Al-Qur'an Surah Yusuf Verse 43

Mufti Taqi Usmani

And (one day) the king said (to his courtiers), “I have seen (in a dream) seven fat cows being eaten by seven lean ones, and seven ears of grain which are green and (seven) others which are dry. O people, tell me about my dream, if you can interpret dreams.”

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

And ˹one day˺ the King[[ In the Bible (the Book of Genesis), this ruler is referred to as a pharaoh, while in the Quran he is referred to as a king. Typically, Egypt was ruled by pharaohs, but there existed a brief period in Egyptian history in which Egypt was ruled by the Hyksos invaders (1700-1550 B.C.E.). Hyksos rulers were called kings, not pharaohs. Joseph entered Egypt during the reign of the Hyksos, who used to appoint some foreigners to prominent positions in Egypt. According to The Jewish Encyclopedia, “Those who regard the Joseph stories as historical generally hold that the Pharaoh by whom Joseph was made the practical ruler of Egypt was one of the Hyksos kings.” Joseph, The Jewish Encyclopedia, Volume VII (London: Funk and Wagnalls Company, 1916), p. 252.]] said, “I dreamt of seven fat cows eaten up by seven skinny ones; and seven green ears of grain and ˹seven˺ others dry. O  chiefs! Tell me the meaning of my dream if you can interpret dreams.”

Ruwwad Translation Center

The King said, “I dreamt of seven fat cows eaten up by seven lean ones; and seven green ears of grain and [seven] others withered. O chiefs, explain my dream to me, if you can interpret dreams.”

A. J. Arberry

And the king said, 'I saw in a dream seven fat kine, and seven lean ones devouring them; likewise seven green ears of corn, and seven withered. My counsellors, pronounce to me upon my dream, if you are expounders of dreams.'

Abdul Haleem

The king said, ‘I dreamed about seven fat cows being eaten by seven lean ones; seven green ears of corn and [seven] others withered. Counsellors, if you can interpret dreams, tell me the meaning of my dream.’

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

And the king said: verily I saw seven fat kine which seven lean ones are devouring and seven green cornears and seven others dry. O ye chiefs! give me an answer in regard to my vision if a vision ye are wont to expound.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The king (of Egypt) said; "I do see (in a vision) seven fat kine, whom seven lean ones devour, and seven green ears of corn, and seven (others) withered. O ye chiefs! Expound to me my vision if it be that ye can interpret visions."

Abul Ala Maududi

And once the king said: "I have dreamt that there are seven fat cows and seven lean cows are devouring them, and there are seven fresh green ears of corn and seven others dry and withered. My nobles! Tell me what is the interpretation of this dream, if you are well-versed in interpretation of dreams."

Ahmed Ali

(One day) the king said (to his courtiers): "I saw seven fat cows in a dream being devoured by seven lean ones, and seven ears of corn that were green and seven others that were seared. O courtiers, tell me the significance of my dream, if you know how to interpret them."

Ahmed Raza Khan

And the king said, “I saw in a dream seven healthy cows whom seven lean cows were eating, and seven green ears of corn and seven others dry; O court-members! Explain my dream, if you can interpret dreams.”

Ali Quli Qarai

[One day] the king said, ‘I saw [in a dream] seven fat cows being devoured by seven lean ones, and seven green ears and [seven] others [that were] dry. O courtiers, give me your opinion about my dream, if you can interpret dreams.’

Ali Ünal

And the king said one day: "I saw in a dream seven fat cows being devoured by seven lean ones, and seven green ears of grain and another (seven) dry. O you courtiers! Enlighten me about my dream, if you know how to interpret dreams."

Amatul Rahman Omar

Now (it so happened that one day) the king said, `I saw (in a dream) seven fat kine which seven lean ones were eating, and seven green ears of corn and (as many) others withered. You nobles of the court! explain to me the real significance of my dream if you can interpret dreams.´

English Literal

And the king said: "I see seven fat/fleshy cows, seven weak/bony/starved eat them (F), and seven green ears/spikes of wheat, barley etc. and others dry. You, you the nobles/groups/assembly give me your opinion/clarify for me in my dream, if you were to the dream(s) explaining (interpreting)."

