SURAH (12) YOUSOUF (AYA 71 to 90) 

قَالُوا وَأَقْبَلُوا عَلَيْهِمْ مَاذَا تَفْقِدُونَ {12:71}

[Q12:71] Qaaloo wa aqbaloo 'alaihim maazaa tafqidoon. 
[Q12:71] They said while they were facing them: What is it that you miss? 

[Q12:71] Mereka bertanya sambil mengadap ke arah orang-orang menteri yang menuduh itu: "Apa benda kamu yang kehilangan?" 

(see commentary for verse 3)

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(12:71) Turning back, they asked, "What is it that you are missing?"

قَالُوا نَفْقِدُ صُوَاعَ الْمَلِكِ وَلِمَنْ جَاءَ بِهِ حِمْلُ بَعِيرٍ وَأَنَا بِهِ زَعِيمٌ {12:72}

[Q12:72] Qaaloo nafqidu suwaa'al maliki wa liman jaaa'a bihee himlu ba'eerinw wa ana bihee za'eem. 
[Q12:72] They said: We miss the king's drinking cup, and he who shall bring it shall have a camel-load and I am responsible for it.

[Q12:72] Orang-orang menteri menjawab: "Kami kehilangan cupak raja. Dan sesiapa yang memulangkannya akan diberi (benda-benda makanan) sebanyak muatan seekor unta, dan akulah yang menjamin pemberian itu".  

(see commentary for verse 3)

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(12:72) The royal servants replied, "We do not find the cup of the king." (And their headman added,) "The one, who would restore it, will be awarded a camel load of corn. I guarantee this."

قَالُوا تَاللَّهِ لَقَدْ عَلِمْتُمْ مَا جِئْنَا لِنُفْسِدَ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَمَا كُنَّا سَارِقِينَ {12:73}

[Q12:73] Qaaloo tallaahi laqad 'alimtum maa ji'na linufsida fil ardi wa maa kunnaa saariqeen. 
[Q12:73] They said: By ALLAH (SWT)! You know for certain that we have not come to make mischief in the land, and we are not thieves.

[Q12:73] Mereka berkata: "Demi ALLAH (SwT)! Sesungguhnya kamu sedia mengetahui bahawa kedatangan kami bukanlah untuk berbuat kerosakan di bumi (Mesir ini), dan kami pula bukanlah pencuri". 

(see commentary for verse 3)

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(12:73) The brothers replied, "By God, you know it well that we have not come for spreading disorder in this country, and we are no thieves."

قَالُوا فَمَا جَزَاؤُهُ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ كَاذِبِينَ {12:74}

[Q12:74] Qaaloo famaa jazaaa'u hooo in kuntum kaazibeen. 
[Q12:74] They said: But what shall be the requital of this, if you are liars?

[Q12:74] (Orang-orang menteri) bertanya: "Maka apa balasan pencuri itu, jika kamu berdusta?" 

(see commentary for verse 3)

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(12:74) At this, they said, "Very well, what shall be the punishment of the thief, if you are found to be liars?"

قَالُوا جَزَاؤُهُ مَنْ وُجِدَ فِي رَحْلِهِ فَهُوَ جَزَاؤُهُ ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ نَجْزِي الظَّالِمِينَ {12:75}

[Q12:75] Qaaloo jazaaa'uhoo manw wujida fee rahlihee fahuwa jazaaa'uh; kazaalika najziz zaalimeen. 
[Q12:75] They said: The requital of this is that the person in whose bag it is found shall himself be (held for) the satisfaction thereof; thus do we punish the wrongdoers.

[Q12:75] Mereka menjawab: "Balasannya: sesiapa yang didapati benda itu di kenderaannya, maka dia lah sendiri yang menjadi balasannya. Demikianlah kami membalas orang-orang yang zalim".  

According to the Egyptian Law, the penalty for theft was a very severe punishment with whipping--- BUT HERE the punishment was allowed to be determined by the son of Jacob, who pledged the undertaking according to the Jacobian Law, i.e., the thief to be a slave of the owner of the stolen property for one complete year.

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(12:75) They replied, "His punishment should be that he himself be made a bondsman, if the thing is found in his pack. At home we punish such offenders like this." *58

*58 It should be kept in mind that these people were the descendants of Prophet Abraham. Therefore they put forward his law regarding a thief, that is, the thief should be made the bondsman of the one whose goods he had stolen. 

