فَلَمَّا سَمِعَتْ بِمَكْرِهِنَّ اَرْسَلَتْ اِلَیْهِنَّ وَ اَعْتَدَتْ لَهُنَّ مُتَّكَاً وَّ اٰتَتْ كُلَّ وَاحِدَةٍ مِّنْهُنَّ سِكِّیْنًا وَّ قَالَتِ اخْرُجْ عَلَیْهِنَّ ۚ فَلَمَّا رَاَیْنَهٗۤ اَكْبَرْنَهٗ وَ قَطَّعْنَ اَیْدِیَهُنَّ وَ قُلْنَ حَاشَ لِلّٰهِ مَا هٰذَا بَشَرًا ؕ اِنْ هٰذَاۤ اِلَّا مَلَكٌ كَرِیْمٌ۝۳۱

When she heard their slanderings, she sent for them and prepared a banquet, and gave each of them a knife (for paring fruit), and called (to Joseph): "Come out before them." When they saw him, the women were so wonderstruck they cut their hands, and exclaimed: "O Lord preserve us! He is no mortal but an honourable angel."

قَالَتْ فَذٰلِكُنَّ الَّذِیْ لُمْتُنَّنِیْ فِیْهِ ؕ وَ لَقَدْ رَاوَدْتُّهٗ عَنْ نَّفْسِهٖ فَاسْتَعْصَمَ ؕ وَ لَىِٕنْ لَّمْ یَفْعَلْ مَاۤ اٰمُرُهٗ لَیُسْجَنَنَّ وَ لَیَكُوْنًا مِّنَ الصّٰغِرِیْنَ۝۳۲

She said: "This is the one you blamed me for. I did desire his person, but he preserved himself from sin. Yet in case he does not do my bidding he will be put into prison and disgraced."

قَالَ رَبِّ السِّجْنُ اَحَبُّ اِلَیَّ مِمَّا یَدْعُوْنَنِیْۤ اِلَیْهِ ۚ وَ اِلَّا تَصْرِفْ عَنِّیْ كَیْدَهُنَّ اَصْبُ اِلَیْهِنَّ وَ اَكُنْ مِّنَ الْجٰهِلِیْنَ۝۳۳

(Joseph) prayed: "O Lord, dearer is prison than what they invite me to. Unless You turn their guiles away from me I shall succumb to their charms and thus become a pagan."

فَاسْتَجَابَ لَهٗ رَبُّهٗ فَصَرَفَ عَنْهُ كَیْدَهُنَّ ؕ اِنَّهٗ هُوَ السَّمِیْعُ الْعَلِیْمُ۝۳۴

His Lord heard his prayer, and averted the women´s wiles from him. He verily hears and knows everything.

ثُمَّ بَدَا لَهُمْ مِّنْۢ بَعْدِ مَا رَاَوُا الْاٰیٰتِ لَیَسْجُنُنَّهٗ حَتّٰی حِیْنٍ۠۝۳۵

And yet in spite of having seen these clear proofs they found it proper to incarcerate him for a time.

وَ دَخَلَ مَعَهُ السِّجْنَ فَتَیٰنِ ؕ قَالَ اَحَدُهُمَاۤ اِنِّیْۤ اَرٰىنِیْۤ اَعْصِرُ خَمْرًا ۚ وَ قَالَ الْاٰخَرُ اِنِّیْۤ اَرٰىنِیْۤ اَحْمِلُ فَوْقَ رَاْسِیْ خُبْزًا تَاْكُلُ الطَّیْرُ مِنْهُ ؕ نَبِّئْنَا بِتَاْوِیْلِهٖ ۚ اِنَّا نَرٰىكَ مِنَ الْمُحْسِنِیْنَ۝۳۶

Two other youths were imprisoned along with him. Said one of them: "I dreamt that I was pressing grapes;" and the other: "I dreamt that I was carrying bread on my head, and the birds were pecking at it. You tell us the meaning of this. You seem to be a righteous man."

قَالَ لَا یَاْتِیْكُمَا طَعَامٌ تُرْزَقٰنِهٖۤ اِلَّا نَبَّاْتُكُمَا بِتَاْوِیْلِهٖ قَبْلَ اَنْ یَّاْتِیَكُمَا ؕ ذٰلِكُمَا مِمَّا عَلَّمَنِیْ رَبِّیْ ؕ اِنِّیْ تَرَكْتُ مِلَّةَ قَوْمٍ لَّا یُؤْمِنُوْنَ بِاللّٰهِ وَ هُمْ بِالْاٰخِرَةِ هُمْ كٰفِرُوْنَ۝۳۷

(Joseph) answered: "I will give you its interpretation before the food you are served arrives. This knowledge is one of the things my Lord has taught me. I have given up the religion of those who do not believe in God and deny the life to come.

وَ اتَّبَعْتُ مِلَّةَ اٰبَآءِیْۤ اِبْرٰهِیْمَ وَ اِسْحٰقَ وَ یَعْقُوْبَ ؕ مَا كَانَ لَنَاۤ اَنْ نُّشْرِكَ بِاللّٰهِ مِنْ شَیْءٍ ؕ ذٰلِكَ مِنْ فَضْلِ اللّٰهِ عَلَیْنَا وَ عَلَی النَّاسِ وَ لٰكِنَّ اَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لَا یَشْكُرُوْنَ۝۳۸

I follow the faith of my fathers, of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob. We cannot associate anyone with God. This is among God´s favours to us and to all mankind; but most men are not grateful.

یٰصَاحِبَیِ السِّجْنِ ءَاَرْبَابٌ مُّتَفَرِّقُوْنَ خَیْرٌ اَمِ اللّٰهُ الْوَاحِدُ الْقَهَّارُؕ۝۳۹

(Tell me) O fellow-prisoners, are a number of gods better, or one God omnipotent?

مَا تَعْبُدُوْنَ مِنْ دُوْنِهٖۤ اِلَّاۤ اَسْمَآءً سَمَّیْتُمُوْهَاۤ اَنْتُمْ وَ اٰبَآؤُكُمْ مَّاۤ اَنْزَلَ اللّٰهُ بِهَا مِنْ سُلْطٰنٍ ؕ اِنِ الْحُكْمُ اِلَّا لِلّٰهِ ؕ اَمَرَ اَلَّا تَعْبُدُوْۤا اِلَّاۤ اِیَّاهُ ؕ ذٰلِكَ الدِّیْنُ الْقَیِّمُ وَ لٰكِنَّ اَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لَا یَعْلَمُوْنَ۝۴۰

(What) you worship besides Him are nothing but names that you and your fathers have assigned, for which no sanction has been sent down by God. Authority belongs to God alone. He commands that you worship none but Him. This is the right way; but most men are ignorant.