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wa-dakhala maʿahu s-sijna fatayāni qāla ʾaḥaduhumā ʾinnī ʾarānī ʾaʿṣiru khamran wa-qāla l-ʾākharu ʾinnī ʾarānī ʾaḥmilu fawqa raʾsī khubzan taʾkulu ṭ-ṭayru minhu nabbiʾnā bi-taʾwīlihī ʾinnā narāka mina l-muḥsinīna
There entered the prison two youths along with him. One of them said, ‘I dreamt that I am pressing grapes.’ The other said, ‘I dreamt that I am carrying bread on my head from which the birds are eating.’ ‘Inform us of its interpretation,’ [they said], ‘for indeed we see you to be a virtuous man.’
— Ali Quli Qarai
Surah Yusuf – Verse 36
36. “And with him there entered into the prison two youths. One of them said (unto Yusuf): ‘I saw (in dream) myself pressing wine’ The other said: ‘I saw (in my dream) myself carrying on my head bread from which the birds were eating.’ Tell us its interpretations, verily we see you of the righteous ones’.”
Among those who entered into prison with Yusuf, there were two young men, as the verse says:
“And with him there entered into the prison two youths...”
Man’s other senses usually become more active in obtaining information when his direct channels of communication and direct access to information are obstructed. In such cases his dreams can provide him with an alternative means. It is for this reason that it is said that the two men, one of whom was the man responsible for the ruler’s buffet, and the other, for his catering services. They approached Yusuf in the prison to describe the wonderful dreams they had seen the previous night.
It is important to note that they were imprisoned because of the false accusations of their enemies who claimed that they were about to poison the king. Each one of the two prisoners recalled his dream to Yusuf for his interpretation in a manner as the verse says:
“…One of them said (unto Yusuf): ‘I saw (in dream) myself pressing wine’ The other said: ‘I saw (in my dream) myself carrying on my head bread from which the birds were eating.’...”
Then, they added to their statement unto Yusuf:
“…Tell us its interpretations, verily we see you of the righteous ones’.”
Some Issues to Remember
1. An Islamic tradition denotes that the reason why they called Yusuf a truly righteous person was because he used to always take care of the sick and the needy in the prison and find accommodation for others.1
2. We must take dreams seriously, for there are secrets hidden in some of them.
3. Once the people have confidence in someone, they tend to share all their secrets with him.
4. Enlightened people also leave their impact and influence upon others even when they are confined in prison.
5. Even guilty people tend to have a high esteem for those who are truly righteous.
Footnotes