فَبَدَأَ بِأَوْعِيَتِهِمْ قَبْلَ وِعَاءِ أَخِيهِ ثُمَّ اسْتَخْرَجَهَا مِنْ وِعَاءِ أَخِيهِ ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ كِدْنَا لِيُوسُفَ ۖ مَا كَانَ لِيَأْخُذَ أَخَاهُ فِي دِينِ الْمَلِكِ إِلَّا أَنْ يَشَاءَ اللَّهُ ۚ نَرْفَعُ دَرَجَاتٍ مَنْ نَشَاءُ ۗ وَفَوْقَ كُلِّ ذِي عِلْمٍ عَلِيمٌ {12:76}

[Q12:76] Fabada-a bi-aw'iyatihim qabla wi'aaa'i akheehi summas takhrajahaa minw wi 'aaa'i akheeh; kazaalika kidnaa li Yoosuf; maa kaana liyaakhuza akhaahu fee deenil maliki illaaa any yashaaa'al laah; narfa'u darajaatim man nashaaa'; wa fawqa kulli zee 'ilmin 'Aleem. 
[Q12:76] So he began with their sacks before the sack of his brother, then he brought it out from his brother's sack. Thus did We plan for the sake of Yusuf; it was not (lawful) that he should take his brother under the king's law unless ALLAH (SWT) pleased; We raise the degrees of whomsoever We please, and above every one possessed of knowledge is the All-knowing one. 

[Q12:76] Maka Yusuf pun mulailah memeriksa tempat-tempat barang mereka sebelum memeriksa tempat barang saudara kandungnya (Bunyamin) kemudian ia mengeluarkan benda yang hilang itu dari tempat simpanan barang saudara kandungnya. Demikianlah Kami jayakan rancangan untuk (menyampaikan hajat) Yusuf. Tidaklah ia akan dapat mengambil saudara kandungnya menurut undang-undang raja, kecuali jika dikehendaki oleh ALLAH (SwT). (Dengan ilmu pengetahuan), Kami tinggikan pangkat kedudukan sesiapa yang Kami kehendaki, dan tiap-tiap orang yang berilmu pengetahuan, ada lagi di atasnya yang lebih mengetahui, 

ABOVE EVERY KNOWING THERE IS A KNOWER WHO KNOWS ALL AND MORE THAN ALL THE KNOWING ---ALLAH (SWT).

The brothers said that if Benjamin had stolen, it was no wonder, his brother had stolen before. Yusuf knew well his half brothers were worse in the degree of evil.

Ü  One brother stayed there, and the others went back to Yaqub and told him what had happened. Yaqub was greatly disturbed. His eyes became white with sorrow and he fell into silent melancholy, YET he hoped that it was all being done so that ALLAH (SWT) the all-knowing, might bring his sons back to him. He asked his sons to go in search of Yusuf and Benjamin and advised them to have faith in the mercy of ALLAH (SWT), BECAUSE those who did not believe in ALLAH (SWT) despaired and lost hope.

Ü  They returned to Yusuf, offered him what little they had and begged for his favour. Yusuf could no longer hold himself. He said: "I am Yusuf and this is my brother Benjamin. ALLAH (SWT) has been gracious to us; for ALLAH (SWT) verily does not deprive those who obey and follow His laws and commands and endure."

THE HALF BROTHERS CONFESSED THEIR SIN AND WICKEDNESS. YUSUF AT ONCE FORGAVE THEM AND PRAYED TO ALLAH (SWT) TO FORGIVE THEM. ALLAH (SWT) is the most merciful of all.

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(12:76) Then Joseph first began to search the packs of his step-brothers before searching the pack of his own brother. At last he took it out from the pack of his brother. Thus We supported Joseph with Our plan: *59 or it did not behove Joseph to seize his brother (by the king's law) except that Allah willed it so. *60 We raise high the ranks of those We will, and there is the One Whose knowledge is far greater than the knowledge of all others.

