وَقالَ المَلِكُ إِنّي أَرىٰ سَبعَ بَقَراتٍ سِمانٍ يَأكُلُهُنَّ سَبعٌ عِجافٌ وَسَبعَ سُنبُلاتٍ خُضرٍ وَأُخَرَ يابِساتٍ ۖ يا أَيُّهَا المَلَأُ أَفتوني في رُؤيايَ إِن كُنتُم لِلرُّؤيا تَعبُرونَ

[One day] the king said: ‘I see [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.’

EXEGESIS

Arā (I see) is from ruʾyā (dream). The present tense is used because the dream may have been recurring,[1] or perhaps because it was so vivid that it felt as though he were seeing it in that very moment.[2] Alternatively, as the Bible suggests, it might be because he experienced them as separate dreams, one of cows and another of crops.[3]

Simān (fat) is the plural of samīn, meaning fat, like kirām is the plural of karīm.[4] The same plural is used for both masculine and feminine.[5]

The term ʿijāf (lean) is a plural adjective derived from the root verb ʿajifa, which denotes the state of having lost fat or becoming emaciated. The singular form for the masculine is aʿjaf, while the feminine is ʿajfāʾ. In Arabic, words following the afʿal pattern (such as aʿjaf) typically form their plural in a different morphological measure, such as fuʿʿāl or afʿāl. However, the irregular plural ʿijāf is used here alongside simān (fat cows), to create a deliberate contrast between the emaciated and healthy animals.[6] Such poetic license, where irregular forms are employed for rhyme and meter, is common in the Quran, with numerous other examples found throughout the text.

Sunbulāt (ears) is the plural of sunbulah (ear of grain), referring to the sprouting part of crops. It derives from the root sabala, which has two proposed origins: 1. ‘A path travelled with ease’,[7] suggesting the unimpeded growth of crops. 2. ‘To send forth gradually’[8] or ‘to prolong growth’. In both cases, the etymological link to sprouting vegetation remains clear.

Malaʾ (courtiers) derives from the root verb malaʾa, meaning to fill. The elite are called malaʾ because when they attend a gathering, they command attention and the eyes and hearts are filled with their grandeur and presence.[9] Here it refers to the courtiers present at the royal court.[10]

Aftūnī (give me your opinion) derives from the root fatā, which was already sufficiently discussed in verses 36 and 41.

Ruʾyā (dream) derives from the root verb raʾā, which refers to the vision of eye (ruʾyah) or what is seen in the dream (ruʾyā).[11]

Taʿburūn (interpret) derives from the root verb ʿabara meaning to cross from one state to another.[12] A life lesson is termed ʿibrah because when one observes something seemingly insignificant, they employ their intellect to contemplate it, thereby uncovering a deeper and more profound meaning. Similarly, an expression is referred to as ʿibārah because it signifies a transition from an intended meaning to external words and phrases that elucidate and clarify it. In other words, it represents a passage from an internal concept to articulated speech.

The interpretation of a dream is referred to as its taʿbīr because it entails elucidating its ultimate conclusion and outcome, much like one who crosses a river to the opposite bank may say, ʿabbartu al-nahr (I have crossed the river).[13] Alternatively, the term signifies that the interpreter employs the imagery of the dream to transition from mere vision and symbolism to its practical application in reality.[14]

EXPOSITION

We are now introduced to the third and final dream-vision of this surah. Like with the previous dream, we again are reminded that such dream-visions can be experienced by anyone, not just prophets. It is not even necessary that they be a believer. Since dream-visions pertain to the realm of the soul, they remain an intrinsic possibility for every human being.

The king said: this is the king of Egypt and should not be confused with the governor (ʿazīz) who had purchased Prophet Joseph (a) earlier in the story.

I see [in a dream] seven fat cows being devoured by seven lean ones, and seven green ears and [seven] others [that were] dry: while the green ears of crops are specified as being seven, the number of dry ones is not mentioned, but it is understood from the context that seven is intended there as well,[15] especially considering the interpretation that Prophet Joseph (a) gives of the dream to mean seven lean years and seven plentiful years.

O courtiers: he means here not just people who may have been present in court, but his advisors and councillors.

Give me your opinion about my dream: notably, in recounting the king’s dream, the Quran employs the term aftū (offer your opinion), both in this instance and in verse 46, where the verb aftinā is used. In contrast, when narrating the dreams of the two imprisoned youths (verses 36–37), the text utilises the term nabbiʾ (to inform). This lexical distinction may reflect contextual nuances: perhaps regarding the king’s dream fatwā is used, because of his position, and any resulting interpretation would guide royal decree on the matter. As for the prison, the term nabbiʾ is used, as the context there links to prophethood (nubuwwah), since that is what Prophet Joseph (a) was emphasising when preaching to the youth.

