• Joseph measures out corn to his brothers and asks them to bring with them their other brother

• and causes silver pieces to be packed along with their provision so that they may return

Yusuf (Joseph) Verses 58 - 68

وَجَاءَ إِخْوَةُ يُوسُفَ فَدَخَلُوا عَلَيْهِ فَعَرَفَهُمْ وَهُمْ لَهُ مُنْكِرُونَ

And came the brothers of Joseph and entered they unto him,1and he knew them but2they knew3him4not. (12:58)5

وَلَمَّا جَهَّزَهُمْ بِجَهَازِهِمْ قَالَ ائْتُونِي بِأَخٍ لَكُمْ مِنْ أَبِيكُمْ أَلَا تَرَوْنَ أَنِّي أُوفِي الْكَيْلَ وَأَنَا خَيْرُ الْمُنْزِلِينَ

And when he6hath furnished them with their provision, said he (unto them): “Bring ye unto me a brother of yours from your father; See ye not that I give full measure? and that I am the best of hosts?” (12:59)

فَإِنْ لَمْ تَأْتُونِي بِهِ فَلَا كَيْلَ لَكُمْ عِنْدِي وَلَا تَقْرَبُونِ

“But if ye bring him not unto me, then there shall be no measure (of corn) for you with me, nor shall ye (even) come near me.” (12:60)

قَالُوا سَنُرَاوِدُ عَنْهُ أَبَاهُ وَإِنَّا لَفَاعِلُونَ

They said: “We will seek to get him from his father, and verily We certainly shall do it.” (12:61)

وَقَالَ لِفِتْيَانِهِ اجْعَلُوا بِضَاعَتَهُمْ فِي رِحَالِهِمْ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَعْرِفُونَهَا إِذَا انْقَلَبُوا إِلَىٰ أَهْلِهِمْ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْجِعُونَ

And said he7unto his servants: “Put their goods8into their saddle-bags that they may perceive it when they return unto their family, so that they may come back.” (12:62)

فَلَمَّا رَجَعُوا إِلَىٰ أَبِيهِمْ قَالُوا يَا أَبَانَا مُنِعَ مِنَّا الْكَيْلُ فَأَرْسِلْ مَعَنَا أَخَانَا نَكْتَلْ وَإِنَّا لَهُ لَحَافِظُونَ

So when they returned unto their father, said they: “O’ our father! The measure is denied unto us, so send with us our 9brother, so that we may get the measure: And verily, certainly we will we guard him (well).” (12:63)

قَالَ هَلْ آمَنُكُمْ عَلَيْهِ إِلَّا كَمَا أَمِنْتُكُمْ عَلَىٰ أَخِيهِ مِنْ قَبْلُ فَاللَّهُ خَيْرٌ حَافِظًا وَهُوَ أَرْحَمُ الرَّاحِمِينَ

He said: “Can I trust him unto you except as I entrusted his 10brother unto you aforetime? but God is the Best Guard, and He is the Most Merciful of the merciful ones.” (12:64)

وَلَمَّا فَتَحُوا مَتَاعَهُمْ وَجَدُوا بِضَاعَتَهُمْ رُدَّتْ إِلَيْهِمْ قَالُوا يَا أَبَانَا مَا نَبْغِي هَٰذِهِ بِضَاعَتُنَا رُدَّتْ إِلَيْنَا وَنَمِيرُ أَهْلَنَا وَنَحْفَظُ أَخَانَا وَنَزْدَادُ كَيْلَ بَعِيرٍ ذَٰلِكَ كَيْلٌ يَسِيرٌ

And when they opened their belongings, they found their goods11returned unto them. Said they: “O’ our father! What (more) can we desire? This our goods hath been returned unto us; and we will bring (more) corn for our family and guard our brother, and we shall have in addition the measure of a camel (load); This (what we have now brought) is (only) an easy12measure.” (12:65)

قَالَ لَنْ أُرْسِلَهُ مَعَكُمْ حَتَّىٰ تُؤْتُونِ مَوْثِقًا مِنَ اللَّهِ لَتَأْتُنَّنِي بِهِ إِلَّا أَنْ يُحَاطَ بِكُمْ فَلَمَّا آتَوْهُ مَوْثِقَهُمْ قَالَ اللَّهُ عَلَىٰ مَا نَقُولُ وَكِيلٌ

Said (Jacob) “Never will I send him with you until ye pledge a firm covenant in God’s name that ye will most surely bring him back unto me, unless ye are completely 13surrounded; And when pledged they unto him a covenant, said 14he: (There is) God over all what we say, a Guardian-Witness.” (12:66)

