Remember, when Joseph [Yoosuf] said unto his father, O my father, verily I sawin sleepeleven stars and the sun and the moon: I saw them making obeisance unto me. He replied, O my child, relate not thy vision to thy brethren, lest they contrive a plot against thee,knowing its interpretation to be that they are the stars and that the sun is thy mother and the moon thy father; for the devil is unto man a manifest enemy. And thus,as thou sawest, thy Lord will choose thee, and teach thee the interpretation of events,or dreams, and will accomplish his favour upon theeby the gift of prophecy, and upon the family of Jacob, as He accomplished it upon thy fathers before, Abraham and Isaac; for thy Lord is knowing [and] wise.—Verily inthe history ofJoseph and his brethren are signs to the inquirers.—When they (the brethren of Joseph) said,one to another, Verily Joseph and his brotherBenjaminare dearer unto our father than we, and we are a number of men; verily our father is in a manifest error; slay ye Joseph, or drive him away into adistantland; so the face of your father shall be directed alone unto you,regarding no other, and ye shall be after it a just people:—a speaker among them,namely, Judah, said, Slay not Joseph, but throw him to the bottom of the well; then some of the travellers may light upon him, if ye dothis.And they were satisfied therewith. They said, O our father, wherefore dost thou not intrust us with Joseph, when verily we are faithful unto him? Send him with us tomorrowinto the plain, that he may divert himself and sport; and we will surely take care of him.—He replied, Verily your taking himaway will grieve me, and I fear lest the wolf devour him while ye are heedless of him. They said, Surely if the wolf devour him, when we are a number of men, we shall in that case be indeed weak.So he sent him with them.And when they went away with him, and agreed to put him at the bottom of the well,they did so.222They pulled off his shirt, after they had beaten him and had treated him with contempt and had desired to slay him; and they let him down; and when he had arrived half-way down the well they let him fall, that he might die; and he fell into the water. He then betook himself to a mass of rock; and they called to him; so he answered them, imagining that they would have mercy upon him. They however desired to crush him with a piece of rock; but Judah prevented them.And We said unto him by revelation,while he was in the well (and he was seventeen years of age, or less), to quiet his heart, Thou shalt assuredly declare unto them this their action, and they shall not knowthee at the time.223And they came to their father at nightfall weeping. They said, O our father, we went to run races,224and left Joseph with our clothes, and the wolf devoured him; and thou wilt notbelieve us, though we speak truth. And they brought false blood upon his shirt.Jacobsaidunto them, Nay, your minds have made a thing seem pleasant unto you,and ye have done it;225but patience is seemly, and God’s assistance is implored with respect to that which ye relate.
And travellers cameon their way from Midian (Medyen) to Egypt, and alighted near the well;226and they sent their drawer of water,227and he let down his bucketinto the well: so Joseph caught hold upon it, and the man drew him forth; and when he saw him, he said, O good news! This is a young man!—And his brethren thereupon knew his case; wherefore they came unto him, and they228concealed his case,making himas a piece of merchandise;for they said, He is our slave who hath absconded. And Joseph was silent, fearing lest they should slay him.And God knew that which they did. And they sold him for a mean price, [for] some dirhems counted down,twenty, or two-and-twenty; and they were indifferent to him.The travellers then brought him to Egypt, and he who had bought him sold him for twenty deenárs and a pair of shoes and two garments.And the Egyptian who bought him,namely, Ḳiṭfeer,229said unto his wifeZeleekha, Treat him hospitably; peradventure he maybe advantageous to us, or we may adopt him as a son.For he was childless.And thus We prepared an establishment for Joseph in the landof Egypt, to teach him the interpretation of events,or dreams; for God is well able to effect His purpose; but the greater number of men,namely, the unbelievers, know notthis. And when he had attained his age of strength (thirty years, or three-and-thirty), We bestowed on him wisdom and knowledgein matters of religion, before he was sent as a prophet; for thus do We recompense the well-doers. (xii. 4-22.—Then follows an account of his temptation by his mistress, Zeleekha.)
Then it seemed good unto them,230after they had seen the signs ofhis innocence, to imprison him. They will assuredly imprison him for a time,until the talk of the people respecting him cease.So they imprisoned him.And there entered with him into the prison two young men,servants of the king, one of whom was his cup-bearer and the other was his victualler.And they found that he interpreted dreams; whereforeone of them,namely, the cup-bearer, said, I dreamed that I was pressing grapes: and the other said, I dreamed that I was carrying upon my head some bread, whereof the birds did eat: acquaint us with the interpretation thereof; for we see thee to be [one] of the beneficent.—He replied, There shall not come unto you any food wherewith ye shall be fedin a dream, but I will acquaint you with the interpretation thereofwhen ye are awake, beforethe interpretation ofit come unto you. This isa partof that which my Lord hath taught me. Verily I have abandoned the religion of a people who believe not in God and who disbelieve in the world to come; and I follow the religion of my fathers, Abraham and Isaac and Jacob. It is notfitfor us to associate anything with God. Thisknowledge of the unity[hath been given us] of the bounty of God towards us and towards mankind; but the greater number of men are not thankful. O ye two companions (or inmates) of the prison, are sundry lords better, or is God, the One, the Almighty? Ye worship not, beside Him, [aught] save names which ye and your fathers have givento idols, concerning which God hath not sent down any convincing proof. Judgment belongeth not [unto any] save unto Godalone. He hath commanded that ye worship not [any] but Him. This is the right religion; but the greater number of men know not. O ye two companions of the prison, as to one of you,namely, the cup-bearer, he will serve wine unto his lordas formerly; and as to the other, he will be crucified, and the birds will eat from off his head.—Upon this they said, We dreamed not aught.He replied, The thing is decreed concerning which ye [did] ask a determination,whether ye have spoken truth or have lied. And he said unto him whom he judged to be the person who should escape of them two,namely the cup-bearer, Mention me unto thy Lord,and say unto him, In the prison is a young man imprisoned unjustly.—And he went forth.But the devil caused him to forget to mentionJosephunto his lord:231so he remained in the prison some years:it is said, seven; and it is said, twelve.
