النص المفهرس

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Surah Yusuf : 12 : 67 - 69
It means: I know that the necessary precautions I have ordered you
to take so as to help you remain protected against the evil eye cannot
avert the will and intention of Allah Ta'ala. What works here is but the
command of Allah. However, one has been asked to do what is physically
possible. Therefore, I have given this advice. But, I place my trust, not
on these physical arrangements, but in Allah alone. And it is imperative
for everyone that he or she should trust in and rely on Him alone - never
placing one's trust in physical and material means.
The reality which Sayyidna Ya'qub el
was talking about became
all too visible in this trip as well. By chance it so happened that all meas-
ures taken to bring Benyamin back home safely just failed and he was
detained in Egypt. As a consequence of which, Sayyidna Ya'qub &tcell re-
ceived another severe shock. That the measure taken by him failed, as
categorically mentioned in the next verse, had a purpose behind it. It
means that this measure failed in terms of the essential objective, that
is, the safe return of Benyamin back home - though, the measure taken
to keep them protected against the evil eye or envy did succeed, because
no such incident showed up during this trip. But, the unforeseen inci-
dent Divine destiny had in store for them was a factor not noticed by
Sayyidna Ya'qub Hall, nor could he do anything to counter it. However,
despite this visible failure, it was the barakah (blessing) of his tawakkul
(trust) that this second shock turned out to be an antidote for the first
one, and resulted in the happy reunion with both his sons, Yusuf and
Benyamin, safely and honourably.
This subject has been taken up in the succeeding verse where it is
said that the sons carried out the instructions of their father and entered
the city from different gates. When they did so, the desire of their father
stood fulfilled - though, this measure taken by him could not avert anyth-
ing already destined by Allah. But, as for the paternal love and concern
of Sayyidna Ya'qub Mal for his sons, this he did demonstrate to his
heart's content.
Towards the end of the verse, Sayyidna Ya'qub &dell has been praised
in the following words: ◌َوَإِنَّهُ لَذُوُعِلُمْ لِمَا عَلَّمُنْهُ وَلَكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُون (He was a man
of knowledge, because We had taught him, but most of the people do not
know - 68). It means that his knowledge was not acquired. It did not
come from books. Instead, it was directly a Divine gift. Therefore, he did

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employ physical means, something legally required, and commendable.
But, he did not place his total trust in it. However, the truth is that most
of the people do not know the reality behind it. Thus unaware, they
would fall in doubts about Sayyidna Ya'qub &
thinking that the em-
ployment of these means did not match the station of a prophet.
Some commentators have said that the first word: de ('ilm : knowl-
edge) means acting in accordance with the dictate of 'ilm (knowledge).
The translation in this case will be: "He was a man of action according to
the knowledge We gave him". Therefore, he did not place his trust in ma-
terial means, in fact, it was Allah alone he relied on and trusted in.'
Onwards from here, it was said in verse 69:
وَلَمَّا دَخَلُوا عَلَى يُوسُفَ أَوْىّ إِلَيْهِ أَخَاهُ قَالَ إِنِّىّ أَنَا أَخُوُكَ فَلاَ تَبْتَئِسُ بِمَا كَانُوا
يَعُمَلُوُنّ
And when they came to Yusuf, he lodged his brother [Benya-
min] with himself. He said, "Behold, I am your [lost] brother!
So do not grieve for what they have been doing.".
According to Tafsir authority, Qatadah, the arrangement made by
Sayyidna Yusuf Me was that two brothers were lodged in one room.
This left Benyamin alone. He was asked to stay with him. When alone
with him, Sayyidna Yusuf Scel disclosed his identity to his younger
brother and told him that he was his real brother, Yusuf. He comforted
him and asked him not to worry about what their brothers have been
doing until that time.
Rulings and Points of Guidance
Some injunctions and rulings come out from verses 67 and 68. These
are given below:
1. The effect of the evil eye is true. To try to stay safe from it is per-
missible in Shari'ah, and is commendable, just as one tries to stay safe
from harmful foods and actions.
2. To stay safe from being envied by people, it is correct to conceal
from them any special personal blessings and attributes one may have.
3. To employ physical and material means to stay safe from harmful
effects is neither against Tawakkul (trust in Allah), nor against the stat-

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us of prophets.
4. If one person apprehends likely harm or hurt coming to the other
person, it is better to let him know about the danger and suggest how to
stay safe from it - as done by Sayyidna Ya'qub &cell.
5. When someone finds some personal excellence or blessing enjoyed
by another person appear unusual to him and there be the danger that
he may be affected by the evil eye, then, it becomes obligatory (wajib) on
the beholder that he should, after noticing it, say: Ju Ht (barakallah :
may Allah bless) or: Just (masha'Allah : whatever Allah will), so that
the other person remains safe from any possible harm.
6. Employing all possible means to stay safe from the evil eye is per-
missible. One of them is to seek its treatment through a du'a' (prayer) or
ta'widh (spoken or written words seeking the protection of Allah) - as
was done by the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم who, seeing the weakness of
the two sons of Sayyidna Ja'far ibn Abi Talib, allowed him to have them
be treated through ta'widh etc.
7. The ideal approach of a wise Muslim to whatever he does is that
he must place his real trust in Allah Ta'ala to begin with but, at the
same time, he should not ignore physical and material means. Let him
not fall short in employing whatever permissible means he can possibly
assemble together to achieve his purpose - as was done by Sayyidna
Ya'qub الشيخة .And the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم too has taught us to do
so. The Sage Rumi has expressed this prophetic teaching in the following
line: رتوكّل زانوئ اشتربه بند that is, 'Tie the leg of your camel and trust in
Allah'.
This is how prophets place their trust in Allah, and this was the
-صلى الله عليه وسلم blessed way of our Rasul
8. A question arises here that Sayyidna Yusuf el made efforts to
call his younger brother, even insisted on it. And when he came, he even
disclosed his identity before him. But, he neither thought of calling his
father, nor took any steps to inform him about his well-being while in
Egypt. The reason for this is the same as described earlier. There is no
doubt that he did have many opportunities during those forty years
when he could have sent a message to his father about himself. But,

