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 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.
20. So they sold [18] Joseph for a small price, a few silver coins, and they were not interested in him.
[18]
Who Sold Yusuf? The Brothers of Yusuf or the Caravan People:
According to the Biblical tradition, the antecedent of the pronoun in the Quranic word ﴿وَشَرَوْهُ﴾ refers to the brothers of Yusuf. That is, the brothers of Yusuf sold Sayyiduna Yusufؑ to the caravan people for a paltry price. Because they were keeping an eye on Yusuf and, at the right moment, created a dispute claiming that this boy was their slave who had run away from home and they were searching for him. Eventually, they made a deal with those caravan people for a small price, because the money they were receiving was coming to them for free. Therefore, they considered even that amount a windfall. Their real purpose was that Yusuf should reach some distant land, and this objective was being fulfilled, and this is the story commonly known among the people. However, the context of the Quran does not support this interpretation. According to the Quran, the meaning of this verse is that the caravan people, upon reaching Egypt, sold this boy (Yusufؑ), and sold him for a small price because they too had acquired this "merchandise" for free. Therefore, they had no interest in demanding a higher price.
[18]
Who Sold Yusuf? The Brothers of Yusuf or the Caravan People:
According to the Biblical tradition, the antecedent of the pronoun in the Quranic word ﴿وَشَرَوْهُ﴾ refers to the brothers of Yusuf. That is, the brothers of Yusuf sold Sayyiduna Yusufؑ to the caravan people for a paltry price. Because they were keeping an eye on Yusuf and, at the right moment, created a dispute claiming that this boy was their slave who had run away from home and they were searching for him. Eventually, they made a deal with those caravan people for a small price, because the money they were receiving was coming to them for free. Therefore, they considered even that amount a windfall. Their real purpose was that Yusuf should reach some distant land, and this objective was being fulfilled, and this is the story commonly known among the people. However, the context of the Quran does not support this interpretation. According to the Quran, the meaning of this verse is that the caravan people, upon reaching Egypt, sold this boy (Yusufؑ), and sold him for a small price because they too had acquired this "merchandise" for free. Therefore, they had no interest in demanding a higher price.
