| Joseph (Yusuf): (41) O my two fellow prisoners...

Exegesis of Verse 41

It should be noted that after the Prophet (Joseph) established the principles of Monotheism (Tawhid) and Prophethood, he returned to answering the question they had posed. The meaning is clear.

When the cupbearer related his dream to Joseph—and we have already mentioned how he related it—Joseph said to him: "How excellent is what you have seen! As for the vine, the good bunch represents your good condition. As for the three branches, they signify three days. At the end of these days, the King will summon you and return you to your post, so you will be as you were, or even better."

And he said to the baker: When he related his dream, [Joseph said]: "As for the three baskets, they signify three days. At the end of these days, the King will summon you, and he will crucify you, and the birds will eat from your head."

It is narrated in the exegesis that they both said, "We saw nothing." Then Joseph said: {The matter about which you asked has been decreed} (Yusuf: 41).

There is a difference of opinion regarding why they claimed they saw nothing.

1. It is said that they put forth this statement to test his knowledge of interpretation, even though they had seen nothing.
2. It is said that they disliked the answer [Joseph gave] and therefore said they saw nothing.

Objection: Was the answer Joseph (peace be upon him) gave based on revelation from God Almighty, or was it based on the science of dream interpretation?

1. The first possibility is false because Ibn Abbas (may God be pleased with him) narrated that Joseph mentioned it only as a matter of interpretation. Furthermore, God Almighty says: {And he said to the one of the two whom he supposed to be saved} (Yusuf: 42). If that interpretation were based on revelation, the result would be certainty and conviction, not mere supposition and conjecture (dhann).
2. The second possibility is also false because the science of dream interpretation is built upon conjecture and estimation (dhann wa hisban).

Response:

It is not unlikely to say that when they asked him about the dream, whether they were truthful or lying, God Almighty revealed to him that the outcome for each of them would be in the specific manner mentioned. When the revelation concerning this unseen matter descended upon that inquiry, Joseph assumed that he was stating it as a matter of interpretation.

It is also not unlikely to say that he based that answer on the science of dream interpretation. And His saying: {The matter about which you asked has been decreed} does not mean that what he mentioned will inevitably occur, but rather it means that his ruling concerning the interpretation of what they asked him about is that specific ruling he mentioned.

| Verse 42

{And he said to the one of the two whom he supposed to be saved, "Mention me to your lord." But Satan made him forget to mention [Joseph] to his lord, so he remained in prison for a number of years.}