Tafheem ul Quran

Surah 12 Yusuf, Ayat 58-68

وَجَآءَ اِخۡوَةُ يُوۡسُفَ فَدَخَلُوۡا عَلَيۡهِ فَعَرَفَهُمۡ وَهُمۡ لَهٗ مُنۡكِرُوۡنَ‏  ﴿12:58﴾ وَ لَمَّا جَهَّزَهُمۡ بِجَهَازِهِمۡ قَالَ ائۡتُوۡنِىۡ بِاَخٍ لَّكُمۡ مِّنۡ اَبِيۡكُمۡ​ۚ اَلَا تَرَوۡنَ اَنِّىۡۤ اُوۡفِی الۡكَيۡلَ وَاَنَا خَيۡرُ الۡمُنۡزِلِيۡنَ‏  ﴿12:59﴾ فَاِنۡ لَّمۡ تَاۡتُوۡنِىۡ بِهٖ فَلَا كَيۡلَ لَـكُمۡ عِنۡدِىۡ وَلَا تَقۡرَبُوۡنِ‏  ﴿12:60﴾ قَالُوۡا سَنُرَاوِدُ عَنۡهُ اَبَاهُ وَاِنَّا لَفَاعِلُوۡنَ‏ ﴿12:61﴾ وَقَالَ لِفِتۡيٰنِهِ اجۡعَلُوۡا بِضَاعَتَهُمۡ فِىۡ رِحَالِهِمۡ لَعَلَّهُمۡ يَعۡرِفُوۡنَهَاۤ اِذَا انْقَلَبُوۡۤا اِلٰٓى اَهۡلِهِمۡ لَعَلَّهُمۡ يَرۡجِعُوۡنَ‏  ﴿12:62﴾ فَلَمَّا رَجَعُوۡۤا اِلٰٓى اَبِيۡهِمۡ قَالُوۡا يٰۤاَبَانَا مُنِعَ مِنَّا الۡكَيۡلُ فَاَرۡسِلۡ مَعَنَاۤ اَخَانَا نَكۡتَلۡ وَاِنَّا لَهٗ لَحٰـفِظُوۡنَ‏ ﴿12:63﴾ قَالَ هَلۡ اٰمَنُكُمۡ عَلَيۡهِ اِلَّا كَمَاۤ اَمِنۡتُكُمۡ عَلٰٓى اَخِيۡهِ مِنۡ قَبۡلُ​ؕ فَاللّٰهُ خَيۡرٌ حٰفِظًا​ وَّهُوَ اَرۡحَمُ الرّٰحِمِيۡنَ‏ ﴿12:64﴾ وَلَمَّا فَتَحُوۡا مَتَاعَهُمۡ وَجَدُوۡا بِضَاعَتَهُمۡ رُدَّتۡ اِلَيۡهِمۡؕ قَالُوۡا يٰۤاَبَانَا مَا نَـبۡغِىۡؕ هٰذِهٖ بِضَاعَتُنَا رُدَّتۡ اِلَيۡنَا​ ۚ وَنَمِيۡرُ اَهۡلَنَا وَنَحۡفَظُ اَخَانَا وَنَزۡدَادُ كَيۡلَ بَعِيۡرٍ​ؕ ذٰ لِكَ كَيۡلٌ يَّسِيۡرٌ‏  ﴿12:65﴾ قَالَ لَنۡ اُرۡسِلَهٗ مَعَكُمۡ حَتّٰى تُؤۡتُوۡنِ مَوۡثِقًا مِّنَ اللّٰهِ لَـتَاۡتُنَّنِىۡ بِهٖۤ اِلَّاۤ اَنۡ يُّحَاطَ بِكُمۡ​ۚ فَلَمَّاۤ اٰتَوۡهُ مَوۡثِقَهُمۡ قَالَ اللّٰهُ عَلٰى مَا نَقُوۡلُ وَكِيۡلٌ‏ ﴿12:66﴾ وَقَالَ يٰبَنِىَّ لَا تَدۡخُلُوۡا مِنۡۢ بَابٍ وَّاحِدٍ وَّادۡخُلُوۡا مِنۡ اَبۡوَابٍ مُّتَفَرِّقَةٍ​ؕ وَمَاۤ اُغۡنِىۡ عَنۡكُمۡ مِّنَ اللّٰهِ مِنۡ شَىۡءٍؕ​ اِنِ الۡحُكۡمُ اِلَّا لِلّٰهِ​ؕ عَلَيۡهِ تَوَكَّلۡتُ​ۚ وَعَلَيۡهِ فَلۡيَتَوَكَّلِ الۡمُتَوَكِّلُوۡنَ‏ ﴿12:67﴾ وَلَمَّا دَخَلُوۡا مِنۡ حَيۡثُ اَمَرَهُمۡ اَبُوۡهُمۡ ؕمَا كَانَ يُغۡنِىۡ عَنۡهُمۡ مِّنَ اللّٰهِ مِنۡ شَىۡءٍ اِلَّا حَاجَةً فِىۡ نَفۡسِ يَعۡقُوۡبَ قَضٰٮهَا​ؕ وَاِنَّهٗ لَذُوۡ عِلۡمٍ لِّمَا عَلَّمۡنٰهُ وَلٰكِنَّ اَكۡثَرَ النَّاسِ لَا يَعۡلَمُوۡنَ‏  ﴿12:68﴾

