سُوْرَةُ يُوسُفَ
Surah Yusuf (12) — Ayah 17
قَالُوا۟ يَـٰٓأَبَانَآ إِنَّا ذَهَبْنَا نَسْتَبِقُ وَتَرَكْنَا يُوسُفَ عِندَ مَتَـٰعِنَا فَأَكَلَهُ ٱلذِّئْبُ ۖ وَمَآ أَنتَ بِمُؤْمِنٍ لَّنَا وَلَوْ كُنَّا صَـٰدِقِينَ ﴿17﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
They said: "O our father! We went racing with one another, and left Yûsuf (Joseph) by our belongings and a wolf devoured him; but you will never believe us even when we speak the truth."
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
قَالُوا۟
qālū
They said
يَـٰٓأَبَانَآ
yāabānā
O our father
إِنَّا
innā
Indeed, we
ذَهَبْنَا
dhahabnā
[we] went
نَسْتَبِقُ
nastabiqu
racing each other
وَتَرَكْنَا
wataraknā
and we left
يُوسُفَ
yūsufa
Yusuf
عِندَ
ʿinda
with
مَتَـٰعِنَا
matāʿinā
our possessions
فَأَكَلَهُ
fa-akalahu
and ate him
ٱلذِّئْبُ ۖ
l-dhi'bu
the wolf
وَمَآ
wamā
But not
أَنتَ
anta
you
بِمُؤْمِنٍۢ
bimu'minin
(will) believe
لَّنَا
lanā
us
وَلَوْ
walaw
even if
كُنَّا
kunnā
we are
صَـٰدِقِينَ
ṣādiqīna
truthful
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.
17. They said, "We were racing with each other and left Joseph [14] by our belongings, and a wolf came and ate him. But you will never believe us, even if we are telling the truth."
[14]
The Occupations of Yusuf’s Brothers in the Wilderness:
In the wilderness, besides herding goats, Yusuf’s brothers had two other occupations, both related to their profession. One was racing, so that in case of need, they could chase away an attacking wolf, and the other was archery, the purpose of which was to target and kill any attacking beast with an arrow. When they had, according to their understanding, gotten rid of Sayyiduna Yusuf ؑ, the question now was what answer to give their father upon returning, who already did not trust them. They were not habitual criminals, skilled in deception, cunning, and making excuses; it was only the fire of jealousy and revenge that had provoked them to this act. Therefore, they could think of no excuse except the one their father had hinted at. Thus, they took off Sayyiduna Yusuf’s ؑ shirt, slaughtered a deer or a goat, stained the shirt with its blood, and returned home late at night, weeping and wailing in the darkness. They told their father that they had been engaged in a running competition among themselves and had left Yusuf sitting with their clothes and belongings. When they had gone far, a wolf came and devoured Yusuf, and to prove their story true, they also presented Sayyiduna Yusuf’s ؑ blood-stained shirt.
[14]
The Occupations of Yusuf’s Brothers in the Wilderness:
In the wilderness, besides herding goats, Yusuf’s brothers had two other occupations, both related to their profession. One was racing, so that in case of need, they could chase away an attacking wolf, and the other was archery, the purpose of which was to target and kill any attacking beast with an arrow. When they had, according to their understanding, gotten rid of Sayyiduna Yusuf ؑ, the question now was what answer to give their father upon returning, who already did not trust them. They were not habitual criminals, skilled in deception, cunning, and making excuses; it was only the fire of jealousy and revenge that had provoked them to this act. Therefore, they could think of no excuse except the one their father had hinted at. Thus, they took off Sayyiduna Yusuf’s ؑ shirt, slaughtered a deer or a goat, stained the shirt with its blood, and returned home late at night, weeping and wailing in the darkness. They told their father that they had been engaged in a running competition among themselves and had left Yusuf sitting with their clothes and belongings. When they had gone far, a wolf came and devoured Yusuf, and to prove their story true, they also presented Sayyiduna Yusuf’s ؑ blood-stained shirt.
