| Joseph (Yusuf): (42) And he said to the one whom he thought...

There are several issues to discuss here:

Issue 1: Who is described by the word "thought" (ظن)?

There is a difference of opinion regarding whether the one described by "thought" (ظن) is Joseph (peace be upon him) or the saved man (the cupbearer).

First Opinion: It refers to Joseph (عليه السلام). The meaning would be: "And the man said to Joseph, whom he thought would be saved." This view has two sub-points:

1. The word dhann (thought) is interpreted as certainty and conviction. This applies if we hold that Joseph used this expression based on divine revelation. Many instances in the Qur'an use the word dhann to mean certainty, such as: ${\text{Those who think that they will meet their Lord}} (Al-Baqarah: 46) and {\text{I thought that I would never meet my reckoning}} (Al-Haqqah: 20).
2. The word dhann is taken in its literal sense of conjecture. This applies if Joseph used this expression not based on revelation, but based on the established principles of knowledge available to him at that time, which only yield conjecture or estimation.

Second Opinion: It describes the saved man (the cupbearer). The two men asking for interpretation were not believers in Joseph's prophethood, but they held a good opinion of him. Therefore, his statement to them only amounted to mere conjecture (dhann) in their regard.

Issue 2: The meaning of "Satan made him forget to mention his Lord"

Joseph (عليه السلام) said to that man (whom he judged would be released and return to serve the King): {\text{Mention me to your Lord}}. The meaning is: Mention to the King that Joseph is wronged concerning his brothers who cast him out and sold him, and that he is also wronged in the current incident for which he was imprisoned. This is the intended meaning of the "mention."

Then, the Almighty said: {\text{But Satan made him forget to mention it to his Lord}}. There are two main views on this:

First View: It refers back to Joseph (عليه السلام). The meaning is that Satan caused Joseph to forget to mention his Lord. This view has sub-points:

1. His reliance on other than God was a mistake that needed correction. The point is that his true interest lay in not turning to any created being regarding that matter, nor presenting his need to anyone except God. He should have followed the example of his ancestor Abraham (عليه السلام), who, when placed in the catapult to be thrown into the fire, was asked by Gabriel if he had any need, to which he replied, "Not from you." When Joseph turned to a created being, God described that as Satan causing him to forget that complete reliance and that monotheism, leading him to present his need to created beings.
   • It is mentioned that because of this, he remained in prison for several years. The meaning is that when he deviated from complete reliance on his Lord to relying on a created being, he was punished by remaining in prison for a long period.
   • In summary, Joseph's turning to a created being caused two things: first, it allowed Satan to influence him to forget mentioning his Lord; second, it caused the tribulation to last for a long time.

2. Contradiction with Monotheism (Tawhid): Joseph had previously refuted idol worship by saying: {\text{Are disparate things better, or God, the One, the Irresistible?}}. Here, by saying {\text{Mention me to your Lord}}, he affirmed a "Lord" other than God. God forbid that this means affirming Him as a deity (Ilah); rather, it affirms lordship in the sense of "Lord of the house" or "Owner of the garment." However, using the term Rabb (Lord) in this apparent sense contradicts the negation of other lords.

3. Contradiction with Complete Trust: In the previous verse, he stated: {\text{It is not for us to associate anything with God}}, which is an absolute negation of polytheism and a complete delegation of affairs to God. Turning to someone other than God here seems to contradict that monotheism.

Important Note: Seeking help from people to repel injustice is permissible in Sharia. However, the good deeds of the righteous are considered shortcomings for the highly favored (the Muqarrabin). While this action is permissible for ordinary people, it was better for the truthful ones (like Joseph) to cut off all reliance on means entirely and occupy themselves only with the Cause of the causes.

4. The Omission of God's Name: Even if Joseph relied on the man to explain his situation to the King, it was incumbent upon him not to leave that speech without mentioning God, such as saying In sha'Allah (If God wills) or Qaddara Allah (God decreed). His omission of this mention led to this reprimand.

Second View: It refers to the saved man (the cupbearer). The meaning is that Satan made the young man forget to mention Joseph to the King, which is why the matter was prolonged, and {\text{he remained in prison for several years}} due to this reason.

