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1 Al Beidâwi, &c. 2 Idem, al Zamakhshari. 3
Idem. 4 Gen. xxxvii. 21, 22. 5 Ibid. v. 26, 27. 6 Al
Beidâwi, Jallalo'ddin, al Zamakhshari.

And when they had carried him with them, and agreed to set him at the
bottom of the well,x they executed their design: and we sent a revelation unto
him,y saying, Thou shalt hereafter declare this their action unto them; and
they shall not perceive thee to be Joseph.
And they came to their father at even, weeping,
and said, Father, we went and ran races with one another,z and we left
Joseph with our baggage, and the wolf hath devoured him; but thou wilt not
believe us, although we speak the truth.
And they produced his inner garment stained with false blood. Jacob
answered, Nay, but ye yourselves have contrived the thing for your own sakes:a
however patience is most becoming, and GOD'S assistance is to be implored to
enable me to support the misfortune which ye relate.
And certain travellersb came, and sent onec to draw water for them; and
he let down his bucket,d and said, Good news!e this is a youth. And they
concealed him,f that they might sell him as a piece of merchandise: but GOD
knew that which they did.
20 And they sold him for a mean price, for a few pence,g and valued him
lightly.
And the Egyptian who bought himh said to his wife,i Use him honourably;
peradventure he may be serviceable to us, or we may adopt him for our son.k
Thus did we prepare an establishment for Joseph in the earth, and we taught
him the interpretation of dark sayings: for GOD is well able to effect his
purpose; but the greater part of men do not understand.

x This well, say some, was a certain well near Jerusalem, or not far
from the river Jordan; but others call it the well of Egypt or Midian. The
commentators tell us that, when the sons of Jacob had gotten Joseph with them
in the field, they began to abuse and to beat him so unmercifully, that they
had killed him, had not Judah, on his crying out for help, insisted on the
promise they had made not to kill him, but to cast him into the well.
Whereupon they let him down a little way; but, as he held by the sides of the
well, they bound him, and took off his inner garment, designing to stain it
with blood, to deceive their father. Joseph begged hard to have his garment
returned him, but to no purpose, his brothers telling him, with a sneer, that
the eleven stars and the sun and the moon might clothe him and keep him
company. When they had let him down half-way, they let him fall thence to the
bottom, and, there being water in the well (though the scripture says the
contrary), he was obliged to get upon a stone, on which, as he stood weeping,
the angel Gabriel came to him with the revelation mentioned immediately.1
y Joseph being then but seventeen years old, al Beidâwi observes that
herein he resembled John the Baptist and Jesus, who were also favoured with
the divine communication very early. The commentators pretend that Gabriel
also clothed him in the well with a garment of silk of paradise. For they say
that when Abraham was thrown into the fire by Nimrod,2 he was stripped; and
that Gabriel brought this garment and put it on him; and that from Abraham it
descended to Jacob, who folded it up and put it into an amulet, which he hung
about Joseph's neck, whence Gabriel drew it out.3
z These races they used by way of exercise; and the commentators
generally understand here that kind of race wherein they also showed their
dexterity in throwing darts, which is still used in the east.
a This Jacob had reason to suspect, because, when the garment was
brought to him, he observed that, though it was bloody, yet it was not torn.4
b viz., A caravan or company travelling from Midian to Egypt, who
rested near the well three days after Joseph had been thrown into it.
c The commentators are so exact as to give us the name of this man,
who, as they pretend, was Malec Ebn Dhór, of the tribe of Khozâah.5
d And Joseph, making use of the opportunity, took hold of the cord, and
was drawn up by the man.
e The original words are Ya boshra: the latter of which some take for
the proper name of the water-drawer's companion, whom he called to his
assistance; and then they must be translated, O Boshra.
f The expositors are not agreed whether the pronoun they relates to
Malec and his companions or to Joseph's brethren. They who espouse the former
opinion say that those who came to draw water concealed the manner of their
coming by him from the rest of the caravan, that they might keep him to
themselves, pretending that some people of the place had given him to them to
sell for them in Egypt. And they who prefer the latter opinion tell us that
Judah carried victuals to Joseph every day while he was in the well, but not
finding him there on the fourth day, he acquainted his brothers with it;
whereupon they all went to the caravan and claimed Joseph as their slave, he
not daring to discover that he was their brother, lest something worse should
befall him; and at length they agreed to sell him to them.6
g Namely, twenty or twenty-two dirhems, and those not of full weight
neither; for having weighed one ounce of silver only, the remainder was paid
by tale, which is the most unfair way of payment.1
h His name was Kitfîr, or Itfîr (a corruption of Potiphar); and he was
a man of great consideration, being superintendent of the royal treasury.2
The commentators say that Joseph came into his service at seventeen, and
lived with him thirteen years; and that he was made prime minister in the
thirty-third year of his age, and died at a hundred and twenty.
They who suppose Joseph was twice sold differ as to the price the
Egyptian paid for him; some saying it was twenty dinârs of gold, a pair of
shoes, and two white garments; and others, that it was a large quantity of
silver or of gold.
i Some call her Raïl; but the name she is best known by is that of
Zoleikha.
k Kitfîr having no children. It is said that Joseph gained his
master's good opinion so suddenly by his countenance, which Kitfîr, who, they
pretend, had great skill in physiognomy, judged to indicate his prudence and
other good qualities.

