12-36 And two youths entered the prison with him. One of them said: I saw myself pressing wine. And the other said: I saw myself carrying bread on my head, of which birds were eating. Inform us of its interpretation; surely we see thee to be of the doers of good.a
وَدَخَلَ مَعَهُ ٱلسِّجْنَ فَتَيَانِ ۖ قَالَ أَحَدُهُمَآ إِنِّىٓ أَرَىٰنِىٓ أَعْصِرُ خَمْرًۭا ۖ وَقَالَ ٱلْـَٔاخَرُ إِنِّىٓ أَرَىٰنِىٓ أَحْمِلُ فَوْقَ رَأْسِى خُبْزًۭا تَأْكُلُ ٱلطَّيْرُ مِنْهُ ۖ نَبِّئْنَا بِتَأْوِيلِهِۦٓ ۖ إِنَّا نَرَىٰكَ مِنَ ٱلْمُحْسِنِينَ (۳۶)
12-36a: Both the prisoners having spent time in the company of Joseph and seeing his piety relate their dreams to Joseph.
12-37 He said: The food with which you are fed shall not come to you, but I shall inform you of its interpretation before it comes to you. This is of what my Lord has taught me. Surely I have forsaken the religion of a people who believe not in Allah, and are deniers of the Hereafter.a
قَالَ لَا يَأْتِيكُمَا طَعَامٌۭ تُرْزَقَانِهِۦٓ إِلَّا نَبَّأْتُكُمَا بِتَأْوِيلِهِۦ قَبْلَ أَن يَأْتِيَكُمَا ۚ ذَٰلِكُمَا مِمَّا عَلَّمَنِى رَبِّىٓ ۚ إِنِّى تَرَكْتُ مِلَّةَ قَوْمٍۢ لَّا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِٱللَّهِ وَهُم بِٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ هُمْ كَـٰفِرُونَ (۳۷)
12-37a: Because the two prisoners themselves said that they had seen Joseph to be a doer of good, hence Joseph begins by advising them in the hope that they may reform themselves. This part is again missing from the Bible, and mention is only made of their dreams and Joseph’s interpretation. At every step one realizes how the Quran has filled the narrative of Joseph with useful advice, while the same in the Bible is a dry narrative. The Quran shows that even the walls of a prison cannot prevent a person from doing good, which is the real purpose of life. The purport of the mention of food at the beginning of the verse is not that Joseph will be able to interpret the condition of the food, but by تَأْوِيلِهِۦ is meant the interpretation of their dreams which they had requested. The fact is that worldly people soon tire of being sermonized. Hence Joseph conveys to them that in their current state their main concern is eating and filling their stomachs but he will interpret their dreams and also finish giving them advise before their food arrives.
12-38 And I follow the religion of my fathers, Abraham and Isaac and Jacob. It beseems us not to associate aught with Allah. This is by Allah’s grace upon us and on mankind, but most people give not thanks.a
وَٱتَّبَعْتُ مِلَّةَ ءَابَآءِىٓ إِبْرَٰهِيمَ وَإِسْحَـٰقَ وَيَعْقُوبَ ۚ مَا كَانَ لَنَآ أَن نُّشْرِكَ بِٱللَّهِ مِن شَىْءٍۢ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ مِن فَضْلِ ٱللَّهِ عَلَيْنَا وَعَلَى ٱلنَّاسِ وَلَـٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ ٱلنَّاسِ لَا يَشْكُرُونَ (۳۸)
12-38a: Only the foundational principle of religion is mentioned here, that is the oneness of God which is common to all religions. The purport is that the basic principle of his religion is the same as that of their religion.
12-39 O my two fellow-prisoners, are sundry lords better or Allah the One, the Supreme?a
يَـٰصَـٰحِبَىِ ٱلسِّجْنِ ءَأَرْبَابٌۭ مُّتَفَرِّقُونَ خَيْرٌ أَمِ ٱللَّهُ ٱلْوَٰحِدُ ٱلْقَهَّارُ (۳۹)
12-39: Thus, a polytheist accepts the slavery of multiple masters and a slave with many masters cannot prosper. Allah has power over everything and anyone who choses to be His servant will not need to be dependent on anyone else.
12-40 You serve not besides Him but names which you have named, you and your fathers — Allah has sent down no authority for them. Judgment is only Allah’s. He has commanded that you serve none but Him. This is the right religion, but most people know not.a
مَا تَعْبُدُونَ مِن دُونِهِۦٓ إِلَّآ أَسْمَآءًۭ سَمَّيْتُمُوهَآ أَنتُمْ وَءَابَآؤُكُم مَّآ أَنزَلَ ٱللَّهُ بِهَا مِن سُلْطَـٰنٍ ۚ إِنِ ٱلْحُكْمُ إِلَّا لِلَّهِ ۚ أَمَرَ أَلَّا تَعْبُدُوٓا۟ إِلَّآ إِيَّاهُ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ ٱلدِّينُ ٱلْقَيِّمُ وَلَـٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ ٱلنَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ (۴۰)
12-40a: أَسْمَآءًۭ here means that the names of the idols are just words with no underlying reality.
إِنِ ٱلْحُكْمُ إِلَّا لِلَّهِ means that the correct command is the one that Allah gives and Allah has never given any command through any of His prophets to worship any other than Allah. In fact, He has always been commanding not to worship anything except Allah.
12-41 O my two fellow-prisoners, as for one of you, he will serve wine for his lord to drink; and as for the other, he will be crucified, so that the birds will eat from his head. The matter is decreed concerning which you inquired.
يَـٰصَـٰحِبَىِ ٱلسِّجْنِ أَمَّآ أَحَدُكُمَا فَيَسْقِى رَبَّهُۥ خَمْرًۭا ۖ وَأَمَّا ٱلْـَٔاخَرُ فَيُصْلَبُ فَتَأْكُلُ ٱلطَّيْرُ مِن رَّأْسِهِۦ ۚ قُضِىَ ٱلْأَمْرُ ٱلَّذِى فِيهِ تَسْتَفْتِيَانِ (۴۱)
12-42 And he said to him whom he knew would be delivered of the two: Remember me with thy lord. But the devil caused him to forget mentioning (it) to his lord, so he remained in the prison a few years.a
وَقَالَ لِلَّذِى ظَنَّ أَنَّهُۥ نَاجٍۢ مِّنْهُمَا ٱذْكُرْنِى عِندَ رَبِّكَ فَأَنسَىٰهُ ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنُ ذِكْرَ رَبِّهِۦ فَلَبِثَ فِى ٱلسِّجْنِ بِضْعَ سِنِينَ (۴۲)
12-42a: ذِكْرَ رَبِّهِۦ – The connection between ذِكْرَ (remember me) and رَبِّهِ (your lord) is known grammatically as اضافت ادنیٰ ملابست (prefixing two pronouns so that the former governs the latter) and the purport is ذکر یوسف عند ربه . This request is not considered as asking assistance from other than Allah. The prisoners had themselves witnessed and testified to Joseph’s piety, so Joseph desires that the prisoner who would be saved and return to the king’s court should convey the same testimony to the king so that he may know that Joseph has been unjustly accused.
Bayan-ul-Quran 