يُوسُفُ أَيُّهَا ٱلصِّدِّيقُ أَفْتِنَا فِى سَبْعِ بَقَرَٰتٍ سِمَانٍ يَأْكُلُهُنَّ سَبْعٌ عِجَافٌ وَسَبْعِ سُنۢبُلَٰتٍ خُضْرٍ وَأُخَرَ يَابِسَٰتٍ لَّعَلِّىٓ أَرْجِعُ إِلَى ٱلنَّاسِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَعْلَمُونَ
“(And when he came to Joseph in the prison, he exclaimed): Joseph! O thou truthful one! Expound for us the seven fat kine which seven lean were eating and the seven green ears of corn and other (seven) dry, that I may return unto the people, so that they may know.” — M. M. Pickthall
Taberî9-10. c.✓ Citation verified
Taberî transmits the interpretation of the symbols in Joseph's dream in this passage: the seven fat cattle and seven green ears represent the years of abundance/fertility, while the seven lean cattle and dried ears represent the years of famine/drought. He also notes that the king's statement 'return to me and inform me' was said with the purpose of making known the interpretation of the dream to the people.
أما السمان: فسنون منها مخصبة. وأما السبع العجاف: فسنون مجدبة لا تنبت شيئا
Zemahşerî12. c.✓ Citation verified
According to Zemahşerî, the king addressed Joseph through the messenger whom he sent to him as 'O you who are greatly advanced in righteousness.' The reason for this address is that the messenger tested Joseph's truthfulness in dream interpretation, and how his cellmate's dream also came true exactly as he interpreted it. Furthermore, the expression 'لعلهم يعلمون' (perhaps they will know) is interpreted as cautious speech, pointing to either the absence of certain knowledge on the return, or the possibility that the king himself might die, or the hope that the people would recognize his value and secure his release.
فقال أيها البليغ في الصدق ، وإنما قال له ذلك لأنه ذاق أحواله وتعرف صدقه في تأويل رؤياه ورؤيا صاحبه حيث جاء كما أول ، ولذلك كلمه كلام محترز
Fahreddin er-Râzî12-13. c.✓ Citation verified
According to this commentator, the expression in the verse is understood as 'fa ersile ve etâhu ve kâle eyyuhe's-sıddîk'; the word Siddîq means a person who has greatly advanced in truthfulness, and Joseph was addressed with this attribute because no lie had ever been seen from him; according to one view, he received this name because he was proven correct in dream interpretation. Râzî also notes that it was fitting for the king to repeat the question in the same words, because dream interpretation can differ depending on variation in wording. With the expression 'Lealli ercia ile'n-nâs,' it is explained that Joseph, seeing that other dream interpreters were incapable in this matter, spoke in this manner because he himself feared being incapable.
ففيه محذوف ، والتقدير : فأرسل وأتاه وقال أيها الصديق ، والصديق هو البالغ في الصدق وصفه بهذه الصفة لأنه لم يجرب عليه كذبا
Kurtubî13. c.✓ Citation verified
According to Kurtubî, the word 'nâs' (people) in Joseph's statement 'return to the people' refers to the king and those with him, or those whom Joseph hoped would understand the interpretation of the dream and recognize Joseph's virtue and knowledge and thus release him from prison. He also notes that only the king may have been intended by this expression, and that this was expressed using the word 'nâs' with the purpose of honoring the king.
أي إلى الملك وأصحابه التعبير أو لعلهم يعلمون مكانك من الفضل والعلم فتخرج ويحتمل أن يريد بالناس الملك وحده تعظما له
İbn Kesîr14. c.✓ Citation verified
According to Ibn Kesîr, this statement narrates how the young man in prison brought the king's dream to Joseph and told him about it, and Joseph interpreted the dream directly without reproaching him for his forgetfulness, nor did he set a condition for being released from prison. Joseph's conduct is reported as behavior that shares his knowledge without considering personal benefit.
فعند ذلك ذكر له يوسف عليه السلام تعبيرها من غير تعنيف للفتى في نسيانه ما وصاه به ومن غير اشتراط للخروج قبل ذلك
Beydâvî13. c.✓ Citation verified
According to Beydâvî, the expression 'وادكر بعد أمة' (and he remembered after a time) means that Joseph's prison cellmate remembered Joseph a long time later; the word 'أمة' here refers to a long period that had passed, a period of time. The text also transmits that the reading 'إمة' (blessing) refers to remembering after obtaining the blessing of deliverance. Joseph's being called 'Siddîq' is based on his truthfulness in previous dream interpretations having been tested and proven.
وادكر بعد أمة وتذكر يوسف بعد جماعة من الزمان مجتمعة أي مدة طويلة. وقرئ «إمة» بكسر الهمزة وهي النعمة أي بعد ما أنعم عليه بالنجاة
Comparison
Common ground
Most of the commentators agree that Joseph's address as 'Siddîq' was based on his truthfulness having been previously tested and proven; furthermore, there is a common emphasis that the expression about 'returning to the people' carried a kind of caution and concern for correctly conveying the knowledge.
Differences
While Taberî places emphasis on report-based symbol interpretation (years of abundance/famine), Zemahşerî, Râzî, and Beydâvî turn toward linguistic and rhetorical analysis (takdir, elision, reading differences). Kurtubî presents different possibilities regarding whom the word 'nâs' (people) refers to; Ibn Kesîr, on the other hand, makes a contextual reading by connecting it to Joseph's attitude of sharing knowledge without pursuing personal benefit. These differences largely stem from each commentator's methodology (transmission, linguistics, ethical interpretation).
Historical context
A transition is seen from Taberî's early period report-focused approach to more detailed philological interpretations based on linguistic and rhetorical analysis in subsequent periods; while the fundamental meaning (truthfulness, knowledge sharing, caution) remains constant, the tools of interpretation have diversified.