Tafheem ul Quran

Surah 12 Yusuf, Ayat 7-20

لَقَدۡ كَانَ فِىۡ يُوۡسُفَ وَاِخۡوَتِهٖۤ اٰيٰتٌ لِّـلسَّآئِلِيۡنَ‏ ﴿12:7﴾ اِذۡ قَالُوۡا لَيُوۡسُفُ وَاَخُوۡهُ اَحَبُّ اِلٰٓى اَبِيۡنَا مِنَّا وَنَحۡنُ عُصۡبَةٌ  ؕ اِنَّ اَبَانَا لَفِىۡ ضَلٰلٍ مُّبِيۡنِ ​ۖ ​ۚ‏ ﴿12:8﴾ اۨقۡتُلُوۡا يُوۡسُفَ اَوِ اطۡرَحُوۡهُ اَرۡضًا يَّخۡلُ لَـكُمۡ وَجۡهُ اَبِيۡكُمۡ وَ تَكُوۡنُوۡا مِنۡۢ بَعۡدِهٖ قَوۡمًا صٰلِحِيۡنَ‏ ﴿12:9﴾ قَالَ قَآئِلٌ مِّنۡهُمۡ لَا تَقۡتُلُوۡا يُوۡسُفَ وَاَلۡقُوۡهُ فِىۡ غَيٰبَتِ الۡجُـبِّ يَلۡتَقِطۡهُ بَعۡضُ السَّيَّارَةِ اِنۡ كُنۡتُمۡ فٰعِلِيۡنَ‏ ﴿12:10﴾ قَالُوۡا يٰۤاَبَانَا مَا لَـكَ لَا تَاۡمَنَّا عَلٰى يُوۡسُفَ وَاِنَّا لَهٗ لَنٰصِحُوۡنَ‏ ﴿12:11﴾ اَرۡسِلۡهُ مَعَنَا غَدًا يَّرۡتَعۡ وَيَلۡعَبۡ وَاِنَّا لَهٗ لَحٰـفِظُوۡنَ‏  ﴿12:12﴾ قَالَ اِنِّىۡ لَيَحۡزُنُنِىۡ اَنۡ تَذۡهَبُوۡا بِهٖ وَاَخَافُ اَنۡ يَّاۡكُلَهُ الذِّئۡبُ وَاَنۡـتُمۡ عَنۡهُ غٰفِلُوۡنَ‏ ﴿12:13﴾ قَالُوۡا لَـئِنۡ اَكَلَهُ الذِّئۡبُ وَنَحۡنُ عُصۡبَةٌ اِنَّاۤ اِذًا لَّخٰسِرُوۡنَ‏  ﴿12:14﴾ فَلَمَّا ذَهَبُوۡا بِهٖ وَاَجۡمَعُوۡۤا اَنۡ يَّجۡعَلُوۡهُ فِىۡ غَيٰبَتِ الۡجُبِّ​ۚ وَاَوۡحَيۡنَاۤ اِلَيۡهِ لَـتُنَـبِّئَـنَّهُمۡ بِاَمۡرِهِمۡ هٰذَا وَهُمۡ لَا يَشۡعُرُوۡنَ‏  ﴿12:15﴾ وَجَآءُوۡۤ اَبَاهُمۡ عِشَآءً يَّبۡكُوۡنَؕ‏ ﴿12:16﴾ ​قَالُوۡا يٰۤاَبَانَاۤ اِنَّا ذَهَبۡنَا نَسۡتَبِقُ وَتَرَكۡنَا يُوۡسُفَ عِنۡدَ مَتَاعِنَا فَاَكَلَهُ الذِّئۡبُ​ۚ وَمَاۤ اَنۡتَ بِمُؤۡمِنٍ لَّنَا وَلَوۡ كُنَّا صٰدِقِيۡنَ‏ ﴿12:17﴾ وَجَآءُوۡ عَلٰى قَمِيـۡصِهٖ بِدَمٍ كَذِبٍ​ؕ قَالَ بَلۡ سَوَّلَتۡ لَـكُمۡ اَنۡفُسُكُمۡ اَمۡرًا​ؕ فَصَبۡرٌ جَمِيۡلٌ​ؕ وَاللّٰهُ الۡمُسۡتَعَانُ عَلٰى مَا تَصِفُوۡنَ‏  ﴿12:18﴾ وَجَآءَتۡ سَيَّارَةٌ فَاَرۡسَلُوۡا وَارِدَهُمۡ فَاَدۡلٰى دَلۡوَهٗ​ ؕ قَالَ يٰبُشۡرٰى هٰذَا غُلٰمٌ​ ؕ وَاَسَرُّوۡهُ بِضَاعَةً  ​ؕ وَاللّٰهُ عَلِيۡمٌۢ بِمَا يَعۡمَلُوۡنَ‏ ﴿12:19﴾ وَشَرَوۡهُ بِثَمَنٍۢ بَخۡسٍ دَرَاهِمَ مَعۡدُوۡدَةٍ​ ۚ وَكَانُوۡا فِيۡهِ مِنَ الزّٰهِدِيۡنَ‏ ﴿12:20﴾

