Story of Prophet Joseph _Bible_VS_Quran_English Only

8/14/2019 Story of Prophet Joseph _Bible_VS_Quran_English Only

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Story of Prophet Joseph as given in Bible (Gen 37:50) and in Qr!an ("hapter #$)%

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In the name of Allah and May His peace and blessings be on His prophet Muhammad, afterward,

It is a common practice of Jews and Christians to insinuate that Quran is a poor copy of tales and fables

from their books of ld and !ew "estament# $rophet Mohammed %ust copied whate&er material he heard

'from hearsay, since he could not read or write( from the local source# Quran is therefore imperfect andcontradictory to what is told in our scriptures#

!ow, seeing in true prospecti&e, since the common source of both scriptures is same 'i#e# )e&elation from

*od Almighty(, why there should not be commonality between them+ urther the $rophets of ld

"estament and !ew "estament are also prophets of Islam, why then their stories should not be referred toin both scriptures+

-ut when we take a close look at any of the story told in the two scriptures, we find a great difference

between the two stories# If names were not common, it would seem that they are referring to different

persons altogether# "o pro&e this point, I refer to the story of $rophet Joseph

hy Prophet Joseph.

A# It is the only e/ample in Quran, where the complete story is put in one place# 0o it is easy to compare#'*eneral rule of Quran is that part of story is told at one place 'according to the point of discussion( andthe other part at another place 'as the critic will say, for ha&ing insufficient knowledge1(

-# "he story has so many twists and bends, that it needs skilful handling in copying#

*les +ollo,ed:

A# In this study, I&e kept two &ersions of the story side by side, for reader to form his own opinion#

-# Howe&er to help the reader, salient points of the Quranic narrati&e are as below.

#- .'onoy of ords: It is ama2ing that 345 or so &erses of -ible are compressed in less than 655&erses of Quran1 7ithout lea&ing any thing important1 It is no less than miraculous#

$- &voiding Proper /aes: In Quranic narrati&e, no proper names e/cept that of Joseph and Jacob arementioned1 "o tell a tale of such &ariety without proper names is ama2ing


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mentioned1 "o tell a tale of such &ariety without proper names is ama2ing


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Subject According to Bible(Gen Chapter 37:50)

According to Qur'an ngli!h"ran!lation (Chapter #$)

%e&ar!

Openingof the story

37.1 Now Jacob dwelt in the land where his father was astranger, in the land of Canaan. 2 This isthe history of Jacob.

Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with hisbrothers. nd the lad was with the sons of !ilhah and the sons of"ilpah, his father#s wives$ and Joseph brought a bad reportof them to his father. 3 Now %srael loved Joseph &ore than allhis children, beca'se he was the son of his old age. lso he

&ade hi& a t'nic of &any colors. ( !'t when his brothers sawthat their father loved hi& &ore than all his brothers, they hated

hi& and co'ld not speak peaceably to hi&.

6 Alif, ;am, )a: "hese are thesymbols 'or =erses( of the

$erspicuous -ook# > 7e ha&e sent itdown, as an Arabic Quran, in orderthat you may learn wisdom 3 7e do

relate to you the most beautiful ofstories, in that 7e re&eal to you this

'portion of the( Quran. before this,

you too was amongst those whoknew it not#

1. See the gracefulopening statementof Qur'an. It ismentioned at theoutset, that sourceof this informationis from God, the

Almighty by theway of inspiration.. As per !ible thecause of speciallo"e of #acob for#oseph wasbecause he broughtbad news of hisbrethren.$. See thecharacter of #osephand #acobaccording to !ible.

%ream of#oseph

) Now Joseph had a drea&, and he told it to hisbrothers$ and they hated hi& even &ore. * +o he said to the&,-lease hear this drea& which % have drea&ed 7 There wewere, binding sheaves in the field. Then behold, &y sheaf aroseand also stood 'pright$ and indeed yo'r sheaves stood all

aro'nd and bowed down to &y sheaf./ 0 nd his brothers said to

hi&, +hall yo' indeed reign over 's r shall yo' indeed havedo&inion over 's/ +o they hated hi& even &ore for his drea&sand for his words. Then he drea&ed still another drea& and

told it to his brothers, and said, 4ook, % have drea&ed anotherdrea&. nd this ti&e, the s'n, the &oon, and the eleven stars

bowed down to &e./

4 -ehold, Joseph said to his father.

my father1 I did see ele&en starsand the sun and the moon. I saw

them prostrate themsel&es to me1

1. Qur'an onlymentions only onedream. As per Qur'an#oseph told hisdream to his fathernot to his brethren,which is morelogical.$. As per !ible#oseph taunts hisbrothers with thedream.&. hich of two"ersions are moreworthy of the maincharacters(

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)eaction of#acob on

hearing thedream

15 +o he told itto his father and his brothers$ and his fatherreb'ked hi& and said to hi&, 6hat isthis drea& that yo' havedrea&ed +hall yo'r &other and % and yo'r brothers indeedco&e to bow down to the earth before yo'/ 11 nd his brothers

envied hi&, b't his father kept the &atter in mind.

