Part 83

you swenr a solemll oath to me in Allah's Na me, that you wi ll

bring him back to me unless you are yourselves surrounded (by

ene mies, etc.)." ) . That is, unless you are all prevented from

bringi ng him back. ( And whcn they had sworn their solcmn

oath, he sai d, "Allah is thc Wit ncss over what we have said."

) . He co nfinned their oaths and va lidated their covenants and

took preca utions to enSure the safety of his son (Binyamcen);

but caution cannot avail agai nst that whi ch has been Di vi nely

ordained. Had it not been for his need and the need of his

people for supp lies, he wo uld not ha ve sent his beloved son.

But Al lah 's Divine Ordain ment has its own ru les; and the Lord,

Most High, ordai ns wha t He Wills, chooscs what He Wants

and decides what He wills. And He is the Most Wise, the AII-

Know ing. Then he ordered them not to en ter the city through

one ga te; but to enter it through difTerent ga tes. It was said that

he des ired that nOlle should amict them with th e evil eye of

jealousy; this was due to the fac t that they we re all handsome

Menlion o/Iile Progeny o/Ibmileem 367

men of stron g form . Thi s was said by 'Abdulla h Ibn ' Abbas

..;." Mujahid , Mu hammad Ibn Ka'b , Qatadah, As-S uddi and

Ad-Dahhak . It was also sai d that he wa nt ed thc m to separate ,

that haply, they mi ght find some trace ofYoos llf ~ . Thi s was

said by Ibrahee m An-Nakha ' i. But the fi rst opinion ap pears

more correct, whi ch is why he said , ( "and I ca nnot avail YOll

agai nst A ll ah at all ." ) . All ah, Most Hi gh, says, ( And when

they entered accordin g to their fa ther 's advice, it did not avail

the m in th e least aga inst (the Wi ll of) A ll a h, it was but a need

of Ya'qoob 's inne r-se lf whi ch he di sc harged. A nd , ve rily, he

was end owed with know ledge beca use We had taught him , but

most men kn ow not. ) (SoO/'all )'ooSI!f 12:68)

He, Most High, says, ( And whe n they went in before

Yoos uf. he betook his brot her (Bin ya meen ) to him self and

said , " Veril y ! I Hm yo ur brother, so gri eve not for wha t th ey

lIsed to do." So when he had furni shed the m fo rt h with their

provis ions, he put the bow l into hi s brother 's bag, then a crier

ca ll ed out, "0, YOll (ill) the cara van! Surely, YOll arc thi eves !"

They, turnin g towa rd the m, said. " What is it that you ha ve

mi ssed?" They said. "We have mi ssed the bowl of the king

and for him who prod uces it is (th e reward of) a camel load; I

wiil be bound by it." They said, " By All ah! Indeed you know

th at we ca me not to make mischie f in the land, and we a rc no

thi eves !" They (Yoosuf's men) said, " Wha t th en shall be the

penalty of him. if YOll are (proved to be) liars?" Th ey (Yoosuf's

broth ers) sai d. "The penalty shou ld be that he in whose bag it

is found should be held for the puni shment (of the crime). Thus

we puni sh the ::al;lIIool1 (wrongdoers elc.)!" So he (Yoos uf)

bega n (the search) in their bags be rore the bag of his brother.

Then he brought il out o f hi s brothe r 's bag . Th us did We plan

fo r Yoosuf. He co uld not take hi s brothe r by the law of the king

(as a slave). except that All ah will ed it. (So All ah eaused the

368 1\lelllioll oflhe Progell.I' oJlbrllheem ~

brothcrs to bind thcmsclvcs with their WHy of " punishmc nt ,

i. e. the enslavement ofa Ihief.'·) We rai se to degrees whom We

please, but ove r all those endowed with know ledge is the AII -

Knowin g (A llah). They (Yoosuf's brothers ) said, " If he steals,

th ere was a brother o f hi s (Yoosuf) who did steal before (him)."

