Yusuf (Joseph)

48. “Then after that seven years of hardship will come that (people) will consume what you have before hand laid up for them, except a little of what you will have preserved.”

49. “Then there will come after that a year in which the people will have rain, and in it they will press (wine and oil).”

The Arabic phrase /yuqa-un-nas/ is either derived from /qau/ ‘to help’ in which case the verse could mean that Allah would help the people and the difficulties which they had over the past fourteen years will be over; or it could be derived from /qay/ which means to rain and thus the period of hardship would be brought to an end.¹

Yusuf had indicated that the seven lean cows and the seven fat cows, the seven green ears and seven withered ears symbolized fourteen years of prosperity and famine.

The verse says:

“Then after that seven years of hardship will come that (people) will consume what you have before hand laid up for them, except a little of what you will have preserved.”

He also predicted that the fifteenth year would be a year of abundant rain and affluence.

The verse says:

“Then there will come after that a year in which the people will have rain, and in it they will press (wine and oil).”

However, this was not simply dreamt by the king, this indicates that Yusuf included more news from the invisible in order to pave the way for the acceptance of his prophethood.

The interpretation which Yusuf had put forth for the dream was very precise and exact. Indeed, it indicates that he was no ordinary dream interpreter; in fact he was a leader inside a prison who was able to forge a countrywide program for the entire kingdom for the next fifteen years.

The interpretation and the plans proposed created the bases both for relieving the people of Egypt from the devastation of the famine and Yusuf’s freedom from the confinement of prison. In the end, it resulted in changing a government of despots.

The conditions for an efficient administrative system in any given society are:

1-People’s confidence,

2-Sincerity,

3-Wisdom and knowledge,

4-Correct prediction and forecasting, and

5-People’s obedience.

Thus, the people of Egypt were saved from their plight because they obeyed Yusuf.