The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 3) — Page 208
CH. 12 YUSUF PT. 12 نَحْنُ نَقُصُّ عَلَيْكَ أَحْسَنَ الْقَصَصِ بِمَا We narrate unto thee the most. 4 jöjja beautiful narration by revealing Toy jazdil أَوْحَيْنَا إِلَيْكَ هُذَا الْقُرْآنَ وَإِنْ كُنْتَ to thee this Quran, though thou مِنْ قَبْلِهِ لَمِنَ الْغُفِلِينَ wast, before this, of those not of requisite possessed knowledge. 1508 expressing all ideas with perfect ease and clearness, as the Arabic language does, or if it had not been widely and constantly read (as the Quran is, in accordance with the prophecy implied in its name), people would not have benefited by it as much as they have done and still do. It may also be incidentally noted here that Arabic, as its very name implies, is the mother of all languages (a). This great revelation was made and emphasized by Ahmad, the Promised Messiah, who wrote treatise on this subject entitled, "Minan-ur-Raḥmān". See also 14:5. 1508. Important Words: (We narrate). They say i. e. a he followed his tracks or footsteps in pursuit. means, he related to him the story in its proper manner i. e. rightly, as though he followed its traces in pursuit and related it accordingly (Lane). See also 7:177. Commentary: (which As the expression literally means, we narrate rightly or properly) indicates, the verse shows that some differences existed about the life story of Joseph. The Quran here claims to act as judge between the upholders of different views and to lift the veil of obscurity from the 1416 face of the true story. This is why it says, We relate to thee the narration rightly or properly as though following its very traces (see Important Words). It is strange that some European critics of the Quran have not taken into consideration the existence of differences about the life of Joseph, but have only thought fit to take exception to the narrative of the Quran, merely because it differs from that of the Bible in certain details. In the very fact, objection has established the truth of the Quran, inasmuch as the claim that it relates the incidents rightly shows that the Revealer of the Quran knew that at some future time people would object to the Quranic version. Brinckman is one of these critics. In his "Notes on Islam" he says, "In the Koran a beautiful and touching tale is mangled and spoiled. " The following pages will show whether it is in the Quran or the Bible, that a "beautiful and touching tale" has been "mangled and spoiled. " One of the reasons why the story of Joseph was revealed to the Holy Prophet in such detail is that it contains many prophetic allusions to his own life. The whole story was to be, as it were, re-enacted in the person of the Holy Prophet himself and his brethren, the Quraish, and