سورة يوسف

Imam Sajjad (peace be upon him): Thumali said: One of the judges of Kufa came to the presence of Imam Sajjad (peace be upon him) ... Imam Sajjad (peace be upon him) said [in the interpretation of some verses]: 'وَ سْئَلِ الْقَرْیَةَ الَّتِی کُنَّا فِیها وَ الْعِیرَ الَّتِی أَقْبَلْنا فِیها [And ask the town in which we were and the caravan with which we came] — is the question from the town, or from the men and the caravan?' And he recited several verses in this regard. He asked: 'May I be your ransom, so who are meant?' He said: 'They are we.'

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Abdullah al-Rummani narrates from Imam Rida (peace be upon him), from his father, from his grandfather Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him), who said: A person who used to interpret the Quran came to me ... Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: 'Does not Allah say: وَ اسْئَلِ الْقَرْیَةَ الَّتِی کُنَّا فِیها وَ الْعِیرَ الَّتِی أَقْبَلْنا فِیها [And ask the town in which we were and the caravan with which we came]. Tell me, should he ask the doors and walls, or the people?'

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Abdullah ibn Sinan narrated from Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) that Hasan al-Basri came to Imam Baqir (peace be upon him). He said to him: "... Allah says in Surah Yusuf: وَ اسْئَلِ الْقَرْیَةَ الَّتِی کُنَّا فِیها وَ الْعِیرَ الَّتِی أَقْبَلْنا فِیها [And ask the town in which we were and the caravan with which we came]. So whom did they command him to ask — the town, or the caravan, or the people?" He said: "May I be your ransom! Inform me about قُریً ظاهِرَةً [the visible towns]." He said: "They are our Shia, meaning the scholars among them."

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): As for that group of Quranic verses whose wording is one but whose meaning is contrary to the apparent sense, such as the verse وَ سْئَلِ الْقَرْیَةَ الَّتِی کُنَّا فِیها وَ الْعِیرَ الَّتِی أَقْبَلْنا فِیها [And inquire in the town in which we were and the caravan with which we proceeded], in which what is meant is the people of the town and the people of the caravan; and the verse: وَ تِلْکَ الْقُری أَهْلَکْناهُمْ لَمَّا ظَلَمُوا [And these towns — We destroyed them when they did wrong] (al-Kahf/59), in which what is meant is the people of those towns; and the verse: وَ کَذلِکَ أَخْذُ رَبِّکَ إِذا أَخَذَ الْقُری وَ هِیَ ظالِمَةٌ [And such is the seizing of your Lord when He seizes the towns while they are doing wrong] (Hud/102), meaning the people of those towns.

Ali ibn Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him): وَ سْئَلِ الْقَرْیَةَ الَّتِی کُنَّا فِیها وَ الْعِیرَ الَّتِی أَقْبَلْنا فِیها [And inquire in the town in which we were and the caravan with which we proceeded], meaning: ask the people of the town and the people of the caravan.