وَقَالَ الَّذِي اشْتَرَاهُ مِنْ مِصْرَ لِامْرَأَتِهِ أَكْرِمِي مَثْوَاهُ عَسَى أَنْ يَنْفَعَنَا أَوْ نَتَّخِذَهُ وَلَدًا وَكَذَلِكَ مَكَّنَّا لِيُوسُفَ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَلِنُعَلِّمَهُ مِنْ تَأْوِيلِ الْأَحَادِيثِ وَاللَّهُ غَالِبٌ عَلَى أَمْرِهِ وَلَكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ ﴿۲۱﴾

﴾21﴿ Wa qaalal lazish taraahu mim Misra limra atiheee akrimee maswaahu 'asaaa any-yanfa'anaaa aw nattakhizahoo waladaa; wa kazaalika mak-kannaa li-Yoosufa fil ardi wa linu'allimahoo min ta'weelil ahaadees; wallaahu ghaalibun 'alaaa amrihee wa laakinna aksaran naasi laa ya'lamoon

﴾21﴿ And he who bought him from the people of Egypt said to his wife, "Honor his place, perhaps he will benefit us, or we may adopt him as a son. Thus, We established Joseph in the land (of Egypt) so that We might teach him the interpretation of events. And Allah is dominant over His affairs, but most people do not know

[21] In this verse, Allah’s kindness toward Yusuf (peace be upon him) is mentioned—by granting him honor and status. The name of the buyer was Qitfīr, famously known as the ‘Azīz of Egypt. He was the treasurer and the chief minister. His wife’s name was Rā‘īl, famously known as Zulaykha.
“Mathwāhu” refers to a residence, a place of eating, drinking, and living.
“‘Asā an yanfa‘anā” – “Perhaps he will benefit us,” meaning: if we sell him, we will gain great profit, or he will serve well—because they deduced from his beauty that he must also have good character.
“Aw nattakhidhahu waladan” – “Or we may adopt him as a son,” based on the custom of people adopting unrelated children. Such a child is called mutabannā (an adopted son). This also hints that the ‘Azīz of Egypt had no children from this wife.
“Wa kadhālika makkannā” – Just as Allah saved Yusuf (peace be upon him) from being killed and from the well, similarly, He caused the ‘Azīz to be kind to him. Because of this kindness, Yusuf (peace be upon him) gained honor in Egypt and lived in comfort in the house of the ‘Azīz.
“Wa li-nu‘allimahu” – This is connected to a hidden clause: “li-nukrimahu wa li-nu‘allimahu” (to honor him and to teach him).
“Ta’wīl al-aḥādīth” – This has two meanings, previously explained in verse 6 of this surah.
“Wa-Allāhu ghālibun ‘alā amrih” – This is a refutation of associating partners with Allah in control (shirk fī al-taṣarruf). The pronoun “amrih” may refer to Allah, meaning all matters He wills will come to pass and cannot be stopped. Or, it may refer to Yusuf (peace be upon him), meaning that although his brothers tried to humble him, Allah granted him honor.
“Wa lākinna akthara al-nāsi lā ya‘lamūn” – This indicates that no one has knowledge of the unseen except Allah, as mentioned in the Tafsir of Qurtubi.