Surah Yusuf (12) — Ayah 15

(Ayah 15) ➊ {فَلَمَّا ذَهَبُوْا بِهٖ وَ اَجْمَعُوْۤا اَنْ …:’’ اَجْمَعُوْۤا ‘‘} is a verb form, meaning to make a firm resolve to do something, that is, finally, without caring for any excuse from the father, when he remained silent, they took him with them. Now here, observe the miraculous eloquence of the Noble Qur’an; it says: “Then when they took him away and agreed to put him into the depths of the well,” then what happened? Allah Almighty did not mention the answer, so that the listener may understand for himself what kind of treatment those ten strong young men, who had even planned to kill, must have given to Yusuf (peace be upon him) at the time of throwing him into the well and before that. The Qur’an hints, then leaves it to the understanding of the listener, and also because the treatment of Yusuf (peace be upon him) by them can be imagined, but it is difficult to put it into words, or else the matter would become so lengthy, which is not the way of the Qur’an. The commentator Al-Alusi said: “There are many narrations in the books of exegesis regarding the manner in which they threw him into the well, and what Yusuf (peace be upon him) said to his brothers at that time, and what they said to him, upon hearing which even stones would melt, but none of them has a chain of narration that can be relied upon.” Because none of those commentators was an eyewitness, and the Knower of the unseen, Who was watching everything, left this matter for us to ponder over without detail.

➋ {وَ اَوْحَيْنَاۤ اِلَيْهِ …:} That is, in this difficult time, Yusuf (peace be upon him) was comforted by Allah through revelation that a time will surely come when you will inform these brothers of their deed, while due to the long period and the difference between the present and that time, it will not even occur to them that we are requesting full grain and charity from the same brother whom we had thrown into the well and thought we were done with. Here, in {’’ لَتُنَبِّئَنَّهُمْ بِاَمْرِهِمْ هٰذَا ‘‘} (“you will surely inform them of their deed”), even in the words “their deed,” the long and heart-wrenching story of their treatment of Yusuf (peace be upon him) seems to be summed up in just a few words.

➌ Some people infer from the words of Yaqub (peace be upon him), “I fear that a wolf may eat him,” that he possessed knowledge of the unseen, but then why was he unaware of the condition of Yusuf (peace be upon him) in the well a few miles away, his slavery, the trial of his chastity, the years in prison, the king’s dream becoming the means of his release, the years of prosperity and famine, his rise to royal favor and the ministry of the treasury after release? Why did his eyes turn white from grief? Is this what knowledge of the unseen is? Yes, whatever Allah Almighty informs the prophets through revelation, they come to know, as when the bearer of glad tidings set out from Egypt with the shirt, Yaqub (peace be upon him) began to sense the scent of Yusuf (peace be upon him), and when the shirt was placed on his eyes, his sight returned. All this was from Allah Almighty. Neither Yusuf (peace be upon him) nor his noble father Yaqub (peace be upon him) had any power over this. Whatever Allah Almighty informs is known, the rest is unknown; such a person is not the Knower of the unseen. Otherwise, there are many things of the unseen that we also know from what the Messenger has told us, so are we also the Knower of the unseen? No, in the heavens and the earth, only Allah Almighty alone is the Knower of the unseen, as He said: «{ قُلْ لَّا يَعْلَمُ مَنْ فِي السَّمٰوٰتِ وَ الْاَرْضِ الْغَيْبَ اِلَّا اللّٰهُ }» [ النمل : ۶۵ ] “Say: None in the heavens and the earth knows the unseen except Allah.”

15. 1. The Noble Quran is narrating the incident with utmost brevity. The meaning is that when, according to their premeditated plan, they threw Yusuf (علیہ السلام) into the well, Allah revealed to Yusuf (علیہ السلام) for his comfort and reassurance that there is no need to worry; not only will We protect you, but We will also elevate you to such a high position that these brothers will come to you begging, and then you will inform them of how they dealt so cruelly. Upon hearing this, they will be astonished and remorseful. Although Yusuf (علیہ السلام) was a child at that time, children who are destined for prophethood also receive revelation in their childhood, just as it was sent to Isa, Yahya, and others (علیہم السلام).

15. So when they took Yusuf [13] away and agreed to put him into an obscure well, We revealed to Yusuf: "You will surely inform them of this deed of theirs at a time when they will not recognize you."

[13] Thus, these brothers of Yusuf succeeded in deceiving their father and gaining his trust, and the father, trusting them, sent Sayyiduna Yusufؑ with them the next day. This was a very significant stage that was accomplished. Then, when they were about to throw him into an unknown well according to their mutually agreed plan, at that moment Allah Almighty granted Yusufؑ patience and inspired in his heart that a time would come when you would remind your brothers of these deeds of theirs, while they would not even recognize you. And there could be two reasons for this lack of recognition: one is that Yusuf would be elevated to such a high rank that it would not even occur to the brothers of Yusuf that their brother could be honored with such a position, and his clothing and lifestyle could be so different and distinct from theirs; and the second is that such a long time would have passed that, due to changes in appearance, they would not be able to recognize him. It should be noted that the meaning of ﴿غَيٰبَتِ الجُبِّ﴾ is those small niches just above the water level in a raw well, in which one can place one's feet and also keep small items, so that it is convenient to descend into and ascend from the well for cleaning, etc. In one such small niche, the brothers of Yusuf placed Sayyiduna Yusufؑ and returned.