And the king ofEgypt,232Er-Reiyán the son of El-Weleedsaid, Verily I saw [in a dream] seven fat kine which seven leankinedevoured, and seven green ears of corn andsevenotherearsdried up. O ye nobles, explain unto me mydream, if ye interpret a dream.—They replied,These areconfused dreams, and we know not the interpretation of dreams. And he who had escaped, of the twoyoung men, namely the cup-bearer, said (for he remembered after a timethe condition of Joseph), I will acquaint you with the interpretation thereof; wherefore send me.So they sent him; and he came unto Joseph, and said, O Joseph, O thou of great veracity, give us an explanation respecting seven fat kine which seven lean [kine] devoured, and seven green ears of corn and other [seven] dried up, that I may return unto the men (the king and his companions), that they may knowthe interpretation thereof. He replied, Ye shall sow seven years as usual: (this is the interpretation of the seven fat kine:) and what ye reap do ye leave in its ear,lest it spoil; except a little, whereof ye shall eat. Then there shall come, after that, seven grievous [years]: (this is the interpretation of the seven lean kine:) they shall consume what ye shall have provided for them,of the grain sown in the seven years of plenty, except a little which ye shall have kept. Then there shall come, after that, a year wherein men shall be aidedwith rain, and wherein they shall pressgrapes and other fruits.—And the king said,when the messenger came unto him and acquainted him with the interpretation of the dream, Bring unto me himwho hath interpreted it.
(xii. 35-50.)
And when he had spoken unto him,233he saidunto him, Thou art this day firmly established with us, and intrustedwith our affairs.What then seest thou fit for us to do?—He answered, Collect provision, and sow abundant seed inthese plentiful years, and store up the grain in its ear: then the people will come unto thee that they may obtain provision from thee.The king said, And who will act for me in this affair?Josephsaid, Set me over the granaries of the land; for I am careful [and] knowing.—Thus did We prepare an establishment for Joseph in the land, that he might take for himself a dwelling therein wherever he pleased.—And it is related that the king crowned him, and put a ring on his finger, and instated him in the place of Ḳiṭfeer, whom he dismissed from his office; after which, Ḳiṭfeer died, and thereupon the king married him to his wife Zeleekha, and she bore him two sons.234We bestow Our mercy on whom We please, and We cause not the reward of the well-doers to perish: and certainly the reward of the world to come is better for those who have believed and have feared.
And the years of scarcity began, and afflicted the land of Canaan and Syria, and the brethren of Joseph came,except Benjamin, to procure provision, having heard that the governor of Egypt gave food for its price.235And they went in unto him, and he knew them; but they knew him not;and they spake unto him in the Hebrew language; whereupon he said, as one who distrusted them, What hath brought you to my country? So they answered, For corn. But he said, Perhaps ye are spies. They replied, God preserve us[from being spies]!He said, Then whence are ye? They answered, From the land of Canaan, and our father is Jacob, the prophet of God. He said, And hath he sons beside you? They answered, Yea: we were twelve; but the youngest of us went away, and perished in the desert, and he was the dearest of us unto him; and his uterine brother remained, and he retained him that he might console himself thereby for the loss of the other.236And Joseph gave orders to lodge them, and to treat them generously.And when he had furnished them with their provision,and given them their full measure, he said, Bring me your brother from your father,namely, Benjamin, that I may know your veracity in that ye have said. Do ye not see that I give full measure, and that I am the most hospitable of the receivers of guests? But if ye bring him not, there shall be no measuringof cornfor you from me, nor shall ye approach me.—They replied, We will solicit his father for him, and we will surely performthat. And he said unto his young men, Put their money,237which they brought as the price of the corn, in their sacks, that they may know it when they have returned to their family: peradventure they will returnto us; for they will not deem it lawful to keep it.—And when they returned to their father, they said, O ourfather, the measuring [of corn] is denied usif thou send not our brother unto him; therefore send with us our brother, that we may obtain measure; and we will surely take care of him. He said, Shall I intrust you with him otherwise than as I intrusted you with his brotherJosephbefore? But God is the best guardian, and He is the most merciful of those who show mercy.—And when they opened their goods, they found their money had been returned unto them. They said, O our father, what desire weof the, generosity of the king greater than this?This our money hath been returned unto us; and we will provide corn for our family, and will take care of our brother, and shall receive a camel-load more,for our brother. This is a quantity easyunto the king, by reason of his munificence.—He said, I will by no means send him with you until ye give me a solemn promise by God that ye will assuredly bring him back unto me unlessan inevitable and insuperable impedimentencompass you.And they complied with this his desire.And when they had given him their solemn promise, he said, God is witness of what we say.And he sent him with them; and he said, O my sons, enter notthe city of Miṣrby one gate; but enter by different gates;lest the[evil]eye fall upon you.238But I shall not avert from you,by my saying this, anythingdecreed to befall youfrom God:I only say this from a feeling of compassion.Judgment belongeth not [unto any] save unto Godalone. On Him do I rely, and on Him let those rely who rely.
And when they entered as their father had commanded them,separately, it did not avert from them anythingdecreed to befall themfrom God, but [only satisfied] a desire in the soul of Jacob, which he accomplished;that is, thedesire of averting the[evil]eye, arising from a feeling of compassion:and he was endowed with knowledge, because We had taught him: but the greater number of men,namely the unbelievers, know notGod’s inspiration of His saints. And when they went in unto Joseph, he received unto him (or pressed unto him) his brother. He said, Verily I am thy brother;239therefore be not sorrowful for that which they didfrom envy to us.And he commanded him that he should not inform them, and agree with him that he should employ a stratagem to retain him with him.And when he had furnished them with their provision, he put the cup,which was a measure made of gold set with jewels,240in the sack of his brotherBenjamin. Then a crier cried,after they had gone forth from the chamber of Joseph, O company of travellers, ye are surely thieves. They said (and turned unto them), What is it that ye miss? They answered, We miss the king’s measure; and to him who shall bring it [shall be given] a camel-loadof corn, and I am surety for it,namely the load. They replied, By God! ye well know that we have not come to act corruptly in the land, and we have not been thieves.The crier and his companions said, Then what shall be the recompense of himwho hath stolen it, if ye be liarsin your saying, We have not been thieves,—and it be found among you?They answered, His recompense [shall be that] he in whose sack it shall be foundshall be made a slave:he,the thief, shall be compensation for it;namely, for thething stolen. Such was the usage of the family of Jacob.Thus do We recompense the offenderswho are guilty of theft.—So they turned towards Joseph, that he might search their sacks.And he began with their sacks,and searched thembefore the sack of his brother [Benjamin],lest he should be suspected. Then he took it forth (namely, the measure) from the sack of his brother. Thus,saith God, did We contrive a stratagem for Joseph. It was not [lawful] for him to take his brotheras a slave for theftby the law of the king ofEgypt(for his recompense by his law was beating, and a fine of twice the value of the thing stolen; not the being made a slave), unless God had pleased,by inspiring him to inquire of his brethren and inspiring them to reply according to their usage. We exalt unto degrees [of knowledge and honour] whom We please,as Joseph; and [there is who is] knowing above every one [else] endowed with knowledge.—They said, If he steal, a brother of his hath stolen before;namely, Joseph;241for he stole an idol of gold belonging to the father of his mother, and broke it, that he might not worship it.And Joseph concealed it in his mind, and did not discover it to them. He saidwithin himself, Ye are in a worse conditionthan Joseph and his brother, by reason of your having stolen your brother from your father and your having treated him unjustly; and God well knoweth what ye stateconcerning him.—They said, O prince, verily he hath a father, a very old man,who loveth him more than us, and consoleth himselfby him for the loss of his son who hath perished, and the separation of him grieveth him; therefore take one of usas a slavein his stead; for we see thee [to be one] of the beneficent. He replied, God preserve us from taking [any] save him in whose possession we found our property; for then (if we took another), we [should be] unjust.
