—the Friend, as well as Isaac and Jacob—saying, “It is not for us to associate anything with Allah. That is a grace Allah has bestowed upon us,” that is: He guided us to this truth, “and upon humankind,” in that He charged us with calling people to it, directing and guiding them, for it is rooted in their innate nature and woven into their very constitution—“yet most people are ungrateful.”
He then invited them to affirm Allah’s oneness and condemned the worship of anything besides Him. He belittled the idols, showing how insignificant and powerless they are, and said:
“O my two companions of the prison! Are many separate lords better, or Allah—the One, the All-Subduing?
You worship nothing beside Him but mere names you and your fathers have coined; Allah has sent down no authority for them. Judgment rests with Allah alone. He has commanded that you worship none but Him. That is the upright religion, though most people do not know.” (Yūsuf 39-40)
That is, He alone disposes of His creation, does whatever He wills, guides whom He wills and leads astray whom He wills. “He has commanded that you worship none but Him,” meaning Him alone, without partner. “That is the upright religion,” the straight, sound path, yet “most people do not know”—they fail to be guided to it despite its manifest clarity. His call to the two prisoners at such a moment was perfectly timed, for their hearts were already inclined toward him, revering him and ready to accept what he said. It was therefore fitting that he invite them to what would benefit them most before answering the specific question they had posed.
Once he had fulfilled his duty and given the needed guidance, he said:
“O my two companions of the prison, as for one of you, he will serve wine to his master”—that is, the cup-bearer—“while the other will be crucified, and the birds will eat from his head”—that is, the baker. “The matter about which you seek a ruling has been decided.” In other words, this is certain to occur and must take place. For this reason the ḥadīth says, “A dream remains aloft on a bird’s leg until it is interpreted; once it is interpreted, it comes to pass.”
Ibn Masʿūd, Mujāhid, and ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Zayd ibn Aslam related that the two prisoners at first protested, “We have seen nothing.” Joseph replied nonetheless, “The matter about which you seek a ruling has been decided.”
Allah, exalted is He, says: “He said to the one of the two whom he believed would be saved, ‘Mention me in the presence of your lord.’ But Satan caused him to forget to mention him to his lord, so Joseph remained in prison for several years.” (Yūsuf 42)
Joseph—peace be upon him—thus said to the man he expected would be rescued, namely the cup-bearer, “Mention me to your lord,” meaning: describe my situation to the king and explain that I am imprisoned without any wrongdoing. This demonstrates the permissibility of employing practical means; it does not conflict with reliance upon the Lord of all lords.
“Yet Satan made him forget to mention him to his lord”—that is, the man who was saved forgot the charge Joseph had given him. This was stated by Mujāhid, Muḥammad ibn Isḥāq, and others, and it is the correct view, one also found in the scriptures of the People of the Book.
“So he remained in prison for a few years.” The Arabic word bidʿ refers to a number between three and nine; some said up to seven, others up to five, and still others, anything fewer than ten. These opinions were reported by al-Thaʿlabī. One may say bidʿu niswah, “a few women,” or bidʿu rijāl, “a few men.” Al-Farrāʾ, however, held that bidʿ should not be used for any number below ten, maintaining that in such cases one should instead use the term nīf, “a little over.”