Tafsir of Yusuf 12:79

(He said: "I seek refuge in Allah")—meaning: We seek refuge in Allah the Exalted—"from taking..." The verb is elided, and the verbal noun is substituted in its place, annexed to its object, and the preposition is omitted, as is the case in similar instances.

"...except him with whom we found our goods." This is because our taking him is only by the decree of your own legal opinion; thus, we are not permitted to deviate from what it necessitates.

"Indeed, then..."—meaning: if we were to take someone other than him with whom we found our goods, even with his consent—"...we would be wrongdoers" according to your school of thought and your law, and that is not for us. The preference for the first-person plural form, despite the address being from his brothers, is in accordance with the traditions of kings, and to indicate that the act of taking and giving is not something one decides upon independently, but rather it is contingent upon the opinions of those who hold authority and make decisions.

The preference for "him with whom we found our goods" over "him who stole our goods" is more concise, as it is more consistent with what transpired in the seeking and giving of the legal opinion, or to verify the truth and avoid falsehood in speech while achieving the full objective; for they would not interpret the finding of the measuring cup with him as anything other than theft. "Goods" (Mata’) is a term for that which is benefited from, and it is intended here as the measuring cup. How elegant is its usage alongside "taking" (al-akhd), which is intended here as enslavement and servitude; it seems it was for this reason that it was preferred over "the measuring cup." It is apparent that the "taking" in their speech is also literally interpreted in this sense.

Ibn Atiyyah suggested that this might be metaphorical, because they knew it is not permissible to enslave a free man who is not a thief in place of one whose enslavement has been established by law. Thus, their statement is like when you say to someone whose action you dislike: "Kill me, but do not do such-and-such," while you do not actually intend for him to kill you, but you are exaggerating in trying to dissuade him. He then said: "On this basis, the statement of Yusuf (peace be upon him), 'I seek refuge in Allah,' is justified, because he was seeking refuge from an impermissible act." It is possible that they did not intend this meaning, and it is far-fetched for them—being prophets—to intend the enslavement of a free man. Thus, nothing remains except that they meant by it surety, meaning: "Take one of us and keep him with you until your companion returns to you." Their intention in that was for Benjamin to reach his father so that he might inform him of the reality of the situation. This is a claim that is not to be relied upon at all, as is not hidden.

The response of Yusuf (peace be upon him) contains an inner meaning: that Allah (mighty and majestic is He) commanded me by revelation to take Benjamin for interests known to Him, glory be to Him. Had I taken another, I would have been wronging my own soul and acting contrary to the revelation.