Tafsir of Yusuf 12:14

The Oath: The oath is omitted. Its implied meaning is: "By Allah, {if the wolf were to eat him}..." The lam (in la-in) serves to introduce the oath.

The Response: His saying: {We would then be losers} is the response to the oath, which suffices in place of the response to the conditional clause (shart).

The Circumstantial Clause: The waw in {while we are a strong group} is a circumstantial (hal) particle. They swore to him that if what he feared—the wolf snatching their brother from among them—were to happen, while they were ten men (a number by which matters are strengthened and calamities are averted), then they would indeed be losers.

The Meaning of "Losers" (Khasirun):

1. Perishing: Weak, feeble, and incapable.
2. Deserving of Destruction: Because they would be of no use or benefit in their lives.
3. Deserving of Imprecation: Deserving that one should pray for their loss and destruction, saying: "May Allah cause them to lose and destroy them," since a wolf ate one of them while they were present.
4. Loss of Property: It is said: "If we are unable to protect one of our own, then our livestock are surely lost and we have suffered a loss."

A Question and Answer: Question: He (Ya'qub) offered them two excuses (the wolf and their negligence), so why did they respond to one and not the other? Answer: It was the one (the wolf) that angered them and caused them bitterness, so they turned a deaf ear to it and paid it no heed.