*59 Now Iet us consider the question: How did AIlah directly support Prophet Joseph with His plan? It is obvious that the plan of placing the cup in Benjamin's pack was thought out and executed by Joseph himself. And it is also obvious that the royal servants checked their packs as a matter of routine for such is the procedure that is generally followed on such occasions. There is nothing in this passage that might be called supernatural support by Allah except that the servants asked the brothers to prescribe the punishment for the thief, and they answered that he should be made a bondsman. The sentence that follows also confirms this interpretation. 
*60 Had AIIah willed it, He would not have removed the flaw in the plan of Prophet Joseph. It was this: he could seize his brother according to his plan only by the help of the king's law, but it was not worthy of a Prophet of Allah to apply that un-lslamic law to his own personal case. For he had taken political power in his hands in order to establish gradually the Islamic law and not to enforce and keep the king's law in vogue. Had Allah willed it, He would have left no other course for His Prophet except to have resort to the un-Islamic law. But He did not will it so because He did not like to tarnish the fair name of His Prophet. Therefore he made the servants enquire from the brothers (an unusual thing) about the punishment of a thief and they stated the Law of Prophet Abraham. Thus not only was the flaw removed, but also no room was left for the brothers to raise any objection against this on the plea that they were not Egyptians, and therefore the law of the land could not be applied against them. As has already been pointed out, this was the support of Allah to which He has referred in the two subsequent verses as a token of His favour and a sign of the perfection of His knowledge.
The favour of Allah was that He saved Prophet Joseph from applying the un-Islamic law of the king of Egypt to his personal case, for he was liable to do so under the stress of human weakness. And there can be no greater favour for one than this that AIlah Himself should arrange to guard his high moral position. It should, however, be noted that such a high rank is awarded only to those who prove themselves to be "righteous" in very hard trials.
By removing the flaw in his plan, Allah showed that His knowledge was far superior to the knowledge of those, whom (like Prophet Joseph) He had endowed with knowledge.
In this connection, there are some other points worthy of consideration and we will deal with them briefly: 
(1) Generally the words …….are translated like this: "Joseph could not seize his brother by the law of the king", or "Joseph was not authorized to seize his brother according to the law of the king." In other words, it means, "He could not do this, as there was no provision for it in the king's law." Whereas it means this: "He ought not to have seized him by the king's law, as it did not behove him to do so." This version is open to two objections. Firstly, this is against the Qur'anic usage of as ………. which usually means, "It did not behove him", "It was not right for him" and "He ought not to have done this." For instance, this is what it means in the following verses "Indeed, Islam alone is the Right Way in the sight of Allah." (III: 18). "Whosoever will adopt any other way than the way of Islam, it shall not be accepted...." (III:85).
Secondly, such a version is meaningless, for there could have been no reason why he had not the power to seize him for theft according to the law of the king. Can there be any kingdom without having a law for taking action against a thief? 
(2) As the Qur'an uses the word …………….  which connotes "the king's way of life" in addition to "the king's law", it helps to understand the meaning of the sentence under discussion. For it is obvious that the Prophet was sent to establish the way of Allah and not the un-Islamic way of the king. Though by that time he had only partially succeeded in this Mission, it was not proper and worthy of a Prophet to adopt "the way of the king" for his own personal case. Though there was no legal hindrance in his way to seize his brother according to the king's law, nevertheless, it was inappropriate for him, as a Prophet, to adopt the king's way which he had hitherto scrupulously avoided as far as his own person was concerned. Thus it is clear that its appropriate interpretation will be this: "It did not behove Joseph to seize his brother by the king's law." 
(3) Besides this, by using the word for the "law of the land", AIlah has denoted the vast comprehension of the word (din) and this cuts at the root of the conception of din of those people who confine the scope of the Message of the Prophets to mere worship of One Allah and believe that it has nothing to do with the cultural, political, social, judicial, legal and other mundane affairs of life. Or, they opine that, if at all it has any concern with those matters, it is merely to give some instructions of an optional nature in regard to these, and leave it to the believers to adopt these or their own man-made laws, because, they think, there is no harm even in adopting the latter course. This erroneous conception of din, which has been in vogue among the Muslims for a long time, has been responsible for rendering them neglectful of making exertions for the establishment of the Islamic Way of life. As a result of this misconception of din, they became reconciled to un-Islamic ways of unbelief and ignorance. Nay, they considered this misconception of theirs to be the pattern set by Prophet Joseph and became willing helpers and servants of these un-Islamic systems. Whereas this verse categorically refutes this misconception by declaring that the "law of the land" is as much a part of the din of Allah as Salat, Haj, Fast, and Zakat are. Therefore, the demand of the acceptance of …………….. made in v. 19 and v. 85 of Al-i'Imran, that is, "Indeed, Islam alone is aiIaC the Right Way, in the sight of Allah" and "Whosoever will adopt any other way (aiI), than the' Way of Islam, it shall not be accepted", includes laws as well as Salat and other obligatory duties prescribed by Allah. Therefore the exclusion of this part of din from any system would incur the displeasure of Allah.
(4) The above interpretation, however, is open to one objection. It does, at least, imply that an un-Islamic way was in vogue in Egypt at the time, when Prophet Joseph was, even according to the present commentator, the supreme head of the country. It is, therefore, a proof that that Prophet himself was enforcing the un-Islamic law of the king. What difference, then, could it have made, IF PROPHET JOSEPH HAD FOLLOWED, IN HIS PERSONAL CASE TOO, THE SYSTEM OF LAW OF THE KING WHICH HE HIMSELF WAS ENFORCING INSTEAD OF THE SYSTEM OF LAW OF PROPHET ABRAHAM? MOST CERTAINLY THIS WOULD HAVE MADE A VAST DIFFERENCE BECAUSE IT WOULD HAVE COMPROMISED HIS POSITION AS A PROPHET, BECAUSE HE WAS TRYING TO ESTABLISH THE ISLAMIC WAY OF LIFE, WHICH NATURALLY COULD HAVE BEEN ACCOMPLISHED GRADUALLY IN COURSE OF TIME, DURING WHICH THE KING'S LAW WOULD HAVE INEVITABLY REMAINED IN VOGUE. The same thing happened in Arabia during the Mission of the Holy Prophet in Madinah, which took nine years to establish the Islamic System in its entirety. During that period, several unIslamic laws remained in vogue. For instance, drinking, interest, the unIslamic laws of inheritance and marriage and some wrong ways of trade, etc., had to continue for some time. Likewise the civil and penal codes of Islam took some time for their complete introduction. So there is nothing strange in this that the king's law continued to be in vogue during the first nine years or so of Prophet Joseph's reign. But the continuance of the unIslamic law of the king during the period of transition is no argument to prove that Allah's Prophet was sent to follow the way of the king and not to establish the Way of Allah. 