? 0aid 'the father(. 8 My dear little

son1 )elate not your &ision to your

brothers, lest they concoct a plotagainst you. for 0atan is to man an

a&owed enemy1 @ 8"hus will your;ord choose you and teach you the

interpretation of stories 'and e&ents(and perfect His fa&or to the posterity

of Jacobe&en as He perfected it to

your fathers Abraham and Isaacaforetime1 or *od is full of

knowledge and wisdom9

1. According to!ible #acob scoldshis son for thedream.. Accordingto Qur'an he

immediately *nowsabout the futuregreat ness of hisson andcongratulateshim.$. hich ofthese two "ersionsapply to a greatfather and son,!ible or Qur'an(

!rother's plotagainst

#oseph

12 Then his brothers went to feed their father#sflock in +heche&. 13 nd %srael said to Joseph, re not yo'r

brothers feeding the flockin +heche& Co&e, % will send yo' tothe&./ +o he said to hi&, ere % a&./ 1( Then he said to hi&,

-lease go and see if it is well with yo'r brothers and well withthe flocks, and bring back word to me./ +o he sent hi& o't ofthe 8alley of ebron, and he went to +heche&. 1) Now a certain&an fo'nd hi&, and there he was, wandering in the field. nd

the &an asked hi&, saying, 6hat are yo' seeking/ 1* +o hesaid, % a& seeking &y brothers. -lease tell &e where they arefeeding their flocks./ 17 nd the &an said, They have departedfro& here, for % heard the& say, 94et 's go to :othan.#/ +oJoseph went after his brothers and fo'nd the& in :othan. 10

Now when they saw hi& afar off, even before he ca&e nearthe&, they conspired against hi& to kill hi&. 1 Then they saidto one another, 4ook, this drea&er is co&ing; 25 Co&etherefore, let 's now kill hi& and cast hi& into so&e pit$ and weshall say, 9+o&e wild beast has devo'red hi&.# 6e shall see

what will beco&e of his drea&s;/

B =erily in Joseph and his brethren

are signs 'or symbols( for 0eekers'after "ruth(# "hey said 'i#e#brethren of Joseph(. 8"ruly Joseph

and his brother are lo&ed more byour father than we. -ut we are a

goodly body1 )eally our father is

ob&iously wandering 'in his mind(1D 8 Eill you Joseph or cast him out

to some 'unknown ( land, that so thefa&or of your father may be gi&en to

you alone. 'there will be enough

time( for you to be righteous afterthat91

1. See the concisestatement of Qur'an

and endlessramblings in !ible.. As per Quran theonly cause of

+ealousy of brethrenwas the additionallo"e of their fatherfor #oseph.

oice of)estraint

21 !'t


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!rethren as*permissionof father to

ta*e #oseph

with them

66 "hey said 8 our father1 7hy do

you not trust us with Joseph, seeing

we are indeed his sincere wellwishers+ 6> 0end him with us

tomorrow to en%oy himself and play,and we shall take e&ery care of him9

63 Jacob( said. 8 )eally it saddensme that you should take him away. I

fear lest the wolf should de&our him,

while you are not attending to him964 "hey 0aid9 If the wolf were to

de&our him while we are 'so large( aparty, then should we indeed 'first(

ha&e perished oursel&es#19#

1 According to!ible #acob sent#oseph to spy ontheir brethrenwithout as*ing.

. According toQur'an #acob washesitant to trust#oseph with them$ /ow which is amore reasonableaccount befitting agreat statesman*i*e #acob(

#oseph 0astinto well

23 +o it ca&e to pass, when Joseph had co&eto his brothers, that they stripped Joseph ofhis t'nic, the t'nicof manycolors that wason hi&. 2( Then they took hi& and casthi& into a pit. nd the pit wase&pty$ there wasno water in it.

6? 0o they did take him away, and

they all agreed to throw him down tothe bottom of the well. and 7e put

into his heart 'this message( F f asurety you shall 'one day( tell them

the truth of this their affair, whilethey know 'you( not9#

1. #oseph wasalready with them,so opening part of"erse ismeaningless. According toQur'an Godassured #osephthat good will comeout of this test.

#oseph

ic*edby 0ara"an

2) nd they sat down to eat a &eal. Then they lifted their eyes and looked, and there was a co&pany of

%sh&aelite, co&ing fro& >ilead with their ca&els, bearingspices, bal&, and &yrrh, on their way to carry themdown to

?gypt. 2* +o J'dah said to his brothers, 6hat profit is thereifwe kill o'r brother and conceal his blood 27 Co&e and let 's

sell hi& to the %sh&aelite, and let not o'r hand be 'pon hi&, forhe is o'r brother and o'r flesh./ nd his brothers listened. 20Then @idianite traders passed by$ so the brothers p'lled Joseph'p and lifted hi& o't of the pit, and sold hi& to the %sh&aelite

for twenty shekels of silver. nd they took Joseph to ?gypt.

6D "hen there came a cara&an of

tra&elers. they sent their watercarrier 'for water(, and he let down

his bucket 'into the well(GHe said8Ah there1 *ood news1 Here is a

'fine( young man19 0o they

concealed him as a treasure1 -ut*od knows well all that they do1 >5

'"he -rethren( sold him for amiserable price, for a few dirhams

counted out1 In such low estimation

did they hold him#

1. According toQur'an #oseph was

ta*en out of well bycara"an. According to!ible it was bybrethrenthemsel"es$. See the !ibleconfusion betweenIshmaelite and2idinites& 3urther the orderof e"ents is

re"ersed in !ibleof3


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!ad news isbrought to

#acob

2 Then


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#osephbeing

brought to

:gypt

3.1 Now Joseph had been taken down to ?gypt. nd -otiphar, anofficer of -haraoh, captain of the g'ard, an ?gyptian, bo'ght hi& fro&the %sh&aelites who had taken hi& down there. 2 The 4