And when they despaired of [obtaining] him, they retired to confer privately together. The chief of themin age(namely, Reuben, or in judgment, namely, Judah), said, Do ye not know that your father hath obtained of you a solemn promise in the name of God,with respect of your brother, and how ye formerly failed of your duty with respect to Joseph? Therefore I will by no means depart from the landof Egyptuntil my father give me permissionto return to him, or God decide for meby the delivery of my brother; and He is the best,the most just, of those who decide. Return ye to your father, and say, O our father, verily thy son hath committed theft, and we bore not testimonyagainst himsave according to that which we knewof a certainty, by our seeing the cup in his sack; and we were not acquainted with what was unseenby us when we gave the solemn promise: had we known that he would commit theft, we had not taken him. And send thou, and askthe people ofthe city in which we have been (namely, Miṣr)242and the company of travellers with whom we have arrived (who were a people of Canaan): and we are surely speakers of truth.—So they returned to him, and said unto him those words. He replied, Nay, your minds have made a thing seem pleasant unto you,and ye have done it(he suspected them, on account of their former conduct in the case of Joseph); but patience is seemly: peradventure God will bring them back (namely, Joseph and his brother) unto me, together; for He is the Knowingwith respect to my case, the Wisein Hisacts. And he turned from them, and said, O! my sorrow for Joseph! And his eyes became white in consequence of mourning, and he was oppressed with silent grief. They said, By God, thou wilt not cease to think upon Joseph until thou be at the point of death, or be of [the number of] the dead. He replied, I only complain of my great and unconcealable grief and my sorrow unto God;not unto any beside Him; for He it is unto whom complaint is made with advantage; and I know [by revelation] from God what ye know not;namely, that the dream of Joseph was true, and that he is living.Then he said, O my sons, go and seek news of Joseph and his brother; and despair not of the mercy of God; for none despaireth of the mercy of God except the unbelieving people.
So they departed towards Egypt, unto Joseph; and when they went in unto him, they said, O Prince, distress (that is, hunger) hath affected us and our family, and we have come with paltry money (it was base money, or some other sort): yet give us full measure, and be charitable to us,by excusing the badness of our money; for God recompenseth those who act charitably.And he had pity upon them, and compassion affected him, and he lifted up the curtain that was between him and them: thenhe saidunto them in reproach, Do ye know what ye did unto Joseph,in beating and selling and other actions, and his brother,by your injurious conduct to him after the separation of his brother, when ye were ignorantof what would be the result of the case of Joseph?243They replied,after they had recognised him (desiring confirmation), Art thou indeed Joseph? He answered, I am Joseph, and this is my brother. God hathbeen gracious unto us,by bringing us together; for whosoever fearethGodand is patient [will be rewarded]: God will not suffer the reward of the well-doers to perish. They replied, By God, verily God hath preferred thee above us, and we have been indeed sinners. He said, [There shall be] no reproach [cast] on you this day: God forgive you; for He is the most merciful of those that show mercy.And he asked them respecting his father: so they answered, His eyes are gone.And he said, Go ye with this my shirt (it was the shirt of Abraham, which he wore when he was cast into the fire: it was on his[that is, Joseph’s]neck[appended as an amulet]in the well; and it was from paradise: Gabriel commanded him to send it, and said, In it is its odour[that is, the odour of paradise],and it shall not be cast upon any one afflicted[with a disease]but he shall be restored to health), and cast it [said Joseph] upon the face of my father: he shall recover his sight; and bring unto me all your family.—And when the company of travellers had gone forthfrom El-´Areesh244of Egypt, their father said,unto those who were present of his offspring, Verily I perceive the smell of Joseph (for the zephyr had conveyed it to him, by permission of Him whose name be exalted, from the distance of three days’ journey, or eight, or more): were it not that ye think I dote,ye would believe me.They replied, By God, thou art surely in thine old error. And when the messenger of good tidings (namely, Judah) camewith the shirt(and he had borne the bloody shirt; wherefore he desired to rejoice him, as he had grieved him), he cast it upon his face, and he recovered his sight. [Thereupon Jacob] said, Did I not say unto you, I know, from God, what ye know not? They said, O our father, ask pardon of our crimes for us; for we have been sinners. He replied, I will ask pardon for you of my Lord; for He is the Very forgiving, the Merciful.—He delayed doing so until the first appearance of the dawn,that the prayer might be more likely to be answered; or, as some say, until the night of[that is, preceding]Friday.
