12-7 Verily in Joseph and his brethren there are signs for the inquirers.a
لَّقَدْ كَانَ فِى يُوسُفَ وَإِخْوَتِهِۦٓ ءَايَـٰتٌۭ لِّلسَّآئِلِينَ (۷)
12-7a: The inquirers in this verse are people who inquired about the affairs of the Holy Prophet. There are signs for these inquirers in what transpired between Joseph and his brothers, that is the events in the Holy Prophet’s life were to mirror what happened between Joseph and his brothers. There were to be plans to kill him or to drive him out but, in the end, just as Joseph’s brothers presented themselves before Joseph in a helpless state, the Holy Prophet’s opponents will apologize to the Holy Prophet in a helpless and defeated state.
12-8 When they said: Certainly Joseph and his brother are dearer to our father than we, though we are a (strong) company. Surely our father is in manifest error —a
إِذْ قَالُوا۟ لَيُوسُفُ وَأَخُوهُ أَحَبُّ إِلَىٰٓ أَبِينَا مِنَّا وَنَحْنُ عُصْبَةٌ إِنَّ أَبَانَا لَفِى ضَلَـٰلٍۢ مُّبِينٍ (۸)
12-8a: عُصْبَة – عَصَب means sinews, and عَصۡب means to tie or bind. عُصْبَةٌ and عِصابة is a group numbering between ten and forty that does not have one leader. In Mufradat this is described as جماعة مُتَعَصِّبة مُتَعاضِدَۃ that is a group that assists each other. عَصَبَة means blood relationship or near kinship through father or son, and from the same root is the well known word تَعَصُّبۡ whose literal meaning is to gather or to come together, and then by extension applies to coming together to take sides against another party whether as an aggressor or because of being a victim. عَصَبیَّة is to call a person to assist the عَصَبَة . A hadith states: لَیۡس مِنّا من دعا الیٰ عَصَبِیَّة او قاتل عَصَبِیَّة (he is not from among us who calls to عَصَبِیَّة or fights for عَصَبِیَّة ) that is he sides with his blood relations regardless of whether the right or justice is on their side.
ضَلَـٰلٍۢ – Its meaning here is mistaken in his opinion (LA) that is his judgment is flawed.
By Joseph’s brother here is meant his real brother whose name was Benjamin. Joseph and Benjamin had the same mother. Joseph’s half brother’s jealousy is aroused merely because Joseph had a special place in his father’s heart. Their grouse is not that their father does not love them but only that he loves Joseph more. They do not try to think of how they could increase their father’s love for them but instead try to remove Joseph’s love by getting rid of Joseph. The result of such envy is never any good.
12-9 Slay Joseph or banish him to some (other) land, so that your father’s regard may be exclusively for you, and after that you may be a righteous people.a
ٱقْتُلُوا۟ يُوسُفَ أَوِ ٱطْرَحُوهُ أَرْضًۭا يَخْلُ لَكُمْ وَجْهُ أَبِيكُمْ وَتَكُونُوا۟ مِنۢ بَعْدِهِۦ قَوْمًۭا صَـٰلِحِينَ (۹)
12-9a: ٱطْرَحُوا – طَرۡح means to throw, toss, hurl and to remove (R).
The purport of تَكُونُوا۟ مِنۢ بَعْدِهِۦ قَوْمًۭا صَـٰلِحِينَ is that after this sin, they can repent and become righteous or the meaning is that by removing Joseph they can rectify their worldly affairs because then they will be the sole focus of their father’s attention.
12-10 A speaker among them said: Slay not Joseph, but, if you are going to do anything, cast him down to the bottom of the well. Some of the travelers may pick him up.a
قَالَ قَآئِلٌۭ مِّنْهُمْ لَا تَقْتُلُوا۟ يُوسُفَ وَأَلْقُوهُ فِى غَيَـٰبَتِ ٱلْجُبِّ يَلْتَقِطْهُ بَعْضُ ٱلسَّيَّارَةِ إِن كُنتُمْ فَـٰعِلِينَ (۱۰)
12-10a: غَيَـٰبَتِ – Its root is غَیب (invisible) and غَیَابة is low lying ground or its depth as in the depth of a well (R).
