Yusuf 12:39 · Joseph · Arabic, translation, recitation

Other English translations

Abdel Haleem (Oxford)+

"Fellow prisoners, would many diverse gods be better than God the One, the All Powerful? [No indeed!]"

Pickthall (classic)+

"O my fellow-prisoners! Are divers lords better, or Allah the One, Almighty?"

Yusuf Ali (classic)+

""O my two companions of the prison! (I ask you): are many lords differing among themselves better, or the One Allah, Supreme and Irresistible?"

Tafsīr · classical commentary

Ibn Kathir

Abridged English, public domain

ءَأَرْبَابٌ مُّتَّفَرِّقُونَ خَيْرٌ أَمِ اللَّهُ الْوَاحِدُ الْقَهَّارُ

(Are many different lords (gods) better or Allah, the One, the Irresistible) to Whose grace and infinite kingdom everything and everyone has submitted in humiliation. Prophet Yusuf explained to them next that it is because of their ignorance that they worship false deities and give them names, for these names were forged and are being transferred from one generation to the next generation. They have no proof or authority that supports this practice, hence his statement to them,

مَّآ أَنزَلَ اللَّهُ بِهَا مِن سُلْطَـنٍ

(for which Allah has sent down no authority) or proof and evidence. He then affirmed that the judgement, decision, will and kingdom are all for Allah alone, and He has commanded all of His servants to worship none but Him. He said,

ذلِكَ الدِّينُ الْقَيِّمُ

(that is the straight religion,) `this, Tawhid of Allah and directing all acts of worship at Him alone in sincerity, that I am calling you to is the right, straight religion that Allah has ordained and for which He has revealed what He wills of proofs and evidences,'

وَلَـكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لاَ يَعْلَمُونَ

(but most men know not.), and this is why most of them are idolators,

وَمَآ أَكْثَرُ النَّاسِ وَلَوْ حَرَصْتَ بِمُؤْمِنِينَ

(And most of mankind will not believe even if you eagerly desire it.) 12:103 When Yusuf finished calling them, he started interpreting their dreams for them,

Tafsir Saʿdi

English translation, public domain

Неужели вам нравится поклоняться слабым и беспомощным божествам, которые не способны принести пользу или причинить вред, одарить щедротами или лишить благ? Ваши божества разрозненны, потому что одни из вас поклоняются деревьям, другие - камням, третьи - ангелам, четвертые - покойникам, пятые - другим языческим идолам. Неужели поклоняться таким божествам лучше, чем поклоняться Аллаху, обладающему всеми качествами совершенства? Он один обладает божественной сущностью и прекрасными именами и вершит достохвальные деяния, и никто не разделяет с ним этих божественных атрибутов. Его могущество настолько велико, что Ему покорны все творения, и во Вселенной происходит только то, что Ему угодно. А если что-нибудь Ему не угодно, то этому не суждено произойти. Безусловно, Господь Бог, обладающий такими удивительными качествами, абсолютно превосходит идолов, которые только называются богами. Они не обладают совершенными качествами и не способны вершить божественные деяния. И поэтому далее Йусуф сказал:

After that, he declares his abhorrence for disbelief and his disengagement from the community of disbelievers. Then, with it, he also stresses that he is a member of the House of Prophets and it is their Community that he adheres to and that he is a scion of the House of Ibrahim, Ishaq and Ya` qub (علیہم السلام) . We mentioned confidence a little earlier. Customarily, this kind of inherited nobility, a common family trait, is also a source of creating confidence in a person. After that he said: And it is not for us that we associate any partners with Allah. Then, he said that the Taufiq of following a true religion ('the favour of Allah upon us and upon all people' ) was nothing but the Fadl or grace of Allah Ta’ ala, for it was He who, by giving proper understanding, made the acceptance of truth easy on us. But, most of the people do not appreciate this blessing and do not show their gratitude for it. After having said that, he asked the same prisoners to tell him if it was better that human beings should be worshiping many gods, or was it better that one becomes a servant of one Allah alone - whose subduing power is all-dominant. Then he referred to idol worship from a different angle. He told them that their fathers and forefathers have taken some idols as their Lord. As for them, they are no more than a lot of names which they have coined on their own. They have no personal attributes which could become deserving of assigning to them the least fund of power - because all of them are inert. This is something one can see with one's own eyes. The only other method through which they could have been taken as true objects of worship would be that Allah Ta’ ala sends down specific injunctions or commandments to worship them. So, in that case, even if observation and reason had not been willing to accept their godhood but, because of the Divine command, we would have left our observation and reason aside and would have obeyed the command of Allah. But, this is not there either - because Allah Ta ala did not send down any argument or proof for their worship. Instead of that, what He said was but that Law and Sovereignty belonged to Allah Ta ala with no one having a right in it; and the command He gave was no other but that we should not worship anyone or anything other than Allah. Finally, he said: ` This is the only right path - which was bestowed on my forefathers by Allah Ta ala, but most of the people do not know this reality.'