(12:58) And Joseph's brothers came to Egypt and presented themselves before him.50 He recognized them, but they did not know him.51 (12:59) And when he had prepared for them their provisions, Joseph said: "Bring to me your other brother from your father. Do you not see that I give full measure and am most hospitable? (12:60) If you do not bring him to me, you shall have no corn from me; and do not even attempt to come close to me."52 (12:61) They said: "We will surely try to prevail over our father to send him. Be sure we shall do so." (12:62) And Joseph said to his servants: "Put surreptitiously in their packs the goods they had given in exchange for corn." Joseph did so expecting that they would find it when they returned home. Feeling grateful for this generosity, they might be inclined to return to him. (12:63) When they returned to their father they said: "Father! We have been denied further supply of corn. So send with us our brother that we may bring the supplies. We shall be responsible for his protection." (12:64) The father said: "Shall I trust you with regard to him as I had trusted you earlier with regard to his brother? Allah is the Best Protector and is the Most Merciful." (12:65) And when they opened their things they found that their goods had been given back to them. Thereupon they cried: "Father! What else would we desire? Look, even our goods have been given back to us, so we shall go now and bring supplies for our family, we shall protect our brother, and bring another camel-load of corn. That additional supply will be easily secured." (12:66) Their father said: "I shall never send him with you until you give me a solemn promise in the name of Allah that you will bring him back to me, unless you yourselves are surrounded." Then after they had given him their solemn promise, he said. "Allah watches over what we have said." (12:67) And he enjoined them: "My sons! Do not enter the city by one gate; rather enter it by different gates. I can be of no help to you against Allah. Allah's command alone prevails. In Him have I put my trust and in Him should all those who have faith put their trust."53 (12:68) And it so happened that when they entered the city (by many gates) as their father had directed them, this precautionary measure proved ineffective against Allah's will. There was an uneasiness in Jacob's soul which he so tried to remove. Surely he was possessed of knowledge owing to the knowledge that We bestowed upon him. But most people do not know the truth of the matter.54

Notes

50. The events of several years after his coming into power have been left out for the sake of brevity, and the story has been resumed from the time when the brothers of Prophet Joseph came to Egypt, and paved the way for the eventual settlement of the Israelites in Egypt. It will, however, be worthwhile to have a glimpse of those events. During the first seven years of his reign, there was abundance of food as he had predicted while interpreting the dream of the king. Accordingly he adopted all the measures he had put before the king concerning the years of plenty. Then the seven years of scarcity began and famine reigned not only over Egypt but all over the adjoining countries. Accordingly, Syria, Palestine, Trans Jordan and the Northern part of Arabia began to suffer from the scarcity of food, but there was plenty of it in Egypt in spite of famine because of the wise steps Prophet Joseph had taken as a safeguard. That was why his brothers, like other neighboring people, were forced by circumstances to go to Egypt and present themselves before him. It appears that Prophet Joseph had so arranged things that no foreigner was allowed to buy food without a special permit from him. Therefore when the brothers reached Egypt, they might have had to present themselves before him for obtaining the special permit for buying the fixed quantity allowed under the famine regulations.

