The Hermetic Wisdom of Quran — Part 1 (The Beautiful)

Introduction

The lore of Joseph, the Beautiful unfolds in the 12th chapter of the Quran; and unlike other chapters, this one focuses exclusively on Joseph's life, chronicling his voyage as the central figure around whom revolves much of this anecdote of Quran. Furthermore, the hermetic symbolism associated with the characters of this story is truly remarkable in the depiction of astrological archetypes as the cause factors of diverse experiences for the manifestation of latent divine wisdom in human beings. As the Quran says about this chapter,

We narrate unto thee (Muhammad) the best of narratives in that We have inspired in thee this Qur’an, though aforetime thou wast of the heedless. (12, 3)

The Redemptive Principle of Love

Previously, in the article “The Hermetic Wisdom of Quran — Introduction”, I had explained the hermetic principles associated with the mystery letters called Huroof-al-Muqattaat that appear as prefixes in certain specific chapters of Quran. Accordingly, the chapter 12 begins with the mystery letters of Alif Lam Ra (Aries Taurus Leo) metaphorically interpreted as “The conflict about wealth and community”, and thus forming the central theme of chapter 12 in Quran. The personality of Joseph is the archetype of Leo, the brightest sign of zodiac ruled by the astrological planet Sun and expressing the redemptive and regenerative powers of the heart; whilst Jacob, the father of Joseph in this anecdote metaphorically represents the Sun itself whose rhythmic movements from north to south of the ecliptic circle gives birth to the twelve signs of the zodiac. Hence, Jacob (the Sun archetype) who has a very special affection towards his son Joseph (the sign of Leo) due to the brilliant brightness of the mid-summer sign, a placement where it tends to be most comfortable in the zodiac. Nevertheless, the son Joseph in order to deserve the esteemed position with his father, would have to earn it by surviving the challenges posed by his brothers (the eleven zodiac signs) regarding the trials of ‘wealth’ and ‘community’, the two major attributes of the fixed zodiac signs. The astrological planet Sun in alchemy represents the perfection achieved by the alchemical metal ‘gold’, and therefore here Joseph also needs to undergo the process of transmutation in the alchemical crucible of the zodiac signs so as to be transformed into the perfect state of consciousness symbolized by the metal gold in order to prove himself beautiful enough to be worthy of the great love of his father, the Sun.

The Quran says,

When Joseph said unto his father: O my father! Lo! I saw in a dream eleven planets and the sun and the moon, I saw them prostrating themselves unto me. He said: O my dear son! Tell not thy brethren of thy vision, lest they plot a plot against thee. Lo! Satan is for man an open foe. Thus thy Lord will prefer thee and will teach thee the interpretation of events, and will perfect His grace upon thee and upon the family of Jacob as He perfected it upon thy forefathers, Abraham and Isaac. Lo! thy Lord is Knower, Wise. (12, 4–6)

In these verses, the eleven planets in the dream of Joseph are metaphors for the eleven zodiac signs besides the sign of Leo; represented here by the eleven brothers of Joseph, while the Sun and the Moon respectively being the father and the mother of Joseph. The phrase ‘interpretation of events’, mentioned here seems likely to indicate the receptive property of the heart, whereby it is possible for it to comprehend motives behind the actions associated with every individual people in an environment through understanding each of their perspectives, and thereby developing the capacity of treating all the actions as per their intentions, and accordingly to dissolve them as a whole into the greater scheme of life. Thus, a compassionate heart becomes the seat of all wisdom because it is firmly rooted on the attitude of humility, whilst cleverness is always hanging from the illusion of pride; and consequently wisdom carries a much greater weight of truth despite of taking up very little space for its meaningful existence, whilst cleverness is always over inflated in its dimension like a puffed up balloon but offers no significant substance of grace in life. Hence, the auspicious dream of Joseph was a foretelling of the triumphant glory of wisdom over the utter trouncing of cleverness in the world. The anecdote continues,

When they said: Verily Joseph and his brother are dearer to our father than we are, many though we be. Lo! our father is in plain aberration. (One said): Kill Joseph or cast him to some (other) land, so that your father’s favour may be all for you, and (that) ye may afterward be righteous folk. One among them said: Kill not Joseph but, if ye must be doing, fling him into the depth of the pit; some caravan will find him. (12, 8–10)