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whatever happened in this matter was Divine decree communicated
through the medium of Way (revelation). Allah Ta'ala would have not
given him the permission to tell his father about himself - because he
was yet to be tested once again through his separation from his son, Ben-
yamin. It was to complete this Divine arrangement that all these situa-
tions were created. .
Verses 70 - 76
فَلَمَّا جَهَّزَهُمُ بِجَهَازِهِمُ جَعَلَ السِّقَايَةَ فِىُ رَحْلٍ آخِيُهِ ثُمَّ اذَّنَ مُؤَدِّنٌ
أَيَّتُهَا الْعِيْرُ إِنَّكُمْ لَسْرِقُونَ ﴿٢﴾ قَالُوا وَ أقبَلُوا عَلَيْهِمْ مَّاذَا تَفُقِدُوُنَ
﴿٢﴾ قَالُواْ نَفُقِدُ صُوَاعَ الْمَلِكِ وَلِمَنُ جَآءَ بِهُ حِمُلُ بَعِيْرِ وَآَنَا بِهِ
زَعِيُمٌ ﴿٢﴾ قَالُوا تَاللَّهِ لَقَدُ عَلِمُتُمُ مَّاجِئْنَا لِنُفُسِدَ فِى الْأَرْضِ وَمَا كُنَّا
سُرِقِيْنَ ﴿٢٣﴾ قَالُوا فَمَا جَزَآؤُهٌ إِنْ كُنْتُمُ كَذِينَ ﴿٢﴾ قَالُوا جَزَآؤُه"
مَنْ وُّجِدَ فِىُ رَحُلِهٍ فَهُوَ جَزَآؤُهُ كَذلِكَ نَحُزَى الظُّلِمِينَ ﴿٧٥﴾ فَبَدَاَ
بِأَوْعِيَتِهِمُ قَبْلَ وِعَاءِ آَخِيُهِ ثُمَّ اسْتَخْرَجَهَا مِنْ وِّعَاءِ آَخِيُهِ + كَذلِكَ
كِدْنَا لِيُوسُفَ﴿ مَا كَانَ لِيَأْخُذَ آَخَاهُ فِىُ دِيْنِ الْمَلِكِ إِلاَّ أَنْ يَّشَآءَ اللهُ
ـ نَرْفَعُ دَرَجْتٍ مَّنُ نَّشَآءُ، وَفَوْقَ كُلِّ ذِىُ عِلَمٍ عَلِيمٌ ﴿٧٦)
Later, when he equipped them with their provisions, he
placed the bowl in the camel-pack of his brother. Then,
an announcer shouted out, "O people of the caravan, you
are thieves." [70] Turning towards them, they said, "What
are you missing?" [71] They said, "We are missing the
measuring-bowl of the king, and whoever brings it back
shall deserve a camel-load, and I stand surety for it." [72]
They said, "We swear by Allah, you certainly know that
we did not come to make mischief in the land, nor have
we ever been thieves." [73]
They said, "What is the punishment, if you are liars?" [74]
They said, "It's punishment is that he, in whose baggage
it is found, shall himself be the punishment. This is how
we punish the wrongdoers." [75]

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So, he started with their bags before the bag of his broth-
er, then, recovered it from the bag of his brother. This is
how We planned for Yusuf. He had no right to take his
brother according to the law of the king, unless Allah so
willed. We elevate in ranks whomso We will. And above
every man who has knowledge, there is someone more
knowledgeable. [76]
Commentary
The present verses describe how Sayyidna Yusuf Sel
arranged to
have his real brother, Benyamin, stay on with him. All brothers were
given grains according to rules. The grains for each brother was loaded
on his camel, separately and by name.
In the supply of grain loaded on the camel for Benyamin, a bowl was
concealed. This bowl has been called: quy (sigayah) at one place, and:
sigayah) means a) سِقَايَه: suwa' al-malik) at another. The word) صُوَعَ الْمَلِكِ
bowl used to drink water from, and: ¿ fre (suwa') too is a utensil similar
to it. That it has been attributed to 'malik' or king shows the additional
feature that this bowl had some special value or status. According to
some narrations, it was made of a precious stone similar to emerald. Oth-
ers say that it was made of gold, or silver. However, this bowl hidden in
Benyamin's baggage was fairly precious besides having some special con-
nection with the king of Egypt - whether he used it himself, or had it de-
clared to be the official measure of grains.
In the second sentence of verse 70, it is said:
ثُمَّ أَذَّنَ مُؤَذِّنٌ آَيَّتُهَا الْعِيْرُإِنَّكُمْ لَسُرِقُونَ
Then, an announcer shouted out, "O people of the caravan, you
are thieves."
Here, the word: 3 (thumma : translated as 'then') shows that this
public announcement was not made instantly. Instead, a temporary
delay was allowed for the caravan to leave. The announcement was
made after that to offset the likelihood of anyone sensing a foul play.
After all, this proclaimer identified the caravan of the brothers of
Sayyidna Yusuf as the thieves.
, قَالُوا وَأَقْبَلُوا عَلَيْهِمُ مَّاذَا تَفُقِدُونَ :Verse 71 carries the response of the accused
that is, 'the brothers of Yusuf turned to the announcer, as if protesting

