Surah Yusuf (12): Verse 3

نَحْنُ نَقُصُّ عَلَيْكَ (We relate to you...)

The First Issue: It is narrated by Sa'id ibn Jubayr that when Allah revealed the Qur'an to the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) and he recited it to his people, they said: "O Messenger of Allah, if only you would narrate stories to us." Then this Surah was revealed, and he recited it to them. They then said: "If only you would remind us." Then was revealed: {Allah has sent down the best of sayings, a Book consistent...} (Az-Zumar: 23). They then said: "If only you would admonish us." Then was revealed: {Has the time not come for those who have believed that their hearts should become humble for the remembrance of Allah...} (Al-Hadid: 16).

The Second Issue: Qass (قصص) means following one report after another. Its root in the language means sequence or following. Allah says: {And she said to his sister, "Follow him"} (Al-Qasas: 11), meaning, follow his track. And Allah says: {So they both returned, following their tracks} (Al-Kahf: 64), meaning, following. Narration is called Qass because the narrator mentions the story piece by piece, just as one says Tala al-Qur'an (recited the Qur'an) because he Yatlu (follows) what he has memorized, verse after verse.

The word al-Qasas (the narration) in this verse can mean the verbal noun (Masdar) signifying the act of relating: "He relates the story, he relates it Qassan or Qisasan," meaning he pursues and drives it forward, like saying Arsaluhu (He sent him) meaning Irsalan.

Alternatively, it could be an instance where the object (Maful) is named by the verbal noun (Masdar), like saying: "This is the Qudrat (Power) of Allah," meaning His Maqdur (that which is empowered); or "This is the ‘Ilm (Knowledge) of so-and-so," meaning what is known to him; or "This is our Raja’ (Hope)," meaning what is hoped for.

1. If we take it as the verbal noun (Masdar): The meaning is, "We relate to you the best of narration/relating." In this case, Ahsan (best) refers to the excellence of the expression (Hasan al-Bayan), meaning these words are eloquent to the extent of being miraculous. Do you not see that this story is mentioned in historical books, yet none of them resemble this Surah in eloquence and rhetoric?
2. If we take it as the object (Maful): The meaning is that it is the best of stories (Ahsan al-Qisas) because of the lessons (Ibar), insights (Nukat), wisdom (Hikam), and wonders contained within it, which are not found elsewhere.

One benefit derived from this story is that nothing can repel the decree of Allah, nor can anything prevent the destiny of Allah. If Allah decrees good and honor for a person, even if the entire world gathered against it, they would be unable to repel it.

The Second Benefit is its indication that envy (Hasad) is a cause of failure and deficiency.

The Third Benefit is that patience is the key to relief (Faraj), as seen in the case of Prophet Ya'qub (Jacob, peace be upon him); when he was patient, he achieved his goal, and similarly for Yusuf (Joseph, peace be upon him).

As for the phrase {BIMA AWNAYNA ILYKA HATHA AL-QUR’AN} (by what We have revealed to you this Qur'an), the meaning is "by Our revelation to you of this Qur'an," assuming Ma (what) combined with the verb is equivalent to the verbal noun.

Then He said: {AND INDEED, BEFORE IT, YOU WERE AMONG THE UNMINDFUL} (Wa in kunta min qablihi... al-ghafilin). This means before We revealed this to you, you were among those heedless of the story of Yusuf and his brothers, because the Prophet (PBUH) only knew this through revelation. Some commentators say the meaning is that he was heedless of the religion and the Law before that, as Allah says: {You did not know what the Book was, nor what Faith was} (Ash-Shura: 52).

{IDH QALA YUSUF LI-ABEEHI YA ABATI INNI RA’AYTU AHADA ‘ASHARA KAWKABAN WA ASH-SHAMSA WA AL-QAMARA RA’AYTuhum LI SAJIDIN} (When Joseph said to his father, "O my father, indeed I have seen eleven stars and the sun and the moon; I saw them prostrating to me.")