1 Idem. 2 See cap. 21. 3 Al Beidâwi, al Zamakhshari.
4 Al Beidâwi.
5 Idem. 6 Idem. 1 Al Beidâwi. 2 Idem.

And when he had attained his age of strength, we bestowed on him wisdom,
and knowledge; for thus do we recompense the righteous.
And she, in whose house he was, desired him to lie with her; and she shut
the doors and said, Come hither. He answered, GOD forbid! verily my lordl
hath made my dwelling with him easy; and the ungrateful shall not prosper.
But she resolved within herself to enjoy him, and he would have resolved
to enjoy her, had he not seen the evident demonstration of his LORD.m So we
turned away evil and filthiness from him, because he was one of our sincere
servants.
And they ran to get one before the other to the door;n and she rent his
inner garment behind. And they met her lord at the door. She said, What
shall be the reward of him who seeketh to commit evil in thy family, but
imprisonment, and a painful punishment?
And Joseph said, She asked me to lie with her. And a witness of her
familyo bore witness, saying, If his garment be rent before, she speaketh
truth, and he is a liar:
but if his garment be rent behind, she lieth, and he is a speaker of
truth.
And when her husband saw that his garment was torn behind, he said, This
is a cunning contrivance of your sex; for surely your cunning is great.
O Joseph, take no farther notice of this affair: and thou, O woman, ask
pardon for thy crime; for thou art a guilty person.
30 And certain women said publiclyp in the city, The nobleman's wife asked
her servant to lie with her; he hath inflamed her breast with his love; and we
perceive her to be in manifest error.

l viz., Kitfîr. But others understand it to be spoken of GOD.
m That is, had he not seriously considered the filthiness of whoredom,
and the great guilt thereof. Some, however, suppose that the words mean some
miraculous voice or apparition, sent by GOD to divert Joseph from executing
the criminal thoughts which began to possess him. For they say that he was so
far tempted with his mistress's beauty and enticing behaviour that he sat in
her lap, and even began to undress himself, when a voice called to him, and
bade him beware of her; but he taking no notice of this admonition, though it
was repeated three times, at length the angel Gabriel, or, as others will have
it, the figure of his master, appeared to him: but the more general opinion is
that it was the apparition of his father Jacob, who bit his fingers' ends, or,
as some write, struck him on the breast, whereupon his lubricity passed out at
the ends of his fingers.3
For this fable, so injurious to the character of Joseph, the Mohammedans
are obliged to their old friends the Jews,4 who imagine that he had a design
to lie with his mistress, from these words of Moses,5 And it came to pass-that
Joseph went into the house to do his business, &c.
n He flying from her, and she running after to detain him.
o viz., A cousin of hers, who was then a child in the cradle.6
p These women, whose tongues were so free with Zoleikha's character on
this occasion, were five in number, and the wives of so many of the king's
chief officers-viz., his chamberlain, his butler, his baker, his jailer, and
his herdsman.1