جُبّ – جَبّ means to cut a thing from its root and جُبّ is a well that does not have a masonry parapet (R). A well with a parapet is called بِئۡر . According to some جُبّ is a deep well (LA).
يَلْتَقِطْ – لَقۡط and اِلۡتِقاط is to pick something that is lying on the ground. لُقطَة is to pick something that was dropped, and لُقیط is to find an abandoned child (LA).
سَیّارۃ – سَیۡر means to walk or march and سَیّارَۃ is a party on the march or travelers.
According to Genesis 37:22 the brother who said this was Reuben.
12-11 They said: O our father, why dost thou not trust us with Joseph, and surely we are his sincere well-wishers?
قَالُوا۟ يَـٰٓأَبَانَا مَا لَكَ لَا تَأْمَ۫نَّا عَلَىٰ يُوسُفَ وَإِنَّا لَهُۥ لَنَـٰصِحُونَ (۱۱)
12-12 Send him with us tomorrow that he may enjoy himself and play, and we shall surely guard him well.
أَرْسِلْهُ مَعَنَا غَدًۭا يَرْتَعْ وَيَلْعَبْ وَإِنَّا لَهُۥ لَحَـٰفِظُونَ (۱۲)
12-12a: يَرْتَعْ – رَتۡع means to graze or pasture and is used for animals typically but sometimes for humans as a metaphor (R) or a lifestyle in which one can eat and drink sumptuously (LA).
12-13 He said: Indeed it grieves me that you should take him away and I fear lest the wolf devour him, while you are heedless of him.a
قَالَ إِنِّى لَيَحْزُنُنِىٓ أَن تَذْهَبُوا۟ بِهِۦ وَأَخَافُ أَن يَأْكُلَهُ ٱلذِّئْبُ وَأَنتُمْ عَنْهُ غَـٰفِلُونَ (۱۳)
12-13a: Jacob’s statement it grieves me that you take him, shows that he had an intuition that the brothers were taking Yousaf out to commit some mischief.
12-14 They said: If the wolf should devour him, while we are a (strong) company, we should then certainly be losers.
قَالُوا۟ لَئِنْ أَكَلَهُ ٱلذِّئْبُ وَنَحْنُ عُصْبَةٌ إِنَّآ إِذًۭا لَّخَـٰسِرُونَ (۱۴)
12-15 So when they took him away and agreed to put him down at the bottom of the pit, We revealed to him: Thou wilt certainly inform them of this affair of theirs while they perceive not.a
فَلَمَّا ذَهَبُوا۟ بِهِۦ وَأَجْمَعُوٓا۟ أَن يَجْعَلُوهُ فِى غَيَـٰبَتِ ٱلْجُبِّ ۚ وَأَوْحَيْنَآ إِلَيْهِ لَتُنَبِّئَنَّهُم بِأَمْرِهِمْ هَـٰذَا وَهُمْ لَا يَشْعُرُونَ (۱۵)
12-15a: The Bible does not mention this revelation to Joseph, and even this deviation shows the wide difference between the two narrations in the Bible and the Quran. The Bible narration has the coloration of a mere story whose summary is that Jacob’s son was lost and then found. The Quranic narration on the other hand is full of spiritual and moral lessons. For example right at this very time when the brothers thought they had put an end to Yusuf and there did not seem to be any hope for him and the end of his life seemed to be near, an external voice comes and assures him that a time will come when he will inform his brothers of this deed. His position will be so high that they will not even be able to imagine that he has achieved such a high status. This voice not only creates perfect belief within Yousaf of Allah’s Being and creates the strength in him to bear the future tribulations that life will bring and gives him the power to stand firm in future trials, but also creates the same feelings in the reader. Omitting this small incident in the Bible renders the Bible narration a mere story but its presence in the Quran makes the incident into a valuable spiritual lesson.
