وَرَفَعَ أَبَوَيْهِ عَلَى ٱلْعَرْشِ وَخَرُّوا۟ لَهُۥ سُجَّدًا وَقَالَ يَٰٓأَبَتِ هَٰذَا تَأْوِيلُ رُءْيَٰىَ مِن قَبْلُ قَدْ جَعَلَهَا رَبِّى حَقًّا وَقَدْ أَحْسَنَ بِىٓ إِذْ أَخْرَجَنِى مِنَ ٱلسِّجْنِ وَجَآءَ بِكُم مِّنَ ٱلْبَدْوِ مِنۢ بَعْدِ أَن نَّزَغَ ٱلشَّيْطَٰنُ بَيْنِى وَبَيْنَ إِخْوَتِىٓ إِنَّ رَبِّى لَطِيفٌ لِّمَا يَشَآءُ إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ ٱلْعَلِيمُ ٱلْحَكِيمُ
“And he placed his parents on the dais and they fell down before him prostrate, and he said: O my father! This is the interpretation of my dream of old. My Lord hath made it true, and He hath shown me kindness, since He took me out of the prison and hath brought you from the desert after Satan had made strife between me and my brethren. Lo! my Lord is tender unto whom He will. He is the Knower, the Wise.” — M. M. Pickthall
Taberî9-10. c.✓ Citation verified
Taberî explains the expressions of prostration and placing on the throne in the verse through different narrations: it is stated that Joseph placed his parents on the throne (serîr), and his family and brothers prostrated to him. It is emphasized that the prostration was a greeting/expression of respect among people of that era (respectful prostration), not worship prostration — similar to the angels' prostration to Adam. He also narrates reports about the time period between Joseph's dream and the fulfillment of this interpretation (such as forty years).
وإنما عنى من ذكر بقوله: إن السجود كان تحية بينهم، أن ذلك كان منهم على الخلق لا على وجه العبادة من بعضهم لبعض، ومما يدل على أن ذلك لم يزل من أخلاق الناس قديما على غير وجه العبادة من بعضهم لبعض، قول أعشى بني ثعلبة
Zemahşerî12. c.✓ Citation verified
According to Zemahşerî, after Joseph embraced his mother, father, and eleven brothers and brought them close, he said 'Enter Egypt,' but the condition of will (meşiyyah) in this passage is not related to absolute entry, but to entry characterized by security. That is, the expression contains the meaning 'you entered in security,' and the answer clause has been omitted. He also narrates a report about Joseph taking his father around among the treasures and a narration regarding Gabriel's explanation of the expression in this verse.
فإن قلت : بم تعلقت المشيئة ؟ قلت : بالدخول مكيفا بالأمن ، لأن القصد إلى اتصافهم بالأمن في دخولهم ، فكأنه قيل لهم : اسلموا وأمنوا في دخولكم إن شاء الله
Kurtubî13. c.✓ Citation verified
According to Kurtubî, the prostration in the verse is an expression of respect/greeting that Jacob, his aunt, and brothers showed to Joseph; for in that era, it was customary for those of lower status to prostrate to those of higher status, and the young to the elderly. There is disagreement about to whom this prostration was directed: according to one opinion, it is a prostration of gratitude to Allah, and according to another opinion, it was directly to Joseph because of the fulfillment of the dream at the beginning of the sûrah (fourteen stars, the sun and moon were prostrating to me). Furthermore, the reports differ regarding the nature of the prostration: according to some, it was actual prostration, according to others, it was a gesture made by bowing with the head (îmâ), and according to others, it was a bowing similar to rukû'.
الهاء في خروا له قيل : إنها تعود على الله تعالى المعنى : وخروا شكرا لله سجدا ويوسف كالقبلة لتحقيق رؤياه وروي عن الحسن قال النقاش : وهذا خطأ والهاء راجعة إلى يوسف لقوله تعالى في أول السورة : رأيتهم لي ساجدين وكان تحيتهم أن يسجد الوضيع للشريف والصغير للكبير
İbn Kesîr14. c.✓ Citation verified
Ibn Kesîr narrates a hadith about the names of the eleven stars that Joseph saw in his dream; in this narration, it is told how a Jew asked the Prophet (peace be upon him) about the names of these stars and Gabriel informed him of them. However, he notes that Hakem b. Zuheyr al-Fezârî in the chain of this hadith is considered weak by the imams and abandoned by most scholars, and that al-Jurjânî also characterized him as 'rejected.' He also narrates different views regarding the interpretation of the dream, whether the prostration was to Allah or to Jacob, and explains that Prophet Jacob forbade narrating this dream because he feared the envy of his brothers toward Joseph.