If you can interpret dreams: this demonstrates that dreams had a special significance in Ancient Egyptian culture[16] (as they did in most ancient cultures) and that it was quite normal that wise men would interpret dreams as signs of future events. It was generally held that dreams could be omens or portents of things to come. Priests were often trained in how to interpret dreams, and manuals were compiled instructing how one should do so. It was not at all uncommon for individuals to go to sleep in certain temples in order to seek prophetic dreams. This belief in the power of dreams only grew more popular in Egypt with time and in later periods.[17] Hence, we should not be surprised that the king asked his courtiers to employ dream interpreters to interpret the dream for him. For more on dreams and visions, see the Topical Article under verse 4.

That said, we find that God would grant His prophets miracles that were tailored to the specific cultures they were sent to; those things which had central significance to a culture were selected and given to their messengers as miracles. This elevated the significance of the miracle for its contemporary audience and allowed it to be more impactful. Hence, Prophet Joseph (a) was given the power to interpret dreams, in a culture that valued dreams and placed great importance on them. Prophet Moses (a) performed miracles which far outperformed any magic tricks the much-celebrated illusionists of his time could muster. Prophet Muhammad (s) delivered a book of such outstanding literary value and prowess that no Arab poet could match it, even though the Arabs took great pride in their language and poetry.[18] Each miracle thus engaged its audience through their most valued intellectual and spiritual domains, serving as irrefutable proof of divine authority while simultaneously transcending the particular cultural context that made them immediately comprehensible.

REVIEW OF TAFSĪR LITERATURE

Ibn ʿĀshūr points out that the Quran uses the term malik (king) to describe the sovereign of Egypt and does not use the term Pharaoh, unlike in the story of Prophet Moses (a). He points out that at the time of Prophet Joseph (a) the kings of Egypt were not yet called pharaohs, which was a term adopted only later. Thus he argues that the Quran uses more accurate terminology than the Bible, which refers to the sovereign as pharaoh.[19] Indeed, the word pharaoh originates form the Egyptian term per ʿaa, meaning ‘great house’ and refers to the royal palace used by the sovereign. Through time the term began to be associated with the sovereign himself. This naming of the Egyptian king as pharaoh is something that came to be only after the time of Prophet Joseph (a) during the eighteenth dynasty of the New Kingdom (1539 – c. 1292 BCE) and became widespread by the twenty-second dynasty (943 – c. 746 BCE). It later became even further popularised as a general term for the Egyptian kings because of the Bible.[20] Prophet Joseph (a) himself is generally said to have lived sometime during the Hyksos period (c. 1630–1530 BC).[21] During that period Canaanites (from where Prophet Joseph (a) himself originated) moved to Egypt and ruled over it. They were generally considered to have been more friendly towards the Israelites. The Hyksos were later expelled from Egypt.

INSIGHTS FROM OTHER TRADITIONS

1. After two whole years, Pharaoh had a dream that he was standing by the Nile. Seven fine-looking and fattened cows suddenly came up out of the river, and they grazed in the meadow. Then seven other cows came up after them out of the river, ugly and gaunt, and stood by the other cows on the riverbank. The ugly and gaunt cows ate up the seven fine-looking and fattened cows. Then Pharaoh awoke. He slept and dreamed a second time. Seven ears of grain suddenly came up on one stalk, plump and good. Then seven thin ears, scorched by the east wind, sprang up after them. The seven thin ears devoured the seven plump and full ears. Then Pharaoh awoke and realised it was a dream. In the morning his spirit was troubled, and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt and all its wise men. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was no one who could interpret them to Pharaoh.[22]

[1] See Mizan, 11/185.
[2] Tantawi, 7/367. See also Munyah, 14/181.
[3] See Mizan, 11/187. See Genesis 41:1-7.
[4] Zamakhshari, 2/473.
[5] Alusi, 6/438.
[6] Zamakhshari, 2/473.
[7] Raghib, p. 395, s-b-l.
[8] Tahqiq, 5/52, s-b-l.
[9] Razi, 26/368.
[10] Tibyan, 6/145; Tabari, 12/133.
[11] Mizan, 11/77.
[12] Raghib, p. 543, ʿ-b-r.
[13] Zamakhshari, 2/474.
[14] Tahqiq, 8/19, ʿ-b-r.
[15] Zamakhshari, 2/474.
[16] Tantawi, 7/368.
[17] Margaret R Bunson, Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt (New York: Facts on file, 2002), p. 224.
[18] See also the discussion in Munyah, 14/182.
[19] See Muhammad al-Ṭāhir ibn ʿĀshūr, al-Taḥrīr wa al-Tanwīr (Beirut: Muʾassasat al-Taʾrīkh, n.d.), 12/68-69. See also Tantawi, 7/367; Sharawi, pp. 6967-6968.
[20] ‘Pharaoh’, in Encyclopaedia Britannica, accessed at: https://www.britannica.com/topic/pharaoh on 16/09/2024.
[21] ‘Hyksos’ in Encyclopaedia Britannica, accessed at: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Hyksos-Egyptian-dynasty on 17/09/2024. Or possibly starting as early as 1900 BCE. See Muhammad al-Ṭāhir ibn ʿĀshūr, al-Taḥrīr wa al-Tanwīr (Beirut: Muʾassasat al-Taʾrīkh, n.d.), 12/68-69.
[22] Genesis 41:1-8.