These verses describe the fundamental social phenomenon generally associated with the conflicts within human communities that are grounded in the mindset of quantitative value judgement directed towards a certain kind of people, such as the equitable distribution of sentimental favors in this situation. However, the brothers of Joseph in this case had entertained envious thoughts towards him on account of his beauty, which is essentially a qualitative factor; and thereby were inclined to justify the malignant intent due to their assumption of an ill-perception from a father who could not see the reason for appreciating value in the greater strength of numbers that should have been translated into the loving emotional credits to his many other sons besides Joseph. The essential idea is to let the quantitative elements of muscle and weight to supersede the qualitative ideals of beauty and wisdom, and thereby to undermine the spiritual growth of humankind in favor of physical prowess and material wealth. Such a presumption would also lead to the delusional attitude that a higher state of morality could eventually be achieved through the subversive means of undertaking necessary evil actions in order to secure an advantage of sentimental ascendancy for their righteous self-aggrandizement; for even without showing any merit they might likely acquire the desired promotions simply by undermining the school standards and despite of being failed in the examinations. The anecdote further continues,

They said: O our father! Why wilt thou not trust us with Joseph, when lo! we are good friends to him? Send him with us to-morrow that he may enjoy himself and play. And lo! we shall take good care of him. He said: Lo! in truth it saddens me that ye should take him with you, and I fear lest the wolf devour him while ye are heedless of him. They said: If the wolf should devour him when we are (so strong) a band, then surely we should have already perished. Then, when they led him off, and were of one mind that they should place him in the depth of the pit, We inspired in him: Thou wilt tell them of this deed of theirs when they know (thee) not. And they came weeping to their father in the evening. Saying: O our father! We went racing one with another, and left Joseph by our things, and the wolf devoured him, and thou believest not our saying even when we speak the truth. And they came with false blood on his shirt. He said: Nay, but your minds have beguiled you into something. (My course is) comely patience. And Allah it is Whose help is to be sought in that (predicament) which ye describe. (12, 11–18)

The scene here depicts such intense levels of depravity that can ever afflict human consciousness so as to blatantly beguile people into achieving the most hideous ends through the devious means of spiritual corruption. The psychological device applied here is the playing of games for the pursuit of pleasure in order to divert the attention from serious matters of life; the phenomenon which comes under the province of the sign of Aquarius, i. e. opposite to the sign of Leo. The ‘wolf’ symbol can also be associated with the sign of Aquarius due to wild and independent nature of the animal, and its ability to endure extremely cold climatic conditions. Therefore, the suggestion of a Leo child (Joseph) being devoured by a wolf (Aquarius) in the unprotected environment can be plausible only if the child fails to prove himself true to the nature of the sign of Leo by surviving the perilous conditions of wilderness. However, the father Jacob is not easily deceived by this conundrum because of his knowledge of the spiritual potential of Joseph, the truth of which would eventually be realized by everyone after Joseph has successfully gotten through the trials of the fixed signs regarding ‘community’ and ‘wealth’ to establish the authenticity of his character. Furthermore, the faith of Joseph in his own capacity to grow and transform into a higher spiritual state of excellence offered by the ensuing trials of his life providing him with the opportunity for the manifestation of magnificent beauty and the discovery of great wisdom, thus keeps him reassured during the fateful hours of abandonment and betrayal by the boastful band of his brothers.

And there came a caravan, and they sent their waterdrawer. He let down his pail (into the pit). He said: Good luck! Here is a youth. And they hid him as a treasure, and Allah was Aware of what they did. And they sold him for a low price, a number of silver coins; and they attached no value to him. And he of Egypt who purchased him said unto his wife: Receive him honourably. Perchance he may prove useful to us or we may adopt him as a son. Thus we established Joseph in the land that We might teach him the interpretation of events. And Allah was predominant in His career, but most of mankind know not. And when he reached his prime We gave him wisdom and knowledge. Thus We reward the good. (12, 19–22)

The ‘waterdrawer’ in the above passage also symbolizes the sign of Aquarius, which is popularly depicted in astrology as the man carrying a pitcher of water. Though Joseph does not get to be valued much by the opposite sign of Aquarius; however he does find an honorable reception in Egypt because here the land of Egypt happens to be a metaphor for the sign of Taurus, whence Joseph learns the art of conducting business through the intelligent use of material resources to their best consequences. Hence, once sufficiently educated in the affairs of material civilization, Joseph now has to undergo the spiritual trials that are meant to determine his purity of intent and purpose in life.

