Tafsir of Yusuf 12:69-72

Surah Yusuf (12:69-72)

(69) And when they entered upon him, he took his brother close to himself and said, "Indeed, I am your brother, so do not grieve over what they used to do."

When they came to him with his brother (Benjamin), Joseph honored them, hosted them, and seated every two of them at a dining table. Benjamin was left alone, so he wept and said, "If only my brother Joseph were alive, he would have seated me with him."

Joseph then said, "Your brother is left alone," and seated him with himself at the table. Then he commanded that every two of them should be lodged in a separate house, saying, "This one has no equal, so leave him with me," and he took him in.

When Joseph saw his grief over a lost brother, he said to him, "Would you like me to be your brother instead of your perished brother?" He replied, "Who could find a brother like you? But your father Jacob and Rachel did not give birth to you." Joseph (peace be upon him) wept, stood up, embraced him, and said, "Indeed, I am your brother, so do not grieve over what they used to do."

Analysis of the Verse:

1. {أَوَىٰ إِلَيْهِ أَخَاهُ} (He took his brother close to himself): This means he lodged him in the place where he himself lodged.

2. {إِنِّي أَنَا أَخُوكَ} (Indeed, I am your brother): There are two opinions regarding this statement:
   • Wab's Opinion: He did not mean he was his brother by lineage, but rather, "I will take the place of your brother in providing companionship so that you do not feel lonely being by yourself."
   • The Correct View (Majority of Commentators): He meant to establish the lineage relationship. This is stronger for removing loneliness and establishing intimacy. Furthermore, the default meaning in speech is the literal one, and there is no need to divert it to a figurative meaning without necessity.

3. {فَلَا تَبْتَئِسْ} (So do not grieve): Linguists say tabta'is (تَبْتَئِسْ) is derived from al-Bu's (البؤس), which means harm and hardship. Ibti'as (الابتئاس) is the bringing upon oneself of sorrow and distress.

4. {بِمَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ} (Over what they used to do): There are several interpretations:
   • First: What they used to do by persisting in their envy of us and their eagerness to turn our father's attention away from us.
   • Second: Joseph (PBUH) held no residual enmity in his heart and was now reconciled with his brothers. He wanted his brother's heart to be clear with him too, saying: "Do not grieve over what they did," meaning, do not pay attention to what they did previously, nor to their reprehensible deeds they committed.
   • Third: They only did what they did to Joseph because they envied the father's attention and special honor bestowed upon him. Benjamin feared that Joseph would envy him because the King (Joseph) bestowed special honor upon him. So, Joseph reassured him, saying: "Do not pay attention to that, for Allah has brought me and you together."
   • Fourth (Reported by Al-Kalbi from Ibn Abbas): Joseph's brothers used to taunt Joseph and his brother because their maternal grandfather used to worship idols. Joseph's mother stole a basket belonging to her father that contained idols, hoping that if he lost them, he would abandon idol worship. Joseph told him: "Do not grieve over what they used to do," meaning, do not grieve over their taunting us regarding what our grandfather practiced. And Allah knows best.

(70) So when he had furnished them with their provisions, he placed the drinking cup in his brother's sack.

We have already discussed the meaning of provisions (jihāz) and sack (raḥl).

Regarding {السِّقَايَةَ} (the drinking cup/vessel): The author of Al-Kashshāf said it is a drinking vessel (mashraba), which is the Ṣāʿ (a measure). It is said that the King used to drink from it, and then it was made into a measure for weighing. This is unlikely, as the vessel from which a great king drinks would not be suitable to be made into a measure. Another view is that animals were watered from it and it was also used for measuring—this is closer. He also mentioned that it was made of silver overlaid with gold, or made of gold, or studded with jewels. The last two are unlikely, as vessels used for watering animals would not be so ornate. The best approach is to say that the vessel had value, but perhaps not to the extreme extent mentioned.

(71) Then a herald cried out, "O you travelers, indeed you are thieves!"

It is said that adhana (أَذَّنَ) means "he informed him." There are two views on the difference between adhana (أَذَّنَ) and adhana (أَذَنَ):

• Ibn al-Anbari: Adhana (أَذَّنَ) means to inform after previous notification, because the form tafaʿʿul implies repetition of the action. However, it can also mean a single notification, as Arabs often use the tafaʿʿul form to mean the afʿal form in many contexts.
• Sibawayh: Adhantu (أَذَنْتُ) and adhantu (أَذَنْتُ) both mean "I informed," with no difference between them. Ta'dhīn (التأذين) means calling out and raising the voice to announce something.

Analysis of the Verse:

• {أَيَّتُهَا الْعِيرُ} (O you travelers/caravan): Abu al-Haytham said that anything traveled upon, whether camels, donkeys, or mules, is called ʿīr (عِير). The view that ʿīr specifically means camels is false. Another view is that ʿīr refers to camels carrying loads because they taʿīr (تَعِير), meaning they go back and forth. Another view is that it is a caravan of donkeys, and the term became generalized to mean any caravan, as if it were the plural of ʿīr, with its plural being ʿīr (like saqf and suquf).