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on being made into thieves, and asked him to say what is it that you
seem to have lost.' The answer given by the announcers was:
قَالُواْ نَفُقِدُ صُوَاعَ الْمَلِكِ وَلِمَنْ جَاءَ بِهِ حِمُلُ بَعِيْرِ وَأَنَا بِهِ زَعِيُمٌ
We are missing the measuring- bowl of the king, and whoever
brings it back shall deserve a camel-load, and I stand a surety
for it.
The question which emerges here is: Why did Sayyidna Yusuf el
opt for this excuse to detain Benyamin with him, specially when he
knew that his separation was already shocking for his father. Now, how
could he bear by giving him another shock by detaining his other
brother?
The other question which arises here is far more important because
it involves things like accusing innocent brothers of theft and concealing
something in their baggage secretly to cause them disgrace later. These
are impermissible acts. Sayyidna Yusuf Mal was a prophet of Allah. It is
difficult to visualize how would he have gone along with them.
Some commentators, such as al-Qurtubi and others, have stated:
When Benyamin recognized Sayyidna Yusuf Meel and was at peace, he
requested his brother not to send him back along with his brothers. In-
stead, he pleaded, he should let him stay with him. First, Sayyidna
Yusuf Sell made the excuse that his staying behind will shock their
father. Then, he had no way of making him stay with him other than
that blame him of theft, arrest him for it and thus keep him with him.
Benyamin was so disgusted with the ways of his brothers that he was
ready to go through all this.
But, even if this event were taken as correct, the heart-break caused
for his father, the disgrace inflicted on all his brothers and dubbing them
as thieves cannot become permissible simply because of the pleasure of
Benyamin. That some commentators have interpreted the charge of theft
levelled on them by the announcer as being without the knowledge and
permission of Sayyidna Yusuf &gel is not valid. This is a claim without
any proof and, given the anatomy of the event, incoherent too. Similar is
the case of another interpretation where it has been stated that these
brothers stole Sayyidna Yusuf Scal from his father, and sold him, there-
fore, they were called 'thieves.' This too is a long-drawn explanation.

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Therefore, the correct answer to these questions is what has been given
by al-Qurtubi and Mazhari. They have said: Whatever has been done
and said in this connection was neither the outcome of Benyamin's wish,
nor that of the initiative of Sayyidna Yusuf Sul himself. Instead of all
that, all these happenings were the manifestation of the infinite wisdom
of Allah alone under whose command they came to be what they were
and being completed through them was the process of the trial and test
of Sayyidna Ya'qub &Cel. A hint towards this answer appears in this
verse (76) of the Qur'an itself which says: ◌َكَذلِكَ كِدُنَا لِيُوسُف :"This is how We
planned for Yusuf (to detain his brother).'
In this verse, Allah Ta'ala has very clearly attributed this excuse and
plan to Himself. So, when all these things took shape as Divinely com-
manded, calling them impermissible becomes meaningless. They would
be like the incident of the dismantling of the boat and the killing of the
boy in the event relating to Sayyidna Musa and Al-Khadir (.JI le. Ob-
viously, these were sins, therefore, Sayyidna Musa >JI / registered
his disapproval of them. But, al-Khadir >.JI Ale was doing all this with
Divine assent and permission under particularly expedient considera-
tions, therefore, he was not committing any sin.
, قَالُوا تَاللهِ لَقَدُ عَلِمُتُمُ مَّاجِئْنَا لِنُفُسِدَ فِى الْأَرْضِ وَمَا كُنَّا سُرِقِينَ :In verse 73, it was said
that is, when the royal announcer accused the brothers of Sayyidna
Yusuf of theft, they said that responsible people of the state know them
and know that they had not come to create any disorder in the country,
nor have they ever been thieves.
In verse 74, it was said: ◌َقَالُوا فَمَا جَزَآؤُ إِنْ كُنْتُمُ كُذِبِين ,that is, the royal staff
said to them: If it stood proved that they were liars, what do they sug-
gest should be the punishment for the theft? The answer given was: L',Ju
that is, the brothers of Yusuf, حَزَآؤُهُ مَنُ وُجدَ فِىُ رَحُلِهِ فَهُوَ حَزَآؤُه، ﴿ كَذَلِكَ نَحُزِى الظُلِمِينَ
said: 'It's punishment is that he, in whose baggage it is found, shall him-
self be the punishment. This is how we punish the wrongdoers.'
The sense of the statement is that the punishment for theft in the
Shari'ah of Sayyidna Ya'qub &all allowed the person whose property had
been stolen to take the thief as his slave. Thus, the state functionaries
made the brothers of Sayyidna Yusuf to tell them the punishment of a
thief as in Jacobian law and thereby had them committed to hand over

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Benyamin to Sayyidna Yusuf
according to their own decision follow-
ing the recovery of the stolen goods from Benyamin's baggage.
Said in verse 75 was: ◌ِفَبَدَاَ بَاوُعِيَّتِهِمُ قَبْلَ وعَاءِ أَخِيُه ,that is, to cover up the real
plan, the state officials first searched through the baggage of all broth-
ers. They did not open Benyamin's baggage first lest that causes any
doubts.
ثُمَّ اسْتَخْرَجَهَا مِنْ:(76) Then, as said in the first sentence of the next verse
i gue, , Benyamin's baggage was opened up last of all and recovered
from it was the 'bowl of the king.' At that sight, all brothers were put to
shame. They started chiding Benyamin for having disgraced them.
كَذْلِكَ كِدُنَا لِيُوسُفَ ﴿ مَا كَانَ لِيَأْخُذَ أَحَاهُ فِىُ دِيْنِ الْمَلِكِ إِلاَّ أَنْ يَّشَآءَ :After that, it was said
au , that is, 'this is how We planned for Yusuf.' He could have not ar-
rested his brother under the Egyptian Imperial Law because, according
to their law of theft, there was a corporal punishment for the thief after
which he was to be released against the payment of twice the cost of the
stolen property. But, here, he had already found out the law of theft oper-
ative in the Shari'ah of Sayyidna Ya'qub &del. According to this law, de-
taining Benyamin with him became correct and valid. So, also granted
through the wisdom and will of Allah Ta'ala was this wish of Sayyidna
Yusuf al.
نَرُفَعُ دَرَحْتٍ مَّنُ نَّشَآءُ ﴿ وَفَوْقَ كُلِّ ذِىُ عِلْم :Said in the last sentence of the verse is
(We elevate in ranks whomso We will [as, in this event, the ranks of
Sayyidna Yusuf &del were elevated over his brothers]. And above every
man who has knowledge, there is someone more knowledgeable).
It means that Allah has given precedence to some over others in
terms of knowledge. Take the highest of the high in knowledge, there is
someone more knowledgeable than him. And if there is someone with a
knowledge which is superior to the knowledge of the best among the crea-
tion of Allah, then, we have the 'Ilm of Allah jalla thand'uh which is the
highest of all for ever.
Rulings and points of guidance
Some injunctions and rulings deduced from the present verses are
given below:
1. The statement: ◌ِوَلِمَنْ جَاءَ بِهِ حِمُلُ بَعِيْر (and whoever brings it back shall