قَالُوا إِنْ يَسْرِقْ فَقَدْ سَرَقَ أَخٌ لَهُ مِنْ قَبْلُ ۚ فَأَسَرَّهَا يُوسُفُ فِي نَفْسِهِ وَلَمْ يُبْدِهَا لَهُمْ ۚ قَالَ أَنْتُمْ شَرٌّ مَكَانًا ۖ وَاللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا تَصِفُونَ {12:77}

[Q12:77] Qaaloo iny yasriq faqad saraqa akhul lahoo min qabl; fa asarrahaa Yoosufu fee nafsihee wa lam yubdihaa lahum; qaala antum sharrum makaananw wallaahu a'lamu bimaa tasifoon. 

[Q12:77] They said: If he steal, a brother of his did indeed steal before; but Yusuf kept it secret in his heart and did not disclose it to them. He said: You are in an evil condition and ALLAH (SWT) knows best what you state.
[Q12:77] Mereka berkata:" Kalau dia mencuri, maka (tidaklah pelik), kerana sesungguhnya saudara kandungnya pernah juga mencuri dahulu. (Mendengar kata-kata yang menyinggung itu) maka Yusuf pun menyembunyikan perasaannya, dan tidak menyatakannya kepada mereka, sambil berkata (dalam hati): "Kamulah yang lebih buruk keadaannya; dan ALLAH (SwT) Maha Mengetahui akan apa yang kamu katakan itu".

(see commentary for verse 3) (see commentary for verse 76)

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(12:77) At this discovery the brothers remarked, "There is nothing strange in it that he has committed a theft, for his brother (Joseph) also committed a theft before this." *61 Hearing this, Joseph suppressed his feelings and did not reveal the secret to them, but said only this in an under tone, "What a bad people you are! you are accusing me (to my face) of the thing the truth of which Allah knows best."

*61 As regards the question why it was not worthy of Prophet Joseph to apply the king's law to his personal case, its best answer is again found in the practice of the Holy Prophet. During the interim period, when the laws of ignorance had not yet been replaced by Islamic Laws, other Muslims went on drinking wine and taking interest as before, but the Holy Prophet never practiced any of these things. Likewise some un-Islamic laws of marriage, such as taking in marriage of real sisters at one and the same time, were practised, but the Holy Prophet never practised any such thing. Thus it is clear, that there was a difference between leaving in vogue some un-Islamic laws during the period of the evolution of the Islamic Law and practising the same. Had Prophet Joseph applied the king's law to his own case, it would have meant that he had lent his seeming sanction to that law. But it is obvious that a Prophet, who is sent to eliminate the ways of ignorance cannot follow these even under the temporary leave that is given to others.
Their position and dissociated themselves from Benjamin, declaring that he was a thief like his brother Joseph. It is obvious that this was a false accusation the clever brothers had invented on the spot. But it is an instance of the malice these brothers bore to their two step-brothers, and is also the answer to the question why Prophet Joseph desired to keep his brother with him. 

قَالُوا يَا أَيُّهَا الْعَزِيزُ إِنَّ لَهُ أَبًا شَيْخًا كَبِيرًا فَخُذْ أَحَدَنَا مَكَانَهُ ۖ إِنَّا نَرَاكَ مِنَ الْمُحْسِنِينَ {12:78}

[Q12:78] Qaaloo yaaa ayyuhal 'Azeezu inna lahooo aban shaikhan kabeeran fakhuz ahadanaa makaanahoo innaa naraaka minal muhsineen. 
[Q12:78] They said: O chief! He has a father, a very old man, therefore retain one of us in his stead; surely we see you to be of the doers of good.

[Q12:78] Merekapun merayu dengan berkata: "Wahai datuk menteri! Sesungguhnya ia (Bunyamin), mempunyai bapa yang sudah tua, lagi berpangkat. Oleh itu, ambillah salah seorang di antara kami sebagai gantinya; sesungguhnya kami memandangmu dari orang-orang yang sentiasa berbudi ". 

(see commentary for verse 3)

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(12:78) Then they said, "O exalted sir, *62 he has a very aged father: therefore take one of us in his stead. We see that you are a very generous man."

*62 The use of the title ("The exalted one") with which they addressed Prophet Joseph has given rise to the confusion that he held the same office as the husband of Zelicha held before him. Then this misunderstanding Iet the commentators to the invention of further comments, such as. Al-'Aziz had died and Prophet Joseph was appointed in his place, and Zelicha was rejuvenated by a miracle and married to him by the king. They have not stopped at this: they have, somehow or other, discovered even the conversation that took place between Prophet Joseph and Zelicha in the first night of their marriage. In fact all this is mere fiction, for, as has already been pointed out, the word was the Arabic translation or equivalent of some Egyptian title, and was not the designation of any particular office. It was merely a title used for the high ones in Egypt like "His Excellency" or "Your Excellency", etc. As regards the said marriage, this fiction has been built on the story of Prophet Joseph's marriage in the Bible and the Talmud. According to these, he was married with Asenath, the daughter of Poti-pherah. As the name of the husband of Zelicha was Potiphar, the two names got confused together. Accordingly, when the story was handed down from the traditions of the Israelites from one commentator to the other, the name Potiphar got interchanged with Poti-pherah because the two were so like each other in sound. Consequently, the daughter in the story was replaced by "wife". Then Potiphar was "killed" in order to facilitate the marriage. Then the only remaining difficulty, that is, the disparity of their ages, was got over with the help of a miracle. She was rejuvenated so completely as to enable her to become the worthy wife of the "ruler" of the land. 