• {أَيَّتُهَا الْعِيرُ}: This refers to the people of the caravan, similar to the saying, "O soldiers of Allah, mount up!"

• Ibn Mas'ud recited: {وَجَعَلَ السِّقَايَةَ} (And he placed the drinking cup) without the response to lammā (when), as if the meaning was: When he furnished them with their provisions and placed the cup in his brother's sack, he let them go for a while, {ثُمَّ أَذَّنَ مُؤَذِّنٌ} (Then a herald cried out).

Addressing a Question:

If it is asked: Was this announcement made by Joseph's command, or not?

• If it was by his command, how is it fitting for a true messenger from God to falsely accuse people of theft?
• If it was not by his command, why did he not deny it and proclaim their innocence from the accusation?

The Scholars offered several answers:

1. First: When Joseph revealed to his brother that he was Joseph, he told him, "I want to detain you here, and there is no way to do this except through this stratagem. If you consent to this being said about me, then the matter is up to you." He consented to this being said concerning him. Under this assumption, his heart was not pained by this speech, so it is exempt from being a sin.
2. Second: The meaning of {إِنَّكُمْ لَسَارِقُونَ} (Indeed, you are thieves) is: "You have stolen Joseph from his father." However, they did not express this statement explicitly, and such veiled meanings are common.
3. Third: The herald might have uttered this announcement as a question (interrogatively). In this case, it is exempt from being a lie.
4. Fourth: The Qur'an does not state that they made this announcement by Joseph's command. The view closest to the apparent situation is that they did it on their own initiative. When they asked for the cup and did not find it, and there was no one else present except them, the strong assumption was that they were the ones who took it.

Then Joseph's brothers said, {وَأَقْبَلُوا عَلَيْهِمْ مَاذَا تَفْقِدُونَ} (And they approached them, saying, "What is it that you have lost?"). Abu Abd al-Rahman al-Sulami recited {تَفْقِدُونَ} (you lose) derived from afqadtu-hu (I found it missing). They said, "We are looking for the King's Ṣāʿ (measure/cup)."

The author of Al-Kashshāf mentioned various readings for {صَوَاعَ} (cup/measure): Ṣawāʿ, Ṣāʿ, Ṣūʿ, and Ṣūʿ (with variations in vowel markings and the letter ʿayn). Some said the plural of Ṣawāʿ is Ṣiyʿān (like ghurāb and ghirbān), and the plural of Ṣāʿ is Aṣwāʿ (like bāb and abwāb). Others said there is no difference between Ṣāʿ and Ṣawāʿ, citing Abu Hurayrah's recitation: "They said, 'We miss [it],' and the King said..." Some said Ṣawāʿ is the noun, and Siqāyah (vessel) is the description, like kūz (cup) and siqā' (waterskin)—the kūz is the noun and the siqā' is the description.

(72) They said, "By Allah, you certainly know that we did not come to cause corruption in the land, and we are not thieves."

(73) They said, "Then what is the penalty for it, if you are liars?"

(74) They said, "The penalty for it is that he in whose sack it is found, he shall be its recompense. Thus do We recompense the wrongdoers."

(72) ... {وَلِمَنْ جَاءَ بِهِ حِمْلُ بَعِيرٍ} (...And whoever brings it, there is a camel's load [of grain] for him...) meaning provisions. {أَنَا بِهِ زَعِيمٌ} (I am responsible for it).

• Mujahid said: The Zaʿīm (responsible one) is the herald who made the announcement.
• Al-Kalbi said: Zaʿīm means guarantor (kafīl) in the language of the people of Yemen.
• Abu Ubaydah narrated from Al-Kisā'ī: Zaʿamta bihi tazʿumu zaʿaman wa-zaʿāmatan (You guaranteed it). This means "I guaranteed it."

This verse indicates that guaranteeing/suretyship was valid in their law, and the Prophet (PBUH) ruled upon it in his saying: (The guarantor is liable).

Addressing a Question:

If it is asked: Is this a guarantee for an unknown item?

The Answer: A camel's load of grain was known to them, so the guarantee was valid for it. However, this guarantee involves money in exchange for returning stolen property. This is a guarantee for something not obligatory, because it is not permissible for a thief to take anything in return for restoring stolen goods. Perhaps such a guarantee was valid among them.

(73) They said, "By Allah, you certainly know that we did not come to cause corruption in the land, and we are not thieves."

(74) They said, "Then what is the penalty for it, if you are liars?"

(75) They said, "The penalty for it is that he in whose sack it is found, he shall be its recompense. Thus do We recompense the wrongdoers."