Tafsir of Yusuf 12:65

"And when they opened their baggage..."

Al-Raghib said: Mata' (baggage) is everything from which benefit is derived. In this verse, it refers to the grain. It is also said that it refers to the sacks, and both are mata', for they are inseparable; the grain was inside the sacks. The meaning is: when they opened the sacks of their grain, "they found their merchandise"—which they had given as payment for the grain—"returned to them"—that is, as an act of grace. They realized this through the aforementioned indication of the situation. Alqamah, Yahya ibn Wathab, and al-A'mash read it as ruddat with a kasra on the ra'. This is because the vowel of the assimilated dal was transferred to the ra' after it was presumed to be free of the damma; this is a dialect of the Banu Dabba, just as the Arabs transferred the vowel in qila and bi'a. Qutrub reported this transfer in sound, non-assimilated letters, such as duriba Zayd.

"They said..." —This is an explanatory resumption, as if it were asked: "What did they say at that moment?" It is said: They said to their father—and he was likely present at the opening—"O our father, what more could we desire?" If al-baghi is interpreted as "seeking" (as a group of scholars have held), then ma could be interrogative, in the position of an accusative as a preposed object of nabghi. The meaning is: What could we seek beyond what we have described to you of the King’s beneficence toward us, and his generosity which calls for compliance with his command and returning to him for our needs? They had indeed informed him of this, as it is narrated that they said to him, peace be upon him: "We have arrived at the best of men; he lodged us and honored us with an honor such that, even if he were a man from the family of Ya'qub, he would not have honored us as he did."

His saying, Exalted is He: "This, our merchandise, has been returned to us," is an independent, resumed sentence, clarifying what the rhetorical question (the negation) indicated regarding the perfection of the kindness reaching its climax. It is as if they said: "How could we not desire more, while this, our merchandise, has been returned to us out of grace, without our knowledge, after he bestowed upon us favors that burden our shoulders? Is there anything more than this that we should seek?" Their intent behind this is that it is sufficient for necessitating compliance with his command and seeking him out to obtain more; they did not mean that it is sufficient in an absolute sense, such that one should refrain from seeking similar favors; this is evident.

The sentence ruddat is in the position of a state (hal) for bi'a'atuna, with the estimation of qad according to those who view its necessity in such contexts, and the operative factor is the meaning of the indication. Making it the predicate of hadhihi and making bi'a'atuna an appositive explanation for it is baseless. Preferring the passive voice, it is said, is to signal the completeness of the kindness, which stems from the completeness of the concealment—understood from how completely oblivious they were to it, to the extent that they did not perceive it nor the doer of it. It is also said it is to signal that the doer is known, and therein lies its own form of praise.

His saying, Exalted is He: "And we shall supply our people"—that is, we shall bring them al-mira, which is (with a kasra on the mim and a sukun on the ya') the food that a person carries—that is, brings from one land to another. In essence: we shall bring them food from the King. It is conjoined to an implicit verb that the return of the merchandise suggests: "So we shall strengthen ourselves with it, and we shall supply our people, and we shall guard our brother" from adversities, as we promised. Its being a derivative of what preceded is in view of its indication of the King's kindness, for that is something that aids in protection. "And we shall increase"—that is, by means of him, and for this reason, the report of it was placed between the original and the additional—"a camel-load"—that is, a camel's burden in addition to our own camels' burdens, according to the King's custom of rationing. A ba'ir (camel), in popular usage, is the counterpart to a naqah (she-camel), though it is sometimes applied to her as well. In one dialect, the ba' is read with a kasra, and its plural is ab'irah, bu'ran, and aba'ir. It is related from Mujahid that he interpreted it here as a donkey, and mentioned that some Arabs call a donkey ba'ir; this is anomalous.

His saying, Exalted is He: "That is an easy measure"—that is, a measured amount—"56" (This is a small amount that does not sustain us). It is possible that this is an indication of what was measured for them first. The sentence is a resumption brought to answer what might be asked of them: "You are truthful in what you have said, but what is the need for committing to this, having already brought the food?" It is as if they said: "That which we have brought is not enough for us, so we must return another time and take the like of it, with an increase; and that cannot happen without taking our brother."