(12:7) Verily in the story of Joseph and his brothers there are many signs for those who inquire (about the truth). (12:8) And call to mind when the brothers of Joseph conferred together and said: "Surely Joseph and his brother8 are dearer to our father than we are, although we are a group of so many. Our father is clearly mistaken.9 (12:9) So either kill Joseph or cast him into some distant land so that your father's attention may become exclusively yours. And after so doing become righteous."10 (12:10) Thereupon one of them said: "Do not kill Joseph, but if you are bent upon doing something, cast him down to the bottom of some dark pit, perhaps some caravan passing by will take him out of it." (12:11) After so deciding they said to their father: "Why is it that you do not trust us regarding Joseph although we are his true well-wishers?" (12:12) Send him out with us tomorrow that he may enjoy himself and play while we will be there, standing guard over him."11 (12:13) Their father answered: "It grieves me indeed that you should take him with you for I fear that some wolf might eat him up while you are negligent of him." (12:14) They said: "Should a wolf eat him, despite the presence of our strong group, we would indeed be a worthless lot!" (12:15) So when they went away with Joseph and decided to cast him in the bottom of the dark pit, We revealed to Joseph: "Surely a time will come when you will remind them of their deed. They know nothing about the consequence of what they are doing."12 (12:16) At nightfall they came to their father weeping (12:17) and said: "Father! We went racing with one another and left Joseph behind with our things, and then a wolf came and ate him up. We know that you will not believe us howsoever truthful we might be." (12:18) And they brought Joseph's shirt, stained with false blood. Seeing this their father exclaimed: "Nay (this is not true); rather your evil souls have made it easy for you to commit a heinous act. So I will bear this patiently, and in good grace.13 It is Allah's help alone that I seek against your fabrication."14 (12:19) And a caravan came, and they sent their water drawer to draw water. As he let down his bucket in the well he (observed Joseph) and cried out: "This is good news. There is a boy." They concealed him, considering him as part of their merchandise, while Allah was well aware of what they did. (12:20) Later they sold him for a paltry sum15 - just a few dirhams; they did not care to obtain a higher price.

Notes

8. This brother was Benjamin. He was the real younger brother of Prophet Joseph, and was his junior by many years. Their mother had died at the birth of Benjamin. That is why Prophet Jacob paid special attention to these two motherless children. Besides, Joseph was the only son, in whom he had discerned signs of righteousness and capabilities. Accordingly, when Prophet Joseph narrated his dream to him, he was all the more convinced of his future greatness, and was perturbed at the idea lest his brothers conspired against him out of envy, if they came to know of his dream, which was self explanatory. For Prophet Jacob knew that his other ten sons were not of the right type, and this was proved by the subsequent events. Therefore, naturally he was not happy with them. It is, however, strange that the Bible gives a different reason for the envy his brothers bore against Prophet Joseph. They were filled with envy against him because Joseph gave unto his father their evil report.

9. In order to grasp the full significance of the grievance the ten sons had against their father for neglecting them, we should keep in view the conditions of the clannish life. As there was no established state, each clan led its own independent life side by side with other clans. It is obvious that the power of the head of the clan depended entirely on the number of sons and grandsons, and brothers and nephews he had to defend the life, honor and property of the family. Therefore, the one leading the clannish life naturally paid more attention to his own grown up sons, etc., than to children and women of the family. As Prophet Jacob was leading clannish life, these sons of his expected a preferential treatment from him, but the Prophet thought otherwise. So they remarked: Truly our father seems to have lost his balance of mind; otherwise he could not have neglected us, and loved our two younger brothers more than us, for we are strong young men and can stand him in good stead at the time of need while these youngsters are useless as they themselves stand in need of protection.