But these th ings did Yoosuf keep in hi mself, revea ling not th e

sec rets to thcm. I-I e said (within himsel f), " You arc in the worst

case. and All ah knows best thc tru th of what you assert! " Thcy

said, "0, rule r of the land! Ve ri ly, he has an old father (who will

gri eve lor him); so take a ile o rus in his place. Indeed we think

that you are one o f the MuhsinooH (those who do good)." I-Ie

said, " Alla h forbid th at we shoul d take anyone but him with

whom we found our property. Indeed (if we d id so), we should

be =alilllooll (wrongdoe rs)." ) (SoO/·ail YOOSII! 12:69-79)

Allah relates what happened to them when they entered with

their brother, Binya meen, th e presence of his full brother,

Yoosuf ~. and how he rece ived him and in formed him in sec ret

that he was his brother, ordering hi m to keep thi s knowledge

to him se l f and no t to share it with them. Then he ordered hi s

servants to place the bow l fro m which he drank and whi ch he

used as a measure for the people during those times of drought

among Bi nyameell 's be longings. Then he told th em tha t they

(h is brothers) had stolen the ki ng's measuring bow l. And he

promised them (th e se rva nts) th at if it was return ed to him , he

would reward the fi nder wi th a ca mel-l oad of food. The ca ller

guaranteed thi s to them. They (t he brothers) approached the

one wh o had acc used th em and th ey rebuked him and strongly

censured him for what he had sa id to them. ( Th ey said , " By

All ah! Indeed yo u know Iha l we came not to make mischief

in the lund, and we are no th ieves!" ) . That is, you know of

us what cont radi cts the acc usati on of th eft that you have madc

against liS. ( They (Yoosuf's I11cn) said, " Whall hen sha ll be the

Melliioll .ojlite PlVgell), ojlbraheem 369

pena lt y of him, if you are (pro ved to be) liars'!" Th ey (Yoosuf's

brothers) said , "The penalt y should be that he in whose bag

it is rOllnd should be hcld for the puni shm cnt (o f the cri mc).

Thus we punish the =alillloCH/ (wrongdocrs etc.)'" ) . Thi s was

their law, th at the thi ef should be given up to th e victi m of th e

theft, which is why they said, ( "Thus we punish the =a/imooll

He, Most Hi gh, says, ( So he (Yoosul) began (t he search)

in thcir bags befo rc the bag or hi s brothcr. Th en he brought

it out of hi s brother's bag ) (SoOl'all YOOS lIJ 12: 76) This was

in order to avo id suspi cion and to perfec t the p lot. Then He,

Most Hi gh, says, ( Thus did We plan lor Yoosur (Joseph). He

co uld not take hi s broth er by the law of the ki ng (as u sla ve),

) (Sa ara" Yaasu! 12:76) Th at is, had th ey not acknow ledged

th at the punishment ror one in whose lu ggage the bowl was

found was that he be handed over to the victim of the theft ,

Yousuf ~ would not have been ab le to take him, according to

Egypti an law. ( Except tha t Allah wi ll ed it. (So Allah caused

th e brothers to bind th emse lves with their way of" punishment ,

i.e. th e enslave men t ofa Ih iee") We ra ise to degrees whom We

pl ease ) , that is, in knowledge , ( but over all th ose endowed

wi th knowledge is the All-K nowi ng (Alla h). ) This is because

Yoosuf ~ was more know ledgeable and more perceptive

th an hi s brothers and he possessed a stronge r w ill and fi nner

resoluti on th an they did. He onl y did what he did in accordance

with Allah 's Command to do so. This was because o f the great

benefit that resulted from it - and that was the coming o f hi s

father and hi s people to him and their approaching him in a

delegation. When th ey saw the bowl bein g brought out from the

baggage or Binyamee n, ( They (Yoosurs brothers) said , " Ir he

steals, there was a broth er of his who did stea l beforc (h im)."

) (Soorah Yoosu! 12:77). Th ey were referring to Yoosuf ffa'.. It

370 j\ felllioll oj ,ItI.' PlVge/~I' oj Ihraheem ~

was said that he had stol en th e idol of his maternal grandfath er

and destroyed it. It was also said that hi s paternal aunt had ti ed

a belt belo ng ing to Ishaq ~ around him , under hi s clothin g,

when he was an infant; then they discove red it unde r his

cl othing a nd he (being a small child) was un aware of what she

had done. And she had onl y done thi s because she wa nted him

10 be in her carc, bccausc she loved him.

I-Ie, Most High, says, ( " You are in th e worst case, and Allah

kn ows bes t the truth o f'wha t you asse rt !" ) . He a nswered the m

silen tly, in low voice - and his words were words of clemency

and kindness, forgiveness, and pardon; th ey also spoke with

kindness and gentl eness, (though aloud) saying, ( " 0, rul e r