It is also possible that it is an indication of what their camels carry, and the sentence is a resumption serving as an explanation for the aforementioned increase; as if it were asked: "What need is there for increase?" It was replied: "What our camels carry is little and does not suffice us." It is also said: The meaning is that this additional measure is small; the King is not constrained by it, or it is easy for him and he does not consider it significant. According to this view, the sentence is a resumption brought to repel what might be said: "Perhaps the King will not give you anything beyond ten, considering it a lot or difficult for him." This is as you see. It is also permitted that "that" refers to the measure they are intending, which their speech contains—namely, the addition of the camel-load gained because of their brother whom they are committed to protecting. As if to say, when they mentioned what they mentioned and made explicit what implies an exaggeration in persuading their father, they said: "That which we are aiming for is an easy measure, with no hardship or tribulation following it." The measure might remain in its infinitive sense, and the speech continues in this fashion, except for a few things.

Some allowed that "that" is from the speech of Ya'qub, peace be upon him, referring to the camel-load: that the load of one camel is something for which one should not risk a son. The obvious interpretation here would be for it to be mentioned alongside his previous or subsequent speech. It is said that the meaning of "What more could we desire?" is: "What pursuit do we seek from our necessities?" The sentences following it are an explanation and clarification of what the rhetorical negation implies regarding them being successful in some demands or capable of attaining them. As if they said: "This is our merchandise present, so we shall strengthen ourselves with it, supply our people, guard our brother from harm, and increase—by his means, beyond what we measure for ourselves—a camel-load. So what could we desire beyond these pursuits?"

What we mentioned regarding the conjunction to an implicit verb is the well-known view. In al-Kashf, it is said: You may say that namira and what follows it is conjoined to the collective "what we desire," and the meaning is the gathering of these two statements from them in existence, without needing a link beyond that, as both are arguments they are making. It is sufficient that they all share in the purpose of persuading Ya'qub, peace be upon him, to change his mind, and that if the King is benevolent, protection is the easiest of things. The interrogative, due to its return to negation, does not prevent conjunction. Some have agreed with this.

Ibn Mas'ud and Abu Haywah read ma tabghi with the ta' of address. 'A'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, narrated from the Prophet, peace be upon him, that the address is to Ya'qub, peace be upon him. The meaning is: "What thing beyond these pursuits—which include the safety of our brother and the abundance of our resources—or beyond the kindness the King has shown, invites one to turn toward him?" The resumed sentence is also clarifying this. Or: "What thing do you seek that would serve as a witness to our truthfulness in what we described to you of his kindness?" The aforementioned sentence is an expression of the witness implied by the rhetoric of the negation.

It is possible that ma is negative, and the object of nabghi is omitted: "We do not desire anything other than what we have seen of the King's kindness in the necessity of returning to him," or "We do not desire anything other than these pursuits." The statement that the meaning is "we do not desire from you other merchandise to buy with" is weak. The resumed sentence, in any case, is an explanation for the negation. As for when al-baghi is interpreted as "transgressing the limit," then ma is purely negative, and the meaning is: "We do not transgress in speech, nor do we lie in what we have described to you of the King's kindness toward us and his generosity, which necessitates what has been mentioned." The resumed sentence is to explain their claim of not transgressing. His saying: "And we shall supply..." is conjoined to "what we desire," meaning: "We do not transgress in what we say, and we supply, and we do so-and-so." Thus, the reasons for permitting the sending are gathered; the first is like a preparation and introduction for the rest, and the correlation is from this aspect, because all are interconnected in that the desired object depends on them in some way. Even if there were no relation other than them being statements, it would suffice, based on what passed earlier from al-Kashf.

It is also permitted that it is an introductory, parenthetical, follow-up statement, like saying: "So-and-so speaks the truth, and the truth is manifest." It is as if it were said: "And it is fitting that we supply." The aspect of emphasis required by the follow-up is that the meaning is that the King is benevolent, and we are needy, so why the hesitation in sending? Both of its reasons have been confirmed. The scholar al-Tibi said: The emphasis and follow-up are only valid because the speech is about distinction, and each of the sentences is in its meaning, or the meaning is "what we desire" in opinion, and we do not deviate from the correct path in what we suggest to you regarding sending our brother with us. All the sentences are also for explanation, except that there is an omission that the speech leads to: "Our merchandise is present, we strengthen ourselves with it, supply our people, and do so-and-so." This, as it is said, is a clear, beautiful face that suits their situation with their father. Reflect on this. 'A'ishah and Abu 'Abd al-Rahman al-Sulami read wa numiru with the damma on the nun; it has come mara 'iyalahu and amara-hum with the same meaning, as in al-Qamus.