why do I see you among the sinners?” Gabriel said to him: “O purest of the pure, the Lord of the worlds sends you greetings and says to you: ‘Were you not ashamed before Me to seek intercession through human beings? By My might, I shall certainly keep you in prison for several years.’” Joseph said: “And is He pleased with me despite that?” He replied: “Yes.” Joseph said: “Then I do not mind.”
Kab said: Gabriel said to Joseph, “Allah Most High says: ‘Who created you?’ He said: ‘Allah.’ He said: ‘Who made you beloved to your father?’ He said: ‘Allah.’ He said: ‘Who delivered you from the distress of the well?’ He said: ‘Allah.’ He said: ‘Who taught you the interpretation of dreams?’ He said: ‘Allah.’ He said: ‘Who turned evil and indecency away from you?’ He said: ‘Allah.’ He said: ‘Then how could you seek intercession through a human being like yourself?’” (1)
When the seven years had ended—al-Kalbi said: “These seven were in addition to the five (2) that had preceded them”—and Joseph’s relief drew near, the great king of Egypt saw an astonishing dream that alarmed him. He saw seven fat cows emerge from the sea, followed by seven exceedingly emaciated lean cows. The lean cows swallowed the fat ones, which disappeared into their bellies; nothing of them could be seen, nor was any sign of them apparent upon the lean cows.
Then he saw seven green ears of grain whose kernels had formed, [and seven others] (3) dry and already harvested. The dry ears wound themselves around the green ones until they overcame them, leaving no trace of their greenness. He then gathered the magicians, the priests, the diviners (4), and the interpreters of dreams, and related his dream to them. This is the meaning of His saying, exalted is He:
(1) These reports from al-Hasan, Wahb, and Malik ibn Dinar are Isra'iliyyat (Israelite reports). Taken together, they maintain that Joseph, peace be upon him, remained in prison for several years because he sought the intercession of, or asked, the man whom he knew would be saved to mention him to his master. They claim that it would have been more appropriate for him to rely upon Allah and not say, “Mention me to your master”; and that, when he failed to rely upon his Lord, he was punished by remaining in prison for several years.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah refuted this in Daqaiq al-Tafsir, 3:261, stating: “There is nothing in his words, ‘Mention me to your master,’ that contradicts reliance upon Allah. Joseph said, ‘Judgment belongs only to Allah,’ just as his father’s words, ‘Do not enter through one gate, but enter through different gates,’ did not contradict his reliance upon Allah. Rather, he said, ‘I cannot avail you at all against Allah. Judgment belongs only to Allah; upon Him I rely, and upon Him let those who rely place their trust.’
“Moreover, Allah testified that Joseph was among His chosen servants, and a chosen servant cannot rely upon other than Allah, for that is shirk (associating partners with Allah). Joseph was not a mushrik (one who associates partners with Allah), neither in his worship nor in his reliance. Rather, he relied upon his Lord concerning his own actions when he said, ‘Unless You turn away from me their plot, I will incline toward them and be among the ignorant.’ How, then, could he fail to rely upon Him concerning the actions of His servants?
“His words, ‘Mention me to your master,’ are like his words to his Lord, ‘Appoint me over the storehouses of the land; indeed, I am a knowledgeable guardian.’ When he sought authority for a religious benefit, this did not contradict reliance upon Allah, nor was it among the prohibited requests for leadership. How, then, could his words to the young man, ‘Mention me ...,’ contradict reliance upon Allah, when they involved no more than informing the king about him, so that his condition might become known and the truth be made clear? Joseph was among the most steadfast of people. Thus, after he was requested—‘And the king said, “Bring him to me”’—he said, ‘Return to your master and ask him about the women who cut their hands. Indeed, my Lord is knowing of their plot.’ Joseph remembered his Lord in this situation just as he had remembered Him in the other. Therefore, in saying to him, ‘Mention me ...,’ he neither abandoned an obligation nor committed something forbidden, for which Allah would punish him by keeping him in prison for several years. Before this, they had resolved to imprison him for a time, wrongfully, despite knowing that he was innocent of the charge. His remaining in prison was an honor from Allah for him, by which his patience and taqwa (God-consciousness) would be perfected; for through patience and taqwa he attained what he attained.” See al-Isra'iliyyat wa al-Mawdu'at, pp. 320-321.
(2) The apparent meaning of the verses does not indicate that there were five before that. Allah knows best.
(3) In manuscript B: “and seven others.”
(4) In the margin of manuscript A: “al-hazah: astrologers.”