Tafsir of Yusuf 12:62

(And he said) Joseph, peace be upon him, (to his young men) meaning his servants who measured the grain, as stated by Qatada and others, or to his appointed assistants who served him, as has been said. It is the plural of fata (young man), or a collective noun for it, according to one view, though that carries no weight. Most of the seven [reciters] read it as fityatihi, which is the plural of paucity for it. The first reading is considered preferable because it aligns better with his saying: "(Place their merchandise in their saddlebags)," for rihal (saddlebags) is a plural of abundance, and matching a plural with a plural necessitates the distribution of individuals upon individuals; thus, it is appropriate to use the plural of abundance form. According to the other reading, one of the two plurals is used metaphorically for the other. It is narrated that he, peace be upon him, entrusted a man with every saddlebag, meaning the merchandise with which they bought the food, which consisted of items like sandals and leather. The root of bida'ah (merchandise) is a substantial portion of wealth kept for trade; here, it refers to the price of what they bought.

The rahl (saddlebag/luggage) is what is placed on the back of a mount, consisting of the rider's belongings and other items, as stated in al-Bahr. al-Raghib said: It is that which is placed on a camel for riding; sometimes it refers to the camel itself, and other times to what one sits upon in the house. Its plural of paucity is arhila. It is apparent that this command occurred after they were prepared, though it is said it was before, which would imply a reversal in sequence, but there is no need for that. He, peace be upon him, did this out of grace toward them, fearing that their father might not have what they would need to return another time. All of this was to realize his intention of having them return with their brother, as is indicated by his saying: (So that they might recognize it), meaning recognize the right of having it returned and the nobility of that act. Thus, la'alla (perhaps/so that) is understood in its literal sense, and there is an implied added word in the discourse. It is possible that the meaning is "in order for them to recognize it," so no addition is needed. It is ostensibly linked to his saying: (When they return to their people), for their recognition of it is restricted to the time of their return and the emptying of their vessels. As for recognizing the right of nobility in returning it, even if in essence it is not restricted to that time, since the initiation of that recognition occurs then, it is constrained by it.

(So that they might return) as I requested of them, for showing favor by returning the exchange—especially during a time of scarcity of merchandise—is one of the strongest incentives to return. It has been said that he, peace be upon him, did this because he did not deem it generous to take payment from his father and brothers, being as he was, the noble son of the noble. This is a true statement in itself, but the aforementioned justification rejects it. Similar to this is what Ibn Atiyyah claimed, that it was incumbent upon him, peace be upon him, to uphold ties with them and provide for them during that hardship, as he was a just king and they were people of faith and prophecy. Stranger still is the claim that he, peace be upon him, did this as a prelude to placing the drinking cup in his brother’s saddlebag thereafter, so that it might become clear that he had not stolen, for one who contemplates the story. Some have explained the aforementioned "returning" as the incentive for them to come back, [arguing that] their piety would compel them to return the merchandise—either because they suspected it was not intended, or to test the situation. In this case, yarji'un (they return) is either intransitive or transitive, meaning "they will return it" (i.e., give it back). However, the manner of the placing of the goods proclaims that this was done by way of favor, so the possibility of anything else is extremely remote. Do you not see how they were certain of that when they saw it, and considered it evidence of the previous acts of favor, as you shall soon learn, God willing?