Al Quran 12:42: What is the correct translation?

Mohammed_

Salam everyone,

I’ve had this on my mind and wanted to share it while the opportunity is still here. What's the correct translation?

"..But Shaytan caused him [Yusuf] to forget to remember/mention his lord.."
"..But Shaytan caused him [the released person wo serves khamr] to forget to mention [Yusuf] to his lord [the ruler].."

If it is the first, does it imply that a believer/submitter should always seek help with God before/while seeking any help through worldly means? (look at verses like 1:5) As all power and control ultimately rests with God?
Could this be one of the reason why we are told to avoid intoxicants?
5:91 ..turn you away from the remembrance of God,.. (forced state of forgetting)

And in the same chapter, verses 67-68 remind us that judgment as to what is to happen rests with none but God.

I would love to hear your insights!

Ronin

Peace Mohammed,

I think the second translation (the person who forget to mention Yusuf) is the correct one. A believer should always seek help with Allah, but help often comes indirectly through means, people, or events. The stories of Moses and Joseph clearly show that God helps His servants through means, people, and events, while God alone remains the ultimate source of help.

Verse 5:90-91 shows that intoxicants (al-khamri) and gambling (al-maysiri) can lead to strife and enmity among believers and distract them from remembering God and Salat (the spiritual bond/divine connection). This might happen because these things can cloud judgment (which can result in forgetfulness), stir up feelings like greed and anger, and lead to unfairness and disputes (which can result in division and disunity).

On a side note, research describes alcohol, nicotine, and caffeine as the most widely consumed psychotropic drugs worldwide. This means that these three are the most used substances that affect the brain. The Quran advises avoiding all intoxicants (see 5:91). Many researchers claim that the positive affects of caffeine such as increased alertness, improved mood and enhanced performance can outweigh its negative effects, if it is consumed in moderation. On another note, the top five natural sources of caffeine, besides coffee are tea (Black tea, Green tea and Oolong tea), yerba mate, guarana, kola nut, and cacao (cocoa). Energy drinks should be highly limited or avoided altogether due to their high sugar content and synthetic caffeine, which can lead to long-term health issues.

good logic

Peace Mohammed.

The same person in the whole verse is the one who is referred to:
12:42:
Joseph was talking in the verse and Joseph was referred to after in that same verse:
He then said to the one to be saved "Remember me at your lord."* Thus, the devil caused him to forget his Lord, and, consequently, he remained in prison a few more years.
وَقالَ لِلَّذى ظَنَّ أَنَّهُ ناجٍ مِنهُمَا اذكُرنى عِندَ رَبِّكَ فَأَنسىٰهُ الشَّيطٰنُ ذِكرَ رَبِّهِ فَلَبِثَ فِى السِّجنِ بِضعَ سِنينَ

Joseph is the subject of the verse?
Joseph is the one who forgot to mention"GOD willing... When he requested to the servant to mention him at his lord- King/Pharaoh"- i.e.
Do not say I will do such and such- or something is going to happen...tomorrow except if GOD wills... And Joseph stayed few more years in prison after the servant was released .
Then the King saw the dream and GOD willed that events for joseph s forgiveness to unravel.
GOD is forgiver most Merciful.
True believers go through GOD s test all of them including prophets . Repentance to GOD and remembrance of GOF is required daily from believers as slip ups occur often with all humans.
GOD bless you.
Peace.

Layth

According to 12:45 is what the other prisoner that "forgot"

Mohammed_

Alhamdulillah, & thank you for your responses.

@Ronin,
"God helps His servants through means, people, and events, while God alone remains the ultimate source of help."

I agree—I believe this is the awareness a true submitter/believer has (or should have?) when seeking help through worldly means.

@good-logic,
So, if I understand correctly, you are agreeing with Translation #1—that Yusuf is the one referred to as forgetting.

Based on my Quran study, the ideal is for the heart to remain anchored in God. We see this in 12:23, where Yusuf acknowledged: “I seek refuge with God, He is my Lord, He has made good my stay.."

@Layth,
While verse 45 shows the servant remembered Yusuf's request later on, does it necessarily mean that the 'forgetting' mentioned in verse 42 refers to him as well? (see how Yusuf remembered his Lord (God) in 12:23. Is verse 42 highlighting a shift in that spiritual state?). In verse 42, the text says 'Shaytan caused him to forget the remembrance of his Lord' (dhikra rabbihi). I’ve noticed that 'remembrance of the Lord' usually refers to God in the Quran, so I am still reflecting on whether the first translation (that it was Yusuf who forgot) carries a deeper meaning?

