Years had passed. Yusuf was still in prison.
Far away in the great palace of Egypt, the king woke up one morning troubled by a dream. In his dream, he had seen seven fat cows. Then seven thin cows had come and eaten the fat ones whole. He had seen seven green ears of grain. Then seven dry ears had grown beside them.
The king called for his wisest advisors. He told them his dream and asked what it meant. They looked at each other. They scratched their heads. But none of them knew.
Then the cupbearer remembered. The man who had been set free years ago had forgotten his promise to Yusuf until now. He hurried to the king and said, "There is a man in prison who can explain this. His name is Yusuf."
The king sent for Yusuf at once.
But Yusuf did not come. Not yet. The king's messenger went to the prison, and Yusuf told him, "I am not ready to leave this place. First, I need my name to be cleared. I need everyone to know the truth."
The messenger gave the king the message. How interesting, thought the king. A man in prison turned down freedom but is asking for the truth instead?
So the king called upon all the women of al-Aziz's house, including his wife. One by one, they were asked: what had happened years ago with the young servant named Yusuf?
There was a long silence. Then, quietly, the women began to speak. They said Yusuf had done nothing wrong. They said they knew no evil of him at all.
Finally, the wife of al-Aziz herself said it out loud, in front of everyone: "It was I who lied. Yusuf is truthful. He is innocent."
After all those years, the truth was finally spoken. Yusuf's name was clean.
Now, with his head held high, Yusuf came before the king.
He listened to the king's dream, then spoke. "For seven years, your land will have plenty of food. The harvests will be huge, and your storehouses will fill. But after those seven years, seven hard years will come. The rain will stop, the crops will fail, and the people will grow hungry."
The king sat back. This was no ordinary man.
Then Yusuf said something brave. He said, "Place me in charge of the storehouses of Egypt. I will save food during the good years, so the people will eat during the hard years."
The king agreed without hesitation. Yusuf, who had been a slave, then a prisoner, was now placed in charge of all of Egypt's food.
The seven good years came, just as Yusuf had said. The fields grew tall, and Yusuf saved the extra food carefully.
Then the seven hard years began. The crops failed. Hungry people from many lands traveled to Egypt, the only place that still had food.
And far away in Canaan, Yusuf's old father was growing weak, and his ten brothers were growing hungry.
Yusuf had been patient for many years. He had been a slave, then a prisoner, then forgotten by the man he helped. But Allah was never going to forget him. When the right moment came, Yusuf's name was cleared, his gifts were recognized, and he was given the responsibility to help save many people. When we trust Allah and we are patient, Allah always sees us, even when no one else does. Read more stories.
From the Quran: Surah Yusuf (chapter 12). Part 3 covers verses 43 to 57, which tell of the king's dream, Yusuf interpreting it, his name being cleared, and his rise to lead Egypt's storehouses.