Verses 15–22
12. Yusuf · Joseph
Makkan111 verses
فَلَمَّا ذَهَبُوا۟ بِهِۦ وَأَجْمَعُوٓا۟ أَن يَجْعَلُوهُ فِى غَيَٰبَتِ ٱلْجُبِّ ۚ وَأَوْحَيْنَآ إِلَيْهِ لَتُنَبِّئَنَّهُم بِأَمْرِهِمْ هَٰذَا وَهُمْ لَا يَشْعُرُونَ
12:15So when they took him away and conspired to put him into the recess of a well, We revealed to him, ‘[A day will come when] you will surely inform them about this affair of theirs while they are not aware [of your identity].’
وَجَآءُوٓ أَبَاهُمْ عِشَآءًۭ يَبْكُونَ
12:16In the evening, they came weeping to their father.
قَالُوا۟ يَٰٓأَبَانَآ إِنَّا ذَهَبْنَا نَسْتَبِقُ وَتَرَكْنَا يُوسُفَ عِندَ مَتَٰعِنَا فَأَكَلَهُ ٱلذِّئْبُ ۖ وَمَآ أَنتَ بِمُؤْمِنٍۢ لَّنَا وَلَوْ كُنَّا صَٰدِقِينَ
12:17They said, ‘Father! We had gone racing and left Joseph with our things, whereat the wolf ate him. But you will not believe us even if we spoke truly.’1
وَجَآءُو عَلَىٰ قَمِيصِهِۦ بِدَمٍۢ كَذِبٍۢ ۚ قَالَ بَلْ سَوَّلَتْ لَكُمْ أَنفُسُكُمْ أَمْرًۭا ۖ فَصَبْرٌۭ جَمِيلٌۭ ۖ وَٱللَّهُ ٱلْمُسْتَعَانُ عَلَىٰ مَا تَصِفُونَ
12:18And they produced sham blood on his shirt. He said, ‘No, your souls have made a matter seem decorous to you. Yet patience is graceful, and Allah is my resort against what you allege.’2
وَجَآءَتْ سَيَّارَةٌۭ فَأَرْسَلُوا۟ وَارِدَهُمْ فَأَدْلَىٰ دَلْوَهُۥ ۖ قَالَ يَٰبُشْرَىٰ هَٰذَا غُلَٰمٌۭ ۚ وَأَسَرُّوهُ بِضَٰعَةًۭ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ عَلِيمٌۢ بِمَا يَعْمَلُونَ
12:19There came a caravan, and they sent their water-drawer, who let down his bucket. ‘Good news!’ he said. ‘This is a young boy!’ So they hid him as [a piece of] merchandise, and Allah knew best what they were doing.
وَشَرَوْهُ بِثَمَنٍۭ بَخْسٍۢ دَرَٰهِمَ مَعْدُودَةٍۢ وَكَانُوا۟ فِيهِ مِنَ ٱلزَّٰهِدِينَ
12:20And they sold him for a cheap price, a few dirhams, for they set small store by him.3
وَقَالَ ٱلَّذِى ٱشْتَرَىٰهُ مِن مِّصْرَ لِٱمْرَأَتِهِۦٓ أَكْرِمِى مَثْوَىٰهُ عَسَىٰٓ أَن يَنفَعَنَآ أَوْ نَتَّخِذَهُۥ وَلَدًۭا ۚ وَكَذَٰلِكَ مَكَّنَّا لِيُوسُفَ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ وَلِنُعَلِّمَهُۥ مِن تَأْوِيلِ ٱلْأَحَادِيثِ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ غَالِبٌ عَلَىٰٓ أَمْرِهِۦ وَلَٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ ٱلنَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ
12:21The man from Egypt who had bought him said to his wife, ‘Give him an honourable place [in the household]. Maybe he will be useful to us, or we may adopt him as a son.’ Thus We established Joseph in the land and that We might teach him the interpretation of dreams. Allah has [full] command of His affairs, but most people do not know.4
وَلَمَّا بَلَغَ أَشُدَّهُۥٓ ءَاتَيْنَٰهُ حُكْمًۭا وَعِلْمًۭا ۚ وَكَذَٰلِكَ نَجْزِى ٱلْمُحْسِنِينَ
12:22When he came of age, We gave him judgement and [sacred] knowledge, and thus do We reward the virtuous.
Tafsir
Commentary on this passage
Verse 21
1.The story of Yusuf (a.s.) is described as the best story. Quran gives more importance to it than other incidents so that we can see the brief accounts in this story and evaluate its usefulness from all sides. For instance. the brothers plotted to kill Yusuf and give a false explanation. It is a proof that lying is the key of all evils. They blamed the wolf; this shows that unjust people always blame innocent ones to hide their sins, so that they become virtuous in the sight of others and they are not afraid that if Allah wants to disclose a secret, no one can hide it.
Yusuf (a.s.) was guaranteed by Al1ah that: We would inform you about their mischief very soon and they will not recognize you. This shows that Allah does not abandon His people at any time and Allah’s support is the best support that comforts them in calamities. The respect and honour of Yusuf (a.s.) in the palace of the King of Misr is a great reward for beloved of Allah, that His creature cannot be helpless and if Allah wants to take him to the goal, He would certainly help him to reach his goal and no one can prevent it. Allah has power over all things and people are ignorant of His Mastery.
Footnotes
Explanations of words and phrases in these verses
Benefit
A tradition of Imam Zainul Aabedeen (a.s.) says that the calamity befell Yaqoob (a.s.) because he had committed the Tark-e-Awla (leaving the preferable option) of not heeding the entreaties of a person who had come to seek alms. Therefore it is the duty of the believers to take care of beggars and needy people and keep themselves safe from these types of difficulties.
- 1
How true is the saying of Amirul Mo-mineen (a.s.) that the greatest punishment of a liar is that people do not believe him when he even speaks the truth.
- 2
It is said that Yaqoob (a.s.) remarked : How clever was the wolf that he devoured Yusuf but did not tear his shirt?
- 3
According to commentators in the ancients time Dirhams were weighed as they were in large quantities and counted if they were less. Therefore the mention counting implies that the price was meager.
- 4
The Holy Quran has mentioned the buyer to be the Aziz of Egypt and Aziz in that time was a term applied to a high ranking official and that is why he imagined that Yusuf (a.s.) will be useful, as was apparent from the appearance of a prophet of Allah.
Benefit
In ayat 15 is the first united effort that the brothers made against Yusuf (a.s.) and the 18th ayat clearly says that weeping is not contradictory to patience. It is rather a mercy and consolation for the heart