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deserve a camel-load) in verse 72 proves that it is valid to make a gener-
al announcement that a particular award or remuneration will be paid
to anyone who performs a particular act. This is very much like the cur-
rent custom of announcing rewards for the arrest of absconding crimi-
nals or for the return of lost properties. Though, this form of transaction
does not fall under the juristic definition of Ijarah (hiring), but, in the
light of this verse, the justification for this also stands proved. (Qurtubi)
2. The words: ~ $) { ul (and I stand surety for it) appearing at the end
of verse 72 tell us that one person can become the guarantor of financial
rights on behalf of another person. The related ruling, according to the
majority of Muslim jurists, provides that the creditor has the authority
to recover his property from the person legally in debt, or from the guar-
antor, as he chooses. However, if it is recovered from the guarantor, the
guarantor would have the right to recover from the person legally in debt
whatever cash or property has been taken from him. (Qurtubi)
3. The sentence : ◌َكَذلِكَ كِدُنَا لِيُوُسُف (This is how We planned for Yusuf) in
verse 76 tells us that it is permissible, for a valid reason recognized by
Shari'ah, to change the form of a transaction in a way that it brings a
change in its legal status. According to the terminology of the fuqaha'
(jurists) it is called 'Hilah Shar'iyyah' (i.e. a lawful device to avoid a real
hardship). However, the condition is that such an action should not
cause the invalidation of the injunctions of the Shari'ah. If so, all such de-
vices are, by the consensus of Muslim jurists, Haram and unlawful - for
example, finding an excuse to avoid paying Zakah, or to embark on an
unnecessary journey before or during Ramadan simply to seek an excuse
for not fasting. This is universally Haram. The hunt for such excuses
and devices has brought Divine punishment on some nations, and the
Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم has prohibited the use of such stratagems.
The entire Muslim Ummah agrees that they are Haram, forbidden and
unlawful. Acting upon them does not go on to make whatever is done as
permissible. In fact, what falls on the doer is a two-fold sin - firstly, that
of the original impermissible act; secondly, that of the impermissible de-
vice which amounts, in a way, to cheating Allah and His Rasul. That all
such hiyal or strategems are impermissible has been proved by Imam
Al-Bukhārī in his Kitab al-Hiyal.

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Verses 77 - 82
قَالُوا إِنْ يَّسُرْقُ فَقَدُ سَرَقَ آَخٌ لَّهُ، مِنُ قَبْلُ، فَاَسَرَّهَا يُوسُفُ فِىُ نَفُسِهِ
وَلَمُ يُدِهَا لَهُمُ، قَالَ أَنْتُمُ شَرٌّ مَّكَانًا وَاللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا تَصِفُونَ ﴿٧٧)
قَالُوا يَّأَيُّهَا الْعَزِيُزُ إِنَّ لَهَ أَبَا شَيْخًا كَبِيرًا فَخُذُ أَحَدَنَا مَكَانَه،٤ إِنَّا
نَرَىكَ مِنَ الْمُحُسِنِينَ ﴿٢﴾ قَالَ مَعَاذَ اللَّهِ آَنُ نَّأْخُذَ إِلاَّ مَنُ وَّحَدُنَا
مَتَاعَنَا عِنْدَهَ ٧ إِنَّا إِذَا أَظْلِمُونَ ﴿٢﴾ فَلَمَّا اسْتَيِّئَسُوْا مِنْهُ خَلَصُوْا
نَجِيًّا قَالَ كَبِيُرُهُمُ الَمُ تَعْلَمُوْآ أَنَّ أَبَاكُمُ قَدُ أَخَذَعَلَيْكُمُ مَّوْثِّقًا مِّنَ
اللَّهِ وَمِنْ قَبْلُ مَا فَرَّطُمُ فِىُ يُؤْسُفَ فَلَنْ أَبْرَحَ الْأَرْضَ حَتَّى يَأْذَنَ
لِىّ أَبِىَّ أَوْيَحُكُمَ اللّهُ لِىُّ ◌ٌ وَهُوَ خَيْرُ الْحُكِمِيْنَ ﴿﴿ إِرْجِعُوَّا إِلى
أَبِيْكُمْ فَقُولُوا يَّأَبَانًا إِنَّ ابْنَكَ سَرَقَ وَمَا شَهِدْنَآ إِلاَّ بِمَا عَلِمُنَا وَمَا
كُنَّا لِلْغَيْبِ حَفِظِينَ ﴿٨١﴾ وَسُئَلِ الْقَرْيَةَ الَّتِىُ كُنَّا فِيْهَا وَالْعِيْرَ الَّتِىّ
أَقُبَلُنَا فِيُهَا وَإِنَّا لَصْدِقُونَ ﴿٨٢﴾
They said, "If he commits theft, then, a brother of his has
committed theft before." So Yusuf kept it (his reaction)
to himself and did not reveal it to them. He said, "You
are even worse in position. And Allah knows best of
what you allege." [77] They said, "O 'Aziz, he has a father,
a very old man. So, take one of us in his place. We see
you are a generous man." [78] He said, "God forbid that
we keep anyone except the one with whom we have
found our thing, otherwise we shall be unjust." [79]
So when they lost hope in him, they went aside for con-
sultation. The oldest of them said, "Do you not know that
your father has taken pledge from you in the name of Al-
lah, while you had defaulted earlier in the case of Yusuf.
So, I shall never leave this land unless my father per-
mits me or Allah decides about me. And He is the best of
all judges. [80] Go back to your father and say, 'Our
father, your son has committed theft, and we do not tes-
tify except what we know, and we could not guard
against the unseen. [81] And ask (the people of) the town

