Surah 12

Surah 12:5

"He said, ‘My son! Do not recount your vision to your brothers or they will hatch a plot against you. Surely Satan is a clear enemy to humankind."
Ya'qub orders Yusuf to hide His Vision to avoid Shaytan's Plots Verses 12:5
Show Full Scripture Context (12:5) — 1 Verse
Verse 5

قَالَ يَٰبُنَيَّ لَا تَقۡصُصۡ رُءۡيَاكَ عَلَىٰٓ إِخۡوَتِكَ فَيَكِيدُواْ لَكَ كَيۡدًاۖ إِنَّ ٱلشَّيۡطَٰنَ لِلۡإِنسَٰنِ عَدُوّٞ مُّبِينٞ

He said, ‘My son! Do not recount your vision to your brothers or they will hatch a plot against you. Surely Satan is a clear enemy to humankind.

Quoted Scripture
"5. He (the father) said: "O my son! Relate not your vision to your brothers, lest they should arrange a plot against you. Verily, Shaytan is to man an open enemy!""

Ya'qub orders Yusuf to hide His Vision to avoid Shaytan's Plots
Allah narrates the reply Ya'qub gave his son Yusuf when he narrated to him the vision that he saw, which indicated that his brothers would be under his authority. They would be subjugated to Yusufs authority to such an extent that they would prostrate before him in respect, honor and appreciation. Ya'qub feared that if Yusuf narrated his vision to any of his brothers, they would envy him and conspire evil plots against him. This is why Ya'qub said to Yusuf,
{Relate not your vision to your brothers, lest they should arrange a plot against you.}

This Ayah means, "They might arrange a plot against you that causes your demise." In the Sunnah, there is a confirmed Hadith that states,
"If all of you saw a vision that he likes, let him narrate it. If he saw a dream that he dislikes, let him turn on his other side, blow to his left thrice, seek refuge with Allah from its evil and not tell it to anyone. Verily, it will not harm him in this case."
In another Hadith that Imam Ahmad and collectors of the Sunan collected, Mu'awiyah bin Haydah Al-Qushayri said that the Messenger of Allah said,
"The dream is tied to a bird's leg, as long as it is not interpreted. If it is interpreted, it comes true."
Therefore, one should hide the prospects or the coming of a bounty until it comes into existence and becomes known. The Prophet said,
"Earn help for fulfilling needs by being discrete, for every owner of a blessing is envied."

About this Source & Scholarly Authority (Tafsir Ibn Kathir)

Universal Sunni Consensus: Tafsir al-Qur'an al-Azim by Hafiz Ibn Kathir (701–774 AH / 1301–1373 AD) is universally regarded across all major schools of Sunni Islam (traditional, Salafi, Ash'ari) as the most authoritative classical exegesis. It is prized because it relies on Tafsir bil-Ma'thur—interpreting the Quran using the Quran itself, authentic Hadiths of Prophet Muhammad, and recorded statements of the early Companions (Sahabah).

Standard English Edition: This text is from the standard 10-volume English abridgment published by Dar-us-Salam Publications (supervised by Shaykh Safiur-Rahman Al-Mubarakpuri), which is the official, most widely distributed English Quranic commentary in mosques and Islamic libraries worldwide today.