10. This sentence depicts the true psychology of those people who give themselves up to the lusts of their hearts, and, at the same time, do not want to break away completely from faith and religion. This is how a person of this type behaves. Whenever he is tempted to do a certain evil thing, he makes up his mind to do it first and puts off the demands of his faith for the time being. And if his conscience pricks him, he tries to soothe it, saying: Have a little patience. Let me first do this evil thing, which is an obstacle in my way. Then I will repent and become as good as thou desirest to see me. As the brothers of Prophet Joseph belonged to this type, they soothed their pricking consciences, saying: After doing away with Joseph, who is the chief obstacle in our way, we will again become righteous.

11. In this thing also the Quran differs from the Bible and the Talmud, according to which it was not the brothers, who requested their father to send Joseph with them but Prophet Jacob himself sent him with an errand to Shechem, where they were feeding their father’s flocks. Obviously the version of the Quran is more realistic, for Prophet Jacob could never have thought of sending his beloved son with them because he knew it well that they were envious of him, and sending him there would have been sending Joseph deliberately into the jaws of death.

12. The Arabic words “they do not perceive” may very appropriately mean three things. First, We were comforting Joseph, and his brothers were quite unaware of this that a revelation was being sent to him. Second, you will let them know of this evil act of theirs in such circumstances that they can never even imagine you to be there. Third, today they are committing an evil act, but they do not know its future consequences.

There is no mention of this in the Bible and the Talmud that Allah sent a revelation to comfort Prophet Joseph at that time of his affliction. On the contrary, the Talmud says that when he was thrown into the well, Prophet Joseph wept and cried aloud and implored his brothers for mercy, as if he was no better than any other lad of the desert, who would weep and cry if he were to be thrown into a well. But the picture the Quran depicts is that of a young man, who is destined to play the part of a great personality in history.

13. The literal meaning of “patience in grace” which implies a patience that enables one to endure all kinds of troubles and afflictions in a calm, self possessed and unemotional manner, without complaining or crying or weeping, as is worthy of great minds.

14. Prophet Jacob’s reaction to the news of Joseph’s death, as depicted in the Quran, is also different from that given in the Bible and the Talmud. According to them he was upset by the sad news and behaved like an ordinary father. The Bible says: And Jacob rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his loins. And mourned for his son many days. (Gen. 37: 34). And the Talmud says that at the sad news Jacob gave himself up to the abandonment of grief, and lay with his face to the ground and refused to be comforted, and cried: Some wild beast has devoured Joseph and I shall never see him more; and he mourned for Joseph for many years. (The Talmud, H. Polano, pp. 78, 79).

When we contrast this picture with the one depicted in the Quran, we clearly see that the Quranic picture is that of a dignified and great personality. He is not upset in the least at hearing the sad news of his beloved son but at once gets to the bottom of the matter, and tells the envious brothers: Your tale is false and fabricated. Then he shows good patience as a Prophet should and puts his trust in the help of God.

15. Though the matter of the disposal of Prophet Joseph by his brothers was simple, the Bible has made this very complicated. It is obvious that the brothers threw Joseph into the well and went away. Afterwards a caravan came there and pulled him out and carried him to Egypt where they sold him. But the Bible says that the brothers cast him into a pit: then a company of Ishmaelites came there and they agreed to sell him to them. But in the meantime the Midianite merchantmen had drawn and lifted up Joseph and sold him to the Ishmaelites who brought him into Egypt. (Gen. 37: 25-28). But the authors of the Bible forget this sale transaction and further on in v. 36 say that Prophet Joseph was sold in Egypt by the Midianites and not by the Ishmaelites as stated in v. 28. But the Talmudic version of the matter is a little different from this. It says that the Midianites drew Joseph up from the pit and carried him along with them. As they passed by, the sons of Jacob saw Joseph with them and accused them of stealing their slave. At this a furious quarrel arose and they were ready to enter upon a bloody fray. But a bargain was concluded and the sons of Jacob sold their brother to the Midianites for twenty pieces of silver, who afterwards sold him to the Ishmaelites for the same amount. Then the Ishmaelites took him into Egypt and sold him there. Incidentally, it is this Talmudic version that has given rise to the tradition among some Muslims that the brothers of Joseph had sold him. But it should be noted that the Quran does not confirm this tradition.