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in which we have been and the caravan with which we
have come, and surely we are truthful." [82]
Commentary
It was stated in the previous verses that, while in Egypt, a royal
bowl was concealed in the baggage of Benyamin, the younger brother of
Sayyidna Yusuf &&e. Then, by recovering it as planned, a charge of theft
was levelled against him.
As in the first of the verses cited above, when the stolen property
was recovered from Benyamin's baggage before the brothers of Sayyidna
إِنُ يَّسُرقُ فَقَدُ :they were so ashamed that they said in irritation ,العليها Yusuf
1
-that is, if he has committed a theft, it is not much of a sur , سَرَقَ أَوْ لَّه، مِنْ قَبْلُ
prise, for he had a brother who, like him, had committed a theft before.
The sense was that he was not their real brother. He was their step
brother. And he had a real brother who had also committed a theft.
On this occasion, the brothers of Sayyidna Yusuf a
accused him
too of a theft, which refers to an event which took place during his child-
hood when the way a conspiracy was hatched here to blame Benyamin
for theft, a similar conspiracy was staged against Sayyidna Yusuf
at that time with him being totally unaware of it. As for his brothers,
they were fully aware of the fact that he was totally free from this
blame. But, being angry with Benyamin on this occasion, they have
made out that event too as of theft and have put its blame on his broth-
er, Yusuf.
What was that event? Reports differ about it. Referring to Muham-
mad ibn Ishaq and Tafsir authority, Mujahid, Ibn Kathir has reported
that soon after the birth of Sayyidna Yusuf Seel, Benyamin was born.
This birth of his became the cause of his mother's death. When both
Yusuf and Benyamin were left without their mother, they were raised by
their paternal aunt. Allah Ta'ala had blessed Sayyidna Yusuf Seal from
his very childhood with such an attractive personality that whoever saw
him became deeply attached to him. His paternal aunt was no exception.
She would not let him disappear from her sight at any time. On the
other hand, no different was the condition of his father who was very
fond of him. But, being a minor child, it was necessary that he be kept
under the care of a woman. Therefore, he was put under the care of his

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paternal aunt. When he had learnt how to walk, Sayyidna Ya'qub
thought of having him come to live with him. When he talked to his pa-
ternal aunt, she showed her reluctance to let him go. After that, having
been under compulsion, she somehow handed Sayyidna Yusuf Seal over
to his father, but she did make a plan to take him back. She had an
antique waist-band which had come to her as the legacy of Sayyidna
Ishaq &kl and was highly valued. Sayyidna Yusuf's paternal aunt tied
this band on his waist underneath his dress.
After he had gone, she spread the news around that her waist-band
has been stolen by someone. When searched for, it turned out to be with
young Yusuf. According to the Shari'ah of Sayyidna Ya'qub &gel, the pa-
ternal aunt now had the right to keep him as her slave. When Sayyidna
Ya'qub &s saw that the paternal aunt has become the owner of Yusuf
on the authority of the religious law of the land, he handed young Yusuf
over to her. Sayyidna Yusuf Seal kept living with her as long as she was
alive.
This was the event in which the blame of theft was imputed to Sayy-
idna Yusuf
following which the truth came to light and everybody
found that he was free of even the least doubt of theft. It was the love of
his paternal aunt for him that had made her conspire to keep him. The
brothers knew this truth all too well. Given this reason, it did not behove
them that they would attribute theft to him. But, of the series of excess-
es inflicted on Sayyidna Yusuf Meel by his brothers, this too was the last.
Now in the second sentence of the first verse (77) it was said: Sű
-heard what his broth القليthat is, Sayyidna Yusuf M يُوسُفُ فِىُ نَفُسِهِ وَلَمُ يُبُدِهَا لَهُمُ
ers had to say and kept it in his heart for they still seemed to be after
him and were now blaming him for theft. But, he kept his reaction to
himself and did not let his brothers know that he had heard what they
had said and was affected by it in any way.
قَالَ أَنْتُمْ شَرٌ مَّكَانًا وَاللَّهُ :Said in the next and last sentence of the verse was
said (in his heart): You are الآ that is, 'Sayyidna Yusuf, اعْلَمُ بِمَا تَصِفُونَ
even worse in position (as you accuse your brother of theft, falsely and
knowingly). And Allah knows best of what you allege (whether what you
are saying is true or false).' The first sentence has been uttered in the
heart. The other sentence may possibly have been said publicly as his re-