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of ur ser&ants sincere andpurified#

the dignity of aprophet(

ifeAccuses#oseph

13 nd so it was, when she saw that he had left his gar&ent in herhand and fled o'tside, 1( that she called to the &en of her ho'se and

spoke to the&, saying, +ee, he has bro'ght in to 's a ebrew to

&ock 's. e ca&e in to &e to lie with &e, and % cried o't with a lo'dvoice. 1) nd it happened, when he heard that % lifted &y voice andcried o't, that he left his gar&ent with &e, and fled and went

o'tside./1* +o she kept his gar&ent with her 'ntil his &aster ca&e ho&e. 17Then she spoke to hi& with words like these, saying, The ebrewservant who& yo' bro'ght to 's ca&e in to &e to &ock &e$ 10 so ithappened, as % lifted &y voice and cried o't, that he left his gar&entwith &e and fled o'tside./

>? 0o they both raced eachother to the door, and she tore

his shirt from the back "hey

both found her lord near thedoor# 0he said. 87hat is the

'fitting( punishment for onewho formed an e&il design

against your wife, but prison ora grie&ous chastisement#

1. 6oo* at theincredible story of!ible and compareit with the precisenarration of Qur'an It is notimprobable formaster of the houseto return at someaw*ward time, it sooften happens indaily life, it is not amiracle.

2aster beats

#oseph

1 +o it was, when his &aster heard the wordswhich his wife spoke to hi&, saying, Fo'r servant did to &e after this&anner,/ that his anger was aro'sed.

>@ He said. 8It was she that

sought to seduce me from my'true( self9 And one of herhousehold saw this and bore

witness, 'thus(: 8If it be thathis shirt is rent from the front,

then her tale is true and he is a

liar1 >B 8 -ut it be that his shirtis torn from the back, then she

is the liar and he is telling thetruth19> 0o when he saw that

his shirt# that it was torn at theback, 'Her husband( said.8-ehold1 It is a snare of you

women1 "ruly mighty is yoursnare1 >D 8 Joseph, pass this

o&er1 ' wife( seekforgi&eness for your sin, for

truly you ha&e been at fault19#

1. 3or onceQur'anic "ersion islonger< It has topro"e #oseph'sinnocence 0he said 8 "here before you

is the man whom you did

blame me 1 I did seek toseduce him from his 'true( self

but he did firmly sa&e himself

guiltless1 And now, if he doesnot do my bidding, he shall

certainly be cast into prison,and 'what is more( be of the

company of the &ilest133 He said. 8 my ;ord1 "he

prison is more to my likingthan that to which they in&ite

me. nless ou turn away

their snare from me, I should

'in my youthful folly( feel

1. 4his picture whichshows the moralcharacter of high:gyptian society ismissing in !ible.

. 4his shows thestrong moralcharacter of #osephand the hardship hahad to face to guardhis chastity.$. 4his whole chapteris missing in !ible.3rom where2uhammad copiedit(

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inclined towards then and %ointhe rank of the ignorant#9

34 0o his ;ord hearkened to

him 'in his prayer( and turnedaway from him their snare.

=erily He Hears and Enows (all things(#

#oseph goesto prison

25 Then Joseph#s &aster took hi& and p't hi& %nto the prison, aplace where the king#s prisoners wereconfined. nd he was there in

the prison.

3? "hen it occurred to the men,after they had

seen the signs, 'that it wasbest( to imprison him for a

time#

1. According toQur'an #oseph wassent to prison, not forany crime, but asface sa"ing action.. hich "ersion ismore graceful, !ibleor Qur'anic(

#oseph's

acti"ities inprison

21 !'t the 4


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& 'oparative stdy Then the chief b'tler told his drea& to Joseph, and said to hi&,!ehold, in &y drea& a vine was before &e, 15 and in the vine were

three branches$ it was as tho'gh it b'dded, its blosso&s shot forth,and its cl'sters bro'ght forth ripe grapes. 11 Then -haraoh#s c'p wasin &y hand$ and % took the grapes and pressed the& into -haraoh#sc'p, and placed the c'p in -haraoh#s hand./

#oseph'spreaching inthe prison

3B He said. 8-efore any foodcomes 'in due course( to feed

either of you, I will surely

re&eal to you the truth andmeaning of this before it befall

you# "his is pert of 'the duty(which my ;ord has taught me#

I ha&e 'I assure you(abandoned the ways of a

people that belie&e not in *od

ant that 'e&en( deny thehereafter# 3 8And I follow the

ways of my fathers, Abraham,Isaac and Jacob: and ne&er

could we attribute any partners

whate&er to *od. that 'comes(of the grace of *od to us and

to mankind. yet most men arenot grateful#

3D 8 my two companions ofthe prison1 'I ask you( . Are

many lords differing amongstthemsel&es better, or the ne

*od, supreme and Irresistible+45 8If not Him, you worship

nothing but names which you

ha&e named, ou and yourfathers, for which *od has

sent down no authority. the

1 See how the !ibleis Silent of the >)eal>acti"ities of a prophetof God where"er hemay be.. rophet #osephsees a moment ofad"antage and gi"esthe true guidance tohis companions.$. /ow which "ersionis matching with the

dignity of prophets(!ible or Qur'an(

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command is for none but *od:He has commanded that you

worship none but him. that is

the right religion, but mostmen understand notG

interpretationof the

dreams

12 nd Joseph said to hi&, This isthe interpretation of it The threebranches arethree days. 13 Now within three days -haraoh will lift 'p