They then repaired to Egypt, and Joseph and the great men came forth to meet them; and when they went in unto Joseph,in his pavilion or tent, he received unto him (or pressed unto him) his parents (his father and his mother and his maternal aunt), and said untothem, Enter ye Miṣr, if God please, in safety.245So they entered; and Joseph seated himself upon his couch, and he caused his parents to ascend upon the seat of state, and they (that is, his parents and his brethren) fell down, bowing themselves unto him246(bending, but not putting the forehead) [upon the ground]:such being their mode of obeisance in that time. And he said, O my father, this is the interpretation of my dream of former times: my Lord hath made it true; and He hath shown favour unto me, since He took me forth from the prison (he said not, from the well,—from a motive of generosity, that his brethren might not be abashed), and hath brought you from the desert, after that the devil had excited discord between me and my brethren; for my Lord is gracious unto whom He pleaseth; for He is the Knowing, the Wise.—And his father resided with him four and twenty years, or seventeen; and the period of his separation was eighteen, or forty, or eighty years. And death came unto him; and thereupon he charged Joseph that he should carry him and bury him by his fathers. So he went himself and buried him. Then he returned to Egypt and remained after him three and twenty years; and when his case was ended, and he knew that he should not last[upon earth],and his soul desired the lasting possession, he said, Omy Lord, Thou hast given me dominion, and taught me the interpretation of events (or dreams): Creator of the heavens and the earth, Thou art my guardian in this world and in the world to come. Make me to die a Muslim, and join me with the righteousamong my forefathers. And he lived after that a week, or more, and died a hundred and twenty years old. And the Egyptians disputed concerning his burial: so they put him in a chest of marble, and buried him in the upper part of the Nile, that the blessing[resulting from him]might be general to the tracts on each side of it.247Extolled be the perfection of Him to whose dominion there is no end!
(xii. 54-102).
And remember Our servant Job [Eiyoob248] when he called unto his Lord, Verily the devil hath afflicted me with calamity and pain. (The affliction is attributed to the devil, though all was from God.)And it was said unto him, Strikethe earthwith thy foot.And he did so; whereupon a fountain of water sprang forth.249And it was said, Thisiscoolwater for theeto wash with, and to drink.So he washed himself and drank; and every disease that he had, external and internal, quitted him.And We gave unto him his family, and as many more with them (that is, God raised to life for him those of his children who had died, and blest him with as many more),250in Our mercy and as an admonition unto those who are endowed with facultiesof understanding. [And We said unto him,] Take in thy hand a handfulof dry grass, or of twigs,251and strike with itthy wife(for he had sworn that he would inflict upon her a hundred blows, because she had staid away from him too long one day252) and break not thine oathby abstaining from striking her.—So he took a hundred stalks of schoemanthus, or some other plant, and gave her one blow with them.Verily We found him a patient person. How excellent a servantwas he! For he was one who earnestly turned himself unto God.
(xxxviii. 40-44.)
Andwe sentunto Midian [Medyen] their brother Sho´eyb.253He said, O my people, worship God;assert His unity. Ye have no other deity but Him. And give not short measure and weight. Verily I see you [to be] in a state of prosperitythat placeth you above the need of doing so; and verily I fear for you,if ye believe not, the punishment of a day that will encompassyou with destruction. And, O my people, give full measure and weight with equity; and diminish not unto menaughtof their things nor commit injustice in the earth, acting corruptly,by murder or other offences. The residue of God (His supply that remaineth to you after the completion of the measure) will be better for youthan diminution, if ye be believers. And I am not a guardian over you,to recompense you for your actions: I have only been sent as an admonisher.—They replied,in mockery, O Sho´eyb, do thy prayers command thee that we are to leave what our fathers worshipped, orceaseto do with our riches what we please? Verily thou art the mild, the right director.This they said in mockery.—He said, O my people, tell me, if I act according to an evident proof from my Lord, and He hath supplied me with a goodlawfulprovision, shall I mix it up with what is forbidden, and shall I not desire tooppose you,and shall I betake myselfto that which I forbid you? I desire not [aught] butyourreformation, as far as I am able [to effect it], and my help is not [in any] but in God: on Him do I rely, and unto Him do I turn me. And, O my people, let not the opposition of me procure for you the befalling you of the like of that which befell the people of Noah or the people of Hood or the people of Ṣáliḥ. Andthe abodes of thepeople of Lot [are] not distant from you: (or the time of their destruction was not long ago:)therefore be admonished. And ask ye forgiveness of your Lord, and turn unto Him with repentance; for my Lord is mercifulto the believers, lovingto them. They replied, O Sho´eyb, we understand not much of what thou sayest, and verily we see thee to be weak254among us; and were it not for thy family, we had stoned thee; for thou art not, in our estimation, an honourable person:thy family only are the honourable. He said, O my people, are my family more honourable in your estimation than God,and do ye abstain from slaying me for their sake, and not preserve me for God, and have ye cast Him behind you as a thing neglected? Verily my Lord comprehendeth that which ye do,and He will recompense you. And, O my people, act ye according to your condition: verily I will actaccording to mine. Ye shall know on whom shall come a punishment that shall render him vile, and who is a liar: and await yethe issue of your case: verily I await with you.—And when Our degreefor their destructioncame [to be executed], we delivered Sho´eyb and those who believed with him, in our mercy, and the cryof Gabrielassailed those who had offended, so that in the morning they were in their abodes prostrateand dead, as though they had not dwelt therein. Was not Midian removed as Thamood had been removed?
(xi. 85-98.)
We will rehearse unto thee, [O Moḥammad, somewhat] of the history of Moses [Moosá] and Pharaoh [Fir´own or Far´oon],255with truth, forthe sake ofpeople who believe. Verily Pharaoh exalted himself in the landof Egypt, and divided its inhabitants into partiesto serve him. He rendered weak one class of them,namely the children of Israel, slaughtering their male children, and preserving alive their females,because one of the diviners said unto him, A child will be born among the children of Israel, who will be the means of the loss of thy kingdom;—for he was [one] of the corrupt doers. And We desired to be gracious unto those who had been deemed weak in the land, and to make them models of religion, and to make them the heirsof the possessions of Pharaoh, and to establish them in the landof Egypt, and in Syria, and to show Pharaoh and Hámán256and their forces whatthey feared from them. And We said, by revelation, unto the mother of Moses,the child above-mentioned, of whose birth none knew save his sister, Suckle him; and when thou fearest for him cast him in the riverNile, and fear nothis being drowned, nor mournfor his separation; for We will restore him unto thee, and will make him [one] of the apostles.257So she suckled him three months, during which he wept not; and then she feared for him, wherefore she put him into an ark pitched within and furnished with a bed for him, and she closed it and cast it in the river Nile by night.And the family (or servants) of Pharaoh lighted upon himin the ark on the morrow of that night;258so they put it before him, and it was opened, and Moses was taken forth from it, sucking milk from his thumb:[this happened] that he might be unto themeventuallyan enemy (slaying their men) and an affliction (making slaves of their women); for Pharaoh and Hámán (his Wezeer) and their forces were sinners;wherefore they were punished by his hand. And the wife of Pharaoh said,when he and his servants had proposed to kill him, Heisdelight of the eye unto me and unto thee: do not ye kill him: peradventure he may be serviceable unto us, or we may adopt him as a son.Andthey complied with her desire; and they knew notthe consequence.