3 Idem, al Zamakhshari, Jallalo'ddin, Yahya. 4 Talm. Babyl.
Sed. Nashim, p. 36. Vide Bartolocc. Bibl. Rabb. part iii. p. 509.
5 Gen. xxxix. II. 6 Supra citati interpretes 1 Al
Beidâwi.

And when she heard of their subtle behaviour, she sent unto them,q and
prepared a banquet for them, and she gave to each of them a knife; and she
said unto Joseph, Come forth unto them. And when they saw him, they praised
him greatly;r and they cut their own hands,s and said, O GOD! this is not a
mortal; he is no other than an angel, deserving the highest respect.
And his mistress said, This is he, for whose sake ye blamed me: I asked
him to lie with me, but he constantly refused. But if he do not perform that
which I command him, he shall surely be cast into prison, and he shall be made
one of the contemptible.
Joseph said, O LORD, a prison is more eligible unto me than the crime to
which they invite me; but unless thou turn aside their snares from me, I shall
youthfully incline unto them, and I shall become one of the foolish.
Wherefore his LORD heard him, and turned aside their snare from him; for
he both heareth and knoweth.
And it seemed good unto themt even after they had seen the signs of
innocency, to imprison him for a time.
And there entered into the prison with him two of the king's servants.u
One of themx said, it seemed to me in my dream that I pressed wine out of
grapes. And the other said, It seemed unto me in my dream that I carried
bread on my head, whereof the birds did eat. Declare unto us the
interpretation of our dreams, for we perceive that thou art a beneficent
person.
Joseph answered, No food, wherewith ye may be nourished, shall come unto
you, but I will declare unto you the interpretation thereof, before it come
unto you.y This knowledge is a part of that which my LORD hath taught me: for
I have left the religion of people who believe not in GOD, and who deny the
life to come;
and I follow the religion of my fathers, Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob.
It is not lawful for us to associate anything with GOD. This knowledge of the
divine unity hath been given us of the bounty of GOD towards us, and towards
mankind; but the greater part of men are not thankful.
O my fellow-prisoners, are sundry lords better, or the only true and
mighty GOD?
40 Ye worship not, besides him other than the names which ye have named,z
ye and your fathers, concerning which GOD hath sent down no authoritative
proof: yet judgment belongeth unto GOD alone; who hath commanded that ye
worship none besides him. This is the right religion; but the greater part of
men know it not.

q The number of all the women invited was forty, and among them were
the five ladies above mentioned.2
r The old Latin translators have strangely mistaken the sense of the
original word acbarnaho, which they render menstruatoe sunt; and then rebuke
Mohammed for the indecency, crying out demurely in the margin, O fodum et
obsconum prophetam! Erpenius3 thinks that there is not the least trace of
such a meaning in the word; but he is mistaken: for the verb cabara in the
fourth conjugation, which is here used, has that import, though the subjoining
of the pronoun to it here (which possibly the Latin translators did not
observe) absolutely overthrows that interpretation.
s Through extreme surprise at the wonderful beauty of Joseph; which
surprise Zoleikha foreseeing, put knives into their hands, on purpose that
this accident might happen. Some writers have observed, on occasion of this
passage, that it is customary in the east for lovers to testify the violence
of their passion by cutting themselves, as a sign that they would spend their
blood in the service of the person beloved; which is true enough, but I do not
find that any of the commentators suppose these Egyptian ladies had any such
design.
t That is, to Kitfîr and his friends. The occasion of Joseph's
imprisonment is said to be, either that they suspected him to be guilty,
notwithstanding the proofs which had been given of his innocence, or else that
Zoleikha desired it, feigning, to deceive her husband, that she wanted to have
Joseph removed from her sight, till she could conquer her passion by time;
though her real design was to force him to compliance.
u viz., His chief butler and baker, who were accused of a design to
poison him.
x Namely, the butler.
y The meaning of this passage seems to be, either that Joseph, to show
he used no arts of divination or astrology, promises to interpret their dreams
to them immediately, even before they should eat a single meal; or else, he
here offers to prophesy to them beforehand, the quantity and quality of the
victuals which should be brought them, as a taste of his skill.
z See c. 7, p. 111, note d.

