), said, Do ye not know that your father hath obtained of you a solemn promise in the name of God, _with respect of your brother_, and how ye formerly failed of your duty with respect to Joseph? Therefore I will by no means depart from the land _of Egypt_ until my father give me permission _to return to him_, or God decide for me _by the delivery of my brother_; and He is the best, _the most just_, of those who decide. Return ye to your father, and say, O our father, verily thy son hath committed theft, and we bore not testimony _against him_ save according to that which we knew _of a certainty, by our seeing the cup in his sack_; and we were not acquainted with what was unseen _by us when we gave the solemn promise: had we known that he would commit theft, we had not taken him. And send thou_, and ask _the people of_ the city in which we have been (_namely, Miṣr_)[242] and the company of travellers with whom we have arrived (_who were a people of Canaan_): and we are surely speakers of truth.—_So they returned to him, and said unto him those words_. He replied, Nay, your minds have made a thing seem pleasant unto you, _and ye have done it_ (_he suspected them, on account of their former conduct in the case of Joseph_); but patience is seemly: peradventure God will bring them back (_namely, Joseph and his brother_) unto me, together; for He is the Knowing _with respect to my case_, the Wise _in His acts_. And he turned from them, and said, O! my sorrow for Joseph! And his eyes became white in consequence of mourning, and he was oppressed with silent grief. They said, By God, thou wilt not cease to think upon Joseph until thou be at the point of death, or be of [the number of] the dead. He replied, I only complain of my great and unconcealable grief and my sorrow unto God; _not unto any beside Him; for He it is unto whom complaint is made with advantage_; and I know [by revelation] from God what ye know not; _namely, that the dream of Joseph was true, and that he is living_. _Then he said_, O my sons, go and seek news of Joseph and his brother; and despair not of the mercy of God; for none despaireth of the mercy of God except the unbelieving people.

_So they departed towards Egypt, unto Joseph_; and when they went in unto him, they said, O Prince, distress (_that is, hunger_) hath affected us and our family, and we have come with paltry money (_it was base money, or some other sort_): yet give us full measure, and be charitable to us, _by excusing the badness of our money_; for God recompenseth those who act charitably. _And he had pity upon them, and compassion affected him, and he lifted up the curtain that was between him and them: then_ he said _unto them in reproach_, Do ye know what ye did unto Joseph, _in beating and selling and other actions_, and his brother, _by your injurious conduct to him after the separation of his brother_, when ye were ignorant _of what would be the result of the case of Joseph?_[243] They replied, _after they had recognised him (desiring confirmation)_, Art thou indeed Joseph? He answered, I am Joseph, and this is my brother. God hath been gracious unto us, _by bringing us together_; for whosoever feareth _God_ and is patient [will be rewarded]: God will not suffer the reward of the well-doers to perish. They replied, By God, verily God hath preferred thee above us, and we have been indeed sinners. He said, [There shall be] no reproach [cast] on you this day: God forgive you; for He is the most merciful of those that show mercy. _And he asked them respecting his father: so they answered, His eyes are gone. And he said_, Go ye with this my shirt (_it was the shirt of Abraham, which he wore when he was cast into the fire: it was on his_ [that is, Joseph’s] _neck_ [appended as an amulet] _in the well; and it was from paradise: Gabriel commanded him to send it, and said, In it is its odour_ [that is, the odour of paradise], _and it shall not be cast upon any one afflicted_ [with a disease] _but he shall be restored to health_), and cast it [said Joseph] upon the face of my father: he shall recover his sight; and bring unto me all your family.—And when the company of travellers had gone forth _from El-´Areesh[244] of Egypt_, their father said, _unto those who were present of his offspring_, Verily I perceive the smell of Joseph (_for the zephyr had conveyed it to him, by permission of Him whose name be exalted, from the distance of three days’ journey, or eight, or more_): were it not that ye think I dote, _ye would believe me._ They replied, By God, thou art surely in thine old error. And when the messenger of good tidings (_namely, Judah_) came _with the shirt_ (_and he had borne the bloody shirt; wherefore he desired to rejoice him, as he had grieved him_), he cast it upon his face, and he recovered his sight. [Thereupon Jacob] said, Did I not say unto you, I know, from God, what ye know not? They said, O our father, ask pardon of our crimes for us; for we have been sinners. He replied, I will ask pardon for you of my Lord; for He is the Very forgiving, the Merciful.—_He delayed doing so until the first appearance of the dawn_, _that the prayer might be more likely to be answered; or, as some say, until the night of_ [that is, preceding] _Friday_.

