Surah Yusuf (12) — Ayah 8

(Ayah 8) ➊ { اِذْ قَالُوْا لَيُوْسُفُ وَ اَخُوْهُ … :} That is, they said among themselves. In reality, they attributed this 'crime' to Yusuf (peace be upon him) to justify their own wrongdoing, otherwise, if this was a crime, it was their father's, whom they did not even spare; its mention is coming ahead. Whereas, nowhere in the Qur'an is there even a hint from Allah Almighty that there was any mistake on the part of Yaqub (peace be upon him). If there had been such a mistake, Allah would surely have informed Yaqub (peace be upon him) of it, because he was a prophet. Some commentators have also written that from this verse it is understood that a father should maintain equality in love among his sons, although neither these gentlemen considered, nor did the brothers of Yusuf, what are the ranks and reasons for a parent's inclination towards some children. The reality is that younger children always receive more affection and love from parents, which each of Yusuf's elder brothers had already received at their respective ages. Then, the rebelliousness or obedience in a child's nature becomes a cause for difference in attracting parental love. Similarly, a sick child or a child living abroad receives more attention from parents, as that ancient Arab said when asked, "Which of your sons is dearest to you?" He replied: "The youngest, until he grows up; the absent, until he returns; and the sick, until he recovers." (Sharaawi) Therefore, the Shariah has commanded equality in gifts among children and justice among wives. Inclination of the heart and love are neither in a person's control nor is there any crime of parents or children in their increase or decrease. This was also the "crime" of Yusuf's younger brother. Allah did not mention the name of the younger brother nor of the elders, because this matter has no special relevance to the purpose of the Qur'an. Now, if we, after hearing from the People of the Book, write the name of the younger as Binyamin or write the names of the elders, then regarding something which, according to the statement of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), we cannot declare as true or false, what relation does it have to knowledge and what credibility does it have? Knowledge is the name of certainty, not of doubt.

➋ {وَ نَحْنُ عُصْبَةٌ :} This is a circumstantial sentence. The word {’’ عُصْبَةٌ ‘‘ } is used for a strong group, which generally consists of ten to forty people. It is derived from {’’عَصْبٌ‘‘}, which means {’’شَدٌّ‘‘ } (to bind), because each one of them gives strength and support to the other, meaning we are capable of handling all affairs and are useful in times of need, whereas Yusuf and his brother, due to their young age, cannot be of any use to our father, and we are a strong group who can be useful in this Bedouin environment when needed.

➌ {اِنَّ اَبَانَا لَفِيْ ضَلٰلٍ مُّبِيْنِ :} Here, they did not even spare their father. By {’’ ضَلٰلٍ مُّبِيْنِ ‘‘} is meant a mistake in judgment that occurs in worldly matters; here, "misguidance" does not mean religious misguidance or general deviation, otherwise these people would have become disbelievers. (Qurtubi) Sometimes, this word is also used for a mistake in a particular matter, as in the reason given for two women's testimony being equal to one man's, it is said: «{ اَنْ تَضِلَّ اِحْدٰىهُمَا فَتُذَكِّرَ اِحْدٰىهُمَا الْاُخْرٰى }» [ البقرۃ : ۲۸۲ ] "(So) that if one of them forgets, the other can remind her." In reality, they wanted to make themselves appear blameless in the treatment they were about to give Yusuf (peace be upon him), putting all the blame on their father, who had shown a difference in love among his children.

8. 1 'His brother' refers to Binyamin.
8. 2 That is, we ten brothers are a powerful group and in the majority, whereas Yusuf (AS) and Binyamin (whose mother was different) are only two, yet they are the light of our father's eyes and the delight of his heart.
8. 3 Here, ضلال means a mistake, which according to their assumption, was committed by the father in loving Yusuf (AS) and Binyamin more.

8. When the brothers of Yusuf said (among themselves): "Yusuf and his brother are more beloved to our father than we are, even though we are a strong [7] group. Surely, our father is clearly in error."

[7] That is, it is we who serve our father. We are the ones who earn and bring provisions. In times of difficulty, we are the ones who are useful, yet affection and love are directed towards Yusuf and his brother instead of us. It should have been that our father’s attention was towards us, but these two have become the center of attention, and this is a clear mistake of our father. The second meaning of the phrase "clear error" is that despite these facts, our father is immersed in love for these two.