12:37

قَالَ لَا يَأۡتِيكُمَا طَعَامٞ تُرۡزَقَانِهِۦٓ إِلَّا نَبَّأۡتُكُمَا بِتَأۡوِيلِهِۦ قَبۡلَ أَن يَأۡتِيَكُمَاۚ ذَٰلِكُمَا مِمَّا عَلَّمَنِي رَبِّيٓۚ إِنِّي تَرَكۡتُ مِلَّةَ قَوۡمٖ لَّا يُؤۡمِنُونَ بِٱللَّهِ وَهُم بِٱلۡأٓخِرَةِ هُمۡ كَٰفِرُونَ

Qala la yateekuma taAAamun turzaqanihi illa nabbatukuma bitaweelihi qabla an yatiyakuma thalikuma mimma AAallamanee rabbee innee taraktu millata qawmin la yuminoona biAllahi wahum bialakhirati hum kafiroona

He said, "You will not receive food that is provided to you except that I will inform you of its interpretation before it comes to you. That is from what my Lord has taught me. Indeed, I have left the religion of a people who do not believe in Allah, and they, in the Hereafter, are disbelievers.

Word by word
  1. قَالَHe said
  2. لَاNot
  3. يَأۡتِيكُمَا(will) come to both of you
  4. طَعَامٞfood
  5. تُرۡزَقَانِهِۦٓyou are provided with
  6. إِلَّاbut
  7. نَبَّأۡتُكُمَاI will inform both of you
  8. بِتَأۡوِيلِهِۦof its interpretation
  9. قَبۡلَbefore
  10. أَن[that]
  11. يَأۡتِيَكُمَاۚ[it] comes to both of you
  12. ذَٰلِكُمَاThat
  13. مِمَّا(is) of what
  14. عَلَّمَنِيhas taught me
  15. رَبِّيٓۚmy Lord
  16. إِنِّيIndeed,I
  17. تَرَكۡتُ[I] abandon
  18. مِلَّةَ(the) religion
  19. قَوۡمٖ(of) a people
  20. لَّاnot
  21. يُؤۡمِنُونَthey believe
  22. بِٱللَّهِin Allah
  23. وَهُمand they
  24. بِٱلۡأٓخِرَةِin the Hereafter
  25. هُمۡ[they]
  26. كَٰفِرُونَ(are) disbelievers
Yusuf · 12:37Makkah

Before the dreams, he told them who taught him.

Yusuf uses their trust to point to Allah


His answer
I can tell youbefore your next meal
because
my Lord taught menot my own skill
after I
left a waythat denies Allah and the Hereafter
Credit for the gift
I am giftedlook at me
my Lord taught melook at Him

Yusuf told the two men he would explain their dreams before their next food arrived. Ibn Kathir says he first made clear that this knowledge was from Allah, given because he left the way of people who did not believe in Allah or the Last Day. He called them to Tawhid before interpreting.

Someone praises your work in the meeting. Your exam result. The client who says you are a genius. You can take the compliment and still name where the skill came from. Yusuf turned attention from himself to his Lord.

My talent is mine, I earned it.

Every skill I have was taught to me by my Lord.

Try this

When someone praises you today, quietly say alhamdulillah and mean it.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir

He said: "No food will come to you as your provision, but I will inform its interpretation before it comes. This is of that which my Lord has taught me. Verily, I have abandoned the religion of a people that believe not in Allah and are disbelievers in the Hereafter. (37)"And I have followed the religion of my fathers, - Ibrahim, Ishaq and Ya'qub and never could we attribute any partners whatsoever to Allah. This is from the grace of Allah to us and to mankind, but most men thank not (38)

Yusuf calls His Jail Mates to Tawhid even before He interprets Their Dreams

Yusuf, peace be upon him, told the two men that he has knowledge in the interpretation of whatever they saw in their dream, and that he will tell them about the interpretation of the dreams before they become a reality. This is why he said,

لَا يَأْتِيكُمَا طَعَامٌ تُرْزَقَانِهِ إِلَّا نَبَّأْتُكُمَا بِتَأْوِيلِهِ

(No food will come to you as your provision, but I will inform you of its interpretation) Mujahid commented,

لَا يَأْتِيكُمَا طَعَامٌ تُرْزَقَانِهِ

(No food will come to you as your provision,) this day,

إِلَّا نَبَّأْتُكُمَا بِتَأْوِيلِهِ قَبْلَ أَن يَأْتِيَكُمَا

(but I will inform you of its interpretation before it comes.) As-Suddi said similarly. Yusuf said that, this knowledge is from Allah Who taught it to me, because I shunned the religion of those who disbelieve in Him and the Last Day, who neither hope for Allah's reward nor fear His punishment on the Day of Return,

وَاتَّبَعْتُ مِلَّةَ آبَائِي إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَإِسْحَاقَ وَيَعْقُوبَ

(And I have followed the religion of my fathers, - Ibrahim, Ishaq and Ya'qub) Yusuf said, 'I have avoided the way of disbelief and polytheism, and followed the way of these honorable Messengers,' may Allah's peace and blessings be on them. This, indeed, is the way of he who seeks the path of guidance and follows the way of the Messengers, all the while shunning the path of deviation. It is he whose heart Allah will guide, teaching him what he did not know beforehand. It is he whom Allah will make an Imam who is imitated in the way of righteousness, and a caller to the path of goodness. Yusuf said next,

مَا كَانَ لَنَا أَن نُّشْرِكَ بِاللَّهِ مِن شَيْءٍ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ مِن فَضْلِ اللَّهِ عَلَيْنَا وَعَلَى النَّاسِ 

(and never could we attribute any partners whatsoever to Allah. This is from the grace of Allah to us and to mankind,) this Tawhid -Monotheism-, affirming that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah alone without partners,

مِن فَضْلِ اللَّهِ عَلَيْنَا

(is from the grace of Allah to us), He has revealed it to us and ordained it on us,

وَعَلَى النَّاسِ 

(and to mankind,), to whom He has sent us as callers to Tawhid,

وَلَٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لَا يَشْكُرُونَ

(but most men thank not.) they do not admit Allah's favor and blessing of sending the Messengers to them, but rather,

بَدَّلُوا نِعْمَتَ اللَّهِ كُفْرًا وَأَحَلُّوا قَوْمَهُمْ دَارَ الْبَوَارِ

(Have changed the blessings of Allah into disbelief, and caused their people to dwell in the house of destruction.)[14:28]