قَالَ مَعَاذَ اللَّهِ أَنْ نَأْخُذَ إِلَّا مَنْ وَجَدْنَا مَتَاعَنَا عِنْدَهُ إِنَّا إِذًا لَظَالِمُونَ {12:79}

[Q12:79] Qaala ma'aazal laahi an naakhuza illaa manw wajadnaa mataa'anaa 'indahoo innaaa izal lazaalimoon. 
[Q12:79] He said: ALLAH (SWT) protect us that we should seize other than him with whom we found our property, for then most surely we would be unjust.

[Q12:79] Yusuf berkata: "Kami berlindung kepada ALLAH (SwT) daripada mengambil sesiapapun kecuali orang yang kami dapati barang kami dalam simpanannya. Sesungguhnya jika kami mengambil orang lain, nescaya menjadilah kami orang-orang yang zalim". 

(see commentary for verse 3)

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(12:79) Joseph replied, "God forbid that we should seize any other than the one with whom we have found our property *63: for, if we do this, we shall be unjust."

*63 The use of the words "with whom we have found our property" instead of the word "thief" is very significant. Prophet Joseph avoided the use of the word "thief" for his brother because he was not really a thief. This is called …….. (touriyah), that is, to put a cover over a reality or "to hide a reality." SUCH A PRACTICE IS ALLOWED BY THE MUSLIM LAW UNDER CERTAIN CONDITIONS AND WITH CERTAIN LIMITATIONS. IT MAY BE PRACTISED NOT TO GAIN ANY SELFISH END, BUT TO WARD OFF SOME EVIL OR TO PROTECT AND SAVE AN OPPRESSED PERSON FROM SOME OPPRESSOR, PROVIDED THAT NO OTHER COURSE MIGHT HAVE BEEN LEFT EXCEPT SAYING SOMETHING AGAINST THE TRUTH OR OF HAVING A RESORT TO A DECEITFUL DEVICE. It is obvious that in such a case, a righteous person will not tell a blunt lie or resort to an open deceit. Instead, he will say something or do something that might not be strictly truthful or strictly right, yet at the same time is not a blunt lie, so that he might hide the reality to ward off the evil. SUCH A PRACTICE IS LAWFUL, LEGALLY AND MORALLY, PROVIDED THAT IT IS NOT PRACTISED TO GAIN SOME PERSONAL OR SELFISH ENDS BUT TO WARD OFF A GREATER EVIL WITH A LESSER EVIL. Accordingly, Prophet Joseph scrupulously fulfilled all the conditions in this case. He placed the cup in the pack of his brother with his consent, but he did not ask his servants to make a search of his pack and accuse him of theft. After this, when the servants brought the brothers before him as suspects, he quietly rose from his seat and began to make a search of their packs. Then afterwards, when the brothers requested that one of them should be taken instead of Benjamin, he answered them back in their own words that he would detain only that person in whose possession the cup was found and none else.
Instances of such a practice during his campaigns are found in the life history of the Holy Prophet. And this cannot be regarded as morally objectionable according to any moral or legal standard. 

SECTION 10

         Joseph discloses his identity

Brothers of Joseph return to Jacob saying that Benjamin committed a theft and hence detained by the King---Jacob loses his sight in his sorrow for his son Joseph---and orders search for Joseph---Joseph discloses his identity to his Brothers.

فَلَمَّا اسْتَيْأَسُوا مِنْهُ خَلَصُوا نَجِيًّا ۖ قَالَ كَبِيرُهُمْ أَلَمْ تَعْلَمُوا أَنَّ أَبَاكُمْ قَدْ أَخَذَ عَلَيْكُمْ مَوْثِقًا مِنَ اللَّهِ وَمِنْ قَبْلُ مَا فَرَّطْتُمْ فِي يُوسُفَ ۖ فَلَنْ أَبْرَحَ الْأَرْضَ حَتَّىٰ يَأْذَنَ لِي أَبِي أَوْ يَحْكُمَ اللَّهُ لِي ۖ وَهُوَ خَيْرُ الْحَاكِمِينَ {12:80}

[Q12:80] Falammas tay'asoo minhu khalasoo najiyyan qaala kabeeruhum alam ta'lamoon anna abaakum qad akhaza 'alaikum mawsiqam minal laahi wa min qablu maa farrattum fee Yoosufa falan abrahal arda hattaa yaazana leee abeee aw yahkumal laahu lee wa huwa khairul lhaakimeen. 
[Q12:80] Then when they despaired of him, they retired, conferring privately together. The eldest of them said: Do you not know that your father took from you a covenant in ALLAH (SWT)'s name, and how you fell short of your duty with respect to Yusuf before? Therefore I will by no means depart from this land until my father permits me or ALLAH (SWT) decides for me, and He is the best of the judges:

