﴿ قَالَ لَا يَأْتِيكُمَا طَعَامٌۭ تُرْزَقَانِهِۦٓ إِلَّا نَبَّأْتُكُمَا بِتَأْوِيلِهِۦ قَبْلَ أَن يَأْتِيَكُمَا ۚ ذَٰلِكُمَا مِمَّا عَلَّمَنِى رَبِّىٓ ۚ إِنِّى تَرَكْتُ مِلَّةَ قَوْمٍۢ لَّا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِٱللَّهِ وَهُم بِٱلْءَاخِرَةِ هُمْ كَٰفِرُونَ ﴾

“[Joseph] answered: "Ere there comes unto you the meal which you are [daily] fed, I shall have informed you of the real meaning of your dreams, [so that you might know what is to come] before it comes unto you: for this is [part] of the knowledge which my Sustainer has imparted to me. "Behold, I have left behind me the ways of people who do not believe in God, and who persistently refuse to acknowledge the truth of the life to come;”

The young prisoners approached Joseph in order to know the interpretation of their dreams. The manner in which they put their questions to Joseph was a clear indication that they were impressed by his personality and relied on his opinion. This approach was natural in the case of a righteous and principled person like Joseph. Joseph, with his missionary spirit, immediately realised that this was the best opportunity to convey the message of truth to these youths. But, after hearing the interpretation of their dreams, their attention might have been diverted from Joseph. So he adopted a wise approach and delayed the interpretation for some time. Thereafter he talked to them briefly about the unity of God and, in view of the mentality of the addressees, he used superior reasoning to convey his message to them.