Quran Universe
12:41

يَٰصَٰحِبَيِ ٱلسِّجۡنِ أَمَّآ أَحَدُكُمَا فَيَسۡقِي رَبَّهُۥ خَمۡرٗاۖ وَأَمَّا ٱلۡأٓخَرُ فَيُصۡلَبُ فَتَأۡكُلُ ٱلطَّيۡرُ مِن رَّأۡسِهِۦۚ قُضِيَ ٱلۡأَمۡرُ ٱلَّذِي فِيهِ تَسۡتَفۡتِيَانِ

Ya sahibayi alssijni amma ahadukuma fayasqee rabbahu khamran waamma alakharu fayuslabu fatakulu alttayru min rasihi qudiya alamru allathee feehi tastaftiyani

O two companions of prison, as for one of you, he will give drink to his master of wine; but as for the other, he will be crucified, and the birds will eat from his head. The matter has been decreed about which you both inquire."

Word by word
  1. يَٰصَٰحِبَيِO my two companions
  2. ٱلسِّجۡنِ(of) the prison
  3. أَمَّآAs for
  4. أَحَدُكُمَاone of you
  5. فَيَسۡقِيhe will give drink
  6. رَبَّهُۥ(to) his master
  7. خَمۡرٗاۖwine
  8. وَأَمَّاand as for
  9. ٱلۡأٓخَرُthe other
  10. فَيُصۡلَبُhe will be crucified
  11. فَتَأۡكُلُand will eat
  12. ٱلطَّيۡرُthe birds
  13. مِنfrom
  14. رَّأۡسِهِۦۚhis head
  15. قُضِيَHas been decreed
  16. ٱلۡأَمۡرُthe matter
  17. ٱلَّذِيabout which
  18. فِيهِabout which
  19. تَسۡتَفۡتِيَانِyou both inquire
Yusuf · 12:41Makkah

Two dreams, two endings, told with care.

Yusuf delivers good news and hard news gently

The interpretation
the wine-serverwill serve his master again
the bakerwill be executed
and
decidedthe matter is settled
How he said it
blunt and directyou will die
one of yousoftened for the one who grieves

Yusuf told them: one of you will pour wine for his master, the other will be crucified. Ibn Kathir notes he did not address either man directly, so the second would grieve less. When they claimed they had seen nothing, he said the matter is decided.

The doctor who has to give bad news in the corridor. The manager telling a team about layoffs. You have to tell a friend something they will not want to hear. Truth does not have to be delivered like a blow.

Honesty means saying it straight, however it lands.

I can tell the whole truth and still choose words that spare the heart.

Try this

Before you share difficult news with someone today, take one breath and soften the first sentence.

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

"O two companions of the prison! As for one of you, he will pour out wine for his master to drink; and as for the other, he will be crucified and birds will eat from his head. Thus is the case judged concerning which you both did inquire. (41)

The Interpretation of the Dreams

Yusuf said,

يَا صَاحِبَيِ السِّجْنِ أَمَّا أَحَدُكُمَا فَيَسْقِي رَبَّهُ خَمْرًا

(O two companions of the prison! As for one of you, he will pour out wine for his master to drink;) to the man who saw in a dream that he was pressing wine. He did not direct this speech at him, however, so that to lessen the grief of the other person. This is why he made his statement indirect,

وَأَمَّا الْآخَرُ فَيُصْلَبُ فَتَأْكُلُ الطَّيْرُ مِن رَّأْسِهِ

(and as for the other, he will be crucified and birds will eat from his head.) which is the interpretation of the other man's dream in which he saw himself carrying bread above his head. Yusuf told them that the decision about their matter has already been taken and it shall come to pass. This is because the dream is tied to a bird's leg, as long as it is not truthfully interpreted. If it is interpreted, then it becomes a reality. Ath-Thawri said that 'Imarah bin Al-Qa'qa' narrated that Ibrahim said that 'Abdullah bin Mas'ud said, "When they said what they said to him, and he explained their dreams to them, they replied, 'We did not see anything at all.' This is when he said,

قُضِيَ الْأَمْرُ الَّذِي فِيهِ تَسْتَفْتِيَانِ

(Thus is the case judged concerning which you both did inquire.)" The understanding in this is that he who claims that he saw a dream and was given its interpretation, then he will be tied to its interpretation, and Allah has the best knowledge. There is an honorable Hadith that Imam Ahmad collected from Mu'awiyah bin Haydah that the Prophet ﷺ said,

الرُّؤْيَا عَلَى رِجْلِ طَائِرٍ مَا لَمْ تُعْبَرْ، فَإِذَا عُبِرَتْ وَقَعَت

(The dream is tied to a bird's leg, as long as it is not interpreted. If it is interpreted, it becomes a reality.)