**
I also find it interesting to consider Yusuf’s background. He came from a family of Prophethood (12:4-6) and clearly possessed judgement and knowledge even before or during his imprisonment (as seen in 12:22-23; 33-34; 37-40).
Since those from such upbringing and spiritual lineage—who are intended to be role models—carry such deep knowledge of God’s System, it follows that their accountability would be greater. Just as the Qur’an mentions that the wives of the Prophet would face 'double' punishment if they were to commit a clear wrongdoing (33:30), perhaps a lapse in remembrance by someone of Yusuf’s stature carries a heavier consequence than it would for a common person.

Later in the chapter, Yusuf mentions that he does not claim to be innocent of human fallibility (the self) 12:53

Reflection on 42:30: The verse states, "Whatever affliction strikes you, it is a consequence of what your hands have earned; and He pardons much." Could this apply here?

We see a similar theme earlier in the story. When Ya'qub says, "...and I fear that the wolf eats him.." some reflect on whether this expression of fear—coming from a role model of his stature and knowledge —became the basis for his long trial. Even if he said this as an excuse to prevent them from taking Yusuf, for a person of his standing, perhaps the lesson is that one shouldn't even 'use' a fear of the creation as a reason, as God is the Most Merciful and the Best Protector. If we apply 42:30 here as well, it seems to suggest that for those granted with deep knowledge or wisdom/hikmah, expressing such a fear rather than focusing on God's protection can lead to a refining affliction?

I would love to hear your thoughts or any corrections you may have.

However, is there a specific grammatical reason the majority of translations favor it was the servant who forgot?

(Note: I have no clear knowledge if Yusuf or Ya'qub committed anything wrong in the sight of God; these are just possibilities. I could be wrong, but I shared it to give you more context behind my thoughts, with the intention of seeking the truth from God.)

Mohammed_

I noticed many translations suggest that 'my Lord' (rabbee) in 12:23 refers to the master of the house (al-'azeez), even though Yusuf begins with seeking refuge in God.
However, when we look at 12:33, Yusuf calls out again: 'My Lord (rabbi), prison is more dear to me than that to which they invite me..' & 12:34 says: 'So his Lord responded to him..'
It shows his heart was turning to the True Rabb in both instances of distress.

Fusion

If both readings are grammatically possible then appealing to Yusuf’s spiritual state elsewhere doesn’t resolve the ambiguity. The decision has to be made on linguistic and contextual grounds. Otherwise we risk letting theology override the text instead of letting the text inform theology.

Prophetic immunity cannot be the deciding criterion unless the Quran itself establishes it rather than it being preferred by traditional scholarship for protective reasons.

Rabb / rabbi is used contextually in the Quran for both God and human authority within the same surah so its meaning must be decided by context not assumed by doctrine.

Mohammed_

peace Fusion,
I’m not sure I understand the connection to 'prophetic immunity' here, as I'm actually looking at his human vulnerability. Rather, my reflection is based on the Quranic principle of increased accountability for those granted a higher spiritual standing (as seen in 33:30) in line with the Quranic theme of actions and their consequences (e.g. 42:30, 4:79, 8:25, 30:36, 30:41, 42:48, 16:34, 7:100)

In 12:42, 'mention me at your lord' is Yusuf's word. But when God says: 'Shaytan made him forget the remembrance of his Lord (rabb)', I wonder if it's likely that God is referring to anything other than God here?—while throughout the Quran, in the specific context of 'remembrance' (dhikr), dhikr + rabb is exclusively refers to the remembrance of God. If this verse refers to other than God, it would be the only and unique exception—correct me if I’ve missed an instance elsewhere.

Furthermore, look at the phrasing 'dhikra rabbihi'. If it were simply about the servant forgetting, we might expect the text to say like 'Shaytan made him forget to mention him/Yusuf...'—similar to the phrasing in 18:63, where the servant of Musa says, 'none made me forget to mention/remember it (adhkurahu) except Shaytan.'—but here it's 'dhikra rabbihi' (remembrance of his Lord)

If we look at the text, verse 12:42 ends with him remaining in prison for several more years. If the 'forgetting' was merely the servant's mistake, the extra years would seem disconnected from the spiritual lesson of the verse. But if the 'forgetting' refers to Yusuf's heart, it contributes to the extra years and become a meaningful/refining trial—especially given his earlier steadfast reliance on God.

good logic

Also believers / students of Qoran find that GOD is in control of all unfolding of events because GOD is outside of time( past present and future) and sees knows everything .i.e GOD does everything.