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sponse to what his brothers had said.
قَالُوا يَأيُّهَا الْعَزِيزُ إِنَّ لَةَ أَبًا شَيْخًا كَبِيُرًا فَخُذُ أَحَدَنَا مَكَانَه، إِنَّا نَرِيكَ مِنَ :In verse 78, it was said
JI It means when the brothers of Sayyidna Yusuf Seal realized that
nothing seems to be working here and they have no option left but to
leave Benyamin behind, they started flattering the 'Aziz of Misr. They
told him that Benyamin's father was very old and weak (his separation
will be unbearable for him). Therefore, they requested him that he
should detain anyone from among them, in lieu of him. They also told
him that they were making that request to him in the hope that he, as
they feel, appears to be a very generous person - or, he has been gener-
ous to them earlier too.
The response of Sayyidna Yusuf del appears in verse 79 as: JUIsus Ju
-that is, he gave his reply to their re آَنُ نَُّخُذَ إِلاَّ مَنُ وَّجَدُنَا مَتَاعَنَا عِنْدَه، " إِنَّا إِذَا لَّظلِمُونَ
quest according to the regulations followed in his country by telling them
that they were not authorized to detain anyone they wished. In fact, if
they were to arrest someone other than the person from whose posses-
sion the lost property has been recovered, then, according to their own
fatwa and ruling, they would be accused of being unjust.
The reason he gave was that they had themselves said that 'he, in
whose baggage the stolen property is found, shall himself be the punish-
ment.'
In verse 80, it was said: فَلَمَّا اسْتَيْئَسُوا مِنْهُ خَلَصُوا نَحيًّا (So when they lost hope
in him, they went aside for consultation).
After that, the primary statement of the oldest brother which begins
with the words: " Ju (The oldest of them said) is continued till the
end of verse 80. The statement was: "Do you not know that your father
had taken pledge from you in the name of Allah, while you had defaulted
earlier in the case of Yusuf. So, I shall never leave this land unless my
father permits me (to return) or Allah decides about me. And He is the
best of all judges."
This is the statement of the oldest brother. Some commentators iden-
tify him as being Yahuda (Judah) - and he was, though not the oldest in
age, but was certainly the eldest in knowledge and merit. Other commen-
tators say that he is Ruebel (Rueben) who is the oldest in age and he

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Surah Yusuf : 12 : 77 - 82
was the one who had suggested that Sayyidna Yusuf Sel
should not be
killed. Still others have said that this oldest brother was Sham'un who
was known to be the eldest in power and rank.
Then, in verse 81, it was said: ◌ْإِرجعُوا إِلى أَبيُكُم , that is, the oldest brother
said: I am going to stay here. You all go back to your father and tell him
that his son has committed a theft, and that whatever we are saying is
what we have seen with our own eyes, and that the stolen property was
recovered from his baggage before us.
As for the last sentence of verse 81: ◌َوَمَا كُنَّا لِلْغَيْبِ حُفِظِين (and we could not
guard against the unseen), it means that 'the pledge we had given to you
to bring back Benyamin definitely was given in terms of outwardly vis-
ible circumstances. We did not know what we did not see and control -
thus how could we know that he would steal and be arrested for it leav-
ing us helpless in this matter.' The sentence could also mean that 'we
did our best to keep Benyamin protected seeing that he does nothing
which would put him in trouble. But, this effort of ours could be within
the limits of our outwardly visible circumstances. That this thing would
happen to him, in absence of our vigilance and knowledge, was someth-
ing we did not know about.'
Since the brothers of Yusuf had deceived their father earlier, and
knew that their father would never be satisfied with their statement
mentioned above, and he would never believe in what they would tell
him, therefore, for additional emphasis, they said: '(and if you do not be-
lieve us), you can check with the people of the town in which we have
been (that is, the city in Egypt). And you can also check with the caravan
which has come from Egypt to Can'aan with us. And we are true in what
we are saying.'
At this point, the question - why would Sayyidna Yusuf & bear by
such a heartless treatment with his father - reappears in Tafsir Mazha-
ri. This question has also been taken up earlier in our comments on this
Surah where it has been said that it was surprising that Sayyidna Yusuf
did not tell his father about himself, then detained his brother too,
then his brothers made repeated visits to Egypt and he never told them
about himself nor sent some message to his father. Tafsir Mazhar an-
swers all these doubts by saying:

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إِنَّهُ عَمِلَ ذُلِكَ بِآَمُرِ اللهِ تَعَالَى لِيَزِيْدَ فِىُ بِلَآءٍ يَعُقُوُبَ
That is, Sayyidna Yusuf &E) did that with the command of
Allah Ta'ala so that (the cycle of) the test and trial of Sayyidna
Ya'qub &El reaches its completion.
Rules and Principles
1. The statement: وَمَا شَهِدُنَآ إِلاَّ بمَا عَلِمُنَا (and we do not testify except what
we know) appearing in verse 82 proves that human transactions and
contracts are based on apparently known circumstances. They do not
cover things which no one knows. The pledge to protect Benyamin which
the brothers of Sayyidna Yusuf Meel had given to their father was relat-
ed to things which were in their control. As for the incident that he was
accused of theft and arrested for it, it was a different matter which does
not affect the pledge as such.
2. Deduced from the same verse, there is another ruling which ap-
pears in Tafsir al-Qurtubi. It says: This sentence proves that testimony
depends on knowledge. No matter how this knowledge is acquired, testi-
mony can be given in accordance with it. Therefore, the way an event
can be testified by having seen it with one's own eyes, similarly, it can be
testified by having heard it from someone reliable and worthy of trust -
subject to the condition that he does not conceal the truth of the matter,
instead, states plainly that he has not seen it personally but has heard it
from such and such reliable person. It is on the basis of this principle
that Maliki jurists have ruled the testimony of a blind person as permis-
sible.
3. The present verses also prove that should a person be true, right
and proper, but the situation is such that others may suspect him to be
otherwise, then, he must remove that shadow of doubt so that those who
see him do not fall into the sin of (unwarranted) suspicion - as in this
event relating to Benyamin, there came up an occasion of accusation and
doubt because of a past event in the life of Sayyidna Yusuf Seal. There-
fore, in order to make things clear, the testimony of the people of the
city, and the caravan, was presented in support.
The Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم has, by his personal conduct, af-
firmed it positively. On his way back from his Masjid, when he was
going through an alley with Ummul-Mu'minin, Sayyidah Safiyyah zee,

