Tafsir of Yusuf 12:36

{With him} indicates the meaning of companionship and its initiation. You say, "I went out with the Prince," meaning you are accompanying him. Thus, their entry into the prison must have been in his company.

{Two young men} Two slaves of the King: his baker and his cupbearer. It was reported to the King that they were poisoning him, so he ordered them to prison. They were brought in at the same hour Yusuf (peace be upon him) was brought in.

{I see myself} meaning in a dream; it is a narrative of a past state.

{Pressing wine} meaning grapes, naming the grapes by what they will become. It is said that in the dialect of Oman, "wine" is the name for grapes. In the reading of Ibn Mas'ud, it is "pressing grapes."

{Of the doers of good} meaning those who excel in interpreting dreams, i.e., they do it well. They saw him interpreting the dreams of some of the prisoners, so they said this to him. Or, it means "of the learned," because they heard him mentioning things to people that made them realize he was a scholar. Or, it means "of those who are kind to the people of the prison." So, "Be kind to us by relieving our distress through interpreting what we saw, if you have a hand in dream interpretation."

It is narrated that if a man among them fell ill, he would tend to him; if he was in straits, he would make things easy for him; and if he was in need, he would collect for him. Qatada said: There were people in the prison whose hope had been cut off and whose grief had lasted long. He would say, "Rejoice, be patient, and you will be rewarded; this has a reward." They said, "May God bless you, how beautiful is your face and how beautiful your character! We have been blessed by your presence, so who are you, young man?" He said, "I am Yusuf, son of the Chosen of God, Ya'qub; son of the Sacrificed of God, Ishaq; son of the Friend of God, Ibrahim." The prison warden said to him, "If I could, I would set you free, but I will make your stay pleasant; be in whichever part of the prison you wish."

It is narrated that the two young men said to him, "We have loved you since we saw you." He said, "I adjure you by God not to love me, for by God, no one has ever loved me but that a trial came upon me because of their love. My aunt loved me, and a trial came upon me; then my father loved me, and a trial came upon me; then my master's wife loved me, and a trial came upon me. So do not love me, may God bless you both."

Al-Sha'bi narrated that they fabricated the dreams to test him. The cupbearer said, "I see myself in a garden, and there is a vine with three clusters of grapes; I picked them and pressed them into the King's cup, and gave him to drink." The baker said, "I see myself with three baskets on my head containing various foods, and birds of prey are eating from them."

If you ask: To what does the pronoun refer in his saying, {Inform us of its interpretation}? I say: It refers to what they narrated to him. The pronoun functions like a demonstrative noun in this context, as if it were said: "Inform us of the interpretation of that."