• Another lesson: one must begin with what is most important, then proceed to what is next in importance. Thus, if a mufti is asked about a matter but sees that the questioner has a more pressing need in another area, he should first teach him what he truly needs before answering the original query. Doing so is a mark of the teacher’s sincerity, insight, and sound guidance. When the two young men asked Joseph about their dreams, their greatest need was for pure monotheism and faith, so he placed that before everything else.
• Another lesson: whoever finds himself in hardship or distress may lawfully seek the assistance of someone who has the ability—whether through direct action or by conveying his situation—to bring about his relief. This is neither a deficiency nor a forbidden complaint to a fellow creature; it is an ordinary matter in which people customarily help one another. For this reason Joseph said to the one he expected would be saved, “Mention me to your lord” (12:42).
• Another lesson: the teacher and caller to Allah must exercise complete sincerity in his instruction and preaching, never turning them into a means of gaining wealth, status, or personal benefit. Nor should he withhold knowledge if the questioner fails to carry out a prior request. Joseph had asked one of the two young men to mention him to his lord, but the man forgot. Later, when the need arose to consult Joseph, that same man came to him with a new question about the king’s dream. Joseph neither rebuked nor scolded him; he did not even say, “Why did you not mention me to your lord?” Instead, he gave him a full and comprehensive answer from every angle.
• Another lesson: when responding to a question, the one who is asked should guide the questioner to whatever will benefit him in connection with his inquiry and direct him to the path that will profit him in both his religious and worldly affairs. This reflects the responder’s perfect goodwill, sound judgment, and excellent counsel. Joseph did not stop at interpreting the king’s dream; he also advised them to increase cultivation during the years of abundance and to adopt sound methods of storage and collection.