51. It is no wonder that his brothers could not recognize Prophet Joseph, for, when they cast him into the well, he was merely a lad of seventeen and at the time of their meeting, he was a grown up man of thirty eight years or so. Naturally, he must have changed in form during this long period. Besides, they could never have imagined that the brother whom they had cast into the well had become the ruler of Egypt.

52. As the Quran has omitted the details, someone might be at a loss to know as to how he brought Benjamin into the conversation with his brothers, and why he insisted on them to bring him with them, when he intended to keep his own identity secret from them. For, obviously these things might have led to the revelation of that secret. But a little thinking will show that he could have very easily and naturally led the conversation up to Benjamin without arousing their curiosity. As there were strict restrictions on the purchase of food, everyone was permitted to buy only a fixed quantity of it. Most probably the ten brothers had applied for food for their father and the eleventh brother as well. At this Prophet Joseph might have asked the reason why their father and brother had not personally come for it. Then he might have accepted the excuse for their father that he was old and blind but he would have expressed his doubts about their excuse for their brother that he was their step brother and the father would not send him with them and so forth. Then he might have declared: Well, this time we give you as much food as you have asked for, but the next time you come here you should bring your step brother with you; otherwise you will not get any food at all because of this false statement of yours. Along with this threat, he tried to win them over by reminding them of his liberal and generous treatment with them, because he yearned for the sight of his younger brother, and was anxious to know how his family had fared during his absence.

The above is a simple and natural explanation of the matter. Thus this part of the story as given in the Bible (Gen. chapters 42 and 43) appears to be far fetched, exaggerated, unreal and, therefore, unreliable.

53. Prophet Jacob’s great concern over this journey of his sons was due to the fact that his youngest son, Benjamin, was to accompany them. He was anxious about his safety because he had already had a bad experience of his son Joseph. Naturally his heart must have been full of such misgivings that it might be his last meeting with his other beloved son. Though he had full trust in Allah and was patiently resigned to His will, but, as a human being, advised his sons to take certain precautionary measures. In order to understand the significance of this precautionary measure of entering the capital by different gates, we should have a glimpse of the political conditions of that period. As the Israelites lived on the Eastern frontier of Egypt as independent clans, they were looked at with suspicion like all frontier people. Therefore Prophet Jacob feared that if they entered the city in a group, they might be taken for a gang of suspects, especially during that time of famine. Thus there was an apprehension of some severe action being taken against them as if they had come there for organized robbery. That was why he gave them this allowance that if under such adverse circumstances there was any trouble, he would not accuse them of breach of the pledge for the safety of Benjamin.

54. “Most of mankind do not know” how Prophet Jacob was able to hold the balance between trust in Allah and adoption of precautionary measures. This was because Allah had favored him with the real knowledge. That was why he took all those measures which were dictated by common sense, deep thinking and experience. He admonished them for their ill treatment with their brother Joseph so that they should not dare repeat it in the case of Benjamin. He took a solemn pledge from them in the name of Allah that they would take good care of the safety of their step brother. Then he advised them to be on their guard against the dangerous political situation and to enter the capital by different gates so as not to give cause for alarm and suspicion. In short, as far as it was humanly possible, he took all the precautionary measures to avoid every possible risk. On the other hand, he always kept this thing in view and expressed it that no human precautionary measure could avert the enforcement of Allah’s will. And that the real protection was Allah’s protection, and that one should not rely on the precautionary measures but on the favor of Allah. Obviously only that person who has the real knowledge can keep such a balance in his words and deeds, who knows what kind of efforts are demanded of his human faculties bestowed by Allah for the solution of worldly problems, who also realizes that it is Allah alone Who has the power to make them a success or a failure. This is what most people do not understand. Some of them rely merely on their efforts and measures and discard trust in Allah, while there are others who rely merely on trust in Allah and do not adopt any practical measure to solve their problem.