And the heart of the mother of Moses,when she knew of his having been lighted upon, became disquieted; and she had almost made him knownto be her son, had We not fortified her heart with patience, that she might be [one] of the believersin Our promise. And she said unto his sisterMaryam[or Mary], Trace him,that thou mayest know his case. And she watched him from a distance, while they knew notthat she was his sister and that she was watching him. And We forbade him the breasts,preventing him from taking the breast of any nurse except his mother, beforehis restoration to her: sohis sistersaid, Shall I direct you unto the people of a house who will nurse him for you, and who will be faithful unto him?And her offer was accepted; therefore she brought his mother, and he took her breast: so she returned with him to her house, as God hath said,—And We restored him to his mother, that her eye might be cheerful and that she might not grieve, and that she might know that the promise of Godto restore him unto herwas true: but the greater number of them (that is, of mankind) know notthis.And it appeared not that this was his sister and this his mother; and he remained with her until she had weaned him; and her hire was paid her, for every day a deenár, which she took[without scruple]because it was the wealth of a hostile person. She then brought him unto Pharaoh, and he was brought up in his abode, as God hath related of him in the Chapter of the Poets,259[where Pharaoh said unto Moses,]Have we not brought thee up among us a child, and hast thou not dwelt among us[thirty]years of thy life?
And when he had attained his age of strength (thirty years or thirty and three), and had become of full age (forty years), We bestowed on him wisdom and knowledgein religion, before he was sent as a prophet; and thus doWe reward the well-doers. And he entered the cityof Pharaoh, which was Munf[or Memphis],after he had been absent from him a while, at a time when its inhabitants were inadvertent,at the hour of the noon-sleep, and he found therein two men fighting; this [being] of his party (namely an Israelite), and this of his enemies (an Egyptian),who was compelling the Israelite to carry firewood to the kitchen of Pharaoh without pay: and he who was of his party begged him to aid him against him who was of his enemies.So Moses said unto the latter, Let him go. And it is said that he replied to Moses, I have a mind to put the burden upon thee.And Moses struck him with his fist, and killed him.But he intended not to kill him; and he buried him in the sand.He said, This is of the work of the devil,who hath excited my anger; for he is an enemyunto the son of Adam, a manifest misleaderof him. He said,in repentance, O my Lord, verily I have acted injuriously unto mine own soul,by killing him; therefore forgive me. So He forgave him: for He is the Very Forgiving, the Merciful.—He said, O my Lord, by the favours with which Thou hast favoured me,defend me, and I will by no means be an assistant to the sinnersafter this.—And the next morning he was afraid in the city, watchingfor what might happen unto him on account of the slain man; and lo, he who had begged his assistance the day before was crying out to him for aidagainst another Egyptian. Moses said unto him, Verily thou art a person manifestly in error,because of that which thou hast done yesterday and to-day. But when he was about to lay violent hands upon him who was an enemy unto them both, (namely unto Moses and him who begged his aid,)the lattersaid,imagining that he would lay violent hands upon him, because of that which he had said unto him, O Moses, dost thou desire to kill me, as thou killedst a soul yesterday? Thou desirest not [aught] but to be an oppressor in the land, and thou desirest not to be [one] of the reconcilers.—And the Egyptian heard that: so heknew that the killer was Moses; wherefore he departed unto Pharaoh and acquainted him therewith, and Pharaoh commanded the executioners to slay Moses, and they betook themselves to seek him.But a manwho was a believer of the family of Pharaoh260came from the furthest part of the city, runningby a way that was nearer than the way by which they had come: he said, O Moses, verily the chiefsof the people of Pharaohare consulting respecting thee, to slay thee; therefore go forthfrom the city: verily I am unto thee [one] of the admonishers. So he went forth from it in fear, watchingin fear of pursuer, or for the aid of God. He said, O my Lord, deliver me from the unjust peopleof Pharaoh!261
And when he was journeying towards Medyen,which was the city of Sho´eyb, eight days’ journey from Miṣr (named after Medyen the son of Abraham), and he knew not the way unto it, he said, Peradventure my Lord will direct me unto the right way,or the middle way. And God sent unto him an angel, having in his hand a short spear; and he went with him thither.262And when he came unto the water (or well) of Medyen, he found at it a company of men wateringtheir animals; and he found besides them two women keeping awaytheir sheep from the water. He saidunto them(namely the two women), What is the matter with youthat ye water not? They answered, We shall not water until the pastors shall have driven awaytheir animals; and our father is a very old man,who cannot water the sheep. And he watered for themfrom another well near unto them, from which he lifted a stone that nonecould lift but ten persons.Then he retired to the shadeof an Egyptian thorn-tree on account of the violence of the heat of the sun; and he was hungry, and he said, O my Lord, verily I am in need of the goodprovisionwhich Thou shalt send down unto me.And the two women returned unto their father in less time than they were accustomed to do: so he asked them the reason thereof; and they informed him of the person who had watered for them; whereupon he said unto one of them, Call him unto me.
