Part 3

Prophet Yoosuf, peace be upon him, brought his blood brother close to himself and gave each two of his other brothers (from a different mother) a room; he gave his blood brother a room to himself, and said to him, as Allaah says in the sixty-ninth verse: ﻗﹶﺎلَ ﺇِﻨﱢﻲ ﺃَﻨﹶﺎ ﺃَﺨﹸﻭﻙ ﻠﹸﻭﻥﻤﻌﺎ ﻜﹶﺎﻨﹸﻭﺍ ﻴ ﺒِﻤﺘﹶﺌِﺱﻓﹶﻼ ﺘﹶﺒ which means: "Indeed, I am your brother so do not despair over what they used to do [ie., to me]." [Yoosuf: 69] l Prophet Yoosuf, peace be upon him, used lawful trickery to keep his brother. Allaah says in the seventy and seventy-first verses: ﺎﺭِﻗﹸﻭﻥ ﻟﹶﺴ ﺇِﻨﱠﻜﹸﻡﺎ ﺍﻟﹾﻌِﻴﺭﺘﹸﻬ ﺃَﻴﺅَﺫﱢﻥ ﻤ ﺃَﺫﱠﻥلِ ﺃَﺨِﻴﻪِ ﺜﹸﻡﺤﺔﹶ ﻓِﻲ ﺭﻘﹶﺎﻴلَ ﺍﻟﺴﻌ ﺠﺎﺯِﻫِﻡﻬ ﺒِﺠﻡﻫﺯﻬﺎ ﺠﻓﹶﻠﹶﻤ . ﺎﺫﹶﺍ ﻤﻬِﻡﻠﹶﻴﻠﹸﻭﺍ ﻋﺃَﻗﹾﺒﻗﹶﺎﻟﹸﻭﺍ ﻭ ﻭﻥﺘﹶﻔﹾﻘِﺩ which means: "So when he [i.e. Yoosuf] 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'. They [i.e., the brothers] said while approaching them, 'What is it you are missing?'" [Yoosuf: 70-71] l It is permissible for one to give a fee in return for someone finding a lost item for him, or to hire someone to carry out a task, even if the task is unspecified - as long as the fee is specified. Allaah says in the seventy-second verse: ٍﻌِﻴﺭلُ ﺒ ﺒِﻪِ ﺤِﻤﺎﺀ ﺠﻥﻟِﻤﻠِﻙِ ﻭ ﺍﻟﹾﻤﺍﻉﻭ ﺼﻗﹶﺎﻟﹸﻭﺍ ﻨﹶﻔﹾﻘِﺩ which means: "They [i.e., the workers of Yoosuf] said, 'We are missing the measure of the king. And for he who produces it is [the reward of] a camel's load.'" [Yoosuf: 72] l After this, Yoosuf, peace be upon him, progressively led his brothers into a trap by asking, as mentioned in the seventy-fourth verse: ﺍﺅُﻩﺯﺎ ﺠﻗﹶﺎﻟﹸﻭﺍ ﻓﹶﻤ which means: "Then what would be its recompense [i.e., the punishment for theft]?" [Yoosuf: 74] So he led them to state the punishment themselves, which was at that time enslavement of the thief to the owner of what was stolen, which consequently enabled Yoosuf, peace be upon him, to keep his brother with him. His brothers replied, as Allaah says in the seventy-fifth verse: ﺍﺅُﻩﺯ ﺠﻭﻠِﻪِ ﻓﹶﻬﺤ ﻓِﻲ ﺭﺠِﺩ ﻭﻥ ﻤﺍﺅُﻩﺯﻗﹶﺎﻟﹸﻭﺍ ﺠ which means: "'Its recompense is that he in whose bag it is found - he [himself] will be its recompense [a convicted thief was made a slave of the one from whom he had stolen].'" [Yoosuf: 75] l When one wishes to do something, he must exert all means and efforts to make it successful. Allaah says in the seventy-sixth verse: ﺎﺀِ ﺃَﺨِﻴﻪ ﻭِﻋﺎﻤﺎ ﻤِﻥﻬﺠﺘﹶﺨﹾﺭ ﺍﺴﺎﺀِ ﺃَﺨِﻴﻪِ ﺜﹸﻡلَ ﻭِﻋ ﻗﹶﺒﺘِﻬِﻡﻋِﻴﺃَ ﺒِﺄَﻭﺩﻓﹶﺒ which means: "So he began [the search] with their bags before the bag of his brother; then he extracted it from the bag of his brother." [Yoosuf: 76] Had he