[Q12:80] Maka apabila mereka berputus asa daripada mendapat pertolongannya, merekapun mengasingkan diri lalu bermesyuarat tentang hal itu. Berkatalah ketua mereka (saudaranya yang sulung): "Tidakkah kamu ketahui bahawa bapa kita telah mengambil janji dari kamu yang dikuatkan dengan nama ALLAH (SwT), dan dahulu pun kamu telah mencuaikan janji dan sumpah kamu dalam perkara menjaga keselamatan Yusuf? Oleh itu, aku tidak sekali-kali akan meninggalkan negeri (Mesir) ini sehingga bapaku izinkan aku (kembali) atau sehingga ALLAH (SwT) menghukum bagiku (untuk meninggalkan negeri ini), dan Dia lah Hakim yang seadil-adilnya. 

(see commentary for verse 3)

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(12:80) When they despaired of moving Joseph, they went to a corner and conferred together. The eldest of them said, "You know that your father has taken a solemn pledge from you in the name of Allah, and you also know that you had wronged Joseph before this. I will not, therefore, leave this land until my father gives me permission or Allah decides in my favour, for Allah is the best of all those who decide.

ارْجِعُوا إِلَىٰ أَبِيكُمْ فَقُولُوا يَا أَبَانَا إِنَّ ابْنَكَ سَرَقَ وَمَا شَهِدْنَا إِلَّا بِمَا عَلِمْنَا وَمَا كُنَّا لِلْغَيْبِ حَافِظِينَ {12:81}

[Q12:81] Irji'ooo ilaaa abeekum faqooloo yaaa abaanaaa innab naka saraq; wa maa shahidnaaa illaa bimaa 'alimnaa wa maa kunnaa lilghaibi haafizeen. 
[Q12:81] Go back to your father and say: O our father! Surely your son committed theft, and we do not bear witness except to what we have known, and we could not keep watch over the unseen:

[Q12:81] Kembalilah kamu kepada bapa kamu, dan katakanlah, wahai ayah kami! Sesungguhnya anakmu (Bunyamin) telah mencuri, dan kami tidak menjadi saksi (terhadapnya) melainkan dengan apa yang kami ketahui dan kami tidaklah dapat menjaga perkara yang ghaib.  

(see commentary for verse 3)

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(12:81) Go back to your father and say, `Dear father, your son committed a theft. We did not see him stealing: we are simply stating what we have come to Know and we could not guard against the unforeseen.

وَاسْأَلِ الْقَرْيَةَ الَّتِي كُنَّا فِيهَا وَالْعِيرَ الَّتِي أَقْبَلْنَا فِيهَا ۖ وَإِنَّا لَصَادِقُونَ {12:82}

[Q12:82] Was'alil qaryatal latee kunnaa feehaa wal'eeral lateee aqbalnaa feehaa wa innaa lasaadiqoon. 
[Q12:82] And inquire in the town in which we were and the caravan with which we proceeded, and most surely we are truthful.

[Q12:82] Dan bertanyalah kepada penduduk negeri (Mesir) tempat kami tinggal (berdagang) dan kepada orang-orang kafilah yang kami balik bersamanya. Sesungguhnya kami adalah orang-orang yang benar". 

(see commentary for verse 3)

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(12:82) You may enquire from the people of that town and from the caravan in which we travelled back home. We are surely telling the truth'."

قَالَ بَلْ سَوَّلَتْ لَكُمْ أَنْفُسُكُمْ أَمْرًا ۖ فَصَبْرٌ جَمِيلٌ ۖ عَسَى اللَّهُ أَنْ يَأْتِيَنِي بِهِمْ جَمِيعًا ۚ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْعَلِيمُ الْحَكِيمُ {12:83}

[Q12:83] Qaala bal sawwalat lakum anfusukum amran fasabrun jameelun 'asal laahu any yaa tiyanee bihim jamee'aa; innahoo Huwal 'Aleemul Hakeem. 
[Q12:83] He (Yaqoub) said: Nay, your souls have made a matter light for you, so patience is good; maybe ALLAH (SWT) will bring them all together to me; surely He is the Knowing, the Wise.

[Q12:83] (Setelah mereka kembali dan menyampaikan hal itu kepada bapa mereka) berkatalah ia: "(Tidaklah benar apa yang kamu katakan itu) bahkan nafsu kamu telah memperelokkan pada pandangan kamu suatu perkara (yang kamu rancangkan). Jika demikian, bersabarlah aku dengan sebaik-baiknya, mudah-mudahan ALLAH (SwT) mengembalikan mereka semua kepadaku. Sesungguhnya Dia lah jua Yang Maha Mengetahui, lagi Maha Bijaksana. 