And one of them263came unto him, walking bashfully,with the sleeve of her shift over her face, by reason of her abashment at him: she said, My father calleth thee, that he may recompense thee with the reward of thy having watered for us.And he assented to her call, disliking in his mind the receiving of the reward: but it seemeth that she intended the compensation if he were of such as desired it. And she walked before him; and the wind blew her garment, and her legs were discovered: so he said unto her, Walk behind me and direct me in the way. And she did so, until she came unto her father, who was Sho´eyb, on whom be peace! and with him was[prepared]a supper. He said unto him, Sit and sup. But he replied, I fear lest it be a compensation for my having watered for them, and we are a family who seek not a compensation for doing good. He said, Nay, it is my custom and hath been the custom of my fathers to entertain the guest and to give food. So he ate; and acquainted, him with his case.And when he had come unto him, and had related to him the storyof his having killed the Egyptian and their intention to kill him and his fear of Pharaoh, he replied, Fear not: thou hast escaped from the unjust people. (For Pharaoh had no dominion over Medyen.) One of them [namely of the women] said (and she was the one who had been sent), O my father, hire himto tend our sheep in our stead; for the best whomthou canst hire is the strong, the trustworthy.So he asked her respecting him, and she acquainted him with what hath been above related, his lifting up the stone of the well, and his saying unto her, Walk behind me;—and moreover, that when she had come unto him, and he knew of her presence, he hung down his head and raised it not.Hethereforesaid, Verily I desire to marry thee unto one of these my two daughters, on the condition that thou shalt be a hired servant to me,to tend my sheep, eight years; and if thou fulfil tenyears, it shall be of thine own will; and I desire not to lay a difficulty upon theeby imposing as a condition the ten years: thou shalt find me, if God please, [one] of the just,who are faithful to their covenants. He replied, This [be the covenant] between me and thee: whichever of the two terms I fulfil, there shall be no injustice against meby demanding an addition thereto; and God is witness of what we say.And the marriage-contract was concluded according to this; and Sho´eyb ordered his daughter to give unto Moses a rod wherewith to drive away the wild beasts from his sheep: and the rods of the prophets were in his possession; and the rod of Adam, of the myrtle of paradise, fell into her hand; and Moses took it, with the knowledge of Sho´eyb.
(xxviii. 21-28.)
Hath the history of Moses been related to thee? when he saw fire,264during his journey from Medyen, on his way to Egypt, and said unto his family,or his wife, Tarry yehere; for I have seen fire: perhaps I may bring you a brand from it, or find at the fire a guideto direct me in the way. For he had missed the way in consequence of the darkness of the night.And when he came unto it (and itwas a bramble-bush), he was called to [by a voice saying], O Moses, verily I am thy Lord; therefore pull off thy shoes;265for thou art in the holy valley of Ṭuwa. And I have chosen theefrom among thy people; wherefore hearken attentively unto that which is revealedunto thee by Me. Verily I am God: there is no Deity except Me; therefore worship Me, and perform prayer in remembrance of Me. Verily the hour is coming: I will manifest itunto mankind, and its nearness shall appear unto them by its signs, that every soul may be recompensedthereinfor its good and evil work: therefore let not him who believeth not in it, and followeth his lust, hinder thee frombelieving init, lest thou perish. And what is that in thy right hand, O Moses?—He answered, It is my rod, whereon I lean and wherewith I beat down leaves for my sheepthat they may eat them; and I have other uses for it,as the carrying of provision and the water-skin, and the driving away of reptiles. He said, Cast it down, O Moses. So he cast it down; and lo, it was a serpent,266running along.Godsaid, Take it, and fearitnot:267we will restore it to its former state.And he put his hand into its mouth; whereupon it became again a rod.[And God said,] And put thyrighthand to thyleftarm-pit,and take it forth: it shall come forth white, without evil, (that is, without leprosy; shining like the rays of the sun, dazzling the sight,) as another sign, that We may show thee the greatest of our signsof thine apostleship. (And when he desired to restore his hand to its first state, he put it as before described, and drew it forth.) Goas an apostleunto Pharaohand thosewho are with him; for he hath acted with exceeding impietyby arrogating to himself divinity.—Mosessaid, O my Lord, dilate my bosom,that it may hear the message, and make my affair easy unto me, and loose the knot of my tongue (this had arisen from his having been burned in his mouth by a live coal when he was a child),268that they may understand my speechwhen I deliver the message. And appoint unto me a Wezeer of my family,namelyAaron [Hároon] my brother. Strengthen my back by him, and make him a colleague in my affair, that we may glorify Thee much, and remember Thee much; for Thou knowest us.
God replied, Thou hast obtained thy petition, O Moses, and We have been gracious unto thee another time: forasmuch as We revealed unto thy mother what was revealed,when she gave birth to thee and feared that Pharaoh would kill thee among the others that were born, [saying,] Cast him into the ark, and then cast him,in the ark, into the riverNile, and the river shall throw him on the shore; then an enemy unto Me and an enemy unto him (namely Pharaoh) shall take him. And I bestowed on thee,after he had taken thee, love from Me,that thou mightest be loved by men, so that Pharaoh and all that saw thee loved thee; and that thou mightest be bred up in Mine eye. [Also] forasmuch as thy sisterMaryamwentthat she might learn what became of thee, after they had brought nurses and thou hadst refused to take the breast of any one of them, and she said, Shall I direct you unto one who will nurse him? (whereupon her proposal wasaccepted, and she brought his mother): so We restored thee to thy mother, that her eye might become cheerful and that she might not grieve. And thou slewest a soul,namely the Copt in Egypt, and wast sorry for his slaughter, on account of Pharaoh, and We delivered thee from sorrow; and We tried thee withothertrial,and delivered thee from it.269And thou stayedsttenyears among the people of Medyen,after thou hadst come thither from Egypt, at the abode of Sho´eyb the prophet, and he married thee to his daughter.Then thou camest according toMydecree,as to the time of thy mission, when thou hadst attained the age of forty years, O Moses; and I have chosen thee for Myself. Go thou and thy brother270unto the people, with Myninesigns, and cease ye not to remember Me. Go ye unto Pharaoh; for he hath acted with exceeding impiety,by arrogating to himself divinity, and speak unto him with gentle speech,exhorting him to relinquish that conduct: peradventure he will consider, or will fearGod, and repent. (The[mere]hope with respect to the two[results is expressed]because of God’s knowledge that he would not repent.)—They replied, O our Lord, verily we fear that he may be precipitately violent against us,hastening to punish us, or that he may act with exceeding injusticetowards us. He said, Fear ye not; for I am with you: I will hear and will see. Therefore go ye unto him, and say, Verily we are the apostles of thy Lord: therefore send with us the children of Israelunto Syria, and do not afflict them,but cease to employ them in thy difficult works, such as digging and building and carrying the heavy burden. We have come unto thee with a sign from thy Lord,attesting our veracity in asserting ourselves apostles:and peace be on him who followeth the right direction:—that is, he shall be secure from punishment. Verily it hath been revealed unto us that punishment [shall be inflicted] upon him who chargeth with falsehoodthat wherewith we have come, and turneth awayfrom it.
(xx. 8-50.)
