وَقَالَ ٱلْمَلِكُ إِنِّىٓ أَرَىٰ سَبْعَ بَقَرَٰتٍ سِمَانٍ يَأْكُلُهُنَّ سَبْعٌ عِجَافٌ وَسَبْعَ سُنۢبُلَـٰتٍ خُضْرٍ وَأُخَرَ يَابِسَـٰتٍ ۖ يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلْمَلَأُ أَفْتُونِى فِى رُءْيَـٰىَ إِن كُنتُمْ لِلرُّءْيَا تَعْبُرُونَ 43
Translations
And [subsequently] the king said, "Indeed, I have seen [in a dream] seven fat cows being eaten by seven [that were] lean, and seven green spikes [of grain] and others [that were] dry. O eminent ones, explain to me my vision, if you should interpret visions."
Transliteration
Wa qala al-maliku inni ara saba' baqaratin simaan ya'kuluhunna saba' 'ijaf wa saba' sunbulatin khudur wa ukhra yabisaat. Ya ayyuha al-mala'u aftuni fi ru'yaya in kuntum li-al-ru'ya ta'burun.
Tafsir (Explanation)
The king of Egypt describes his recurring dream to his court: seven fat cows being consumed by seven lean cows, and seven green ears of grain alongside seven withered ones. He appeals to his assembly of nobles and wise men to interpret this vision, assuming they possess the knowledge to interpret dreams. According to classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, this dream was divinely sent as a means to bring Prophet Yusuf (Joseph) out of prison and into a position where he could serve both the king and the people during the forthcoming famine.
Revelation Context
This ayah occurs within the narrative of Yusuf's life in Meccan Surah Yusuf. The king's dream becomes the pivotal turning point in Yusuf's story—after years of imprisonment for a crime he did not commit, this dream provides the mechanism for his release and elevation. The surah is primarily Meccan, though some scholars note this particular passage may relate to later portions revealed in Madinah.
Related Hadiths
While no specific hadith directly interprets this dream, Sahih Bukhari contains hadiths about the interpretation of dreams and the virtue of truthful dreams (ru'ya sadiqah), and there are hadiths in Muslim collections about Prophet Muhammad's validation of Yusuf's story as among the most excellent of narratives (Ahsan al-Qasas).
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that Allah works through seemingly ordinary circumstances—a dream, a king's concern, courtiers' inability—to bring about extraordinary outcomes for those who trust in Him. For modern readers, it reminds us that our periods of difficulty and waiting may be precisely the preparation for our most important roles in serving others.