يُوسُفُ أَيُّهَا الصِّدِّيقُ أَفْتِنَا فِي سَبْعِ بَقَرَاتٍ سِمَانٍ يَأْكُلُهُنَّ سَبْعٌ عِجَافٌ وَسَبْعِ سُنْبُلَاتٍ خُضْرٍ وَأُخَرَ يَابِسَاتٍ لَعَلِّي أَرْجِعُ إِلَى النَّاسِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَعْلَمُونَ ﴿۴۶﴾ قَالَ تَزْرَعُونَ سَبْعَ سِنِينَ دَأَبًا فَمَا حَصَدْتُمْ فَذَرُوهُ فِي سُنْبُلِهِ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا مِمَّا تَأْكُلُونَ ﴿۴۷﴾ ثُمَّ يَأْتِي مِنْ بَعْدِ ذَلِكَ سَبْعٌ شِدَادٌ يَأْكُلْنَ مَا قَدَّمْتُمْ لَهُنَّ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا مِمَّا تُحْصِنُونَ ﴿۴۸﴾ ثُمَّ يَأْتِي مِنْ بَعْدِ ذَلِكَ عَامٌ فِيهِ يُغَاثُ النَّاسُ وَفِيهِ يَعْصِرُونَ ﴿۴۹﴾ وَقَالَ الْمَلِكُ ائْتُونِي بِهِ فَلَمَّا جَاءَهُ الرَّسُولُ قَالَ ارْجِعْ إِلَى رَبِّكَ فَاسْأَلْهُ مَا بَالُ النِّسْوَةِ اللَّاتِي قَطَّعْنَ أَيْدِيَهُنَّ إِنَّ رَبِّي بِكَيْدِهِنَّ عَلِيمٌ ﴿۵۰﴾

﴾46﴿ Yoosufu ayyuhas siddeequ aftinaa fee sab'i baqaraatin simaaniny ya'kuluhunna sab'un 'ijaafunw wa sabi'i sumbulaatin khudrinw wa ukhara yaabisaatil la'alleee arji'u ilan naasi la'allahum ya'lamoon
﴾47﴿ Yoosufu ayyuhas siddeequ aftinaa fee sab'i baqaraatin simaaniny ya'kuluhunna sab'un 'ijaafunw wa sabi'i sumbulaatin khudrinw wa ukhara yaabisaatil la'alleee arji'u ilan naasi la'allahum ya'lamoon
﴾48﴿ Thumma ya'tee mim ba'di zaalika sab'un shidaaduny ya'kulna maa qaddamtum lahunna illaa qaleelam mimma tuhsinoon
﴾49﴿ Thumma ya'tee mim ba'di zalika 'aamun feehi yughaa sun naasu wa feehi ya'siroon
﴾50﴿ Wa qaalal maliku'toonee bihee falammaa jaaa'ahur rasoolu qaalar-ji ilaa rabbika fas'alhu maa baalun niswatil laatee qatta'na aydiyahunn; inna Rabbee bikaidihinna 'Aleem

﴾46﴿ O Joseph, O truthful one, interpret for us the vision of seven fat cows being eaten by seven lean cows, and seven green ears of grain and others that are dry, so that I may return to the people and they may know
﴾47﴿ Joseph (peace be upon him) said: You will cultivate for seven consecutive years. Then whatever you harvest, leave it in its ears, except for a small portion that you eat
﴾48﴿ There will come after that seven difficult years during which you will consume what you have stored for them, except a little of what you keep for sowing
﴾49﴿ It will come again after that year in which there will be rain for the people, and in it, they will press the fruits
﴾50﴿ And the king said, "Bring this person to me. So when the messenger came, the king said, Return to your master and ask him, 'What was the case of the women who cut their hands? Surely my Lord is aware of their scheming

[46] In this verse, the cupbearer presents the king’s dream to Yusuf (peace be upon him) for interpretation.
The word (الصِّدِّيقُ) indicates that the cupbearer had recognized Yusuf (peace be upon him) as truthful and trustworthy.
The phrase (يَعْلَمُونَ) may refer to knowing the interpretation of the dream, or it may mean knowing the true status and rank of Yusuf (peace be upon him).
[47] In this verse, the interpretation of the dream is mentioned—seven fat cows eaten by seven lean ones, and seven green ears of grain—along with Yusuf’s (peace be upon him) proposed solution.
A sign of Yusuf’s noble character is that he did not rebuke the man at all for forgetting him.
The word (تَزْرَعُونَ) – “you will sow” – though in the form of a statement, actually carries the meaning of a command, instructing them on what to do during the upcoming years.
[48] In this interpretation, the phrases (سَبْعٌ عِجَافٌ) and (وَأُخَرَ يَابِسَاتٍ) refer to the seven years of drought and barrenness.
The verb (يَأْكُلْنَ) – “they eat” – means to consume or destroy, and attributing eating to the years is a form of figurative language (majāz), a common rhetorical style.
Benefit: This event shows that even a disbeliever’s dream can come true, and the truthfulness of the dream became a miracle of Yusuf (peace be upon him) through his precise and insightful interpretation.
[49] In this verse, Yusuf (peace be upon him) informs of something that was not mentioned in the king’s dream, which proves his virtue and prophethood—as he did not merely interpret but also added unseen knowledge granted by Allah.
The phrase (وَفِيهِ يَعْصِرُونَ) means “in it they will press (extract)”, referring to the pressing of juice (عصیر) from grapes and other fruits, and also extracting oil from olives, sesame seeds, and mustard seeds.
This indicates the return of prosperity and abundance after the drought years.
[50] In this verse, the king requests Yusuf (peace be upon him) to come out of prison and meet him.
However, Yusuf (peace be upon him) set a condition—that the past incident be thoroughly investigated first, so that his honor and reputation would be cleared before he began his public mission.
This was the personal judgment (ijtihād) of Yusuf (peace be upon him).
On the other hand, the ijtihād of the Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bless him and give him peace) was to hasten in inviting to Tawḥīd (monotheism).
That’s why the Noble Prophet (may Allah bless him and give him peace) said:
"وَلَوْ لَبِثْتُ فِي السِّجْنِ مَا لَبِثَ يُوسُفُ ، لَأَجَبْتُ الدَّاعِيَ" — “If I had remained in prison as long as Yusuf did, I would have answered the caller (immediately).”