yo'r head and restore yo' 1* 6hen the chief baker saw that theinterpretation was good, he said to Joseph, % also was in &y drea&,and there were three white baskets on &y head. 17 %n the 'pper&ostbasket were all kinds of baked goods for -haraoh, and the birds atethe& o't of the basket on &y head./10 +o Joseph answered and said, This is the interpretation of it The

three baskets are three days. 1 6ithin three days -haraoh will lift offyo'r head fro& yo' and hang yo' on a tree$ and the birds will eatyo'r flesh fro& yo'./ 25 Now it ca&e to pass on the third day, whichwas -haraoh#s birthday, that he &ade a feast for all his servants$ andhe lifted 'p the head of the chief b'tler and of the chief baker a&onghis servants. 21 Then he restored the chief b'tler to his b'tlership

again, and he placed the c'p in -haraoh#s hand. 22 !'t he hanged thechief baker, as Joseph had interpreted to the&.

46 8 my two companions ofthe prison1 As to one of you,

he will pour out the wine forhis lord to drink. As for the

other, he will hang from thecross, and the birds will eat

from off his head# 0o has been

decreed that matter whereofyou two do enuire9##

1 Again see how in afew words Qur'ancon"eys the wholemessage. 4here isunnecessaryrepetition in the!iblical "ersion.

#osephlingersin #ail

1( !'t re&e&ber &e when it is well with yo', and please showkindness to &e$ &ake &ention of &e to -haraoh, and get &e o't ofthis ho'se. 1) Bor indeed % was stolen away fro& the land of theebrews$ and also % have done nothing here that they sho'ld p't &e

into the d'ngeon./ ... 23 Fet the chief b'tler did not re&e&berJoseph, b't forgot hi&.

4># And of the two, to that

whom he considered about to

be sa&ed, he said. 8mention meto your lord#9 -ut 0atan made

him forget to mention him tohis lord. and 'Joseph( lingered

in prison a few 'more( years#

1. Same plea, butQur'anic "ersion ismoregraceful depictinghigh moral characterof #oseph, comparedto the biblical "ersionod has shown -haraoh what e isabo't to do 2*The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good heads areseven years$ the drea&s are one. 27 nd the seven thin and 'gly

cows which ca&e 'p after the& are seven years, and the sevene&pty heads blighted by the east wind are seven years of fa&ine. 20This is the thing which % have spoken to -haraoh. >od has shown-haraoh what e is abo't to do. 2 %ndeed seven years of greatplenty will co&e thro'gho't all the land of ?gypt$ 35 b't after the&seven years of fa&ine will arise, and all the plenty will be forgotten inthe land of ?gypt$ and the fa&ine will deplete the land. 31 +o the

plenty will not be known in the land beca'se of the fa&ine following,for it will be very severe. 32 nd the drea& was repeated to -haraohtwice beca'se the thing is established by >od, and >od will shortlybring it to pass.

4B 'Joseph( said. 8 or se&en

years shall you diligently sow

as in your wont. and thehar&ests that you reap, you

shall lea&e them in the ear,e/cept a little of which you

shall eat# 4 8 "hen will comeafter that 'period( se&en

dreadful 'years(, which will

de&our what you shall ha&elaid by in ad&ance for them,

'all( e/cept a little which youshall ha&e 'specially( guarded#

4D 8"hen will come after that

'period( a year in which thepeople will ha&e abundant

water, and in which they willpress 'wine and oil(#9

1. Same story indifferent words, butas usual Qur'anic"ersion is concise.

?ing calls for

#oseph andhis refusal

?5 0o the king said. 8-ringhim to me#9 -ut when the

messengers come to him'Joseph( said. 8*o you back to

your lord, and ask him, Fwhat

is the state of mind of the

1. According to !ible#oseph was alreadyout of prison.. !ut according toQur'an pro"ing hisinnocence was moreimportant to him than

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aldies who cut their hands+for may ;ord is certainly well

aware of their snare#9 ?6 '"he

king( said 'to the ladies( 8whatwas your affair when you did

seek to seduce him from his'true( self+9 "he ladies said.

8*od preser&e us1 !o e&il weknow against him19 0aid the

A2i2 Fs wife. 8!ow is the truth

manifest 'to all(. it was I whosought to seduce him from his

'true( self# He is indeed ofthose who are 'e&er( true 'and

&irtuous(9#

?> 'Joseph said( 8"his 'I say(in order that I ha&e ne&er been

false to him in his absence andthat *od will ne&er guide the

snare of the false ones#?3 8!or do I absol&e my own

self 'of blame(. the 'Human(

soul is certainly prone to e&il#nless my ;ord do bestow His

mercy. but surely My ;ord is

oftforgi&ing , Most Merciful#9

his freedom.$ It is at theseinstances, that thetrue moral characterof prophets do shinein Qur'anic narrati"es.

&. 4he reader canchoose whiche"er"ersion he li*es.

?ing 4al*sto #oseph

33 Now therefore, let -haraoh select a discerning and wise &an, andset hi& over the land of ?gypt.3( 4et -haraoh do this, and let hi&

appoint officers over the land, to collect oneIfifth of the prod'ce of theland of ?gypt in the seven plentif'l years. 3) nd let the& gather allthe food of those good years that are co&ing, and store 'p grain'nder the a'thority of -haraoh, and let the& keep food in the cities.