تفرد به الحكم بن ظهير الفزاري وقد ضعفه الأئمة وتركه الأكثرون وقال الجورجاني ساقط
Beydâvî13. c.✓ Citation verified
According to Beydâvî, the prostration is a behavior that Jacob and his mother (or according to a narration, his father and aunt) performed toward Joseph with the purpose of respect and greeting, because in that era, prostration served in place of greeting in this manner. Furthermore, opinions are also narrated that this prostration was gratitude to Allah, or that the agent is Allah and the verb 'waara' belongs to the mother, father, and brothers, and was placed at the beginning in the wording through fronting and postponing for the purpose of respect. The reason Joseph did not mention the well and only remembered being brought out from the prison (sijn) is so as not to rebuke his brothers; it is noted that 'bedw' (the bedouin) are mentioned because they were animal owners and desert people.
ورفع أبويه على العرش وخروا له سجدا تحية وتكرمة له فإن السجود كان عندهم يجري مجراها. وقيل معناه خروا لأجله سجدا لله شكرا. وقيل الضمير لله تعالى والواو لأبويه وإخوته والرفع مؤخر عن الخرور وإن قدم لفظا للاهتمام بتعظيمه لهما.
Fahreddin er-Râzî12-13. c.✓ Citation verified
According to this exegete, in Joseph's show of prostration and respect toward his parents and brothers, the prostration is used in the meaning of 'obedience and humility,' and furthermore, the elevation and raising of the parents on the throne demonstrates the excess of respect shown to them, while the brothers and those entering actually performed prostration in a particular reading. In the text, it is also supported by narrating that prostration on earth was a form of greeting that people of that era showed each other, but the Prophet forbade this.
أن السجود في أصل اللغة هو الانقياد والخضوع
Comparison
Common ground
All exegetes agree that the prostration in the verse is not worship prostration, but rather an expression of respect/honor/greeting in the customs of that era. Furthermore, most of them emphasize that this behavior is connected to the fulfillment of Joseph's initial dream, and they report that there is disagreement about to whom the prostration was directed (gratitude to Allah or respect to Joseph).
Differences
While Taberî emphasizes chains of narration and linguistic/poetic examples, Zemahşerî and Beydâvî focus more on rhetorical and linguistic analysis (the relationship of will, fronting and postponing, omission). Kurtubî diversifies the discussion of the nature of prostration (whether it is actual prostration, a gesture, or a type of bowing), while Ibn Kesîr places special importance on hadith criticism (the weakness of hadith chains). Râzî focuses on the lexical origin of the concept of prostration and a historical comparison supported by hadith. These differences stem from the methodological priorities of each exegete's era and school (narration-focused exegesis, linguistic/rhetorical exegesis, hadith criticism).
Historical context
The earliest period representative Taberî relied largely on narrating reports, while in later periods, with Zemahşerî and Beydâvî, linguistic and rhetorical analysis came to the fore, and later exegetes such as Ibn Kesîr attempted to filter narrations through chain criticism to eliminate weak reports. The basic interpretation — that the prostration is an expression of respect/greeting — remained largely constant, but the methods of supporting this interpretation (narration, language, hadith criticism) diversified over time.
Modern connection
These different readings remind us that the same verse can be enriched and understood through knowledge and reasoning, and that it is not necessary to absolutize a single interpretation. The emphasis on respect and honor in the Joseph story can make us reflect on how the bonds within families and respect for elders, as a value that strengthens social solidarity, also carries meaning in our contemporary time. Furthermore, the exegetes' careful evaluation of narrations can be read as a general lesson about the value of a cautious and investigative approach when approaching knowledge.
AI analysis — not a fatwa or ruling, not yet reviewed by a scholar