Tafsir of Surah Yusuf - Verse 41

The Interpretation of the Dreams

Yusuf said,

يصَاحِبَىِ السِّجْنِ أَمَّآ أَحَدُكُمَا فَيَسْقِى رَبَّهُ خَمْرًا

(O two companions of the prison! As for one of you, he will pour out wine for his master to drink;) to the man who saw in a dream that he was pressing wine. He did not direct this speech at him, however, so that to lessen the grief of the other person. This is why he made his statement indirect,

وَأَمَّا الاٌّخَرُ فَيُصْلَبُ فَتَأْكُلُ الطَّيْرُ مِن رَّأْسِهِ

(and as for the other, he will be crucified and birds will eat from his head.) which is the interpretation of the other man's dream in which he saw himself carrying bread above his head. Yusuf told them that the decision about their matter has already been taken and it shall come to pass. This is because the dream is tied to a bird's leg, as long as it is not truthfully interpreted. If it is interpreted, then it becomes a reality. Ath-Thawri said that `Imarah bin Al-Qa`qa` narrated that Ibrahim said that `Abdullah bin Mas`ud said, "When they said what they said to him, and he explained their dreams to them, they replied, `We did not see anything at all.' This is when he said,

قُضِىَ الاٌّمْرُ الَّذِى فِيهِ تَسْتَفْتِيَانِ

(Thus is the case judged concerning which you both did inquire.)" The understanding in this is that he who claims that he saw a dream and was given its interpretation, then he will be tied to its interpretation, and Allah has the best knowledge. There is an honorable Hadith that Imam Ahmad collected from Mu`awiyah bin Haydah that the Prophet said,

«الرُّؤْيَا عَلَى رِجْلِ طَائِرٍ مَا لَمْ تُعْبَرْ، فَإِذَا عُبِرَتْ وَقَعَت»

(The dream is tied to a bird's leg, as long as it is not interpreted. If it is interpreted, it becomes a reality.)

After having made his call to truth, Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) turned to the dreams mentioned by two of his prison mates declaring that one of the two of them will get his release, return to his job and keep serving wine to his master. As for the other, the crime against him will stand proved and he will be crucified and birds will eat from his head.

An Example of Prophetic Compassion

Ibn Kathir has said: Though the dreams of both these prisoners were separate, and fixed was the interpretation of each, and also fixed was the fate that the royal cup-bearer will be acquitted and return to his job and the cook will be crucified. But, because of his prophetic compassion and clemency, he did not specifically mention as to who among the two will be hanged so that the person concerned may be spared from becoming obsessed by the very thought of it right from that time. Instead of that, he made a general statement saying that one of them will be re-leased and the other will be crucified.

At the end, he told them that the interpretation of their dreams given by him was not arrived at by conjecture. It was Divine decree which cannot be averted. Commentators who have called the dreams de-scribed by these people as false and made-up, they have also said: When Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) interpreted their dreams, they came up with the re-mark that they had just not seen any dream. They had simply made it up. Thereupon, Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) said: قُضِيَ الْأَمْرُ‌ الَّذِي فِيهِ تَسْتَفْتِيَانِ (Destined is the matter you are asking about). In other words, it would mean: Whether you saw this dream, or did not, now the event will come to be as described - the purpose of which is that this is the punishment of the sin, of making up a false dream, committed by you, a punishment which has been identified in the interpretation of the dream.

Of the two youths who were put in jail, one was a bread maker and the other was a wine-server to the king of Egypt. Both were accused of trying to poison the food of the king. On investigation, the wine-server proved to be innocent of the allegation. He was released from the jail and was again appointed as a wine-server to the king. His dream meant that he was serving wine to the king in dream and after few days he would really serve wine while awake. The bread maker was proved guilty. He was hanged and left for the birds to peck at his body and, in this way, be a lesson to the people. Both the interpretations of Joseph proved to be correct but, after reaching the palace, the wine-server forgot to mention Joseph to the king as promised. He remembered his promise only when the king had a dream and asked his courtiers to interpret it.