GOD knew the king will see the dream and that would lead to Joseph s release from prison, after the few extra years in prison.. There is no coincidence as far as GOD is concerned.
Joseph requested /preferred prison over giving in to the plot of the women . GOD answers the prayers of the devotee and keeps testing their deep conviction. Any slip ups will require sincere repentance and some consequence. After repentance GOD s forgiveness and mercy are bestowed on the believer..
The prison mate was given a clear opportunity to recall Joseph and his dream solving episode when no one could interpret the King s dream and to tell the king about Joseph.
We can ask ourselves this question: What if the king never saw any dream? How would Joseph come out from prison before he did?
The event of the dream also led to Joseph get the best possible status to help Misr and his family .
As far as GOD is concerned,He is in complete control of everything He created.
As far as we are concerned our free will gives us control on our choices and decisions.
For the believers, free will means GOD s will and surrender to GOD s laws and commands.
Surrender will mean accepting everything that comes our way good and bad . Thanking GOD for His Mercy/provisions/ease , remembering GOD and repenting daily has been instructed/commended to us in GOD s message. We- including prophets/messengers- err and slip up often aware or unaware..
GOD bless you all.
Peace.

Fusion

Folks I take the usage point but once the immediate context allows more than one referent, I am comfortable leaving it unresolved rather than pushing it further.

good logic

Here is something simple and logical about the straight path. One can only try their best to be consistent doing the right things.
Believers are no exceptions , human nature has flaws.
GOD tells the believers:
-Whatever bad you encounter , it is from yourself, whatever good you encounter it is from GOD;

Say: nothing will happen to us except what god has recorded/ plan-according to His knowledge of each individual. GOD has the video tape of each person s life already- GOD is our Lord and in GOD we trust.
As far as we are concerned we are living/working for our own destiny.
Joseph has stayed extra years in prison not through the fault of somebody else but his. He knew the script= realising his slip up- and fate and accepted with patience. He trusted GOD -and so should every true believer.
As for the prison mate , it is irrelevant forgetting about mentioning Joseph to the king, GOD made the opportunity arise for him to benefit both Joseph and himself.
It is Joseph s responsibility to remember His own GOD frequently also.
Good and bad happens according to GOD s laws and true justice..
My take .
GOD bless you all.
Peace

Mohammed_

Consider the consistent pattern of Yusuf's language throughout the Surah:

12:23 'I seek refuge with God, He is my Rabb, He has made good my stay...'

12:33-34
'My Rabb, prison is more dear to me than that to which they invite me...' 'So his Rabb responded to him...'

12:37 (To his cellmates): '..that is from what my Rabb has taught me..'

12:101
'My Rabb, ...You are my Protector in this world and the Hereafter...'

In the instances shown to us, Yusuf repeatedly turns to the Rabb. He even called upon God to grant him the refuge of prison. Yet, we don't see a similar request from Yusuf to the same Rabb for his release.

Instead, in 12:42, we see:
'...Mention me to your rabb (master/king)..'

Given this contrast, is it possible that the 'forgetting' mentioned immediately after refers to a lapse in his remembrance of (reliance upon) the True Rabb?

good logic

These two verses confirm for us that we should only rely on GOD Alone.

You shall not say that you will do anything in the future,
وَلا تَقولَنَّ لِشَا۟ىءٍ إِنّى فاعِلٌ ذٰلِكَ غَدًا
without saying, "God willing."* If you forget to do this, you must immediately remember your Lord and say, "May my Lord guide me to do better next time."
إِلّا أَن يَشاءَ اللَّهُ وَاذكُر رَبَّكَ إِذا نَسيتَ وَقُل عَسىٰ أَن يَهدِيَنِ رَبّى لِأَقرَبَ مِن هٰذا رَشَدًا
GOD bless you all.
Peace.

Mohammed_

You shall not say that you will do anything in the future,
وَلا تَقولَنَّ لِشَا۟ىءٍ إِنّى فاعِلٌ ذٰلِكَ غَدًا
without saying, "God willing."* If you forget to do this, you must immediately remember your Lord and say, "May my Lord guide me to do better next time."
إِلّا أَن يَشاءَ اللَّهُ وَاذكُر رَبَّكَ إِذا نَسيتَ وَقُل عَسىٰ أَن يَهدِيَنِ رَبّى لِأَقرَبَ مِن هٰذا رَشَدًا

That is a helpful reminder. A similar message can also be seen in Yusuf’s words in 12:99.