Divine revelation before prophethood: This revelation does not necessarily imply that Joseph had become a prophet at that time. Verse 12:22 shows that wisdom and spiritual knowledge was given to him at maturity and that happened much later than this incident. Divine revelation can occur to a person who is not a prophet. There is mention in the Quran of revelation to the mother of Moses and the disciples of Jesus. This revelation of Joseph is prior to receiving prophethood, just as his vision was prior to prophethood. This revelation only had information about a future event, and information about future events can be revealed to non-prophets such as to the Mohaddessin of the Muslim ummah about whom it is stated in the ahadith: رجال یکلمون من غیران یکونوا انبیاء (Men who were spoken to though they were not prophets). Under the impression that revelation can only occur to a prophet, some have taken أَوْحَيْنَآ إِلَيْهِ to refer to Jacob because Yusuf was only seventeen years old at the time. However, even this diminishes the real greatness of this event. وَهُمْ لَا يَشْعُرُونَ can be interpreted in two ways. One is that you will give this information to them when you are in a condition that they will not perceive it is you because of your high status. The other is that We have given you this good news, but your brothers do not have any knowledge of this.
12-16 And they came to their father at nightfall, weeping.
وَجَآءُوٓ أَبَاهُمْ عِشَآءًۭ يَبْكُونَ (۱۶)
12-17 They said: O our father, we went off racing one with another and left Joseph by our goods, so the wolf devoured him. And thou wilt not believe us, though we are truthful.a
قَالُوا۟ يَـٰٓأَبَانَآ إِنَّا ذَهَبْنَا نَسْتَبِقُ وَتَرَكْنَا يُوسُفَ عِندَ مَتَـٰعِنَا فَأَكَلَهُ ٱلذِّئْبُ ۖ وَمَآ أَنتَ بِمُؤْمِنٍۢ لَّنَا وَلَوْ كُنَّا صَـٰدِقِينَ (۱۷)
12-17a: The purport of وَلَوْ كُنَّا صَـٰدِقِينَ (though we are truthful) is that even if your previous opinion about us was that we are truthful, you would not have believed us in this matter, but when your opinion about us even previously was not good, you will definitely not believe what we are saying.
12-18 And they came with false blood on his shirt. He said: Nay, your souls have made a matter light for you. So patience is goodly. And Allah is He Whose help is sought against what you describe.a
وَجَآءُو عَلَىٰ قَمِيصِهِۦ بِدَمٍۢ كَذِبٍۢ ۚ قَالَ بَلْ سَوَّلَتْ لَكُمْ أَنفُسُكُمْ أَمْرًۭا ۖ فَصَبْرٌۭ جَمِيلٌۭ ۖ وَٱللَّهُ ٱلْمُسْتَعَانُ عَلَىٰ مَا تَصِفُونَ (۱۸)
12-18a: سَوَّلَتْ – The meaning of تَسۡوِیۡل is for the soul to embellish the thing that it desires and to beautify its shameful and ugly aspects, as in ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنُ سَوَّلَ لَهُمْ (the devil embellishes it for them (47:25). سُوۡل and اُمِنیَّة are very close in meaning. اُمِنیَّة is a desire that is born in one’s mind while سُوۡل (entice, tempt, allure) is a desire that one seeks to fulfill and is the stage after اُمِنیَّة . Its root is سُؤۡل and means a need that the soul desires and that a person wants fulfilled, as in قَدْ أُوتِيتَ سُؤْلَكَ يَـٰمُوسَىٰ (Thou art indeed granted thy petition, O Moses) (20:36) (R).