The Conflict about Community

And she, in whose house he was, asked of him an evil act. She bolted the doors and said: Come! He said: I seek refuge in Allah! Lo! he is my lord, who hath treated me honourably. Lo! wrong-doers never prosper. She verily desired him, and he would have desired her if it had not been that he saw the argument of his Lord. Thus it was, that We might ward off from him evil and lewdness. Lo! he was of Our chosen slaves. And they raced with one another to the door, and she tore his shirt from behind, and they met her lord and master at the door. She said: What shall be his reward, who wisheth evil to thy folk, save prison or a painful doom? (Joseph) said: She it was who asked of me an evil act. And a witness of her own folk testified: If his shirt is torn from before, then she speaketh truth and he is of the liars. And if his shirt is torn from behind, then she hath lied and he is of the truthful. So when he saw his shirt torn from behind, he said: Lo! this is of the guile of you women. Lo! the guile of you is very great. O Joseph! Turn away from this, and thou, (O woman), ask forgiveness for thy sin. Lo! thou art of the sinful. (12, 23–29)

The first spiritual trial of Joseph had been conducted to test his commitment to the nobler ideals of a community in the fixed sign of Scorpio. The wife of his patron here represents Scorpio who attempted to seduce Joseph into betraying his master; but Joseph had resisted the temptations and attempted to escape from her presence. Since the fixed sign of Scorpio follows after the fixed sign of Leo in the scheme of the zodiac; and so if the shirt of Joseph would have been torn from the front side then he would have lost his authentic archetypal values for being a Leo. However, the shirt was discovered to be torn from behind, and therefore Joseph had successfully withstood the trial of loyalty as he did not allow the corruptions from the sign of Scorpio to spoil his spiritual integrity, and thereby justified his education and stay in the land of Egypt (Taurus).

And women in the city said: The ruler’s wife is asking of her slave-boy an ill-deed. Indeed he has smitten her to the heart with love. We behold her in plain aberration. And when she heard of their sly talk, she sent to them and prepared for them a cushioned couch (to lie on at the feast) and gave to every one of them a knife and said (to Joseph): Come out unto them! And when they saw him they exalted him and cut their hands, exclaiming: Allah Blameless! This is not a human being. This is no other than some gracious angel. She said: This is he on whose account ye blamed me. I asked of him an evil act, but he proved continent, but if he does not do my behest he verily shall be imprisoned, and verily shall be of those brought low. He said: O my Lord! Prison is more dear than that unto which they urge me, and if Thou fend not off their wiles from me I shall incline unto them and become of the foolish. So his Lord heard his prayer and fended off their wiles from him. Lo! He is Hearer, Knower. And it seemed good to them (the men-folk) after they had seen the signs (of his innocence) to imprison him for a time. (12, 30–35)

This segment of the narrative metaphorically describes a very significant dynamic unfolding between the contrasting elements of the fixed signs whence the corruption in one of the fixed signs also tends to impact upon the affairs of the rest of them, mainly on account of the inordinate levels of turpitude displayed here by the fixed sign of Scorpio. Though Joseph representing the sign of Leo had proven himself to be truthful, but Egypt (Taurus) did not possess the moral strength to rise above the vileness of its own womenfolk (Scorpio). The intentional practice of bloodletting through the cutting of hands in a certain group is usually done to swear an oath symbolically expressing a strong commitment for a mutual cause; and thus it seemed evident that the womenfolk of Egypt had decided to stick together for the purpose of establishing their political ascendancy despite of the depraved nature of their criminal mindset. Therefore, the morally fallen state of Egypt (Taurus) had compromised to imprison the innocent Joseph (Leo) in order to cover up this scandalous situation of womenfolk (Scorpio) to avoid the embarrassment in the public community. This episode also demonstrates the wisdom that however a culture may prosper materially, but it can never establish the order of justice in community without establishing the principles of moral integrity.

And two young men went to prison with him. One of them said: I dreamed that I was pressing wine. The other said: I dreamed that I was carrying upon my head bread whereof the birds were eating. Announce unto us the interpretation, for we see thee of those good (at interpretation). He (Joseph) said: The food which ye are given (daily) shall not come unto you but I shall tell you the interpretation ere it cometh unto you. This is of that which my Lord hath taught me. Lo! I have forsaken the religion of folk who believe not in Allah and are disbelievers in the Hereafter. And I have followed the religion of my fathers, Abraham and Isaac and Jacob. It never was for us to attribute aught as partner to Allah. This is of the bounty of Allah unto us (the seed of Abraham) and unto mankind; but most men give not thanks. O my fellow-prisoners! Are divers lords better, or Allah the One, Almighty? Those whom ye worship beside Him are but names which ye have named, ye and your fathers. Allah hath revealed no sanction for them. The decision rests with Allah only, Who hath commanded you that ye worship none save Him. This is the right religion, but most men know not. O my two fellow-prisoners! As for one of you, he will pour out wine for his lord to drink; and as for the other, he will be crucified so that the birds will eat from his head. Thus is the case judged concerning which ye did inquire. And he said unto him of the twain who he knew would be released: Mention me in the presence of thy lord. But Satan caused him to forget to mention it to his lord, so he (Joseph) stayed in prison for some years. (12, 36–42)

