Yusuf in the Quran: hadithic and Jewish records

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It’s well known that one must turn to pseudographia to make sense of some references in the Old Testament (since the complete stories are sometimes missing from the narative). This problem seems more acute in my reading of the Quran.

Specifically, regarding Yusuf (Joseph) sold into egypt in Sura 12. The Quran and the Old Testament both contain small references to much larger stories which are related in much greater detail in other Jewish records. I’m wondering if the Islamic written traditions (hadith) contain the fuller version of these stories as well, or must one turn to Jewish records (such as Jasher) in order to study the Quranic references? All examples are from sura 12 (where I’m currently reading from Yusuf Ali’s translation).


For example: Modern Old Testaments lack the ”story of Joseph’s shirt”, (Which is torn during Zelicah’s attempt to seduce Joseph but sufficient details are related in the Quranic version to understand the important details. Yusuf Translates as follows:

”He said: "It was she that sought to seduce me - from my (true) self." And one of her household saw (this) and bore witness, (thus):- "If it be that his shirt is rent from the front, then is her tale true, and he is a liar!”

As with the story of Joseph’s torn shirt, the story of ”Zelicah’s feast” is also missing from current versions of the Old Testament, but it is found partially in the Quran.

”When she heard of their malicious talk, she sent for them and prepared a banquet for them: she gave each of them a knife: and she said (to Joseph), "Come out before them." When they saw him, they did extol him, and (in their amazement) cut their hands: they said, "Allah preserve us! no mortal is this! this is none other than a noble angel!"

Though missing from Modern Old Testaments, these stories are accessible in Jewish records. Are there fuller versions in Islamic hadith?




However the Quran doesn’t relate enough of other stories to make complete sense for the reader unless he uses Jewish records to read the full stories.

For example: The Quranic version has Jacob telling the son’s to enter into different gates (but doesn’t relate the important story which motivates the brothers to do this very thing).

”Further he said: "O my sons! enter not all by one gate: enter ye by different gates. Not that I can profit you aught against Allah (with my advice)....”

Is there a version of the story relating the important reason why the brothers intend to enter through separate gates in the hadithic literature as there is in the Jewish literature?


Another example is the “cup of Joseph”. Both the Old Testament and the Quran relate the references to the cup, but do not tell the “story of the divining cup and it’s import to brothers.

The Old Testament (KJV) has Joseph telling the servant to

“... put my cup, the silver cup, in the sack's mouth of the youngest, and his corn money...” (Gen 44:2) and when the cup is “discovered”, the servant himself relates that it is a cup “... in which my lord drinketh, and whereby indeed he divineth? ...."

But the story of Joseph pretending to use the cup to divine is not in current Old Testaments and must be read from other Jewish literature. I do not see the story related in full in the Quran either.

The Quranic version simply relates a similar plot to put the cup in Benjamin’s bag and Joseph’s servant simply shouts out

“O ye (in) the caravan! behold! ye are thieves, without doubt!"

and the Quranic version never mentions the story of Joseph pretending to use the cup to "divine" at all.



Are there more complete versions of these stories in the hadithic histories?

I very much appreciate your time in advance.

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