3* Then that food shall be as a reserve for the land for the sevenyears of fa&ine which shall be in the land of ?gypt, that the land &aynot perish d'ring the fa&ine./ 37 +o the advice was good in the eyesof -haraoh and in the eyes of all his servants. 30 nd -haraoh said tohis servants, Can we find s'ch a one as this, a &an in who& is the

?4 0o the king said. 8-ringhim to me: I will take him

specially to ser&e about my

own person#9 "herefore whenhe had spoken to him, he said9

ou are in my presence, withrank firmly established and

fidelity fully pro&ed1# ??'Joseph( said. 80et me o&er the

1. Again see theeconomy of words inQur'anic narrati"e.

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& 'oparative stdy+pirit of >od/ store houses of the land. I will

indeed guard them, as one that

knows 'their importance(#9

#oseph's riseto power in

:gypt

3 Then -haraoh said to Joseph, %nas&'ch as

>od has shown yo' all this, there isno one as discerning and wise as

yo'. (5 Fo' shall be over &y ho'se, and all &y people shall be r'ledaccording to yo'r word$ only in regard to the throne will % be greaterthan yo'./ (1 nd -haraoh said to Joseph, +ee, % have set yo' over

all the land of ?gypt./(2 Then -haraoh took his signet ring off his hand and p't it on

Joseph#s hand$ and he clothed hi& in gar&ents of fine linen and p't agold chain aro'nd his neck. (3 nd he had hi& ride in the secondchariot which he had$ and they cried o't before hi&, !ow the knee;/+o he set hi& over all the land of ?gypt (( -haraoh also said to

Joseph, % a& -haraoh, and witho't yo'r consent no &an &ay lift hishand or foot in all the land of ?gypt./

?@ "hus did we established

power to Joseph in the land to

take possession therein as,when or where he pleased# 7e

bestow of our mercy on whom7e please, and 7e suffer not,

to be lost, the rewards of thosewho do good# ?B -ut &erily the

reward of the hereafter is the

best, for those who belie&e,and are constant in

righteousness #

1. Qur'an's economyin words is no lessthat a miracle.. /ot lea"ing anything of importance,always *eeping thepurpose in mind.

#oseph 's life

in :gypt

&@ And haraoh called #osephs name 9aphnathaaneah. And he ga"e him asa wife Asenath, the daughter of otiherah priest of On. So #oseph went outo"er all the land of :gypt. &B #oseph was thirty years old when he stood beforeharaoh *ing of :gypt. And #oseph went out from the presence of haraoh, andwent throughout all the land of :gypt. &C /ow in the se"en plentiful years theground brought forth abundantly. &5 So he gathered up all the food of the se"enyears which were in the land of :gypt, and laid up the food in the citiesD he laidup in e"ery city the food of the fields which surrounded them. &E #osephgathered "ery much grain, as the sand of the sea, until he stopped counting, forit was immeasurable.@F And to #oseph were born two sons before the years of famine came, whom

Asenath, the daughter of otiherah priest of On, bore to him. @1 #oseph called

the name of the firstborn 2anassehHa J3or God has made me forget all my toiland all my fathers house.K @ And the name of the second he called :phraimHbJ3or God has caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction.K

1. Qur'an does notmention about this>historian> side of#oseph's life in :gypt It is concernedmore with the>spiritual> side of thestory.

Lears of

3amine in:gypt

@$ 4hen the se"en years of plenty which were in theland of :gypt ended, @& and the se"en years of famine began to come, as#oseph had said. 4he famine was in all lands, but in all the land of :gypt therewas bread. @@ So when all the land of :gypt was famished, the people cried toharaoh for bread. 4hen haraoh said to all the :gyptians, JGo to #osephDwhate"er he says to you, do.K @B 4he famine was o"er all the face of the earth,and #oseph opened all the storehouses Hc and sold to the :gyptians. And thefamine became se"ere in the land of :gypt. @C So all countries came to #oseph

in :gypt to buy grain, because the famine was se"ere in all lands.

1 -ere also Qur'an issilent as this wasalready implied in theinterpretation ofdream. /o need to repeatthe same story$. Quran >:conomy>in the use of words is

miraculous.#5of3
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/#fen-NKJV-1252chttp://www.biblegateway.com/passage/#fen-NKJV-1252chttp://www.biblegateway.com/passage/#fen-NKJV-1252chttp://www.biblegateway.com/passage/#fen-NKJV-1252chttp://www.biblegateway.com/passage/#fen-NKJV-1252chttp://www.biblegateway.com/passage/#fen-NKJV-1252chttp://www.biblegateway.com/passage/#fen-NKJV-1252chttp://www.biblegateway.com/passage/#fen-NKJV-1252chttp://www.biblegateway.com/passage/#fen-NKJV-1252chttp://www.biblegateway.com/passage/#fen-NKJV-1252chttp://www.biblegateway.com/passage/#fen-NKJV-1252chttp://www.biblegateway.com/passage/#fen-NKJV-1252c


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& 'oparative stdy

#oseph 's!rotherscome to:gypt

(2.1 6hen Jacob saw that there was grain in ?gypt, Jacob said to hissons, 6hy do yo' look at one another/ 2 nd he said, %ndeed %

have heard that there is grain in ?gypt$ go down to that place andb'y for 's there, that we &ay live and not die./3 +o Joseph#s ten brothers went down to b'y grain in ?gypt. ( !'tJacob did not send Joseph#s brother !enGa&in with his brothers, for he

said, 4est so&e cala&ity befall hi&./ ) nd the sons of %srael went tob'y grain a&ong those who Go'rneyed, for the fa&ine was in the landof Canaan. * Now Joseph was governor over the land$ and it was hewho sold to all the people of the land. nd Joseph#s brothers ca&eand bowed down before hi& with their faces to the earth. 7 Josephsaw his brothers and recogniAed the&, b't he acted as a stranger to

the& and spoke ro'ghly to the&. Then he said to the&, 6here doyo' co&e fro&/ nd they said, Bro& the land of Canaan to b'yfood./ 0 +o Joseph recogniAed his brothers, b't they did notrecogniAe hi&.

