سُوْرَةُ يُوسُفَ

Surah Yusuf (12) — Ayah 20

Joseph · Meccan · Juz 12 · Page 237

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وَشَرَوْهُ بِثَمَنٍۭ بَخْسٍ دَرَٰهِمَ مَعْدُودَةٍ وَكَانُوا۟ فِيهِ مِنَ ٱلزَّٰهِدِينَ ﴿20﴾

Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali

And they sold him for a low price - for a few Dirhams (i.e. for a few silver coins). And they were of those who regarded him insignificant.

Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning

وَشَرَوْهُ washarawhu And they sold him
بِثَمَنٍۭ bithamanin for a price
بَخْسٍۢ bakhsin very low
دَرَٰهِمَ darāhima dirhams
مَعْدُودَةٍۢ maʿdūdatin few
وَكَانُوا۟ wakānū and they were
فِيهِ fīhi about him
مِنَ mina of
ٱلزَّٰهِدِينَ l-zāhidīna those keen to give up

Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim — Hafiz Abdus Salam Bin Muhammad Bhutvi

Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim is a 4-volume Quran commentary by Hafiz Abdus Salam bin Muhammad Bhutvi, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar and Sheikh ul-Hadith from Pakistan. Based on over 45 years of teaching and research, this tafsir follows the methodology of Tafsir bil-Ma'thur — interpreting the Quran through authentic Hadith, statements of the Companions, and the understanding of the early generations (Salaf). It is distinguished by its complete avoidance of Israeliyyat (Judeo-Christian narratives) and unverified reports. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.

The meaning of (Ayah 20){وَ شَرَوْهُ بِثَمَنٍۭ بَخْسٍ …:’’ بَخْسٍ ‘‘} is a price less than the original value, as He said: «{ وَ لَا تَبْخَسُوا النَّاسَ اَشْيَآءَهُمْ }» [ الأعراف : ۸۵ ] "And do not give people less than their things." That is, the caravan people sold him for a small price, a few counted dirhams, because if there were more dirhams, they would have been weighed instead of counted. "And they were among those who had no interest in him"—the reason for this was that they were not legally selling a real slave, so whatever they got, they considered it a gain. Another reason for their lack of interest was that they wanted to get rid of him quickly, because they feared that someone might come who would catch them for the crime of having brought a free man’s son as a slave, so always keeping him hidden and not giving Yusuf (peace be upon him) any opportunity to reveal his reality to anyone was a hardship for them. From this, the reality of the tales of those storytellers is also known who mention crowds of buyers for Yusuf (peace be upon him), the woman who brought a bundle of yarn, and finally selling him by weighing him in gold. Anyway, {’’شَرَي يَشْرِيْ‘‘} comes in the meaning of selling and {’’اِشْتَرَي يَشْتَرِيْ‘‘ } in the meaning of buying, unless there is a specific context to the contrary, because the principle is that {’’فَعَلَ‘‘ } is used for an action (event) and {’’اِفْتَعَلَ‘‘} is used for its compliance (accepting the effect of that action), like {’’ بَاعَ ‘‘} he sold and {’’اِبْتَاعَ‘‘} he bought. {’’رَهَنَ‘‘} he mortgaged and {’’اِرْتَهَنَ‘‘} he took on mortgage. {’’كَرِيَ‘‘} he rented out and {’’اِكْتَرَي‘‘ } he took on rent. The opposite hardly ever occurs, and if it does, there is some context present. Those who mention that the brothers of Yusuf (peace be upon him) came and sold him to the caravan people, there is not even a hint of their statement in any verse of the Qur’an. If there is any Israelite narration, it is not reliable and is also contrary to the statement of the Qur’an.

Tafsir Ahsan al-Bayan — Hafiz Salahuddin Yusuf

Tafsir Ahsan al-Bayan is a well-known Quran commentary by Hafiz Salahuddin Yusuf, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. This tafsir explains the meanings of the Quran in accordance with the methodology of the Salaf (early righteous generations), relying on authentic sources and straightforward language. Due to its reliability and adherence to sound Islamic scholarship, the Saudi government publishes and distributes this tafsir among the Hujjaj (pilgrims) visiting the Haramain. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.

20. 1 The brothers or according to another interpretation, the people of the caravan sold him.
20. 2 Because a found item comes to a person without any effort, therefore, no matter how valuable it is, its true worth does not become clear to a person.

Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran — Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani

Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran (Facilitation of the Quran) is a comprehensive Quran commentary by Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. Known for his eloquent and accessible writing style, Kilani authored this tafsir with a focus on clarity — making Quranic meanings understandable to the common reader. The tafsir provides detailed historical context for verses related to battles and expeditions, and firmly refutes modernist ideologies using strong scriptural evidence. It is widely regarded as an invaluable resource for understanding the Quran and countering deviant interpretations. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.

20. So they sold [18] Joseph for a small price, a few silver coins, and they were not interested in him.

[18]
Who Sold Yusuf? The Brothers of Yusuf or the Caravan People:

According to the Biblical tradition, the antecedent of the pronoun in the Quranic word ﴿وَشَرَوْهُ﴾ refers to the brothers of Yusuf. That is, the brothers of Yusuf sold Sayyiduna Yusufؑ to the caravan people for a paltry price. Because they were keeping an eye on Yusuf and, at the right moment, created a dispute claiming that this boy was their slave who had run away from home and they were searching for him. Eventually, they made a deal with those caravan people for a small price, because the money they were receiving was coming to them for free. Therefore, they considered even that amount a windfall. Their real purpose was that Yusuf should reach some distant land, and this objective was being fulfilled, and this is the story commonly known among the people. However, the context of the Quran does not support this interpretation. According to the Quran, the meaning of this verse is that the caravan people, upon reaching Egypt, sold this boy (Yusufؑ), and sold him for a small price because they too had acquired this "merchandise" for free. Therefore, they had no interest in demanding a higher price.
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