What is Tafsīr al-Qurʾān bi’l-Qurʾān?
Mohammed Rustom
This lecture will offer a reading of the story of Joseph in light of two Quranic passages, namely 39:23 and, most importantly, 95:4-6. What links these texts is the concept of beauty. In 39:23, the Quran is referred to as the most beautiful discourse (aḥsan al-ḥadīth), while 95:4 says that human beings were created in the most beautiful stature (aḥsan al-taqwīm). At the same time, Sūrat Yūsuf is spoken of as being the most beautiful of stories (aḥsan al-qaṣaṣ) (12:3). We thus have the most beautiful discourse, which contains the most beautiful of stories, and all of this is for the benefit of God’s creatures, who are created in the most beautiful of statures. Yet, 95:5-6 of the Quran also states that human beings have been cast to the lowest of the low, but that such a state will not pertain to those who believe and act righteously. Looking at the story of Joseph with specific reference to 95:4-6, and taking the story’s different characters as so many aspects of the self, we are presented with a vivid “history” of the human soul: recounted in the most beautiful of stories, the human being, who is at first created in the most beautiful of statures, then descends into the lower states of his own soul, only to recover his beautiful nature by holding fast to the path of belief and righteousness. While challenging some of the prevalent paradigms in the field of Quranic studies, the approach taken here will also seek to outline the usefulness of some heretofore underappreciated hermeneutical devices when engaging the Quran and its interpretive traditions.