Surah Yusuf (Section 8)

12-58 And Joseph’s brethren came and went in to him, and he knew them, while they recognized him not.^a

وَجَآءَ إِخْوَةُ يُوسُفَ فَدَخَلُوا۟ عَلَيْهِ فَعَرَفَهُمْ وَهُمْ لَهُۥ مُنكِرُونَ (۵۸)

12-58a: Many intermediate events have been left out. The seven years of abundant harvest have passed, and the years of famine have begun. Joseph’s brothers come to Egypt in search of grain and are brought before Joseph. Because Joseph was only a teenager when they were separated and because his condition had changed so much, they did not recognize him.

12-59 And when he furnished them with their provision, he said: Bring to me a brother of yours from your father. See you not that I give full measure and that I am the best of hosts?

وَلَمَّا جَهَّزَهُم بِجَهَازِهِمْ قَالَ ٱئْتُونِى بِأَخٍۢ لَّكُم مِّنْ أَبِيكُمْ ۚ أَلَا تَرَوْنَ أَنِّىٓ أُوفِى ٱلْكَيْلَ وَأَنَا۠ خَيْرُ ٱلْمُنزِلِينَ (۵۹)

12-59a: جَهَّز – جہاز – جَہاز are those provisions etcetera that are made ready and تَجۡھِیزا is to lift the provisions or to send them.

كَيْل – Is a measure of grain. See 7-85b. It has also been used to mean grain.

مُنزِل – نُزُول means حلول (descending, coming down, disembarking, sojourn, residence). نَزِیل means a guest. نُزل is provisions for entertainment or hospitality. Accordingly, اِنزال is hospitality and مُنۡزِل is the host.

In his conversation with them, Joseph finds out everything about their circumstances and therefore commands them to bring their brother. The mention of giving them the full measure and his hospitality is not to manifest a favor but to recount their treatment so that they may come again. Hospitality is a special attribute of the Arabs and hence there was no one in Egypt equal to Joseph in his hospitality.

12-60 But if you bring him not to me, you shall have no measure (of corn) from me, nor shall you come near me.

فَإِن لَّمْ تَأْتُونِى بِهِۦ فَلَا كَيْلَ لَكُمْ عِندِى وَلَا تَقْرَبُونِ (۶۰)

12-61 They said: We shall strive to make his father yield about him, and we are sure to do (it).

قَالُوا۟ سَنُرَٰوِدُ عَنْهُ أَبَاهُ وَإِنَّا لَفَـٰعِلُونَ (۶۱)

12-62 And he said to his servants: Put their money into their bags that they may recognize it when they go back to their family, so that they may come back.^a

 وَقَالَ لِفِتْيَـٰنِهِ ٱجْعَلُوا۟ بِضَـٰعَتَهُمْ فِى رِحَالِهِمْ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَعْرِفُونَهَآ إِذَا ٱنقَلَبُوٓا۟ إِلَىٰٓ أَهْلِهِمْ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْجِعُونَ (۶۲)

12-62a: رِحَال – It is the plural of رَحل (the baggage that is placed on a camel for carriage) and sometimes it is used to mean a camel and sometimes the thing on which one sits in the house. The meaning of ارتحال is to journey, march, migrate or decamp, as in: رِحْلَةَ ٱلشِّتَآءِ وَٱلصَّيْفِ (journey in the winter and summer) (106:2).

The purpose of returning the money paid for the grain was that they should come back to Egypt for any future supply of grain that they needed either because of the favor shown to them, or possibly even to return the money they find in their bags.

12-63 So when they returned to their father, they said: O our father, the measure is withheld from us, so send with us our brother that we may get the measure, and we will surely guard him.^a

فَلَمَّا رَجَعُوٓا۟ إِلَىٰٓ أَبِيهِمْ قَالُوا۟ يَـٰٓأَبَانَا مُنِعَ مِنَّا ٱلْكَيْلُ فَأَرْسِلْ مَعَنَآ أَخَانَا نَكْتَلْ وَإِنَّا لَهُۥ لَحَـٰفِظُونَ (۶۳)

12-63a: نَكْتَلْ – The actual word is نکتیل, that is it is a concoction (باب افتعال) where ی has been replaced by ا which has been dropped because of the joining of the consonants.

12-64 He said: Can I trust you with him, except as I trusted you with his brother before. So Allah is the Best Keeper, and He is the most Merciful of those who show mercy.^a

قَالَ هَلْ ءَامَنُكُمْ عَلَيْهِ إِلَّا كَمَآ أَمِنتُكُمْ عَلَىٰٓ أَخِيهِ مِن قَبْلُ ۖ فَٱللَّهُ خَيْرٌ حَـٰفِظًۭا ۖ وَهُوَ أَرْحَمُ ٱلرَّٰحِمِينَ (۶۴)

12-64a: The meaning is that if I trust you, it will be like when I trusted you with Joseph. Protection is only from Allah, and this is the way of the righteous. They are asked to give a solemn pledge, but trust is put only in Allah. Resources are to be used but pious people do not consider resources as the basis of success. For هَلْ see 2-210a.

12-65 And when they opened their goods, they found their money returned to them. They said: O our father, what (more) can we desire? This is our property returned to us, and we shall bring corn for our family and guard our brother, and have in addition the measure of a camel-load. This is an easy measure.^a

وَلَمَّا فَتَحُوا۟ مَتَـٰعَهُمْ وَجَدُوا۟ بِضَـٰعَتَهُمْ رُدَّتْ إِلَيْهِمْ ۖ قَالُوا۟ يَـٰٓأَبَانَا مَا نَبْغِى ۖ هَـٰذِهِۦ بِضَـٰعَتُنَا رُدَّتْ إِلَيْنَا ۖ وَنَمِيرُ أَهْلَنَا وَنَحْفَظُ أَخَانَا وَنَزْدَادُ كَيْلَ بَعِيرٍۢ ۖ ذَٰلِكَ كَيْلٌۭ يَسِيرٌۭ (۶۵)

12-65a: نَمِيرُ – مِیۡرۃ is provisions, supplies, commissariat. مَارَ یَمِیۡرُ means brought grain or corn.