Then We sent after them,namely the apostles before mentioned[who were Sho´eyb and his predecessors], Moses, with Our signs unto Pharaoh and his nobles, and they acted unjustly with respect to them,disbelieving in the signs: but see what was the end of the corrupt doers. And Moses said, O Pharaoh, verily I am an apostle from the Lord of the worldsunto thee.But he charged him with falsehood: so he said, I amright not to say of God aught but the truth. I have come unto you with a proof from your Lord: therefore send with meto Syriathe children of Israel.—Pharaohsaidunto him, If thou hast come with a signconfirmatory of thy pretension, produce it, if thou be of those who speak truth, So he cast down his rod; and lo, it was a manifest serpent.271And he drew forth his handfrom his bosom; and lo, it was whiteand radiantunto the beholders.272The nobles of the people of Pharaoh said, Verily this is a knowing enchanter: he desireth to expel you from your land. What then do ye command?—They answered, Put off for a time him and his brother, and send unto the cities collectors [of the inhabitants],that they may bring unto thee every knowing enchanter. And the enchanters came unto Pharaoh. They said, Shall we surely have a reward if we be the party who overcome? He answered, Yea; and verily ye shall be of those who are admitted near [unto my person]. They said, O Moses, either do thou cast downthy rod, or we will cast downwhat we have with us. He replied, Cast ye. And when they cast downtheir cords and their rods, they enchanted the eyes of the men,diverting them from the true perception of them; and they terrified them;for they imagined them to be serpents running; and they performed a great enchantment.273And We spake by revelation unto Moses, [saying,] Cast down thy rod. And lo, it swallowed up what they had caused to appear changed.274So the truth was confirmed, and that which they had wrought became vain; and they were overcome there, and were rendered contemptible. And the enchanters cast themselves down prostrate:275they said, We believe in the Lord of the worlds, the Lord of Moses and Aaron. Pharaoh said,Have ye believed in Him before I have given you permission? Verily this is a plot that ye have contrived in the city, that ye may cause its inhabitants to go forth from it. But ye shall knowwhat shall happen unto you at my hand. I will assuredly cut off your hands and your feet on the opposite sides—the right hand of each and his left foot: then I will crucify you all.—They replied. Verily unto our Lord shall we return,after our death, of whatever kind it be; and thou dost not take vengeance on us but because we believed in the signs of our Lord when they came unto us. O our Lord, pour upon us patience, and cause us to die Muslims!276
(vii. 101-123.)
And Pharaoh said, Let me alone, that I may kill Moses, (for they had diverted him from killing him,) and let him call upon his Lordto defend him from me. Verily I fear lest he change your religion,and prevent your worshipping me, or that he may cause corruption to appear in the earth (that is, slaughter, and other offences).—And Moses saidunto his people, having heard this, Verily I have recourse for defence unto my Lord and your Lord from every proud person who believeth not in the day of account. And a man [who was] a believer, of the family of Pharaoh (it is said that he was the son of his paternal uncle,)277who concealed his faith, said, Will ye kill a man because he saith, My Lord is God,—when he hath come unto you with evident proofs from your Lord? And if he be a liar, on him [will be]the evil consequence ofhis lie; but if he be a speaker of truth, somewhat of thatpunishment withwhich he threateneth you will befall youspeedily. Verily God directeth not him who is a transgressor,or polytheist, [and] a liar. O my people, ye have the dominion to-day, being overcomers in the landof Egypt; but who will defend us from the punishment of Godif ye kill his favourite servants, if it come unto us?278—Pharaoh said, I will not advise you to do [aught] save what I see to be advisable,which is, to kill Moses; and I will not direct you save into the right way. And he who had believed said, O my people, verily I fear for you the like of the day of the confederates,279the like of the condition of the people of Noah and ´Ád and Thamood and those who [have lived] after them: and God willeth not injustice unto [His] servants. And, O my people, verily I fear for you the day of calling (that is, the day of resurrection, when the people of Paradise and those of Hell shall often call one to another). On the day when ye shall turn backfrom the place of reckoning unto hell, ye shall have no protector against God. And he whom God shall cause to err shall have no director. Moreover, Joseph (who was Joseph the son of Jacob according to one opinion, and who lived unto the time of Moses; and Joseph the son of Abraham the son of Joseph the son of Jacob, according to another opinion) came unto you beforeMoses, with evidentmiraculousproofs; but ye ceased not to be in doubt respecting that wherewith he came unto you, until, when he died, ye saidwithout proofGod will by no means send an apostle after him. Thus God causeth to err him who is a transgressor,or polytheist, [and] a sceptic. They who dispute respecting the signs of God, without any convincing proof having come unto them,their disputingis very hateful with God and with those who have believed. Thus God sealeth every heart (or the whole heart) of a proud contumacious person.
And Pharaoh said, O Hámán, build for me a tower, that I may reach the avenues, the avenues of the heavens,and ascend unto the God of Moses;280but verily I think him,namely Moses, a liarin his assertion that he hath any god but myself. And thus the wickedness of his deed was made to seem comely unto Pharaoh, and he was turned away from the pathof rectitude; and the artifice of Pharaoh [ended] not save in loss. And he who had believed said, O my people, follow me: I will direct you into the right way. O my people, this present life is only a temporary enjoyment; but the world to come is the mansion of firm continuance. Whosoever doeth evil, he shall not be recompensed save with the like of it; and whosoever doeth good, whether male or female, and is a believer, these shall enter Paradise; they shall be provided for therein without reckoning. And, O my people, how is it that I invite you unto salvation, and ye invite me unto the Fire? Ye invite me to deny God, and to associate with Him that of which I have no knowledge; but I invite you unto the Mighty, the Very Forgiving. [There is] no doubt but that the [false gods]to the worship ofwhich ye invite me are not to be invoked in this world, nor in the world to come, and that our return [shall be] unto God, and that the transgressors [shall be] the companions of the Fire. And ye shall remember,when ye see the punishment, what I say unto you; and I commit my case unto God; for God seeth [His] servants.—This he said when they threatened him for his opposing their religion.Therefore God preserved him from the evils which they had artfully devised (namely slaughter), and a most evil punishment encompassed the people of Pharaoh,281withPharaoh himself (namely the drowning); thenthey shall be exposed to the Fire morning and evening;282and on the day when the hour [of judgment] shall come,it shall be said unto the angels, Introduce the people of Pharaoh into the most severe punishment.