? "hen came Josephsbrethren. they entered his

presence and he knew them,

but they knew him not#

1. 0an there be abetter e=ample of>economy> of words(. hat is e=pressedin one paragraph of!ible is e=pressed in

one line in Qur'anod has fo'nd o't the iniH'ityof yo'r servants$ here we are, &y lord#s slaves, both we and he also

with who& the c'p was fo'nd./ 17 !'t he said, Bar be it fro& &e that% sho'ld do so$ the &an in whose hand the c'p was fo'nd, he shall be&y slave. nd as for yo', go 'p in peace to yo'r father./

these things did Joseph keeplocked in his heart, re&ealing

not the secrets to them# He

'simply( said to 'himself(8ou are the worse situated:

and *od knows best the truthof what you assert19 B "hey

said. 8 e/alted one1 -eholdhe has a father, aged and

&enerable, 'who will grie&e for

him(: so take one of us in hisplace: for we see that you are

'gracious( in doing good#9 BDHe said. 8*od forbid that we

take other than him with whom

we found our property. indeed'if we did so(, we should be

acting wrongfully#9

as usual, Quran"ersion is moregraceful.

#udahspea*s

for!en+amin

10 Then J'dah ca&e near to hi& and said &y lord, please let yo'rservant speak a word in &y lord#s hearing, and do not let yo'r angerb'rn against yo'r servant$ for yo' areeven like -haraoh. 1 @y lordasked his servants, saying, 9ave yo' a father or a brother# 25 nd

we said to &y lord, 96e have a father, an old &an, and a child of hisold age, who is yo'ng$ his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his

&other#s children, and his father loves hi&.# 21 Then yo' said to yo'rservants, 9!ring hi& down to &e, that % &ay set &y eyes on hi&.# 22

nd we said to &y lord, 9The lad cannot leave his father, for if hesho'ld leave his father, his father wo'ld die.# 23 !'t yo' said to yo'r

servants, 9Knless yo'r yo'ngest brother co&es down with yo', yo'shall see &y face no &ore.# 2( +o it was, when we went 'p to yo'rservant &y father, that we told hi& the words of &y lord. 2) nd o'rfather said, 9>o back and b'y 's a little food.# 2* !'t we said, 96ecannot go down$ if o'r yo'ngest brother is with 's, then we will godown$ for we &ay not see the &an#s face 'nless o'r yo'ngest brother

is with 's.# 27 Then yo'r servant &y father said to 's, 9Fo' know that&y wife bore &e two sons$ 20 and the one went o't fro& &e, and %said, +'rely he is torn to pieces/$ and % have not seen hi& since. 2!'t if yo' take this one also fro& &e, and cala&ity befalls hi&, yo'

5 !ow when they saw no

hope of his 'yielding(, theyheld a conference in pri&ate#

"he leader among them said.8ou know that your father did

take an oath from you in *ods

name, and how before this, you

did fail in your duty withJoseph+ "herefore I will notlea&e the land until my father

permits me, or *od commands

me: and He is the best tocommand# 6 8ou turn back

to your father, and say F ourfather1 -ehold1 our son

committed theft1 7e bearwitness only to what we know,

1. -ere Qur'anic"ersion is totallydifferent from !ible.. !rothers returnbac* to their houseand are sent bac* toloo* for #oseph bytheir father.$. 4he two "ersions

are so different, it isup to reader to selectwhiche"er he li*es.

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& 'oparative stdy

shall bring down &y gray hair with sorrow to the grave.#35 Now therefore, when % co&e to yo'r servant &y father, and the

lad is not with 's, since his life is bo'nd 'p in the lad#s life, 31 it willhappen, when he sees that the lad is not with 's, that he will die. +oyo'r servants will bring down the gray hair of yo'r servant o'r fatherwith sorrow to the grave. 32 Bor yo'r servant beca&e s'rety for thelad to &y father, saying, 9%f % do not bring hi& back to yo', then % shallbear the bla&e before &y father forever.# 33 Now therefore, please let

yo'r servant re&ain instead of the lad as a slave to &y lord, and letthe lad go 'p with his brothers. 3( Bor how shall % go 'p to &y father ifthe lad is not with &e, lest perhaps % see the evil that wo'ld co&e

'pon &y father/

and we could not well guardagainst the unseen1 > 8Ask at

the town where we ha&e been

and the cara&an in which wereturned, and 'you will find(

we are indeed telling thetruth#9 3 'Jacob( said. 8!o,

but you ha&e yourselfcontri&ed a story 'good

enough( for you# 0o patience

is most fitting 'for me(#Maybe *od will bring them

'back( all to me 'in the end(#or He is indeed full of

knowledge and wisdom#9 4

And he turned away fromthem, and said. 8How great is

my grief for Joseph19 and hiseyes became white with

sorrow and he felt into silentmelancholy# ? "hey said. 8-y

*od1 'ne&er( will you cease to

remember Joseph until youreach the last e/tremity of

illness, or until you die19 @

He said. 8I only complain ofmy distraction and anguish to

*od, and I know from god thatwhich you know notG B 8

my sons1 *o you back andenuire about Joseph and his

brother, and ne&er gi&e uphope of *ods soothing mercy.