During his unfair incarceration in Egypt, Joseph had learnt the wisdom of there being only three kinds of people in the world. Firstly, those who would always perform the right actions for the right reasons, as they had faith in the ideals of monotheism (like Joseph himself); secondly there were those who would seldom perform the right actions but only for the wrong reasons, as their minds had been corrupted by the practices of idolatry in their cultures (like his prison mates); and thirdly those who would always participate in the wrong actions and also for the wrong reasons, as they had rebelled against all the noble ideals of truth (like the corrupt women of Egypt). Therefore, in the light of this wisdom Joseph could easily discriminate people on the basis of their moral characters, and hence he recognized the nature of companions that were alongside him in the prison to be of idolatrous disposition. Because Joseph represented the sign of Leo, therefore his two cellmates could only have been the expressions of the two neighboring signs of Leo, i. e. Cancer and Virgo. Therefore, Joseph knew that he could not preach them the ideals of truth unless they owed him some favor; and thus when they had asked him for the favor of interpreting their dreams, he took the opportunity as a recompense for himself to preach them the ideals of monotheism. Hence, the wisdom provided Joseph with a vision that would not be occluded by any misunderstanding of human nature, and consequently he not only could interpret his own dreams with great confidence regarding their symbolic meanings, but also of those related by his companions; whereby Joseph had recognized that the Cancer person would be crucified at the opposite sign of Capricorn, but the Virgo person would eventually find his redemption at the opposite sign of Pisces and thereby produce plentiful wine in the harvest season of Virgo. Therefore, Joseph had asked the Virgo companion to return his favor by helping him to secure a release from the unjustified imprisonment. However, the idolatrous nature of the man made him selfish enough to forget about returning the favor by supporting Joseph in his quest for freedom.

The Conflict about Wealth

And the king said: Lo! I saw in a dream seven fat kine which seven lean were eating, and seven green ears of corn and other (seven) dry. O notables! Expound for me my vision, if ye can interpret dreams. They answered: Jumbled dreams! And we are not knowing in the interpretation of dreams. And he of the two who was released, and (now) at length remembered, said: I am going to announce unto you the interpretation, therefore send me forth. (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. He said: Ye shall sow seven years as usual, but that which ye reap, leave it in the ear, all save a little which ye eat. Then after that will come seven hard years which will devour all that ye have prepared for them, save a little of that which ye have stored. Then, after that, will come a year when the people will have plenteous crops and when they will press (wine and oil). (12, 43–49)

The king of Egypt metaphorically represents the ruler of the sign of Taurus, which happens to be the astrological planet Venus. The planets when present in their ruling signs tend to function the best regarding their special traits, whilst in the opposing signs they are understood to act in a detrimental manner. The king of Egypt alongside the high ranking officials of that country were idolatrous, and therefore could not understand the insights that came from the dreams. The person who had received the explanation of his dream from Joseph in the prison called him as “O thou truthful one”, because he knew of the trustworthiness associated with the character of Joseph. The seven fat cows in the above passage of Quran metaphorically represent the seven planets in their respective dominions of ruling signs, whilst the seven lean cows are the seven planets moving through the astrological signs of their respective detriments (opposing signs). In the anecdote, Joseph had not only interpreted the dream of the king but also advised him regarding the solution to his predicament; whence the king should make arrangements to maintain the balance of resources amongst various classes of people such that all the subjects could serve to strengthen the kingdom to the best of their abilities, and thereby to also avoid the problem of conflicts that might emerge during those testing times of scarcity, disparity, and despair.

The End Note

It is worth the note that I have neither quoted nor explained in this article the full text of chapter 12 with regards to its symbolism and knowledge. Nevertheless, I hope to have gathered sufficient description of hermetic wisdom from the stand point of explaining the function of mystery letters prefixed in the chapter; and therefore, I would strongly recommend the readers to go through the text by themselves with an eye to discover ever more of the hidden pearls of hermetic wisdom in the depths of its symbolism. I should hereby conclude this article by quoting the final verse of this chapter from Quran.

In their history verily there is a lesson for men of understanding. It is no invented story but a confirmation of the existing (Scripture) and a detailed explanation of everything, and a guidance and a mercy for folk who believe. (12, 111)