started with his blood brother's bag, his trick may have been exposed and discovered, so instead he started with the other brothers and then searched his blood brother's. Allaah had decreed that he would keep his brother, so He facilitated the matter for him without leaving any room for doubt from his other brothers. l Honouring pledges is extremely important in Islaam, and a Muslim must have a sense of responsibility and try his utmost to fulfil whatever he pledges to do. When the brothers gave up on retrieving their accused brother from Yoosuf, peace be upon him, they conducted a meeting as Allaah says in the eightieth verse: ِ ﺍﻟﻠﱠﻪﺜِﻘﺎﹰ ﻤِﻥﻭ ﻤﻜﹸﻡﻠﹶﻴ ﺃَﺨﹶﺫﹶ ﻋ ﻗﹶﺩﺎﻜﹸﻡ ﺃَﺒﻭﺍ ﺃَﻥﻠﹶﻤ ﺘﹶﻌ ﺃَﻟﹶﻡﻡﻫﺎ ﻗﹶﺎلَ ﻜﹶﺒِﻴﺭﻭﺍ ﻨﹶﺠِﻴ ﺨﹶﻠﹶﺼﻭﺍ ﻤِﻨﹾﻪﺄَﺴﺘﹶﻴﺎ ﺍﺴﻓﹶﻠﹶﻤ which means: "So when they had despaired of him, they secluded themselves in private consultation. The eldest of them said, 'Do you not know that your father has taken upon you an oath by Allaah…?'" [Yoosuf: 80] The eldest brother felt the responsibility of the pledge that they had given to their father and refused to leave until their father gave them all his permission to return without their younger brother, or until they found a way to solve the problem with the accused brother. This reflects that the brothers had changed from the time they had thrown Yoosuf, peace be upon him, in the well, and that they had repented to Allaah. l One must provide evidences to prove what he claims if he feels that people do not believe him, as Yoosuf's brothers did to their father, as Allaah says in the eighty-second verse: ﺎﺩِﻗﹸﻭﻥﺇِﻨﱠﺎ ﻟﹶﺼﺎ ﻭﻠﹾﻨﹶﺎ ﻓِﻴﻬ ﺍﻟﱠﺘِﻲ ﺃَﻗﹾﺒﺍﻟﹾﻌِﻴﺭﺎ ﻭﺔﹶ ﺍﻟﱠﺘِﻲ ﻜﹸﻨﱠﺎ ﻓِﻴﻬﻴﺄَلِ ﺍﻟﹾﻘﹶﺭﺍﺴﻭ which means: "And ask the city in which we were and the caravan in which we came - and indeed, we are truthful." [Yoosuf: 82] Meaning: ask other sources to confirm our story. l One must always think good of Allaah as this is one of the implications of Islaamic Monotheism. Despite Ya'qoob, peace be upon him, being away from his son Yoosuf, peace be upon him, for more than ten years, he said as Allaah says in the eighty-third verse: ﻤِﻴﻌﺎﹰ ﺠﻨِﻲ ﺒِﻬِﻡﺄْﺘِﻴ ﻴ ﺃَﻥﻰ ﺍﻟﻠﱠﻪﺴﻋ which means: "Perhaps Allaah will bring them [i.e., his sons] to me all together." [Yoosuf: 83] l Crying does not contradict having patience. Allaah says about prophet Ya'qoob, peace be upon him, in the eighty-fourth verse: ِﻥﺯ ﺍﻟﹾﺤ ﻤِﻥﻨﹶﺎﻩﻴﺕﹾ ﻋﻀﻴﺍﺒﻑﹶ ﻭﻭﺴﻠﹶﻰ ﻴﻔﹶﻰ ﻋﺎ ﺃَﺴﻗﹶﺎلَ ﻴﻭ which means: "And he turned away from them and said, 'O my sorrow over Yoosuf!' and his eyes became white [i.e.