وَقَالَ يَا بَنِيَّ لَا تَدْخُلُوا مِنْ بَابٍ وَاحِدٍ وَادْخُلُوا مِنْ أَبْوَابٍ مُتَفَرِّقَةٍ وَمَا أُغْنِي عَنْكُمْ مِنَ اللَّهِ مِنْ شَيْءٍ إِنِ الْحُكْمُ إِلَّا لِلَّهِ عَلَيْهِ تَوَكَّلْتُ وَعَلَيْهِ فَلْيَتَوَكَّلِ الْمُتَوَكِّلُونَ

And said 15he: “O’ my sons! Enter16ye not by one gate, but enter ye by different gates; and I cannot avail you aught against God; judgment is only God’s; On Him do I rely; and on Him (only) let the reliants rely.” (12:67)

وَلَمَّا دَخَلُوا مِنْ حَيْثُ أَمَرَهُمْ أَبُوهُمْ مَا كَانَ يُغْنِي عَنْهُمْ مِنَ اللَّهِ مِنْ شَيْءٍ إِلَّا حَاجَةً فِي نَفْسِ يَعْقُوبَ قَضَاهَا وَإِنَّهُ لَذُو عِلْمٍ لِمَا عَلَّمْنَاهُ وَلَٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ

And when they had entered as they were bidden by their father; it did not avail them aught against (the decree of) God; but (it was only) a desire in Jacob’s soul which he satisfied; and verily, he was possessed of knowledge for we had taught him, but most people know (this) not. (12:68)17

Commentary

Verse 58

When Canaan also got affected by the famine, people there also became helpless. At last, the sons of Jacob approached Jacob and said, “Father, we hear that the king of Egypt is reported to be a very kind and very charitable man, helping the famine-stricken people and hence we seek thy permission to got to Egypt and try there our luck and get some grain if possible”.

Jacob permitted but kept Bin-Yamin, the brother of Joseph with him for he felt consoled by the presence of the boy in the absence of Joseph. The party of the ten brothers with all that they could carry with them, to sell or to exchange for the foodgrains, entered Egypt and Joseph recognized them; but they did not recognize Joseph. They had left Joseph as a slave in chains when he was only a boy and now, he was a full-grown man on the glorious seat at the head of a state, commanding the destiny of the people.

Verse 59

Bin-Yamin (Benjamin) was detained by Jacob to remain with him and the ten brothers had brought a camel to carry his share of the grain. Joseph said that the supply would be according to the number of the men that came demanding it and not according to the number of the camels that people come with and thus they were told to bring their brother (Bin-Yamin) next time along with them. ‘Khair al-Munzileen, - i.e., I am such a good host that I am never worried in the least by any number of guests.

Verse 62

Joseph ordered the slaves who measured the grain to the people to place the things which Joseph’s brothers had given as the price of the wheat in their own bags, without their knowledge, so that when after reaching their destination they would see the price of the grain had somehow been returned to them along with the supply and they would surely return.

Verse 64

Jacob wanted his sons to realise that their undertaking to guardianship had no value with him whatsoever. He entrusted them in this case the same as he did in the case of Joseph before, and at that time also he did not attach value to their undertaking; he trusted only God. (A.P.).

Verse 67

The advice to enter by different doors was because the other sons of Jacob were also fair looking and if all of them entered through one and the same gate of the city, they might be affected by some evil eye.

Verse 68

In spite of the caution taken, Bin-Yamin entering the city alone, separated by his other brothers, lost his way and Gabriel at last guided him and got him joined to his other brothers.

• 1. Joseph.
• 2. While.
• 3. Recognise.
• 4. Joseph.
• 5. Refer to note on verse 12:15.
• 6. Joseph.
• 7. Joseph.
• 8. Money - or the goods they had brought to barter.
• 9. ‘Bin-Yamin’ (Benjamin).
• 10. Joseph.
• 11. Money - or the goods of barter.
• 12. Light measure - small quantity.
• 13. Overpowered.
• 14. Jacob.
• 15. Jacob.
• 16. To avoid being envied by the people, they were advised to enter separately by different doors. This indicates that Islam does not discard the effect of the evil eye, and there are authentic traditions from the Holy Prophet indicating that there are some, the evil of whose sight affect the other objects. The remedy for it is firm trust in God. There are particular prayers for this - there are authentic records of the actual instances in support of this. Refer to verses 39:38 & 14:11.
• 17. This clearly indicates that Jacob was aware of the absence of his two sons being temporary and a trial for him and his sons and they were safe and that sooner or later God will restore them to him and his anxiety for them will be over but the people judged Jacob as the normal course of such events require. The 4th Holy Imam Ali Ibn Husayn used to refer to this aspect of Jacob’s lot, whenever he remembered his father Husayn and his brothers and others martyred in Karbala.