Quranic theme
Prison
السجن
12 verses
When the threat of confinement appears in the Quranic narrative, it is almost exclusively wielded by those in power attempting to force compliance from the righteous. Rather than a system of justice, the threat of the cell operates as a tool of coercion against those who refuse to compromise their faith or integrity. The Prophet Joseph faced explicit threats of being "put in prison and degraded" if he did not submit to the demands of a powerful woman (12:32). Generations later, the Pharaoh leveled the exact same threat at Moses, promising to throw him into prison if he dared to take any god other than him (26:29).
Why do the innocent choose confinement?
Faced with the demand to commit wrongdoing, Joseph makes a definitive choice: "My Lord! I would prefer prison to what these women are calling me to do" (12:33). His wrongful conviction is not the result of a misunderstanding. The officials who lock him away do so only "after seeing all the signs of his innocence," deciding it best to simply hide him away for a while (12:35). As Abu Bakr al-Jaza'iri notes (Aysar al-Tafasir, 2/611), this decision was a calculated move to let the scandal quiet down and fade from public memory. Prison, in this context, serves as a mechanism to bury an inconvenient truth.
What happens inside the prison walls?
Once incarcerated, Joseph does not isolate himself. Two young men enter the prison alongside him, and he establishes a rapport with them. When they experience troubling dreams—one pressing grapes, the other carrying bread that birds eat from—they immediately seek his counsel, recognizing him as a knowledgeable man (12:36). He addresses them warmly as "fellow prisoners," a phrasing that Al-Tafsir al-Waseet (4/326) observes is grounded in the shared trial of their punishment and confinement. Before interpreting their fates—predicting that one will serve wine to his master while the other will be crucified—Joseph turns their attention to the Creator, asking if diverse gods could ever be better than God the One, the All-Powerful (12:39).
When he realizes one of these men will be saved, Joseph asks to be mentioned to the master. However, Satan causes the released man to forget, leaving Joseph languishing in his cell for a number of years (12:42).
What does God promise to captives?
Beyond narrative history, the text addresses the spiritual condition of those held captive by the Muslims. Speaking directly to prisoners of war, God commands the Prophet to deliver a message of hope grounded in their internal state: "If God knows of any good in your hearts, He will give you something better than what has been taken from you, and He will forgive you" (8:70). Confinement is framed not as an absolute end, but as a condition that can yield divine mercy and material replacement, provided the captives do not harbor intentions of betrayal, knowing God has already given mastery over them once before (8:71).
When relief finally arrives for Joseph, he does not dwell on the bitterness of the lost years or the injustice of his captors. Elevated to authority and reunited with his father, his reflection on his ordeal focuses entirely on the divine orchestration that resolved it. He declares that his Lord has been deeply gracious to him, recognizing above all else that it was God alone who "released me from prison and He brought you here from the desert" (12:100).
Verses
All 12 verses, in mushaf order.
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّبِىُّ قُل لِّمَن فِىٓ أَيْدِيكُم مِّنَ ٱلْأَسْرَىٰٓ إِن يَعْلَمِ ٱللَّهُ فِى قُلُوبِكُمْ خَيْرًا يُؤْتِكُمْ خَيْرًا مِّمَّآ أُخِذَ مِنكُمْ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ
Prophet, tell those you have taken captive, ‘If God knows of any good in your hearts, He will give you something better than what has been taken from you, and He will forgive you: God is forgiving and merciful.’
وَإِن يُرِيدُوا۟ خِيَانَتَكَ فَقَدْ خَانُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ مِن قَبْلُ فَأَمْكَنَ مِنْهُمْ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌ
But if they mean to betray you, they have betrayed God before, and He has given you mastery over them: He is all knowing, all wise.
وَٱسْتَبَقَا ٱلْبَابَ وَقَدَّتْ قَمِيصَهُۥ مِن دُبُرٍ وَأَلْفَيَا سَيِّدَهَا لَدَا ٱلْبَابِ ۚ قَالَتْ مَا جَزَآءُ مَنْ أَرَادَ بِأَهْلِكَ سُوٓءًا إِلَّآ أَن يُسْجَنَ أَوْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ
They raced for the door- she tore his shirt from behind- and at the door they met her husband. She said, ‘What, other than prison or painful punishment, should be the reward of someone who tried to dishonour your wife?’
قَالَتْ فَذَٰلِكُنَّ ٱلَّذِى لُمْتُنَّنِى فِيهِ ۖ وَلَقَدْ رَٰوَدتُّهُۥ عَن نَّفْسِهِۦ فَٱسْتَعْصَمَ ۖ وَلَئِن لَّمْ يَفْعَلْ مَآ ءَامُرُهُۥ لَيُسْجَنَنَّ وَلَيَكُونًا مِّنَ ٱلصَّـٰغِرِينَ
She said, ‘This is the one you blamed me for. I tried to seduce him and he wanted to remain chaste, but if he does not do what I command now, he will be put in prison and degraded.’