Some scholars prefer the first view, citing the narration that Joseph (عليه السلام) said: "May God have mercy on Joseph; if he had not said, 'Mention me to your Lord,' he would not have remained in prison." Qatadah narrated that Joseph (عليه السلام) was punished for turning to someone other than God. Ibrahim al-Taymi narrated that when Joseph reached the prison door, his companion said: "What is your need?" Joseph replied: "To mention me to a Lord other than the Lord Joseph mentioned." Malik narrated that when Joseph said to the cupbearer, "Mention me to your Lord," it was said to him: "O Joseph, did you take an agent besides Me? I will surely prolong your imprisonment." Joseph wept and said: "The length of the trial made me forget to mention the Master, so I said this word. Woe to my brothers!"

Fakhr al-Din al-Razi's Experience: The author, Fakhr al-Din al-Razi (may God have mercy on him), states: "What I have experienced from the beginning of my life until now is that whenever a person relies on other than God in any matter, it becomes a cause for affliction, tribulation, hardship, and calamity. But when the servant relies on God and does not turn to any created being, that desired outcome is achieved in the best manner. This experience has continued for me from the beginning of my life until this time when I have reached fifty-seven years. At this point, my heart is settled that there is no benefit for a person in relying on anything except the grace and bounty of God Almighty."

Some scholars favor the second view because directing Satan's whisper toward that man is more appropriate than directing it toward the truthful Joseph, and because seeking help from people to escape injustice is permissible.

Conclusion on the Views: The truth is the First View. What the second scholar mentioned relies on the apparent rulings of Sharia, while what the first scholar established relies on the secrets of reality (haqiqa) and the noble aspects of Sharia. Whoever has insight into the station of servitude (ubudiyyah) and has drunk from the spring of monotheism knows that the matter is as we have stated. Furthermore, the wording of the verse indicates that the second view is weak, because if that were the intention, the verse would have said: {\text{Satan made him forget his mention to his Lord}}.

Issue 3: Reproach for Seeking Intercession

Seeking help from others to repel injustice is permissible in Sharia, and there is no denial of it. However, since this action was subject to reprimand from the realized scholars deeply immersed in the oceans of servitude, Joseph (عليه السلام) was consequently taken to account for it.

We argue: If he was taken to account for this minor matter, he should have been more deserving of being taken to account for attempting adultery and repaying kindness with evil. Since we see that God Almighty took him to account for this (the request for mention) but did not reprimand him at all concerning the other affair—rather, He mentioned him with the greatest forms of praise and commendation—we know that he (عليه السلام) was innocent of what the ignorant and literalists attribute to him.

Issue 4: Satan's Power over Forgetfulness

The devil can cast whispers (waswasa), but not cause forgetfulness (nisyan), as forgetfulness means the removal of knowledge from the heart, and the devil has no power over that. If he could, he would have removed the knowledge of God from the hearts of Adam's children.

The Answer: He can cause forgetfulness indirectly, in that his whispering leads to engagement in other actions, and a person's preoccupation with those actions prevents them from recalling that knowledge and awareness.

Issue 5: The Phrase "for several years" (بضع سنين)

There are two points of discussion regarding {\text{he remained in prison for several years}}:

First Point: Linguistic Derivation Al-Zajjaj said its derivation is from baḍa'a, meaning "to cut," so it means a segment of a number. Al-Farra' said that biḍ' is only mentioned with ten, twenty, up to ninety, implying it is specific to the numbers between three and nine. He said he never heard Arabs say biḍ' wa mi'a (a few hundred). Al-Sha'bi narrated that the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) asked his companions: "What is biḍ'?" They replied, "God and His Messenger know best." He said: "Less than ten." The majority agreed that what is meant here by "several years" is seven years. They said that when Joseph (عليه السلام) asked that man to {\text{Mention me to your Lord}}$, five years remained of his imprisonment, and then he remained for seven more years afterward. Ibn Abbas (رضي الله عنهما) said that when Joseph supplicated that man, the time for his release was near. When he mentioned it, he remained in prison for seven years afterward. It is narrated that Al-Hasan narrated that the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said: "May God have mercy on Joseph; if he had not said that word, he would not have remained in prison this long period." Then Al-Hasan wept and said: "When a matter befalls us, we supplicate to people."

! 7 < { And the King said, "Indeed, I see seven fat cows being eaten by seven lean ones, and seven green ears of grain and others [that are] dry. O eminent ones, explain to me my vision, if you are interpreters of dreams." * They said, "A confused dream, and we are not interpreters of dreams." } > 7

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