Tafsir of Yusuf 12:59

(He equipped them with their gear): That is, he rectified them with their supplies and loaded their mounts with what they had come for. Perhaps, peace be upon him, he only sold each one of them a camel-load, based on reports that he would not sell any of the grain-seekers more than that, so as to distribute it fairly among the people. There is support for this in what will come later, God willing, in their saying: (and we will add the load of a camel). "Jihaz" (gear/equipment) originally refers to whatever a traveler needs in terms of provisions and goods. The "jihaz" of a bride is what she is adorned with when taken to her husband, and for the dead, it is what is needed for burial. It was also recited with a kasra on the jim (jihaz).

(He said, "Bring me a brother of yours from your father"): He did not say, "your brother," as a way of exaggerating his feigned lack of recognition of them, as if he did not know who he was. Had he used the possessive suffix, it would have necessitated recognizing him, as the suffix implies knowledge of the object. Hence, they say regarding the phrase "send a servant of yours": the servant is unknown; whereas in "send your servant": he is known and there is a pact between you and the addressee regarding him.

Perhaps he, peace be upon him, said this because it was said that they asked him for an extra load beyond the norm for Benjamin, so he gave them that and stipulated that they bring him, showing them that he wanted to verify their truthfulness. It is said that when they saw him and spoke to him in Hebrew, he said to them, "Who are you? For I do not recognize you." They said, "We are a people from the land of the Levant, shepherds; hardship has befallen us, so we have come to seek grain." He said, "Perhaps you have come as spies, looking at the vulnerabilities of my land?" They said, "God forbid; we are brothers, sons of one father, who is a righteous old man, a prophet from among the prophets, named Jacob." He said, "How many are you?" They said, "We were twelve, but one perished from us." He said, "How many are you here?" They said, "Ten." He said, "Then where is the eleventh?" They said, "He is with his father, finding comfort in him for the one who perished." He said, "Who will bear witness for you that you are not spies and that what you say is true?" They said, "We are in a land where no one knows us, so who would bear witness for us?" He said, "Then leave some of you with me as a hostage, and bring me your brother from your father—who carries a message from your father—until I believe you." They drew lots, and the lot fell to Simeon. It is also said that he, peace be upon him, chose him because he had the best opinion of him, though the famous view is that the best of them was Judah. So they left him behind with him. From this, the reason for this statement is known. This has been criticized on the grounds that it is not supported by the command to bring him at the time of equipping, nor by the urging to fulfill the measure, nor by the kindness in hosting, nor by the limitation of withholding the measure without mentioning the message. Furthermore, if the detention of Simeon had occurred, it would have been a catastrophe that would have caused every other word to be forgotten. Some said that the report is weakened by the fact that it includes accusing his brothers of being spies, unless it is said that this was by way of revelation.

Ibn al-Munir said: That is incorrect, because if he suspected them of being spies, why would he ask them for one of their brothers? And what is in the Noble Order contradicts it. He elaborated on this, but it was countered by saying it is of no weight, because when they told him they were the sons of Jacob, peace be upon him, he asked for their brother, and through him the situation would become clear.

Ibn Jarir and others narrated from Ibn Abbas that when they entered upon him and he recognized them while they did not recognize him, he brought the King’s cup from which he used to drink. He placed it on his hand and began tapping it, and it rang. He tapped it again, and it rang, and he said: "This cup tells me news. Did you have a brother from your father called Joseph, whom your father loved more than you, and you took him and cast him into the pit, and told your father that a wolf had eaten him, and you brought his shirt with false blood?" They began looking at one another, amazed that the cup could tell such things. This version contradicts the previous reports, and there are other reports on the matter, all of which are inconsistent, so one should limit oneself to what God Almighty related of what they said to Joseph, peace be upon him.

He said: (Do you not see that I fulfill the measure): I complete it for you. The preference for the imperfect tense (future/continuous) despite this being said after the equipment was provided, is to signify that this is a continuous custom. (And I am the best of hosts): This is a state sentence, meaning: "Do you not see that I fulfill the measure for you continuously, while I am in the utmost state of kindness in hosting and entertaining you?" And the matter was indeed as such.

One can understand from the speech of some that there is a generalization in both sentences such that the addressees are included. The specification of the "seeing" to the fulfillment of the measure is because the address occurred during the act of measuring. As for the kindness in hosting, it was continuous, both before and after, which is why he informed about it using a nominal sentence. He, peace be upon him, did not say this by way of boasting, but rather to urge them to fulfill what he had commanded them. The limitation in the measure to the mention of "fulfillment" is because his dealings with them in that regard were like his dealings with others, observing the requirements of justice. As for hospitality, people have no right to it, so he favored them in that with what he willed. This was said by Sheikh al-Islam.