"So when they entered upon Yusuf, he took his parents to him and he said:
'Enter Egypt, God willing (inshaAllah), in security.'"

Salam all,

Looking back at the thought that 'dhikr + rabb' always refers to the remembrance of God, there is something quite interesting to notice:

It appears that God does not use the title ‘Rabb’ for anyone other than Himself in the Qur’an when speaking in His own ‘voice’.
In 12:41, 12:42, and 12:50, where the term 'rabb' refers to a human master/ruler, it is always within the quoted speech of Yusuf. But in the phrase 'dhikra rabbihi' (remembrance of his Lord), it is God’s own voice narrating the event.
Is it possible that this is a unique exception?

This way of speaking seems to fit with how God describes Himself as the Lord (rabb) of mankind or the Lord of all things (e.g. 114:1, 44:7-8) and cautions against taking others as arbab besides Him (3:64, 80; 9:31).

**

To add some more context on the identity of the 'Rabb' in 12:23, while some translations suggest Yusuf was referring to his master in the house, a few points strongly point toward it referring to God:

Just two verses prior, the verse 12:21 mentions God's direct role: '...and thus We established Yusuf in the land... and God is predominant over His affair...'
In 12:6, his father clearly tells him who his Lord is: 'and thus your Rabb chooses you... Indeed, your Rabb is Knowledgeable, Wise.'
Throughout the rest of the Surah, Yusuf consistently uses rabbi/rabbee (My Lord) to address or refer only to the Divine. (12:33, 37, 50, 53, 100, 101)

**

Along with 33:30, verses like 5:115, 17:73–75, and 4:17 can also point to a sense of increased/proportionate accountability.

**

A few other verses which also appear to reflect a similar emphasis to what is found in 5:1:

• 3:160 – God is the only true helper
• 67:1 – Everything is ultimately in His hand
• 2:153 – Turning to patience and maintaining salah
• 65:3 – Trusting God, for He is always sufficient
• 57:4 – God’s nearness at all times
• 6:162 – All of life is for God alone
• 29:45 – The remembrance/mention of God is indeed greater (above all else?)
• 62:10 – Remembering/mentioning God much as the path to true success

Mohammed_

Alhamdulillah,

As the Qur’an gives many examples for reflection (e.g. 39:27, 18:54), and is described as explained in detail (e.g. 12:111, 41:3), I tried to look for other cases where help is sought directly from people or through created means. I found a few cases, but I may have missed others, and I would welcome any additions or corrections.

One is with Musa and the knowledgeable man, related to a personal need, and two others are with Dhul-Qarnayn and Sulayman, related to cooperation and assistance.

18:77
Musa and the knowledgeable man ask a people for food. The text gives very little detail and neither mentions remembrance of God at that momemt, nor suggests any forgetting. However, the verse does say that they didn’t receive the help from that people (the people refused to help them).

18:95
Dhul-Qarnayn says: “So assist me with strength …”
(from the same Arabic root as in 1:5)

27:38
Sulayman says: “Which of you will bring me her throne?”
In both of these latter cases, after the task is completed, the power and success are clearly attributed back to God (18:98, 27:40).
There is also mention of God earlier in both narratives (18:95, 27:36).

Is this the kind of balance implied by verses like 1:5?
That while believers/submitters seek cooperation or help in social and worldly matters, they might still try to maintain a similar attitude by attributing the outcome to God, and by not forgetting His will and power, as much as they can?

This can be observed, to some extent, in Arab and Muslim cultures, where God is mentioned in everyday situations through phrases like ma sha Allah (as God has willed), al-hamdulillah (all praise is due to God), la quwwata illa billah (there is no power except through God), in sha Allah, and similar expressions — even in very ordinary moments, such as appreciating things or recognizing the good.

A related thought comes to mind from a few Qur’anic passages. For example, God reminds that He provides for us and our children (6:151; 17:31). Maryam, too, when asked about the provision with her, attributes it to God (3:37), emphasizing its source.
A similar emphasis is also reflected in the instruction to be grateful to parents, while God remains primary (31:14).

It’s also worth noting that turning directly to God for help appears more frequently throughout the Qur’an.
God calls people to turn to Him (being sincere / making exclusive to Him the system—mukhlisīna lahu l-dīn), and He promises to respond (40:60, 65).

**
As a small final note, it is interesting that when the story concludes, God presents Yusuf’s words about who brought him out of the prison (12:100).