Joseph
IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE
[12:6]
For, [as thou hast been shown in thy dream,] even thus will thy Sustainer elect thee, and will impart unto thee some understanding of the inner meaning of happenings, and will bestow the full measure of His blessings upon thee and upon the House of Jacob – even as, aforetime, He bestowed it in full measure upon thy forefathers Abraham and Isaac. Verily, thy Sustainer is all-knowing, wise!"


* v.6 : Lit., “sayings” or “tidings” (ahādīth). Most of the commentators assume that this refers specifically to Joseph’s future ability to interpret dreams; but Rāzī points out that in this context the term hadīth (of which ahādīth is the plural) may be synonymous with hādith (“something that newly comes into existence,” i.e., “an event” or “a happening”). This is, to my mind, much more convincing than a mere reference to dream-interpretation, the more so as the term ta’wīl is often used in the Qur’ān (e.g., in 3:7, 10:39, or 18:78) in the sense of “final meaning,” “inner meaning,” or “real meaning” of a happening or statement or thing, as distinct from its outward, prima-facie appearance. The use of the particle min (“of”) before the term ta’wīl indicates that absolute knowledge of what a thing or event implies rests with God alone (cf. 3:7 – “none save God knows its final meaning”), and that even God’s elect, the prophets – albeit their vision is much wider than that of ordinary men – are granted only a partial insight into the mysteries of God’s creation.