سُورَةُ يُوسُفَ
Reading Tafsir al-Jalalayn by Jalal al-Din al-Mahalli & Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti
Ayahs 61–70 of 111
قَالُوا۟ سَنُرَٰوِدُ عَنْهُ أَبَاهُ وَإِنَّا لَفَٰعِلُونَ
They said, "We will attempt to dissuade his father from [keeping] him, and indeed, we will do [it]."
They said ‘We will try to tempt his father away from him that is we will try our hardest to seek him from him. That we will surely do’.
وَقَالَ لِفِتْيَٰنِهِ ٱجْعَلُوا۟ بِضَٰعَتَهُمْ فِى رِحَالِهِمْ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَعْرِفُونَهَآ إِذَا ٱنقَلَبُوٓا۟ إِلَىٰٓ أَهْلِهِمْ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْجِعُونَ
And [Joseph] said to his servants, "Put their merchandise into their saddlebags so they might recognize it when they have gone back to their people that perhaps they will [again] return."
And he said to his young men li-fityatihi a variant reading has li-fityānihi ‘his servants’ ‘Place their merchandise that money with which they bought the supplies and these were a few dirhams in their saddlebags their supply sacks so that they may recognise it when they return to their folk and empty their sacks and so come back’ to us deeming it unlawful to retain these monies.
فَلَمَّا رَجَعُوٓا۟ إِلَىٰٓ أَبِيهِمْ قَالُوا۟ يَٰٓأَبَانَا مُنِعَ مِنَّا ٱلْكَيْلُ فَأَرْسِلْ مَعَنَآ أَخَانَا نَكْتَلْ وَإِنَّا لَهُۥ لَحَٰفِظُونَ
So when they returned to their father, they said, "O our father, [further] measure has been denied to us, so send with us our brother [that] we will be given measure. And indeed, we will be his guardians."
So when they went back to their father they said ‘O father the measure will be denied us unless you send forth our brother to him to the Court officer; so send forth our brother with us that we may obtain the measure read naktal or yaktal ‘that he may obtain the measure for us’. Surely we will guard him well’.
قَالَ هَلْ ءَامَنُكُمْ عَلَيْهِ إِلَّا كَمَآ أَمِنتُكُمْ عَلَىٰٓ أَخِيهِ مِن قَبْلُ ۖ فَٱللَّهُ خَيْرٌ حَٰفِظًۭا ۖ وَهُوَ أَرْحَمُ ٱلرَّٰحِمِينَ
He said, "Should I entrust you with him except [under coercion] as I entrusted you with his brother before? But Allah is the best guardian, and He is the most merciful of the merciful."
He said ‘Should I — I will only — trust you with him like I trusted you with his brother Joseph before? despite the fact that you have done to him what you have done? Yet God is best at guarding hifzan a variant reading has hāfizan ‘a guardian’ as a specification similar to when they say li’Llāhi darruhu fārisan ‘By God how excellent a horseman he is!’; and He is the Most Merciful of merciful ones’ and so I hope that He will show favour to me by guarding him.
وَلَمَّا فَتَحُوا۟ مَتَٰعَهُمْ وَجَدُوا۟ بِضَٰعَتَهُمْ رُدَّتْ إِلَيْهِمْ ۖ قَالُوا۟ يَٰٓأَبَانَا مَا نَبْغِى ۖ هَٰذِهِۦ بِضَٰعَتُنَا رُدَّتْ إِلَيْنَا ۖ وَنَمِيرُ أَهْلَنَا وَنَحْفَظُ أَخَانَا وَنَزْدَادُ كَيْلَ بَعِيرٍۢ ۖ ذَٰلِكَ كَيْلٌۭ يَسِيرٌۭ
And when they opened their baggage, they found their merchandise returned to them. They said, "O our father, what [more] could we desire? This is our merchandise returned to us. And we will obtain supplies for our family and protect our brother and obtain an increase of a camel's load; that is an easy measurement."
And when they opened their belongings they found that their merchandise had been restored to them. They said ‘O father what more should we desire? mā nabghī mā is interrogative that is to say what greater thing than this can we ask for from the king’s generosity?’; a variant reading has mā tabghī ‘what more do you desire?’ as an address to Jacob — for they had mentioned to him his the king’s generosity towards them. Here is our merchandise restored to us. And we shall get provisions for our family we shall obtain supplies for them namely food and guard our brother and we shall receive an extra camel’s load because of our brother; that will be an easy measure’ for the king to grant us given his munificence.
