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Alif lam ra. Here are some Verses from the lucid Scripture
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that We have sent down as an Arabic Koran — perhaps you will understand!
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. — [O Muhammad!] As We reveal this Koran to you, We will tell you some of the best stories that you did not know before.
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Once Joseph said to his father: “O my father! I dreamt of eleven stars, the sun, and the moon, and I saw that they prostrated themselves before me.”
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[His father] said: “O my dear son! Don’t tell your brothers about your vision, lest they conspire against you — verily, Satan is man’s open enemy!
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Know that your Lord will choose you, teach you the interpretation of events, and extend His mercy to you and to the posterity of Jacob, as He had previously extended it to your forefathers Abraham and Isaac. Verily, your Lord is knowing and wise!”
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Joseph and his brothers were Signs for the probing minds.
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[His brothers] said: “It’s obvious that our father loves Joseph and his [younger] brother more than us, although together we are a mighty force. Verily, our father is in manifest error.”
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[One of them said:] “Kill Joseph or expel him to a [faraway] land, then our father will turn his attention to you and you’ll become righteous people again!”
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Another one said: “Don’t kill Joseph, but if you want to do something, better throw him to the bottom of a well — perhaps some passing caravan will pick him up!”
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[The brothers] said: “O our father! Why don’t you trust us with Joseph? Indeed, we sincerely wish him well.
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Send him with us tomorrow: let him have fun and play, and we’ll take care of him.”
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[Their father] said: “Surely I’ll feel sad if you take him away with you. I’m afraid that a wolf will devour him when you divert your attention from him.”
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[The brothers] said: “But there are many of us; we’ll rather be hurt ourselves than let a wolf devour him!”
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They went away with him, conspiring to throw him to the bottom of a well. We inspired [Joseph]: — You will surely remind them of their action when they will not know who you are!
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At nightfall they came back to their father in tears,
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They said: “O our father! When we went off to race, we left Joseph with our belongings, and a wolf devoured him. You won’t believe us, but we’re telling the truth!”
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They had smeared his shirt with some one else’s blood. [The father] said: “Yes, you’ve made up a good excuse for yourselves, but patience is a virtue, and only [God] will help me to unravel your assertions!”
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A caravan came by, and one of their men was sent to the well. He lowered his bucket and said: “Good luck! Here’s a youth!” They hid him among their goods, but God was well aware of what they had done.
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They sold him for a low price, just for a few dirhams, thinking that he was not worth much more.
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A man from Egypt bought him and said to his wife: “Shelter him honorably — he might be useful to us, or we might adopt him.” Thus We settled Joseph in [that] land to teach him the interpretation of events. God is in full control of His Designs, but most people do not know [it].
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When [Joseph] reached manhood, We gave him Wisdom and Knowledge — this is Our reward to the righteous!
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The mistress of the house where he lived tried to subvert his will. She locked the doors and said: “Come here!” He said: “God forbid! Isn’t [your husband] my master who has kindly sheltered me? Verily, the wrong-doers won’t succeed!”
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But she desired him; and he would have desired her, had he not known the Commands of his Lord. Thus We turned evil and depravation away from him — verily, he was one of Our faithful servants.
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They raced to the door, and she tore his shirt on his back. At the door they ran into her husband. She said: “Is there a harsher retribution than prison or a painful ordeal for someone who has plotted evil against your wife?”
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[Joseph] said: “She’s the one who tried to seduce me!” A witness from her household said: “If his shirt is torn from the front, she’s telling the truth and he’s lying,
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but if his shirt is torn from behind, she’s lying and he’s telling the truth.”
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[The husband] saw the shirt torn from behind and said: “Such are the deceits of women! Verily, mighty are your deceits!
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O Joseph! Forget it! And you, ask forgiveness for your sin — indeed, you are the guilty one!”
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The women in the city began talking: “The wife of a noble man tries to seduce a young slave against his will. He inspired her with love, and apparently she has really gone astray!”
Sonraki 30 ayet →