سُوْرَةُ يُوسُفَ
Surah Yusuf (12) — Ayah 78
قَالُوا۟ يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلْعَزِيزُ إِنَّ لَهُۥٓ أَبًا شَيْخًا كَبِيرًا فَخُذْ أَحَدَنَا مَكَانَهُۥٓ ۖ إِنَّا نَرَىٰكَ مِنَ ٱلْمُحْسِنِينَ ﴿78﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
They said: "O ruler of the land! Verily, he has an old father (who will grieve for him); so take one of us in his place. Indeed we think that you are one of the Muhsinûn (good-doers - see the footnote of V.9:120)."
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
قَالُوا۟
qālū
They said
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا
yāayyuhā
O
ٱلْعَزِيزُ
l-ʿazīzu
Aziz
إِنَّ
inna
Indeed
لَهُۥٓ
lahu
he has
أَبًۭا
aban
a father
شَيْخًۭا
shaykhan
old
كَبِيرًۭا
kabīran
[great]
فَخُذْ
fakhudh
so take
أَحَدَنَا
aḥadanā
one of us
مَكَانَهُۥٓ ۖ
makānahu
(in) his place
إِنَّا
innā
Indeed, we
نَرَىٰكَ
narāka
[we] see you
مِنَ
mina
of
ٱلْمُحْسِنِينَ
l-muḥ'sinīna
the good-doers
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.
78. 1 Hazrat Yusuf was called the Aziz of Egypt because at that time the real authority was with Hazrat Yusuf ؑ, the king was only a nominal ruler of Egypt.
78. 2 The father was certainly old, but here their real purpose was to free Binyamin. In their minds was the same matter as with Yusuf ؑ, that perhaps we would have to go back to the father again without Binyamin, and the father would say to us that you have lost my Binyamin just like you lost Yusuf ؑ. Therefore, referring to the favors of Yusuf ؑ, they said this so that perhaps he would do this favor as well, that he would release Binyamin and keep another brother in his place.
78. 2 The father was certainly old, but here their real purpose was to free Binyamin. In their minds was the same matter as with Yusuf ؑ, that perhaps we would have to go back to the father again without Binyamin, and the father would say to us that you have lost my Binyamin just like you lost Yusuf ؑ. Therefore, referring to the favors of Yusuf ؑ, they said this so that perhaps he would do this favor as well, that he would release Binyamin and keep another brother in his place.
