Surah Yusuf (12) — Ayah 77

(Ayah77) ➊ { فَقَدْ سَرَقَ اَخٌ لَّهٗ مِنْ قَبْلُ :} Their gesture was towards Yusuf (peace be upon him). They had previously said: «{ مَا كُنَّا سٰرِقِيْنَ }» that we have never been thieves, but now, seeing that the stolen goods were found with the younger brother, in order to cover their own embarrassment and to show their own innocence, they immediately separated themselves from this brother and, using his crime as a pretext, falsely accused his brother of theft as well. From this, one can imagine how these brothers must have treated this brother after Yusuf (peace be upon him) was lost.
Here, the commentators have written some incidents from Israeli traditions about Yusuf (peace be upon him) stealing in his childhood, which are not mentioned in the Qur’an or Hadith, and from which Yusuf (peace be upon him) is completely innocent. Furthermore, searching for incidents of Yusuf (peace be upon him) stealing at the brothers’ claim would only be valid if the brothers of Yusuf had never lied. From lying to their father to now swearing on behalf of all their brothers that none of them has ever been a thief, they immediately placed the accusation of theft on their long-lost brother. Yet some of our commentators are concerned with proving the brothers’ lie to be true by somehow finding an incident of Yusuf (peace be upon him) stealing. [ إِنَّا لِلّٰہِ وَ إِنَّا إِلَیْہِ رَاجِعُوْنَ ]
➋ { فَاَسَرَّهَا يُوْسُفُ فِيْ نَفْسِهٖ وَ لَمْ يُبْدِهَا لَهُمْ:} Because if he had revealed it, they would have realized that this was Yusuf, and the time to reveal this secret had not yet come. Despite being in such a high position, to bear such a bitter accusation in his heart and remain patient is the courage of Yusuf (peace be upon him) alone.
➌ { قَالَ اَنْتُمْ شَرٌّ مَّكَانًا :} That is, whether Yusuf stole or not, there is no doubt about your being thieves, because you stole him from your father and threw him into a well. Moreover, you are now committing the injustice of declaring yourselves innocent and calling Yusuf a thief?
➍ { وَ اللّٰهُ اَعْلَمُ بِمَا تَصِفُوْنَ :} That is, the reality of the accusation you are making against Yusuf is well known to Allah Almighty; you may deceive people by lying, but you cannot deceive Allah Almighty.

77. 1. They said this to express their own purity and nobility. Because Yusuf (علیہ السلام) and Binyamin were not their full and real brothers, they were half-brothers. Some commentators have narrated two secretive matters regarding the theft of Yusuf (علیہ السلام), which are not based on any authentic source. The correct view seems to be that they presented themselves as highly moral and upright, and tried to portray Yusuf (علیہ السلام) and Binyamin as weak in character, and by resorting to falsehood, attempted to prove them as thieves and dishonest.

77. 2. From this statement of Yusuf (علیہ السلام) as well, it is evident that they committed blatant falsehood in attributing theft to Yusuf (علیہ السلام).

The brothers of Yusuf said, "If he has stolen, a brother of his (Yusuf) has stolen before." But Yusuf kept it secret in his heart and did not reveal it to them. He said (to himself), "You are very bad people, and Allah knows best what you describe."

[74]
The Brothers of Yusuf Accuse Yusuf of Theft:

Just moments earlier, these very brothers of Yusuf were declaring that they were noble-born and not people who commit theft or cause corruption. Yet, at this very place, not only did they accept the accusation of theft against Binyamin as valid, but they also leveled the accusation of theft against their elder brother (Yusufؑ). From this single sentence, it becomes clear how much enmity and jealousy they harbored towards these two brothers, and whatever they themselves did to them, they never even considered it.
[75] At this point as well, Sayyiduna Yusufؑ exercised prophetic patience and forbearance. It was entirely possible that if any word had slipped from his mouth at that moment, the entire secret would have been revealed and the situation would have taken a different turn. But the period of trial in patience and trust for Sayyiduna Yaqubؑ was still to continue. Likewise, Allah Almighty still intended to grant Yusufؑ even higher ranks—so lofty that the interpretation of the dream he saw in his childhood would become manifest before him. However, it did occur to him in his heart how morally degraded they had become, that merely out of jealousy and enmity, they would, without hesitation, accuse another.