قَالَ لَنْ أُرْسِلَهُۥ مَعَكُمْ حَتَّىٰ تُؤْتُونِ مَوْثِقًۭا مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ لَتَأْتُنَّنِى بِهِۦٓ إِلَّآ أَن يُحَاطَ بِكُمْ ۖ فَلَمَّآ ءَاتَوْهُ مَوْثِقَهُمْ قَالَ ٱللَّهُ عَلَىٰ مَا نَقُولُ وَكِيلٌۭ
[Jacob] said, "Never will I send him with you until you give me a promise by Allah that you will bring him [back] to me, unless you should be surrounded by enemies." And when they had given their promise, he said, "Allah, over what we say, is Witness."
He said ‘I will not send him with you until you give me a solemn pledge a covenant in the name of God by your swearing an oath that assuredly you will bring him back to me unless you are besieged’ such that you die or are overwhelmed and thus unable to bring him back. They agreed to this. And when they gave him their solemn pledge to this effect he said ‘God shall be Guardian Witness over what we say’ we and you. Thus he sent him with them.
وَقَالَ يَٰبَنِىَّ لَا تَدْخُلُوا۟ مِنۢ بَابٍۢ وَٰحِدٍۢ وَٱدْخُلُوا۟ مِنْ أَبْوَٰبٍۢ مُّتَفَرِّقَةٍۢ ۖ وَمَآ أُغْنِى عَنكُم مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ مِن شَىْءٍ ۖ إِنِ ٱلْحُكْمُ إِلَّا لِلَّهِ ۖ عَلَيْهِ تَوَكَّلْتُ ۖ وَعَلَيْهِ فَلْيَتَوَكَّلِ ٱلْمُتَوَكِّلُونَ
And he said, "O my sons, do not enter from one gate but enter from different gates; and I cannot avail you against [the decree of] Allah at all. The decision is only for Allah; upon Him I have relied, and upon Him let those who would rely [indeed] rely."
And he said ‘O my sons do not enter Egypt by one gate but enter by separate gates lest the evil eye smite you. Yet I cannot avail protect you by this that I have said against God min Allāhi min is extra anything which He might have decreed against you; this that I have said is only out of affection for you. Judgement belongs to God alone. On Him I rely in Him I trust and on Him let all the trusting rely’.
وَلَمَّا دَخَلُوا۟ مِنْ حَيْثُ أَمَرَهُمْ أَبُوهُم مَّا كَانَ يُغْنِى عَنْهُم مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ مِن شَىْءٍ إِلَّا حَاجَةًۭ فِى نَفْسِ يَعْقُوبَ قَضَىٰهَا ۚ وَإِنَّهُۥ لَذُو عِلْمٍۢ لِّمَا عَلَّمْنَٰهُ وَلَٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ ٱلنَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ
And when they entered from where their father had ordered them, it did not avail them against Allah at all except [it was] a need within the soul of Jacob, which he satisfied. And indeed, he was a possessor of knowledge because of what We had taught him, but most of the people do not know.
God exalted be He says And when they entered in the manner which their father had bidden them that is separately it did not avail them anything min shay’in min is extra against God that is against His decree; it was but a need in Jacob’s soul which he thus satisfied and this need was his desire to fend off the evil eye from them out of affection for them. And verily he was possessed of knowledge because We had taught him; but most of mankind — and they are the disbelievers — do not know about God’s inspiring His elect.
وَلَمَّا دَخَلُوا۟ عَلَىٰ يُوسُفَ ءَاوَىٰٓ إِلَيْهِ أَخَاهُ ۖ قَالَ إِنِّىٓ أَنَا۠ أَخُوكَ فَلَا تَبْتَئِسْ بِمَا كَانُوا۟ يَعْمَلُونَ
And when they entered upon Joseph, he took his brother to himself; he said, "Indeed, I am your brother, so do not despair over what they used to do [to me]."
And when they entered to Joseph he took his brother into his arms saying to him ‘Truly it is me your brother therefore do not despair do not be grieved at what they did’ in the way of envying us. He commanded him not to tell them anything and he Joseph agreed with him that he would devise a trick to keep him Benjamin with him.
فَلَمَّا جَهَّزَهُم بِجَهَازِهِمْ جَعَلَ ٱلسِّقَايَةَ فِى رَحْلِ أَخِيهِ ثُمَّ أَذَّنَ مُؤَذِّنٌ أَيَّتُهَا ٱلْعِيرُ إِنَّكُمْ لَسَٰرِقُونَ
So when he had furnished them with their supplies, he put the [gold measuring] bowl into the bag of his brother. Then an announcer called out, "O caravan, indeed you are thieves."
And when he had equipped them with their provision he put the drinking-cup a golden cup studded with jewels into the saddlebag of his brother Benjamin. Then a crier shouted a herald cried after they were dismissed from Joseph’s court ‘O cameleers caravan you are surely thieves!’
Commentary: Tafsir al-Jalalayn by Jalal al-Din al-Mahalli & Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti. Qur'an text and translation via AlQuran Cloud.
