Anwar Al-Quran

Verses 5–14

12. Yusuf · Joseph

Makkan111 verses

قَالَ يَٰبُنَىَّ لَا تَقْصُصْ رُءْيَاكَ عَلَىٰٓ إِخْوَتِكَ فَيَكِيدُوا۟ لَكَ كَيْدًا ۖ إِنَّ ٱلشَّيْطَٰنَ لِلْإِنسَٰنِ عَدُوٌّۭ مُّبِينٌۭ

12:5he said, ‘My son, do not recount your dream to your brothers, lest they should devise schemes against you. Satan is indeed man’s manifest enemy.1

وَكَذَٰلِكَ يَجْتَبِيكَ رَبُّكَ وَيُعَلِّمُكَ مِن تَأْوِيلِ ٱلْأَحَادِيثِ وَيُتِمُّ نِعْمَتَهُۥ عَلَيْكَ وَعَلَىٰٓ ءَالِ يَعْقُوبَ كَمَآ أَتَمَّهَا عَلَىٰٓ أَبَوَيْكَ مِن قَبْلُ إِبْرَٰهِيمَ وَإِسْحَٰقَ ۚ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌۭ

12:6That is how your Lord will choose you, and teach you the interpretation of dreams, and complete His blessing upon you and upon the house of Jacob, just as He completed it earlier for your fathers, Abraham and Isaac. Your Lord is indeed all-knowing and all-wise.’2

۞ لَّقَدْ كَانَ فِى يُوسُفَ وَإِخْوَتِهِۦٓ ءَايَٰتٌۭ لِّلسَّآئِلِينَ

12:7In Joseph and his brothers there are certainly signs for the seekers.

إِذْ قَالُوا۟ لَيُوسُفُ وَأَخُوهُ أَحَبُّ إِلَىٰٓ أَبِينَا مِنَّا وَنَحْنُ عُصْبَةٌ إِنَّ أَبَانَا لَفِى ضَلَٰلٍۢ مُّبِينٍ

12:8When they said, ‘Surely Joseph and his brother are dearer to our father than [the rest of] us, though we are a hardy band. Our father is indeed in manifest error.’3

ٱقْتُلُوا۟ يُوسُفَ أَوِ ٱطْرَحُوهُ أَرْضًۭا يَخْلُ لَكُمْ وَجْهُ أَبِيكُمْ وَتَكُونُوا۟ مِنۢ بَعْدِهِۦ قَوْمًۭا صَٰلِحِينَ

12:9‘Kill Joseph or cast him away into some [distant] land, so that your father’s attention may be exclusively towards you, and thereafter you may become a righteous lot.’

قَالَ قَآئِلٌۭ مِّنْهُمْ لَا تَقْتُلُوا۟ يُوسُفَ وَأَلْقُوهُ فِى غَيَٰبَتِ ٱلْجُبِّ يَلْتَقِطْهُ بَعْضُ ٱلسَّيَّارَةِ إِن كُنتُمْ فَٰعِلِينَ

12:10One of them said, ‘Do not kill Joseph, but cast him into the recess of a well so that some caravan may pick him up, if you are to do [anything].’4

قَالُوا۟ يَٰٓأَبَانَا مَا لَكَ لَا تَأْمَ۫نَّا عَلَىٰ يُوسُفَ وَإِنَّا لَهُۥ لَنَٰصِحُونَ

12:11They said, ‘Father! Why is it that you do not trust us with Joseph? We are indeed his well-wishers.

أَرْسِلْهُ مَعَنَا غَدًۭا يَرْتَعْ وَيَلْعَبْ وَإِنَّا لَهُۥ لَحَٰفِظُونَ

12:12Let him go with us tomorrow so that he may eat lots of fruits and play, and we will indeed take [good] care of him.’

قَالَ إِنِّى لَيَحْزُنُنِىٓ أَن تَذْهَبُوا۟ بِهِۦ وَأَخَافُ أَن يَأْكُلَهُ ٱلذِّئْبُ وَأَنتُمْ عَنْهُ غَٰفِلُونَ

12:13He said, ‘It really upsets me that you should take him away, and I fear the wolf may eat him while you are oblivious of him.’

قَالُوا۟ لَئِنْ أَكَلَهُ ٱلذِّئْبُ وَنَحْنُ عُصْبَةٌ إِنَّآ إِذًۭا لَّخَٰسِرُونَ

12:14They said, ‘Should the wolf eat him while we are a hardy band, then we will indeed be losers!’

Tafsir

Commentary on this passage

Verse 5

1.When he was seven years old Yusuf (a.s.) had a dream and its interpretation was that his father, mother and brothers would pay respect to him. This was unbearable for his brothers in the same way that an elder brother couldn’t tolerate the perfection of his younger brother at any cost and is prepared to kill him.

Verse 8

2.Yaqoob (a.s.) had six sons. He had two sons Yusuf and Binyamin from his first wife Laiya and two sons from his second wife Rahil and other children from slave girls. This is also the reason of jealousy in the world. It is a fact that everyone loves himself and his desires most. Children, parents and brothers are nothing in comparison of his self. In comparison of reconciliation, massacre of everyone is seen. The limit of expediency is very vast in the sight of true believers of Allah and they consider religion and hereafter are expedients of Allah and they have no value of relationships. Amirul Momineen (a.s.) has stated that relationship needs love and love does not need relationship.

Verse 13

3.This was the prophecy of Yaqoob (a.s.) that he informed his sons before their deceitfulness, but the foolish children did not understand and gave a false excuse. A deviated one thinks all are deviated like him.

Footnotes

Explanations of words and phrases in these verses

  1. Benefit

    The tone of Yaqoob (a.s.) proves that he was certain that his sons were cheating. That is why the word ‘fear’ is not mentioned at this place, while it was used during the mention of the wolf to remind the sons of their conspiracy.

  2. 1

    ‘Kada’ itself is a transitive verb however ‘Laam’ is used for intransitivity which has the meaning of ‘trick’.

  3. 2

    Tawil means to tum back. That is the reality which is hidden behind the veil of appearance. It also denotes the recognition of truths and also the interpretation of dreams, because it is also actually a knowledge of Tawil which has a delicate relationship between reality and appearance.

  4. 3

    Asba is a group of ten to forty that is capable of strengthening something.

  5. 4

    ‘Jub’ - it is a well and ‘Ghayabutul Jub’ is its dark bottom where nothing is visible, like the pigeon holes of dried up wells.

    'Sayyarah' is caravan in transit. It is the plural of Sayaar, that is a traveller.

    Actually the 10th ayat is in a way a refutation of the suggestion presented in the 9th ayat that killing is not advisable. Since it was the best idea to send him far away he should be put in a pit so that caravan people will take him far away. The tone of the ayat also indicates that the one who has given the suggestion did not want Yusuf (a.s.) to be killed and he wanted to protect his tife.