سُوْرَةُ يُوسُفَ
Surah Yusuf (12) — Ayah 20
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.