يَسِير – It is the opposite of عُسۡرand يَسِير means ease but a small quantity of a thing is also called يَسِير (R). It is the latter sense in which the word is used here, and the meaning is that the grain they had brought was small in quantity or that it was not sufficient for the period of famine.

12-66 He said: I will by no means send him with you, until you give me a firm covenant in Allah’s name that you will bring him back to me, unless you are completely surrounded. And when they gave him their covenant, he said: Allah is Guardian over what we say.^a

قَالَ لَنْ أُرْسِلَهُۥ مَعَكُمْ حَتَّىٰ تُؤْتُونِ مَوْثِقًۭا مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ لَتَأْتُنَّنِى بِهِۦٓ إِلَّآ أَن يُحَاطَ بِكُمْ ۖ فَلَمَّآ ءَاتَوْهُ مَوْثِقَهُمْ قَالَ ٱللَّهُ عَلَىٰ مَا نَقُولُ وَكِيلٌۭ (۶۶)

12-66a: Despite taking a firm covenant from his sons, Jacob entrusts the matter to God. An attorney is the person to whom a matter is entrusted and the person to whom the matter is entrusted is the custodian of the matter, hence the meaning of وَكِيل here is guardian.

يُحَاطَ بِكُمْ – It can mean surrounded and can also mean killed because one who is surrounded by an enemy may also be killed.

12-67 And he said: O my sons, enter not by one gate but enter by different gates. And I can avail you naught against Allah. Judgment is only Allah’s. On Him I rely, and on Him let the reliant rely.^a

وَقَالَ يَـٰبَنِىَّ 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 (۶۷)

12-67a: Reason for the advice to enter from different gates: Most commentators have inclined to the view that this advice was given to avoid the evil eye. The Bible states that in the first visit Joseph was harsh with his brothers and accused them of being spies (Genesis 42:9). Jacob may have thought that if they entered together, the government of Egypt may suspect them and arrest them even before they could reach the king, and the kind attitude of the king may not even come into play. Hence Jacob advised them to adopt this cautious approach while entering the city. This explanation is supported by two other facts as well. First, when Jacob took a covenant from his sons, he allowed for an exception namely  إِلَّآ أَن يُحَاطَ بِكُم (unless you are completely surrounded). Second, he also stated with this: مَآ أُغْنِى عَنكُم مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ مِن شَىْءٍ (I can avail you nought against Allah), that is if some calamity is destined to befall them from Allah, then he (Jacob) will not be able to help them. In the next verse, this same thing is mentioned, and it is followed by: وَإِنَّهُۥ لَذُو عِلْمٍۢ لِّمَا عَلَّمْنَـٰهُ (And surely he was possessed of knowledge, because We had given him knowledge) (12:68). This indicates that Jacob had been informed, either through a revelation or a vision, that some calamity from Allah was going to befall them but revealed prophecies do not have full details and affairs are shown only in a succinct form. Jacob’s mind led him to believe that since the last time his sons were suspected of spying, the calamity that was to befall them may be their arrest on the same ground. However, since this was an idea based on his own thinking, he added that he would not be able to help them whatever the nature of the calamity. As stated in the next verse, they followed their father’s advice and safely entered the city but this did not avert the calamity which was to come from another source. In the case of Joseph also, Jacob had been shown some details of the coming calamity and that is why he had remarked وَأَخَافُ أَن يَأْكُلَهُ ٱلذِّئْبُ  (I fear lest the wolf devour him) (12:13). Prophecies often do not have an exact timing of when an event will occur.

The evil eye: Just as an attractive person can be impacted by the evil eye so can a group, but if the source of anxiety was the evil eye, why did Jacob not advise his sons the first time to enter the city by different gates? The difference between ten sons on the first trip and eleven in the second is not that significant. Events are supportive of the theory that for the first trip Joseph had had no vision about any kind of calamity. For the second trip, Jacob was given information of an impending calamity and so he advised his sons as best as he understood the vision. Even so, like any righteous and pious person, he did not rely on this advice and instead told them to put their trust in Allah. This again goes to show that pious people do not think that available resources should not be used. It is also necessary to add here that the effect of the evil eye is mentioned in the hadith and such a phenomenon is in fact a reality. In the present times, those who have seen the wondrous acts of mesmerism can easily understand the astonishing acts that the eyes can perform and how an ordinary person can be put in a trance by the eyes of a hypnotist. This is a testimony to the truthfulness of the Holy Prophet that even while doing away with all kinds of superstitions, he stated without any fear of reproach a power that exists in humans.

12-68 And when they entered as their father had bidden them, it availed them naught against Allah, but (it was only) a desire in the soul of Jacob, which he satisfied. And surely he was possessed of knowledge, because We had given him knowledge, but most people know not.

وَلَمَّا دَخَلُوا۟ مِنْ حَيْثُ أَمَرَهُمْ أَبُوهُم مَّا كَانَ يُغْنِى عَنْهُم مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ مِن شَىْءٍ إِلَّا حَاجَةًۭ فِى نَفْسِ يَعْقُوبَ قَضَىٰهَا ۚ وَإِنَّهُۥ لَذُو عِلْمٍۢ لِّمَا عَلَّمْنَـٰهُ وَلَـٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ ٱلنَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ (۶۸)