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he noticed two persons appearing at the head of the alley. They were
still at some distance, but the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم told them that
he was with Safiyyah bint Huyayy. They said: Ya Rasul Allah, can any-
one have any suspicion about you? Then, he said: Yes, the Shaytan
keeps seeping through the human body, may be it drops a doubt in some-
body's heart. (Al-Bukhari and Muslim) [Qurțubi]
Verses 83 - 87
قَالَ بَلُ سَوَّلْتُ لَكُمْ أَنْفُسُكُمُ آَمُرَّاء فَصَبْرٌ جَمِيْلٌ ﴿ عَسَى اللهُ أَنُ
◌َّاتِيَنِىُ بِهِمُ حَمِيعًا إِنَّه هُوَالْعَلِيُمُ الْحَكِيُمُ ﴿٨٣﴾ وَتَوَلَّى عَنُهُمُ وَقَالَ
فَأَسَفِى عَلَى يُوسُفَ وَابْيَضَّتُ عَيْنُهُ مِنَ الْحُزْنِ فَهُوَ كَظِيمٌ ﴿٤﴾
قَالُوا تَاللّهِ تَفْتَؤُا تَذْكُرُ يُوسُفَ حَتّى تَكُوُنَ حَرَضًا أَوْتَّكُوُنَ مِنَ
الْهُلِكِينَ ﴿٨٥﴾ قَالَ إِنَّمَآ أَشْكُوْا ◌َقِّىُ وَحُزْنِىَّ إِلَى اللَّهِ وَ أَعْلَمُ مِنَ اللهِ
مَالاَ تَعُلَمُونَ ﴿٨٦) يُبَنِىَّ اذْهَبُوْا فَتَحَسَّسُوْا مِنْ يُّوُسُفَ وَآَخِيُهِ وَلاَ
تَايْفَسُوْا مِنْ رَّوُحِ اللهِ ﴿ إِنَّهَ لاَ يَايَسُ مِنْ رَّوُحِ اللهِ إِلاَّ الْقَوْمُ
الْكُفِرُونَ ﴿٨٧﴾
He (Ya'qub) said, "Rather, your inner desires have se-
duced you to something. So, patience is best. Hopefully,
Allah may bring them all together. Surely, He is the
All-Knowing, All-Wise." [83]
And he turned away from them and said, "How sad I am
about Yusuf" and his eyes turned white with sorrow and
he was suppressing (his anger and grief). [84] They said,
"By God, you will not stop remembering Yusuf until you
collapse or perish." [85] He said, "I complain of my an-
guish and sorrow to none but Allah, and I know from
Allah what you do not know. [86] O my sons, go and
search for Yusuf and his brother, and do not lose hope
in the mercy of Allah. In fact, only the infidels lose hope
in the mercy of Allah." [87]
Commentary
After the detention of young Benyamin in Egypt, his brothers re-

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turned home and told Sayyidna Ya'qub & about what had happened
there. They tried to assure him that they were telling the truth which
can be confirmed from the people in Egypt, as well as, from the caravan
they came with from Egypt to Can'aan. From the later, he could also as-
certain that Benyamin's theft was apprehended and he was arrested for
it. Since Sayyidna Ya'qub &Cel knew that they had lied to him earlier in
the case of Sayyidna Yusuf &gel, therefore, he could not believe them
this time too - though, in fact, this time they had told him no lie. And
therefore, on this occasion as well, he said the same thing he had said at
بَلُ سَوَّلَتُ لَكُمْ أَنْفُسُكُمُ: الشيخا the time of the disappearance of Sayyidna Yusuf
This that I'd ("Rather, your inner desires have seduced you to something.
So, patience is best), that is, this statement of yours is not correct. You
have made it up yourself. But, even now, it is patience I choose to ob-
serve. Only that would be the best for me.'
From this Al-Qurtubi has deduced: In whatever a Mujtahid says
with his Ijtihad, there can be an error as well, so much so that it is pos-
sible that a prophet too, when he says something on the basis of his own
Ijtihad, could make an error - though, only initially. This is what hap-
pened in this case when he declared the truth of his sons to be a lie. But,
prophets have a special status and a personal exclusivity on the basis of
which they are alerted over the mistake by the will of Allah, and re-
moved away from it, and finally they find truth.
Here, it is also possible that by his comment about 'manuvering so-
mething' mentioned above Sayyidna Ya'qub &gal intended to refer to
what was made up in Egypt whereby Benyamin was arrested under a
false charge of theft only to achieve a particular purpose, and the ulti-
mate result of which was to unfold later in a better form. There may, as
well, be a hint toward it in the next sentence of this verse where it is
said : عَسَى اللّهُ أَنْ يَّأْتِيَنِىُ بِهِمْ جَمِيعًا (Hopefully, Allah may bring them all together).
In short, the outcome of the refusal of Sayyidna Ya'qub &del to ac-
cept the statement of his sons this time was that there was no theft real-
ly, nor was Benyamin arrested, and the truth of the matter was to be
found elsewhere. This was true in its place. But, whatever was said by
his sons, as they knew it, was not wrong either.
وَتَوَلَى عَنْهُمْ وَ قَالَ يَأَسَفَى عَلَى يُؤُسُفَ وَابْيَضَّتُ عَيْنُهُ مِنَ الْحُزْنِ فَهُوَ :Said in verse 84 was

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Surah Yusuf : 12 : 83 - 87
: 'And he turned away from them and said, "How sad I am about
Yusuf" and his eyes turned white with sorrow and he was suppressing
(his anger and grief).' It means that, after this second shock, Sayyidna
Ya'qub &del closed this chapter of talking to his sons about this matter,
and turned to his Lord with his plaint before Him as to how sad he was
about Yusuf. What happened was that this constant crying at his separa-
tion from Yusuf caused his eyes to turn white from sorrow. The sense is
that he lost his eyesight, or it became very weak. Tafsir authority,
Mugatil has said that this state of Sayyidna Ya'qub &el continued for
six years when his eyesight had nearly gone. In the last sentence of the
verse, it was said: “ which can be explained by saying that he be-
came silent, speechless, unable to share his pain with anyone else. The
word: 13 (kazim) has been derived from: 15 (kazm) which means to be
choked up or filled. Thus, the sense would be that his heart was all filled
up with sorrow and his tongue was tied for he would not talk about his
grief to anyone.
Therefore, the word: 1 (kazm) is also taken in the sense of sup-
pressing anger - in a way that anger, despite having one's heart filled
with it, does not become the motivating factor of doing something, by
word of mouth or movement of hand, as demanded by one's anger. It ap-
pears in Hadith:
وَمَنْ يَّكُظِمِ الْغَيْظَ يَأْجُرُهُ اللهُ
That is, 'whoever suppresses his anger (and does not act as it
demands despite having the ability to do so), Allah will reward
him.'
It is said in another Hadith that, on the day of Resurrection
(Al-Hashr), Allah Ta'ala will bring such people before the whole multi-
tude of people and would give them the option to take whichever of the
blessings of Jannah (Paradise) they liked.
At this point, Imam Ibn Jarir has reported a Hadith according to
which, at a time of distress, reciting or prompting to recite: ) er, du
3) (Inna lil-lahi wa inna ilaihi raji'un : To Allah we belong and to
Him we are to return) is one of the distinguishing characteristics of this
Ummah, and this Kalimah is highly effective in delivering one from the
suffering of sorrow. We can understand why it has been called the distin-