(xl. 27-49.)
And the nobles of the people of Pharaoh saidunto him, Wilt thou let Moses and his people go that they may act corruptly in the earth,by inviting to disobey thee, and leave thee and thy gods? (For he had made for them little idols for them to worship, and he said, I am your Lord and their Lord;—and therefore he said, I am your Lord the Most High.) He answered, We will slaughter their male children and will suffer their females to live: and verily we shall prevail over them.And thus they did unto them; wherefore the children of Israel complained, andMoses said unto his people, Seek aid of God, and be patient; for the earth belongeth unto God: He causeth whomsoever He will of His servants to inherit it; and theprosperousend is for those who fearGod. They replied, We have been afflicted before thou camest unto us and since thou hast come unto us. He said, Perhaps your Lord will destroy your enemy and cause you to succeed [him] in the earth, and He will see how ye will acttherein.—And We had punished the family of Pharaoh with dearth and with scarcity of fruits, that they might be admonishedand might believe. But when good betided them, they said, This is ours:—that is, we deserve it;—and they were not grateful for it; and if evil befell them,they ascribed it to the ill luck of Moses and thosebelieverswho were with him. Nay, their ill luck was only with God:He brought it upon them: but the greater number of them know notthis. And they saidunto Moses, Whatsoever sign thou bring unto us, to enchant us therewith, we will not believe in thee.So he uttered an imprecation upon them, and We sent upon them the flood,which entered their houses and reached to the throats of the persons sitting, seven days,283and the locusts,which ate their corn and their fruits, and the ḳummal,or grubs, or a kind of tick, which sought after what the locusts had left, and the frogs,which filled their houses and their food, and the bloodin their waters; distinct signs: but they were proud,refusing to believe in them, and were a wicked people. And when the punishment fell upon them, they said, O Moses, supplicate for us thy Lord, according to that which He hath covenanted with thee,namely that He will withdraw from us the punishment if we believe: verily, if thou remove from us the punishment, we will assuredly believe thee, and we will assuredly send with thee the children of Israel. But when We removed from them the punishment until a period at which they should arrive, lo, they brake their promise. Wherefore We took vengeance on them, and drowned them in the sea, because they charged our signs with falsehood and were heedless of them. And We caused the people who had been rendered weak,by being enslaved, to inherit the eastern parts of the earth and its western parts,284which we blessedwith water and trees, (namely Syria); and the gracious word of thy Lord wasfulfilled on the children of Israel, because they had been patient; and We destroyed thestructureswhich Pharaoh and his people had built and what they had erected.285
(vii. 124-133.)
We brought the children of Israel across the sea, and Pharaoh and his troops pursued them with violence and hostility, until, when drowning overtook him, he said, I believe that there is no deity but He in whom the children of Israel believe, and I am [one] of the Muslims.But Gabriel thrust into his mouth some of the mire of the sea, lest mercy should be granted him, and said, Nowthou believest, and thou hast been rebellious hitherto, and wast [one] of the corrupters. But to-day we will raise thee with thy lifeless bodyfrom the sea, that thou mayest be a sign unto those [who shall come] after thee. (It is related, on the authority of Ibn-´Abbás, that some of the children of Israel doubted his death; wherefore he was brought forth to them that they might see him.)286But verily many men are heedless of Our signs.
(x. 90-92.)
And We brought the children of Israel across the sea; and they came unto a people who gave themselves up tothe worship ofidols belonging to them;287[whereupon] they said, O Moses, make for us a god (an idol for us to worship), like as they have gods. He replied, Verily ye are a people who are ignorant,since ye have requited God’s favour towards you with that which ye have said; for that [religion] in which these are [occupied shall be] destroyed, and vain is that which they do. He said, Shall I seek for you any other deity than God, when He hath preferred you above the peoplesof your time?
(vii. 134-136.)
And We caused the thin clouds to shade youfrom the heat of the sun in the desert, and caused the manna and the quails288to descend upon you,and said, Eat of the good things which We have given you for food,and store not up.—But they were ungrateful for the benefit, and stored up; wherefore it was cut off from them. And they injured not Usthereby; but they did injure their own souls.
(ii. 54.)
[Remember, O children of Israel,] when ye said, O Moses, we will not bear patiently the having onekind offood,the manna and the quails; therefore supplicate for us thy Lord, that He may produce for ussomewhatof that which the earth bringeth forth, of its herbs and its cucumbers and its wheat and its lentils and its onions:—he saidunto them, Will ye take in exchange that which is worse for that which is better?—But they refused to recede; therefore he supplicated God, and He said, Get ye down into a great city;289for ye shall havethereinwhat ye have asked.—And themarks ofabjection and poverty were stamped upon them:so these characteristics necessarily belong to them, even if they are rich, as necessarily as the stamped coin belongeth to its die; and they returned with indignation from God. This was because they did disbelieve in the signs of God, and slay the prophets (as Zechariah and John) unjustly: this was because they rebelled and did transgress.
(ii. 58.)
Andrememberwhen Moses asked drink for his people,who had become thirsty in the desert, and We said, Strike with thy rod the stone. (It was the stone that fled awaywith his garment:290it was light, square, like the head of a man, marble or kedhdhán.291)Accordingly he struck it; and there gushed out from it twelve fountains,according to the number of the tribes, all men (each tribe of them) knowing their drinking-place.And We said unto them, Eat ye and drink of the supply of God, and commit not evil in the earth, acting corruptly.
(ii. 57.)
Rememberalso when We obtained your bondthat ye would do according to that which is contained in the Law, andhadlifted up over you the mountain [namely Mount Sinai],pulled it up by the roots and raised it over you when ye had refused to accept the Law, and We said, Receive that which We have given you, with resolution, and remember that which is contained in it,to do according thereto: peradventure ye will fearthe Fire, or acts of disobedience.—Then ye turned back after that; and had it not been for the grace of God towards you and His mercy, ye had certainly been of those who perish. And ye know those of you who transgressed on the Sabbath,by catching fish, when We had forbidden them to do so(and they were the people of Eyleh292,) and We said unto them, Be ye apes,driven away from the society of men.—Thereupon they became such, and they perished after three days.—And We made it (namely that punishment) an example unto those who were contemporary with them and those who came after them, and a warning to the pious.