2 Idem. 3 In not. ad Hist. Josephi.

O my fellow-prisoners, verily the one of you shall serve wine unto his
lord, as formerly; but the other shall be crucified, and the birds shall eat
from off his head. The matter is decreed, concerning which ye seek to be
informed.
And Joseph said unto him whom he judged to be the person who should
escape of the two, Remember me in the presence of thy lord. But the devil
caused him to forget to make mention of Joseph unto his lord;a wherefore he
remained in the prison some years.b
And the king of Egyptc said, Verily, I saw in my dream seven fat kine,
which seven lean kine devoured, and seven green ears of corn, and other seven
withered ears. O nobles, expound my vision unto me, if ye be able to
interpret a vision.
They answered, They are confused dreams, neither are we skilled in the
interpretation of such kind of dreams.
And Joseph's fellow-prisoner who had been delivered, said, (for he
remembered Joseph after a certain space of time,) I will declare unto you the
interpretation thereof; wherefore let me go unto the person who will interpret
it unto me.
And he went to the prison, and said, O Joseph, thou man of veracity,
teach us the interpretation of seven fat kine, which seven lean kine devoured;
and of seven green ears of corn, and other seven withered ears, which the king
saw in his dream; that I may return unto the men who have sent me, that
peradventure they may understand the same.
Joseph answered, Ye shall sow seven years as usual: and the corn which ye
shall reap, do ye leave in its ear,d except a little whereof ye may eat.
Then shall there come, after this, seven grievous years of famine, which
shall consume what ye shall have laid up as a provision for the same, except a
little which ye shall have kept.
Then shall there come, after this, a year wherein men shall have plenty
of rain,e and wherein they shall press wine and oil.

a According to the explication of some, who take the pronoun him to
relate to Joseph, this passage may be rendered, But the devil caused him
(i.e., Joseph) to forget to make his application unto his Lord; and to beg the
good offices of his fellow-prisoner for his deliverance, instead of relying on
GOD alone, as it became a prophet, especially, to have done.1
b The original word signifying any number from three to nine or ten,
the common opinion is that Joseph remained in prison seven years, though some
say he was confined no less than twelve years.2
c This prince, as the oriental writers generally agree, was Riyân, the
son of al Walîd, the Amalekite,3 who was converted by Joseph to the worship of
the true GOD, and died in the lifetime of that prophet. But some pretend that
the Pharaoh of Joseph and of Moses were one and the same person, and that he
lived (or rather reigned) four hundred years.4
d To preserve it from the weevil.5
e Notwithstanding what some ancient authors write to the contrary,6 it
often rains in winter in the lower Egypt, and even snow has been observed to
fall at Alexandria, contrary to the express assertion of Seneca.7 In the
upper Egypt, indeed, towards the cataracts of Nile, it rains very seldom.8
Some, however, suppose that the rains here mentioned are intended of those
which should fall in Ethiopia, and occasion the swelling of the Nile, the
great cause of the fertility of Egypt; or else of those which should fall in
the neighbouring countries, which were also afflicted with famine during the
same time.