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guishing characteristic of the Ummah of the Holy Prophet
since Sayy-
idna Ya'qub &Kell, when choked with deadly sorrow and shock, did not
say this Kalimah, instead, he said: ◌َيأَسَفى عَلى يُوسُف (How sad I am about
Yusuf). In his Shu'abul-'Iman, Al-Baihaqi has also reported this Hadith
as based on a narration of Sayyidna Ibn 'Abbas 4
Why Was Sayyidna Ya'qub cel
So Deeply Attached To
Sayyidna Yusuf Seal ?
At this stage, we notice that Sayyidna Ya'qub el had extraordinary
love for Sayyidna Yusuf . He was so affected by his disappearance
that, during this whole period of his separation from him which has been
reported to be forty years in some narrations while eighty in some oth-
ers, he kept weeping continuously, so much so that he lost his eyesight.
Apparently, this does not measure upto his spiritual majesty as a proph-
et that he would love his children so much and that much. On the other
hand, the Holy Qur'an says: ◌ٌإنَّمَآ أَمُوَالُكُمُ وَأَوْلاَدُكُمُ فِتْنَة :Your wealth and your
children are a fitnah (trial) - 64:15.' And, as for the spiritual majesty of
the noble prophets, may peace be upon them all, the Holy Qur'an has
this to say: إِنَّا آخُلَصُنُهُمُ بخَالِصَةٍ ذِكْرَى الدَّار :that is, 'We have made them special
to specialize in the remembrance of the Home (of 'Akhirah) - 38:46.' Malik
ibn Dinar Jus Ja, explains its meaning by saying that: We have taken
out the love of dunya from their hearts and, in its place, We have filled
their hearts with nothing but the love of Akhirah. Their only criterion, in
taking or leaving something, is Akhirah.
From the sum-total of what has been said here, there rises a difficul-
ty before us as to how could Sayyidna Ya'qub &el allow himself to be so
consumed with his love for Sayyidna Yusuf Xcel, and how could that be
explained as correct.
In his Tafsir (Mazhari), Qadi Thana'ullah Panipati Ji Ul >, has, with
reference to this difficulty, reported a special research of Hadrat Mujad-
did Alf Thani, the gist of which is that, no doubt, the love of dunya and
its enjoyment is blameworthy. Categorical statements of the Qur'an and
Hadith prove that. But, the love of things of dunya which relate to 'Akhi-
rah is, in reality, included under the love of 'Akhirah. The excellences of
Sayyidna Yusuf Seal were not limited to his physical beauty alone. Also
to be taken into account are his prophetic chastity and high morals. So,
given an over-all view, love for him was not the love of what wordly life

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Surah Yusuf : 12 : 83 - 87
has to offer. In fact and in reality, this was nothing but the love for 'Akhi-
rah itself.
In the comment quoted above, it is worth noticing that this love,
though not the love of dunya really, yet it did have a certain worldly
touch. For this reason, this love became the source of the trial and test of
Sayyidna Ya'qub &de, for which he had to undergo the unbearable shock
of a forty-year separation from him. Then, the chains of this event, from
the beginning to the end, show that things kept taking shape as deter-
mined by Allah Ta'ala which made this shock stretch longer and longer.
Otherwise, at the very start of the event, it would have not been possible
for a father who loved his son so intensely that he would simply listen to
what his other sons told him and elect to keep sitting home and not do
anything about it. In fact, if he had immediately visited the site of the in-
cident and made necessary inquiries and investigations, he would have
known the truth of the matter on the spot. But, things happened in a
way as Allah would have them, so it just did not occur to him. After that,
Sayyidna Yusuf
was stopped, through revelation, from sending to
his father any news about himself - to the limit that he took no initiative
in this direction even after his ascension to power in Egypt. Then, more
trying were events which happened concerning the repeated visits of his
brothers to Egypt. Even at that time, he said nothing to his brothers
about himself, nor did he try to send some note of information to his
father. Instead of doing all that, he detained yet another brother through
a secret plan, thus inflicting yet another shock on his father. All these ac-
tions cannot possibly issue forth from a great prophet such as Sayyidna
Yusuf &gel unless and until he had not been prohibited from doing so
through the medium of Wahy (revelation). Therefore, al-Qurtubi and
other commentators have declared this entire range of actions taken by
Sayyidna Yusuf &da as directly prompted by Divine revelation. The
Qur'anic statement: ◌َكَذلِكَ كِدُنَا لِيُوسُف (This is how We planned for Yusuf -
76) also indicates in this directon. Allah knows best.
When the sons of Sayyidna Ya'qub &del saw the extreme suffering
and patience of their father, they said: ◌َقَالُوا تَاللهِ تَفُتُوا تَذُكُرُ يُوُسُف (By God, you
will not stop remembering Yusuf ... ), meaning thereby that every shock
ends, after all, and so does every sorrow. The passage of days in life
makes one forget them. But, he continues to be where he was, even after