There is a clear difference here again between the Bible and Quran narratives. According to the Bible when this news reached Jacob, he considered it credible and said: Joseph is without doubt rent in pieces. And Jacob rent his clothes, and put sack-cloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days (Genesis 37:33-34). This behavior is far from the dignity of a prophet. The Quran, on the other hand, portrays Jacob’s response in a very dignified way: فَصَبْرٌۭ جَمِيلٌۭ (So patience is goodly). Even after hearing such a calamitous news, Jacob not only shows patience but calls patience as goodly, meaning that to be patient under these circumstances is both elegant and excellent. There is a lesson in this for others as well that even under the harshest difficulties, they should not lament, howl and wail but show patience and accept what God has decreed. A hadith in Bukhari narrates that when the lady Ayesha became the victim of a great calumny that put her in a condition of great distress and grief, she responded with: I say what Jacob said: فَصَبْرٌۭ جَمِيلٌۭ ۖ وَٱللَّهُ ٱلْمُسْتَعَانُ عَلَىٰ مَا تَصِفُونَ (So patience is goodly. And Allah is He Whose help is sought against what you describe). Another big difference between the Quranic and Biblical versions is that according to the Quranic version, it appears that Jacob was convinced that joseph had not been killed and was alive and that Allah will bring about those things that Joseph had seen in the vision. Just as in the Biblical account, Jacob had scolded Joseph on hearing the account of his vision but in the Quranic version he interpreted it as meaning that Joseph will achieve worldly and spiritual greatness, Jacob, with full belief in the interpretation of the vision, tells his sons that what they allege is not correct and in وَٱللَّهُ ٱلْمُسْتَعَانُ , he conveys that Allah will fulfill those things that He has shown.
Joseph’s brothers had splattered some fake blood on Joseph’s shirt. According to the Bible, this was a coat of many colors that Jacob had made for Joseph. Regardless of the type of garment, the purport of the brothers was to give credence to their contention that a wolf had devoured Joseph and his coat soaked in blood was all that remained. It is noteworthy that during this narrative, Joseph’s shirt is significant on three occasions. Jacob gauged from the shirt that Joseph’s brothers presented as evidence that the blood was fake and it provided testimony that Joseph was alive. On a second occasion, Joseph’s shirt provided evidence of his ignorance, and on a third occasion Joseph sent his shirt to his father and it provided evidence of his great state. In other words, Joseph’s shirt provides testimony of his life, his chastity and his glory. Seeing a shirt in a dream symbolizes knowledge as is mentioned in an authentic hadith in which the Holy Prophet said that he had seen Umar with a long shirt and interpreted it as knowledge. In this surah too, just as there are three references to Joseph’s shirt, there are three specific mentions of Joseph’s knowledge in interpreting dreams, that is in verses 12:6, 12:21 and 12:101.
12-19 And there came travelers, and they sent their water-drawer and he let down his bucket. He said: O good news! This is a youth. And they concealed him as an article of merchandise, and Allah was Cognizant of what they did.a
وَجَآءَتْ سَيَّارَةٌۭ فَأَرْسَلُوا۟ وَارِدَهُمْ فَأَدْلَىٰ دَلْوَهُۥ ۖ قَالَ يَـٰبُشْرَىٰ هَـٰذَا غُلَـٰمٌۭ ۚ وَأَسَرُّوهُ بِضَـٰعَةًۭ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ عَلِيمٌۢ بِمَا يَعْمَلُونَ (۱۹)
12-19a: بِضَـٰعَةًۭ – It is the major part of person’s property that is kept for trade, that is merchandise, as in: هَـٰذِهِۦ بِضَـٰعَتُنَا رُدَّتْ إِلَيْنَا ۖ (This is our property returned to us) (12:65). Its root is بَضۡع which means a big piece of meat that has been cut out. There is a statement in hadith: فاطمة بَضۡعَةٌ مِنّی (Fatima is part of my body). بِضۡع means less than ten, and includes digits from three to nine.
12-20 And they sold him for a small price, a few pieces of silver, and they showed no desire for him.a
وَشَرَوْهُ بِثَمَنٍۭ بَخْسٍۢ دَرَٰهِمَ مَعْدُودَةٍۢ وَكَانُوا۟ فِيهِ مِنَ ٱلزَّٰهِدِينَ (۲۰)
12-20a: زا هِدِين – زھید means insignificant, small, paltry, and the meaning of الزاھِدُ فی الشَّئ is a person who shows no desire for another person or in other words is satisfied with accepting a small price for him (R). This is the meaning here. زُھد has a religious connotation and is the opposite of worldly desire and greed (LA). The Quranic narrative diverges here from the Biblical narrative. According to the Bible, Joseph’s brothers first sold him to the Midianites (the people of the caravan) and they went and sold him in Egypt. From the Quranic version, it appears that the people of the caravan concealed Joseph and took him away and sold him in Egypt and they did not consider him to be of much value.
Bayan-ul-Quran 