قَالَ رَبِّ ٱلسِّجْنُ أَحَبُّ إِلَىَّ مِمَّا يَدْعُونَنِىٓ إِلَيْهِ ۖ وَإِلَّا تَصْرِفْ عَنِّى كَيْدَهُنَّ أَصْبُ إِلَيْهِنَّ وَأَكُن مِّنَ ٱلْجَـٰهِلِينَ
Joseph said, ‘My Lord! I would prefer prison to what these women are calling me to do. If You do not protect me from their treachery, I shall yield to them and do wrong,’
ثُمَّ بَدَا لَهُم مِّنۢ بَعْدِ مَا رَأَوُا۟ ٱلْـَٔايَـٰتِ لَيَسْجُنُنَّهُۥ حَتَّىٰ حِينٍ
In the end they thought it best, after seeing all the signs of his innocence, that they should imprison him for a while.
وَدَخَلَ مَعَهُ ٱلسِّجْنَ فَتَيَانِ ۖ قَالَ أَحَدُهُمَآ إِنِّىٓ أَرَىٰنِىٓ أَعْصِرُ خَمْرًا ۖ وَقَالَ ٱلْـَٔاخَرُ إِنِّىٓ أَرَىٰنِىٓ أَحْمِلُ فَوْقَ رَأْسِى خُبْزًا تَأْكُلُ ٱلطَّيْرُ مِنْهُ ۖ نَبِّئْنَا بِتَأْوِيلِهِۦٓ ۖ إِنَّا نَرَىٰكَ مِنَ ٱلْمُحْسِنِينَ
Two young men went into prison alongside him. One of them said, ‘I dreamed that I was pressing grapes’; the other said, ‘I dreamed that I was carrying bread on my head and that the birds were eating it.’ [They said], ‘Tell us what this means- we can see that you are a knowledgeable man.’
يَـٰصَـٰحِبَىِ ٱلسِّجْنِ ءَأَرْبَابٌ مُّتَفَرِّقُونَ خَيْرٌ أَمِ ٱللَّهُ ٱلْوَٰحِدُ ٱلْقَهَّارُ
Fellow prisoners, would many diverse gods be better than God the One, the All Powerful? [No indeed!]
يَـٰصَـٰحِبَىِ ٱلسِّجْنِ أَمَّآ أَحَدُكُمَا فَيَسْقِى رَبَّهُۥ خَمْرًا ۖ وَأَمَّا ٱلْـَٔاخَرُ فَيُصْلَبُ فَتَأْكُلُ ٱلطَّيْرُ مِن رَّأْسِهِۦ ۚ قُضِىَ ٱلْأَمْرُ ٱلَّذِى فِيهِ تَسْتَفْتِيَانِ
Fellow prisoners, one of you will serve his master with wine; the other will be crucified and the birds will peck at his head. That is the end of the matter on which you asked my opinion.’
وَقَالَ لِلَّذِى ظَنَّ أَنَّهُۥ نَاجٍ مِّنْهُمَا ٱذْكُرْنِى عِندَ رَبِّكَ فَأَنسَىٰهُ ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنُ ذِكْرَ رَبِّهِۦ فَلَبِثَ فِى ٱلسِّجْنِ بِضْعَ سِنِينَ
Joseph said to the one he knew would be saved, ‘Mention me to your master,’ but Satan made him forget to do this, and so Joseph remained in prison for a number of years.
وَرَفَعَ أَبَوَيْهِ عَلَى ٱلْعَرْشِ وَخَرُّوا۟ لَهُۥ سُجَّدًا ۖ وَقَالَ يَـٰٓأَبَتِ هَـٰذَا تَأْوِيلُ رُءْيَـٰىَ مِن قَبْلُ قَدْ جَعَلَهَا رَبِّى حَقًّا ۖ وَقَدْ أَحْسَنَ بِىٓ إِذْ أَخْرَجَنِى مِنَ ٱلسِّجْنِ وَجَآءَ بِكُم مِّنَ ٱلْبَدْوِ مِنۢ بَعْدِ أَن نَّزَغَ ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنُ بَيْنِى وَبَيْنَ إِخْوَتِىٓ ۚ إِنَّ رَبِّى لَطِيفٌ لِّمَا يَشَآءُ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ ٱلْعَلِيمُ ٱلْحَكِيمُ
and took them up to [his] throne. They all bowed down before him and he said, ‘Father, this is the fulfilment of that dream I had long ago. My Lord has made it come true and has been gracious to me- He released me from prison and He brought you here from the desert- after Satan sowed discord between me and my brothers. My Lord is most subtle in achieving what He will; He is the All Knowing, the Truly Wise.
قَالَ لَئِنِ ٱتَّخَذْتَ إِلَـٰهًا غَيْرِى لَأَجْعَلَنَّكَ مِنَ ٱلْمَسْجُونِينَ
But Pharaoh said [to him], ‘If you take any god other than me, I will throw you into prison,’