1 Al Beidâwi. 2 Idem, Jallalo'ddin. 3 See the Prelim.
Disc. p. 7. 4 Al Beidâwi. See c. 7, p. 115, note d. 5 Idem.
6 Plato, in Timæo. Pomp. Mela. 7 Nat. Quæst. l. 4.
8 See Greaves's Descr. of the Pyramids, p. 74, &c. Ray's Collection of
Travels, tom. ii. p. 92.

50 And when the chief butler had reported this, the king said, Bring him
unto me. And when the messenger came unto Joseph, he said, Return unto thy
lord, and ask of him, what was the intent of the women who cut their hands;f
for my LORD well knoweth the snare which they laid for me.g
And when the women were assembled before the king, he said unto them,
What was your design, when ye solicited Joseph to unlawful love? They
answered, GOD be praised! we know not any ill of him. The nobleman's wife
said, Now is the truth become manifest: I solicited him to lie with me; and he
is one of those who speak truth.
And when Joseph was acquainted therewith, he said, This discovery hath
been made, that my lord might know that I was not unfaithful unto him in his
absence, and that God directeth not the plot of the deceivers.
Neither do I absolutely justify myself:h since every soul is prone unto
evil, except those on whom my LORD shall show mercy; for my LORD is gracious
and merciful.
And the king said, Bring him unto me: I will take him into my own
peculiar service. And when Joseph was brought unto the king, and he had
discoursed with him, he said, Thou art this day firmly established with us,
and shalt be intrusted with our affairs.i
Joseph answered, Set me over the storehouses of the land; for I will be a
skilful keeper thereof.
Thus did we establish Joseph in the land, that he might provide himself a
dwelling therein, where he pleased. We bestow our mercy on whom we please,
and we suffer not the reward of the righteous to perish:
and certainly the reward of the next life is better, for those who
believe, and fear God.

f Joseph, it seems, cared not to get out of prison till his innocence
was publicly known and declared. It is observed by the commentators that
Joseph does not bid the messenger move the king to inform himself of the truth
of the affair, but bids him directly to ask the king, to incite him to make
the proper inquiry with the greater earnestness. They also observe that
Joseph takes care not to mention his mistress, out of respect and gratitude
for the favours he had received while in her house.1
g Endeavouring both by threats and persuasion to entice me to commit
folly with my mistress.
h According to a tradition of Ebn Abbâs, Joseph had no sooner spoken
the foregoing words, asserting his innocency, than Gabriel said to him, What,
not when thou wast deliberating to lie with her? Upon which Joseph confessed
his frailty.2
i The commentators say that Joseph being taken out of prison, after he
had washed and changed his clothes, was introduced to the king, whom he
saluted in the Hebrew tongue, and on the king's asking what language that was,
he answered that it was the language of his fathers. This prince, they say,
understood no less than seventy languages, in every one of which he discoursed
with Joseph, who answered him in the same; at which the king greatly
marvelling, desired him to relate his dream, which he did, describing the most
minute circumstances: whereupon the king placed Joseph by him on his throne,
and made him his Wazîr, or chief minister. Some say that his master Kitfîr
dying about this time, he not only succeeded him in his place, but, by the
king's command, married the widow, his late mistress, whom he found to be a
virgin, and who bare him Ephraim and Manasses.3 So that according to this
tradition, she was the same woman who is called Asenath by Moses. This
supposed marriage, which authorized their amours, probably encouraged the
Mohammedan divines to make use of the loves of Joseph and Zoleikha, as an
allegorical emblem of the spiritual love between the Creator and the creature,
GOD and the soul; just as the Christians apply the Song of Solomon to the same
mystical purpose.4