IN VERSE 18, Jacob was justified in accusing his sons of the scheming for they had actually forged the story BUT the justification here is because they were responsible for the misinterpretation of the law--- VERSE 75 when they declared that whose bag the missing article comes out he must be punished. The law was against the one who was proved to be a thief and the theft was not proved and here they should have defied the accusation against the detention of their brother BUT they did not argue the case at all, on the contrary they had accepted the accusation on a wrong basis via VERSE 77.

Ë  THIS SHOWS HOW JACOB WAS CERTAIN ABOUT THE ACTUAL POSITION IN BOTH THE CASES.

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(12:83) Hearing this story, the father said, "Your souls have made another thing easy for you. *64 Well, I will bear this, too, patiently with good grace. Maybe Allah will bring them all to me, for He knows everything and all His works are based on wisdom."

*64 That is, "You readily believed that my son, whom I know to be of a noble character, had committed the theft of a cup: you have behaved in his case just as you behaved in the case of his elder brother. You made away with him and then pretended, without any pangs of conscience, that a wolf had devoured him and now, with the same ease, you tell me that the other brother has committed a theft".

وَتَوَلَّىٰ عَنْهُمْ وَقَالَ يَا أَسَفَىٰ عَلَىٰ يُوسُفَ وَابْيَضَّتْ عَيْنَاهُ مِنَ الْحُزْنِ فَهُوَ كَظِيمٌ {12:84}

[Q12:84] Wa tawallaa 'anhum wa qaala yaaa asafaa 'alaa Yoosufa wabyaddat 'aynaahu minal huzni fahuwa kazeem. 
[Q12:84] And he turned away from them, and said: O my sorrow for Yusuf! And his eyes became white on account of the grief, and he was a repressor (of grief).

[Q12:84] Dan (bapa mereka - Nabi Yaakub) pun berpaling dari mereka (kerana berita yang mengharukan itu) sambil berkata: Aduhai sedihnya aku kerana Yusuf, dan putihlah dua belah matanya disebabkan ratap tangis dukacitanya kerana ia orang yang memendamkan marahnya di dalam hati.  

(see commentary for verse 3)

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(12:84) Then he turned his face from them and cried, "Alas for Joseph!"-He was sorely oppressed with suppressed sorrow and his eyes had become white with grief.

قَالُوا تَاللَّهِ تَفْتَأُ تَذْكُرُ يُوسُفَ حَتَّىٰ تَكُونَ حَرَضًا أَوْ تَكُونَ مِنَ الْهَالِكِينَ {12:85}

[Q12:85] Qaaloo tallaahi tafta'u tazkuru Yoosufa hattaa takoona haradan aw takoona minal haalikeen. 
[Q12:85] They said: By ALLAH (SWT)! You will not cease to remember Yusuf until you are a prey to constant disease or (until) you are of those who perish.

[Q12:85] Mereka berkata: "Demi ALLAH (SwT), ayah tak habis-habis ingat kepada Yusuf, sehingga ayah menjadi sakit merana, atau menjadi dari orang-orang yang binasa".  

(see commentary for verse 3)

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(12:85) - The sons exclaimed, `By Allah! You have not ceased to think of Joseph and now things have come to such a pass that you will ruin your health or kill yourself with grief for him. "

قَالَ إِنَّمَا أَشْكُو بَثِّي وَحُزْنِي إِلَى اللَّهِ وَأَعْلَمُ مِنَ اللَّهِ مَا لَا تَعْلَمُونَ {12:86}

[Q12:86] Qaala innamaaa ashkoo bassee wa huzneee ilal laahi wa a'lamu minal laahi maa laa ta'lamoon. 
[Q12:86] He said: I only complain of my grief and sorrow to ALLAH (SWT), and I know from ALLAH (SWT) what you do not know. 

[Q12:86] (Nabi Yaakub) menjawab: "Sesungguhnya aku hanyalah mengadukan kesusahan dan dukacitaku kepada ALLAH (SwT) dan aku mengetahui (dengan perantaraan wahyu) dari ALLAH (SwT), apa yang kamu tidak mengetahuinya.

(see commentary for verse 3)

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(12:86) He replied, "I complain to Allah alone of my sorrow and grief. And I know from Allah what you do not know.

يَا بَنِيَّ اذْهَبُوا فَتَحَسَّسُوا مِنْ يُوسُفَ وَأَخِيهِ وَلَا تَيْأَسُوا مِنْ رَوْحِ اللَّهِ ۖ إِنَّهُ لَا يَيْأَسُ مِنْ رَوْحِ اللَّهِ إِلَّا الْقَوْمُ الْكَافِرُونَ {12:87}

[Q12:87] Yaa baniyyaz haboo fatahassasoo miny Yoosufa wa akheehi wa laa tai'asoo mir rawhil laahi innahoo laa yai'asu mir rawhil laahi illal qawmul kaafiroun. 
[Q12:87] O my sons! Go and inquire respecting Yusuf and his brother, and despair not of ALLAH (SWT)'s mercy; surely none despairs of ALLAH (SWT)'s mercy except the unbelieving people.