truly no one despairs of *ods

soothing mercy e/cept who

ha&e no faith#9$3of3


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& 'oparative stdy

#oseph)e"eals-imself

().1 Then Joseph co'ld not restrain hi&self beforeall those who stood by hi&, and he cried o't, @ake everyone go o't

fro& &e;/ +o no one stood with hi& while Joseph &ade hi&self knownto his brothers. 2 nd he wept alo'd, and the ?gyptians and the ho'seof -haraoh heard it. 3 Then Joseph said to his brothers, % a& Joseph$does &y father still live/ !'t his brothers co'ld not answer hi&, for

they were dis&ayed in his presence. ( nd Joseph said to his brothers,-lease co&e near to &e./ +o they ca&e near. Then he said % a&Joseph yo'r brother, who& yo' sold into ?gypt. ) !'t now, do nottherefore be grieved or angry with yo'rselves beca'se yo' sold &ehere$ for >od sent &e before yo' to preserve life. * Bor these twoyears the fa&ine has been in the land, and there are still five years in

which there will be neither plowing nor harvesting. 7 nd >od sent &ebefore yo' to preserve posterity for yo' in the earth, and to save yo'rlives by a great deliverance. 0 +o now it was not yo' who sent &ehere, b't >od$ and e has &ade &e a father to -haraoh, and lord ofall his ho'se, and a r'ler thro'gho't all the land of ?gypt.

"hen, when they came'back( into 'Josephs( presence

they said. 8 e/alted one1

Kistress has sei2ed us and ourfamily. we ha&e 'now( brought

but scanty capital. so pay usfull measure, 'we pray you(,

and treat it as a charity to us.for *od does reward the

charitable#9 D He said. 8Ko

you know how you dealt withJoseph and his brother, not

knowing 'what were youdoing(+9 D5 "hey said. 8Are

you indeed Joseph+9 He said.

8I am Joseph and this is mybrother. *od has indeed been

gracious to us 'all(. behold, hethat is righteous and patient,

ne&er will *od suffer thereward to be lost, of those who

do right#9 D6 "hey said. 8-y

*od1 Indeed has *od preferredyou abo&e us, and we certainly

ha&e been guilty of sin19 D> He

said. 8"his day let no reproachbe 'cast( on you. let *od

forgi&e you, and He is theMost Merciful of those who

show mercy#1

1. Again see theeconomy of wordsused in Qur'an.. #oseph forgi"es hisbrothers in a gracefulspeech.

#osephcallsfor

his father

'rry and go 'p to &y father, and say to hi&, 9Th's says yo'r sonJoseph >od has &ade &e lord of all ?gypt$ co&e down to &e, do nottarry. 15 Fo' shall dwell in the land of >oshen, and yo' shall be nearto &e, yo' and yo'r children, yo'r children#s children, yo'r flocks and

yo'r herds, and all that yo' have. 11 There % will provide for yo', lestyo' and yo'r ho'sehold, and all that yo' have, co&e to poverty$ for

D3 8*o with this my shirt, and

cast it o&er the face of myfather. he will come to see

'clearly(# "hen c5ome you'here( to e together with all

1. Again in a fewwords Qur'ancon"eys the fullmeaning of this longpassage. !ible does notmention any thing

$of3


25/34


& 'oparative stdythere are still five years of fa&ine./# 12 nd behold, yo'r eyes and theeyes of &y brother !enGa&in see that it is &y &o'th that speaks to

yo'. 13 +o yo' shall tell &y father of all &y glory in ?gypt, and of allthat yo' have seen$ and yo' shall h'rry and bring &y father downhere./ 1( Then he fell on his brother !enGa&in#s neck and wept, and!enGa&in wept on his neck. 1) @oreover he kissed all his brothers and

wept over the&, and after that his brothers talked with hi&.

your family#9 about #oseph's shirtand its effect on#acob's eye-istorian's> tales. It deals only withthe parts which ha"esome instructions forguidance.

!rotherslea"e

to bringtheir father

to :gypt

21 Then the sons of %srael did so$ and Joseph gave the& carts,according to the co&&and of -haraoh, and he gave the& provisionsfor the Go'rney. 22 e gave to all of the&, to each &an, changes of

gar&ents$ b't to !enGa&in he gave three h'ndredpiecesof silver andfive changes of gar&ents. 23 nd he sent to his father these things:ten donkeys loaded with the good things of ?gypt, and ten fe&aledonkeys loaded with grain, bread, and food for his father for the

Go'rney. 2( +o he sent his brothers away, and they departed$ and hesaid to the&, +ee that yo' do not beco&e tro'bled along the way./

D4 7hen the cara&an left'od of his father %saac. 2 Then

>od spoke to %srael in the visions of the night, and said, Jacob,Jacob;/ nd he said, ere % a&./ 3 +o e said, % a& >od, the >od ofyo'r father$ do not fear to go down to ?gypt, for % will &ake of yo' a

DB "hey said. 8 our father1Ask for us forgi&eness for our

sins, for we were truly are atfault#9 D He said. 80oon will I

Should we commenton the two "ersions

$5of3


26/34


& 'oparative stdygreat nation there. ( % will go down with yo' to ?gypt, and % will alsos'rely bring yo' 'p again$ and Joseph will p't his hand on yo'r eyes./