Faridul Haque

And the king said, "I saw in a dream seven healthy cows whom seven lean cows were eating, and seven green ears of corn and seven others dry; O court-members! Explain my dream, if you can interpret dreams."

Hamid S. Aziz

And he said to him of the two whom he knew would escape, "Remember me with your Lord!" But Satan made him forget to mention him to his lord, so he (Joseph) lingered in prison for a few more years.

Hilali & Khan

And the king (of Egypt) said: "Verily, I saw (in a dream) seven fat cows, whom seven lean ones were devouring - and of seven green ears of corn, and (seven) others dry. O notables! Explain to me my dream, if it be that you can interpret dreams."

Maulana Mohammad Ali

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.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

And the king said: Surely I see seven fat kine which seven lean ones devoured; and seven green ears and (seven) others dry: O chiefs! explain to me my dream, if you can interpret the dream.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

And the king said: Lo! I saw in a dream seven fat kine which seven lean were eating, and seven green ears of corn and other (seven) dry. O notables! Expound for me my vision, if ye can interpret dreams.

Muhammad Sarwar

(Sometimes later), the King dreamt that seven lean cows were eating seven fat ones and that there were seven green ears of corn and seven dry ones. He asked the nobles to tell him the meaning of his dream if they were able to.

Qaribullah & Darwish

The king said: 'I saw in a vision seven fatted cows being devoured by seven lean ones; and seven green ears of corn and seven others withered. My counselors, tell me the meaning of my vision, if you can interpret visions'

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

And the king (of Egypt) said: "Verily, I saw (in a dream) seven fat cows, whom seven lean ones were devouring, and seven green ears of corn, and (seven) others dry. O notables! Explain to me my dream, if it be that you can interpret dreams."

Wahiduddin Khan

The king said, "I saw [in a dream] seven fat cows which seven lean ones were eating, also seven green ears of corn and seven others which were dry. Tell me the meaning of this vision, my nobles, if you can interpret visions."

Talal Itani

The king said, “I see seven fat cows being eaten by seven lean ones, and seven green spikes, and others dried up. O elders, explain to me my vision, if you are able to interpret visions.”

Tafsir jalalayn

And the king, the king of Egypt -- al-Rayyn b. al-Wald -- said, `I saw in [a dream] seven fat kine being devoured, being swallowed up, by seven lean ones, of kine (`ijf is the plural of `ajf'), and seven green ears of corn and others, that is seven [other] ears of corn, dry, that had wound themselves around the green ones and risen above them. O courtiers! Give me [your] opinion about my vision; expound for me its interpretation, if you can interpret visions', then interpret it for me.

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

The Dream of the King of Egypt

Allah tells;

وَقَالَ الْمَلِكُ إِنِّي أَرَى سَبْعَ بَقَرَاتٍ سِمَانٍ يَأْكُلُهُنَّ سَبْعٌ عِجَافٌ وَسَبْعَ سُنبُلَتٍ خُضْرٍ وَأُخَرَ يَابِسَاتٍ

يَا أَيُّهَا الْمَلُ أَفْتُونِي فِي رُوْيَايَ إِن كُنتُمْ لِلرُّوْيَا تَعْبُرُونَ



And the king (of Egypt) said;"Verily, I saw (in a dream) seven fat cows, whom seven lean ones were devouring, and seven green ears of corn, and (seven) others dry. O notables! Explain to me my dream, if it be that you can interpret dreams."

The King of Egypt had a dream that Allah the Exalted made a reason for Yusuf's release from prison, with his honor and reputation preserved. When the king had this dream, he was astonished and fearful and sought its interpretation. He gathered the priests, the chiefs of his state and the princes and told them what he had seen in a dream, asking them to interpret it for him. They did not know its interpretation and as an excuse, they said