[Q12:87] Wahai anak-anakku! Pergilah dan intiplah khabar berita mengenai Yusuf dan saudaranya (Bunyamin), dan janganlah kamu berputus asa dari rahmat serta pertolongan ALLAH (SwT). Sesungguhnya tidak berputus asa dari rahmat dan pertolongan ALLAH (SwT) itu melainkan kaum yang kafir". 

(see commentary for verse 3)

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(12:87) My children, go and make a search for Joseph and his brother. Don't despair of Allah's mercy, for it is the unbelievers alone who despair of His mercy."

فَلَمَّا دَخَلُوا عَلَيْهِ قَالُوا يَا أَيُّهَا الْعَزِيزُ مَسَّنَا وَأَهْلَنَا الضُّرُّ وَجِئْنَا بِبِضَاعَةٍ مُزْجَاةٍ فَأَوْفِ لَنَا الْكَيْلَ وَتَصَدَّقْ عَلَيْنَا ۖ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَجْزِي الْمُتَصَدِّقِينَ {12:88}

[Q12:88] Falammaa dakhaloo 'alaihi qaaloo yaaa ayyuhal 'Azeezu massanaa wa ahlanad durru wa ji'naa bibidaa 'timmuzjaatin fa awfi lanal kaila wa tasaddaq 'alainaa innal laaha yajzil mutasaddiqeen. 
[Q12:88] So when they came in to him, they said: O chief! Distress has afflicted us and our family and we have brought scanty money, so give us full measure and be charitable to us; surely ALLAH (SWT) rewards the charitable. 

[Q12:88] Maka (bertolaklah mereka ke Mesir, dan) setelah mereka masuk mengadap Yusuf, berkatalah mereka: "Wahai Datuk Menteri, kami dan keluarga kami telah menderita kesusahan (kemarau), dan kami datang dengan membawa barang-barang yang kurang baik dan tidak berharga (untuk menjadi tukaran bagi benda-benda makanan negeri ini). Oleh itu, sempurnakanlah sukatan bekalan makanan bagi kami dan mendermalah kepada kami, sesungguhnya ALLAH (SwT) membalas dengan sebaik-baik balasan kepada orang-orang yang bermurah hati menderma". 

(see commentary for verse 3)

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(12:88) When they went back to Egypt and presented themselves before Joseph, they humbly said, "Exalted sir ! we and our family are in great distress: though we have been able to bring only goods of scant worth for barter, we request you to give us full measure of grain, and be charitable to us: *65 for Allah rewards richly those who are charitable."

*65 That is, "It will be charitable of you if you give us that much grain as we require to fulfil our needs, because the goods we have brought for its barter are of less value than of the grain we require." 

قَالَ هَلْ عَلِمْتُمْ مَا فَعَلْتُمْ بِيُوسُفَ وَأَخِيهِ إِذْ أَنْتُمْ جَاهِلُونَ {12:89}

[Q12:89] Qaala hal 'alimtum maa fa'altum bi Yoosufa wa akheehi iz antum jaahiloon.
[Q12:89] He said: Do you know how you treated Yusuf and his brother when you were ignorant?

[Q12:89] Yusuf berkata: "Tahukah kamu (betapa buruknya) apa yang kamu telah lakukan kepada Yusuf dan adiknya, semasa kamu masih jahil (tentang buruknya perbuatan yang demikian)?"  

(see commentary for verse 3)

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(12:89) At this Joseph. who could contain himself no longer, exclaimed, "Do you know what you did with Joseph and his brother, when you were ignorant?"

قَالُوا أَإِنَّكَ لَأَنْتَ يُوسُفُ ۖ قَالَ أَنَا يُوسُفُ وَهَٰذَا أَخِي ۖ قَدْ مَنَّ اللَّهُ عَلَيْنَا ۖ إِنَّهُ مَنْ يَتَّقِ وَيَصْبِرْ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُضِيعُ أَجْرَ الْمُحْسِنِينَ {12:90}

[Q12:90] Qaaloo 'a innaka la anta Yoosufu qaala ana Yoosufu wa haazaaa akhee qad mannal laahu 'alainaa innahoo mai yattaqi wa yasbir fa innal laaha laa yudee'u ajral muhsineen. 
[Q12:90] They said: Are you indeed Yusuf? He said: I am Yusuf and this is my brother; ALLAH (SWT) has indeed been gracious to us; surely he who guards (against evil) and is patient (is rewarded) for surely ALLAH (SWT) does not waste the reward of those who do good. 

[Q12:90] Mereka bertanya (dengan hairan): "Engkau ini Yusufkah?" Ia menjawab: "Akulah Yusuf dan ini adikku (Bunyamin). Sesungguhnya ALLAH (SwT) telah mengurniakan nikmatNya kepada kami. Sebenarnya sesiapa yang bertaqwa dan bersabar, maka sesungguhnya ALLAH (SwT) tidak menghilangkan pahala orang-orang yang berbuat kebaikan.

(see commentary for verse 3)

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(12:90) This took them by surprise and they cried, "Why! Are you indeed Joseph"? He replied, "Yes, I am Joseph, and here is my brother. Allah has been very gracious to us. The fact is that Allah does not let go waste the recompense of such righteous people as practise piety and fortitude."