1 Al Beidâwi, &c. 2 Idem, &c. 3 Idem, Kitab
Tafasir, &c. 4 Vide D'Herbelot. Bibl. Orient. Art. Jousouf.

Moreover, Joseph's brethren came,k and went in unto him; and he knew
them, but they knew not him.
And when he had furnished them with their provisions, he said, Bring unto
me your brother, the son of your father; do ye not see that I give full
measure, and that I am the most hospitable receiver of guests?
60 But if ye bring him not unto me, there shall be no corn measured unto
you from me, neither shall ye approach my presence.
They answered, We will endeavor to obtain him of his father, and we will
certainly perform what thou requirest.
And Joseph said to his servants, Put their money,l which they have paid
for their corn; into their sacks, that they may perceive it, when they shall
be returned to their family: peradventure they will come back unto us.
And when they were returned unto their father, they said, O father, it is
forbidden to measure out corn unto us any more, unless we carry our brother
Benjamin with us: wherefore send our brother with us, and we shall have corn
measured unto us; and we will certainly guard him from any mischance.
Jacob answered, Shall I trust him with you with any better success than I
trusted your brother Joseph with you heretofore? But GOD is the best
guardian; and he is the most merciful of those that show mercy.
And when they opened their provision, they found their money had been
returned unto them; and they said, O father, what do we desire farther? this
our money hath been returned unto us; we will therefore return, and provide
corn for our family: we will take care of our brother; and we shall receive a
camel's burden more than we did the last time. This is a small quantity.m
Jacob said, I will by no means send him with you, until ye give me a
solemn promise, and swear by GOD that ye will certainly bring him back unto
me, unless ye be encompassed by some inevitable impediment. And when they had
given him their solemn promise, he said, GOD is witness of what we say.
And he said, My sons, enter not into the city by one and the same gate;
but enter by different gates. But this precaution will be of no advantage
unto you against the decree of GOD; for judgment belongeth unto GOD alone: in
him do I put my trust, and in him let those confide who seek in whom to put
their trust.

k Joseph, being made Wazîr, governed with great wisdom; for he not only
caused justice to be impartially administered, and encouraged the people to
industry and the improvement of agriculture during the seven years of plenty,
but began and perfected several works of great benefit; the natives at this
day ascribing to the patriarch Joseph almost all the ancient works of public
utility throughout the kingdom; as particularly the rendering the province of
al Feyyûm, from a standing pool or marsh, the most fertile and best cultivated
land in all Egypt.5 When the years of famine came, the effects of which were
felt not only in Egypt, but in Syria and the neighbouring countries, the
inhabitants were obliged to apply to Joseph for corn, which he sold to them,
first for their money, jewels, and ornaments, then for their cattle and lands,
and at length for their persons; so that all the Egyptians in general became
slaves to the king, though Joseph, by his consent, soon released them, and
returned them their substance. The dearth being felt in the land of Canaan,
Jacob sent all his sons, except only Benjamin, into Egypt for corn. On their
arrival, Joseph (who well knew them) asked them who they were, saying he
suspected them to be spies; but they told him they came only to buy
provisions, and that they were all the sons of an ancient man, named Jacob,
who was also a prophet. Joseph then asked how many brothers there were of
them; they answered, Twelve; but that one of them had been lost in a desert.
Upon which he inquired for the eleventh brother, there being no more than ten
of them present. They said he was a lad, and with their father, whose
fondness for him would not suffer him to accompany them in their journey. At
length Joseph asked them who they had to vouch for their veracity; but they
told him they knew no man who could vouch for them in Egypt. Then, replied
he, one of you shall stay behind with me as a pledge, and the others may
return home with their provisions; and when ye come again, ye shall bring your
younger brother with you, that I may know ye have told me the truth.
Whereupon, it being in vain to dispute the matter, they cast lots who should
stay behind, and the lot fell upon Simeon. When they departed, Joseph gave
each of them a camel, and another for their brother.1
l The original word signifying not only money, but also goods bartered
or given in exchange for other merchandise, some commentators tell us, that
they paid for their corn, not in money, but in shoes and dressed skins,2
m The meaning may be, either that the corn they now brought was not
sufficient for the support of their families, so that it was necessary for
them to take another journey, or else, that a camel's load, more or less, was
but a trifle to the king of Egypt. Some suppose these to be the words of
Jacob, declaring it was too mean a consideration to induce him to part with
his son.