) Then Jacob arose fro& !eersheba$ and the sons of %srael carriedtheir father Jacob, their little ones, and their wives, in the carts which-haraoh had sent to carry hi&. * +o they took their livestock and theirgoods, which they had acH'ired in the land of Canaan, and went to

?gypt, Jacob and all his descendants with hi&. 7 is sons and his sons#sons, his da'ghters and his sons# da'ghters, and all his descendantshe bro'ght with hi& to ?gypt.

ask my lord for forgi&eness foryou. for He is indeed ft

forgi&ing, Most Merciful#9

ho Allent

to :gypt

0 Now these werethe na&es of the children of %srael, Jacob and hissons, who went to ?gypt oshen. nd they ca&e to the land of>oshen. 2 +o Joseph &ade ready his chariot and went 'p to >oshento &eet his father %srael$ and he presented hi&self to hi&, and fell on

his neck and wept on his neck a good while. 35 nd %srael said toJoseph, Now let &e die, since % have seen yo'r face, beca'se yo' are

still alive./ 31 Then Joseph said to his brothers and to his father#sho'sehold, % will go 'p and tell -haraoh, and say to hi&, 9@y brothersand those of &y father#s ho'se, who were in the land of Canaan, haveco&e to &e. 32 nd the &en are shepherds, for their occ'pation has

DD "hen when they entered the

presence of Joseph, hepro&ided a home for his

parents with himself, and said.8


27/34


& 'oparative stdybeen to feed livestock$ and they have bro'ght their flocks, their herds,and all that they have.# 33 +o it shall be, when -haraoh calls yo' and

says, 96hat is yo'r occ'pation# 3( that yo' shall say, 9Fo'r servants#occ'pation has been with livestock fro& o'r yo'th even till now, bothwe and also o'r fathers,# that yo' &ay dwell in the land of >oshen$ forevery shepherd is an abo&ination to the ?gyptians./

haraohand

#acob

(7.1 Then Joseph went and told -haraoh, andsaid, @y father and &y brothers, their flocks and their herds and all

that they possess, have co&e fro& the land of Canaan$ and indeedthey arein the land of >oshen./ 2 nd he took five &en fro& a&onghis brothers and presented the& to -haraoh. 3 Then -haraoh said tohis brothers, 6hat isyo'r occ'pation/ nd they said to -haraoh,

Fo'r servants are shepherds, both we and also o'r fathers./ ( ndthey said to -haraoh, 6e have co&e to dwell in the land, beca'se

yo'r servants have no past're for their flocks, for the fa&ine is severein the land of Canaan. Now therefore, please let yo'r servants dwell inthe land of >oshen./

) Then -haraoh spoke to Joseph, saying, Fo'r father and yo'rbrothers have co&e to yo'. * The land of ?gypt is before yo'. aveyo'r father and brothers dwell in the best of the land$ let the& dwell inthe land of >oshen. nd if yo' know any co&petent &en a&ong the&,then &ake the& chief herds&en over &y livestock./ 7 Then Josephbro'ght in his father Jacob and set hi& before -haraoh$ and Jacobblessed -haraoh. 0 -haraoh said to Jacob, ow old are yo'/ nd

Jacob said to -haraoh, The days of the years of &y pilgri&age areone h'ndred and thirty years$ few and evil have been the days of theyears of &y life, and they have not attained to the days of the years ofthe life of &y fathers in the days of their pilgri&age./ 15 +o Jacob

blessed -haraoh, and went o't fro& before -haraoh.

1. Qur'an *eeps awayfrom such passagesthat do not ha"e anyspritual side.

#acobSettlesin :gypt

11 nd Joseph sit'ated his father and his brothers, and gave the& apossession in the land of ?gypt, in the best of the land, in the land of


28/34


& 'oparative stdy

father1 "his is the fulfillmentof my &ision of old1 *od has

made it come true1 He was

indeed good to me when Hetook me out of prison and

brought you 'all here( out ofthe desert, 'e&en( after 0atan

had sworn enmity between meand my brothers# =erily my

;ord understands best the

mysteries of all that He plansto do# or &erily, He is full of

knowledge and wisdom#

many unimportantmatters that it lea"esthe best part of themive 's bread, for why sho'ld we die in yo'r presence Bor

the &oney has failed./1* Then Joseph said, >ive yo'r livestock, and % will give yo' bread foryo'r livestock, if the &oney is gone./ 17 +o they bro'ght their

the stories of what happenedunseen which 7e re&eal to you

by inspiration. you were not'present( with them when they

concerted their plans together

in the wea&ing of theirplots#653 et no faith, will the

greater part of mankind ha&e,Howe&er ardently you do

1. hile !ible dwellson how #osephbecame rich andowned most of landof :gypt, to ta*ead"antage of peopleduring their miseries,probably as*ing hisfollowers to do thesameod &ake yo' as?phrai& and as @anasseh;#/ nd th's he set ?phrai& before @anasseh.21 Then %srael said to Joseph, !ehold, % a& dying, b't >od will be with yo' and bring yo' back to the land ofyo'r fathers. 22 @oreover % have given to yo' one portion above yo'r brothers, which % took fro& the hand ofthe &orite with &y sword and &y bow./

1. !ibleplays somany hideand see*with 3irstborn s andsecond

born s thatonewonders ifthere isanything atall. See thestory of#acob M:sau forreference.$. :"en

God ismade partyto thischange ofrights

Documents

Story of Prophet Joseph _Bible_VS_Quran_English Only