_They then repaired to Egypt, and Joseph and the great men came forth to meet them_; and when they went in unto Joseph, _in his pavilion or tent_, he received unto him (_or pressed unto him_) his parents (_his father and his mother and his maternal aunt_), and said unto _them_, Enter ye Miṣr, if God please, in safety.[245] _So they entered; and Joseph seated himself upon his couch_, and he caused his parents to ascend upon the seat of state, and they (_that is, his parents and his brethren_) fell down, bowing themselves unto him[246] (_bending, but not putting the forehead_) [upon the ground]: _such being their mode of obeisance in that time_. And he said, O my father, this is the interpretation of my dream of former times: my Lord hath made it true; and He hath shown favour unto me, since He took me forth from the prison (_he said not, from the well,—from a motive of generosity, that his brethren might not be abashed_), and hath brought you from the desert, after that the devil had excited discord between me and my brethren; for my Lord is gracious unto whom He pleaseth; for He is the Knowing, the Wise.—_And his father resided with him four and twenty years, or seventeen; and the period of his separation was eighteen, or forty, or eighty years. And death came unto him; and thereupon he charged Joseph that he should carry him and bury him by his fathers. So he went himself and buried him. Then he returned to Egypt and remained after him three and twenty years; and when his case was ended, and he knew that he should not last_ [upon earth], _and his soul desired the lasting possession, he said_, O my Lord, Thou hast given me dominion, and taught me the interpretation of events (_or dreams_): Creator of the heavens and the earth, Thou art my guardian in this world and in the world to come. Make me to die a Muslim, and join me with the righteous _among my forefathers. And he lived after that a week, or more, and died a hundred and twenty years old. And the Egyptians disputed concerning his burial: so they put him in a chest of marble, and buried him in the upper part of the Nile, that the blessing_ [resulting from him] _might be general to the tracts on each side of it.[247] Extolled be the perfection of Him to whose dominion there is no end!_

(xii. 54-102).

JOB.

And remember Our servant Job [Eiyoob[248]] when he called unto his Lord, Verily the devil hath afflicted me with calamity and pain. (_The affliction is attributed to the devil, though all was from God._) _And it was said unto him_, Strike _the earth_ with thy foot. _And he did so; whereupon a fountain of water sprang forth.[249] And it was said_, This _is_ cool _water for thee_ to wash with, and to drink. _So he washed himself and drank; and every disease that he had, external and internal, quitted him._ And We gave unto him his family, and as many more with them (_that is, God raised to life for him those of his children who had died, and blest him with as many more_),[250] in Our mercy and as an admonition unto those who are endowed with faculties of understanding. [And We said unto him,] Take in thy hand a handful _of dry grass, or of twigs_,[251] and strike with it _thy wife_ (_for he had sworn that he would inflict upon her a hundred blows, because she had staid away from him too long one day_[252]) and break not thine oath _by abstaining from striking her._—_So he took a hundred stalks of schoemanthus, or some other plant, and gave her one blow with them._ Verily We found him a patient person. How excellent a servant _was he_! For he was one who earnestly turned himself unto God.

(xxxviii. 40-44.)

SHO´EYB.

And _we sent_ unto Midian [Medyen] their brother Sho´eyb.[253] He said, O my people, worship God; _assert His unity_. Ye have no other deity but Him. And give not short measure and weight. Verily I see you [to be] in a state of prosperity _that placeth you above the need of doing so_; and verily I fear for you, _if ye believe not_, the punishment of a day that will encompass _you with destruction_. And, O my people, give full measure and weight with equity; and diminish not unto men _aught_ of their things nor commit injustice in the earth, acting corruptly, _by murder or other offences_. The residue of God (_His supply that remaineth to you after the completion of the measure_) will be better for you _than diminution_, if ye be believers. And I am not a guardian over you, _to recompense you for your actions: I have only been sent as an admonisher_.—They replied, _in mockery_, O Sho´eyb, do thy prayers command thee that we are to leave what our fathers worshipped, or _cease_ to do with our riches what we please? Verily thou art the mild, the right director. _This they said in mockery._—He said, O my people, tell me, if I act according to an evident proof from my Lord, and He hath supplied me with a good _lawful_ provision, shall I mix it up with what is forbidden, and shall I not desire to oppose you, _and shall I betake myself_ to that which I forbid you? I desire not [aught] but _your_ reformation, as far as I am able [to effect it], and my help is not [in any] but in God: on Him do I rely, and unto Him do I turn me. And, O my people, let not the opposition of me procure for you the befalling you of the like of that which befell the people of Noah or the people of Hood or the people of Ṣáliḥ. And _the abodes of the_ people of Lot [are] not distant from you: (_or the time of their destruction was not long ago:_) _therefore be admonished_. And ask ye forgiveness of your Lord, and turn unto Him with repentance; for my Lord is merciful _to the believers_, loving _to them_. They replied, O Sho´eyb, we understand not much of what thou sayest, and verily we see thee to be weak[254] among us; and were it not for thy family, we had stoned thee; for thou art not, in our estimation, an honourable person: _thy family only are the honourable_. He said, O my people, are my family more honourable in your estimation than God, _and do ye abstain from slaying me for their sake, and not preserve me for God_, and have ye cast Him behind you as a thing neglected? Verily my Lord comprehendeth that which ye do, _and He will recompense you_. And, O my people, act ye according to your condition: verily I will act _according to mine_. Ye shall know on whom shall come a punishment that shall render him vile, and who is a liar: and await ye _the issue of your case_: verily I await with you.—And when Our degree _for their destruction_ came [to be executed], we delivered Sho´eyb and those who believed with him, in our mercy, and the cry _of Gabriel_ assailed those who had offended, so that in the morning they were in their abodes prostrate _and dead_, as though they had not dwelt therein. Was not Midian removed as Thamood had been removed?

(xi. 85-98.)

MOSES AND HIS PEOPLE.