12:20 Yusuf (Joseph)

تفسير الآيتين 19 و20 :ـ أي: مكث يوسف في الجب ما مكث، حتى { جَاءَتْ سَيَّارَةٌ } أي: قافلة تريد مصر، { فَأَرْسَلُوا وَارِدَهُمْ } أي: فرطهم ومقدمهم، الذي يعس لهم المياه، ويسبرها ويستعد لهم بتهيئة الحياض ونحو ذلك، { فَأَدْلَى } ذلك الوارد { دَلْوَهُ } فتعلق فيه يوسف عليه السلام وخرج. { قَالَ يَا بُشْرَى هَذَا غُلَامٌ } أي: استبشر وقال: هذا غلام نفيس، { وَأَسَرُّوهُ بِضَاعَةً } وكان إخوته قريبا منه، فاشتراه السيارة منهم، { بِثَمَنٍ بَخْسٍ } أي: قليل جدا، فسره بقوله: { دَرَاهِمَ مَعْدُودَةٍ وَكَانُوا فِيهِ مِنَ الزَّاهِدِينَ } لأنه لم يكن لهم قصد إلا تغييبه وإبعاده عن أبيه، ولم يكن لهم قصد في أخذ ثمنه، والمعنى في هذا: أن السيارة لما وجدوه، عزموا أن يُسِرُّوا أمره، ويجعلوه من جملة بضائعهم التي معهم، حتى جاءهم إخوته فزعموا أنه عبد أبق منهم، فاشتروه منهم بذلك الثمن، واستوثقوا منهم فيه لئلا يهرب، والله أعلم.

يقول تعالى: وباعه إخوته بثمن قليل. قال مجاهد وعكرمة: والبخس هو النقص كما قال تعالى " فلا يخاف بخسا ولا رهقا" أي اعتاض عنه إخوته بثمن دون قليل ومع ذلك كانوا فيه من الزاهدين أي ليس لهم رغبة فيه بل لو سئلوه بلا شئ لأجابوا. قال ابن عباس ومجاهد والضحاك إن الضمير في قوله " وشروه " عائد على إخوة يوسف ; وقال قتادة: بل هو عائد على السيارة والأول أقوى لأن قوله " وكانوا فيه من الزاهدين " إنما أراد إخوته لا أولئك السيارة لأن السيارة استبشروا به وأسروه بضاعة ولو كانوا فيه زاهدين لما اشتروه فترجح من هذا أن الضمير في " شروه " إنما هو لإخوته.وقيل المراد بقوله " بخس " الحرام وقيل الظلم وهذا وإن كان كذلك لكن ليس هو المراد هنا لأن هذا معلوم يعرفه كل أحد أن ثمنه حرام على كل حال وعلى كل أحد لأنه نبي ابن نبي ابن نبي ابن خليل الرحمن فهو الكريم ابن الكريم ابن الكريم ابن الكريم لإنما المراد هنا بالبخس الناقص أو الزيوف أو كلاهما أي إنهم إخوته وقد باعوه ومع هذا بأنقص الأثمان ولهذا قال " دراهم معدودة " فعن ابن مسعود رضي الله عنه باعوه بعشرين درهما وكذا قال ابن عباس ونوف البكالي والسدي وقتادة وعطية العوفي وزاد اقتسموها درهمين درهمين وقال مجاهد: اثنان وعشرون درهما وقال محمد بن إسحاق وعكرمة أربعون درهما وقال الضحاك في قوله " وكانوا فيه من الزاهدين " وذلك أنهم لم يعلموا نبوته منزلته عند الله عز وجل وقال مجاهد لما باعوه جعلوا يتبعونهم ويقولون لهم استوثقوا منه لا يأبق حتى وقفوه بمصر فقال: من يبتاعني وليبشر ؟ فاشتراه الملك وكان مسلما.

Yusuf is Rescued from the Well and sold as a Slave

Allah narrates what happened to Yusuf, peace be upon him, after his brothers threw him down the well and left him in it, alone, where he remained for three days, according to Abu Bakr bin `Ayyash. Muhammad bin Ishaq said, "After Yusuf's brothers threw him down the well, they remained around the well for the rest of the day to see what he might do and what would happen to him. Allah sent a caravan of travelers that camped near that well, and they sent to it the man responsible for drawing water for them. When he approached the well, he lowered his bucket down into it, Yusuf held on to it and the man rescued him and felt happy,

يبُشْرَى هَـذَا غُلاَمٌ

("What good news! Here is a boy.") Al-`Awfi reported that Ibn `Abbas commented, "Allah's statement,

وَأَسَرُّوهُ بِضَـعَةً

(So they hid him as merchandise), is in reference to Yusuf's brothers, who hid the news that he was their brother. Yusuf hid this news for fear that his brothers might kill him and preferred to be sold instead. Consequently, Yusuf's brothers told the water drawer about him and that man said to his companions,

يبُشْرَى هَـذَا غُلاَمٌ

("What good news! Here is a boy."), a slave whom we can sell. Therefore, Yusuf's own brothers sold him." Allah's statement,

وَاللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ بِمَا يَعْمَلُونَ

(And Allah was the All-Knower of what they did. ) states that Allah knew what Yusuf's brothers, and those who bought him, did. He was able to stop them and prevent them from committing their actions, but out of His perfect wisdom He decreed otherwise. He let them do what they did, so that His decision prevails and His appointed destiny rules,

أَلاَ لَهُ الْخَلْقُ وَالاٌّمْرُ تَبَارَكَ اللَّهُ رَبُّ الْعَـلَمِينَ

(Surely, His is the creation and commandment. Blessed is Allah, the Lord of the all that exists!) 7:54 This reminds Allah's Messenger Muhammad ﷺ, that Allah has perfect knowledge in the persecution that his people committed against him and that He is able to stop them. However, He decided to give them respite, then give Muhammad ﷺ the victory and make him prevail over them, just as He gave Yusuf victory and made him prevail over his brothers. Allah said next,

وَشَرَوْهُ بِثَمَنٍ بَخْسٍ دَرَهِمَ مَعْدُودَةٍ

(And they sold him for a Bakhs price, - for a few Dirhams) in reference to Yusuf's brothers selling him for a little price, according to Mujahid and `Ikrimah. `Bakhs' means decreased, just as Allah the Exalted said in another Ayah,

فَلاَ يَخَافُ بَخْساً وَلاَ رَهَقاً

(shall have no fear, either of a Bakhs (a decrease in the reward of his good deeds) or a Rahaq (an increase in the punishment for his sins).) 72:13 meaning that Yusuf's brothers exchanged him for a miserably low price. Yet, he was so insignificant to them that had the caravan people wanted him for free, they would have given him for free to them! Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid and Ad-Dahhak said that,

وَشَرَوْهُ

(And they sold him), is in reference to Yusuf's brothers. They sold Yusuf for the lowest price, as indicated by Allah's statement next,

دَرَهِمَ مَعْدُودَةٍ

(for a few Dirhams), twenty Dirhams, according to `Abdullah bin Mas`ud. Similar was said by Ibn `Abbas, Nawf Al-Bikali, As-Suddi, Qatadah and `Atiyah Al-`Awfi, who added that they divided the Dirhams among themselves, each getting two Dirhams. Ad-Dahhak commented on Allah's statement,

وَكَانُواْ فِيهِ مِنَ الزَهِدِينَ

(And they were of those who regarded him insignificant.) "Because they had no knowledge of his prophethood and glorious rank with Allah, the Exalted and Most Honored."

Then they sold him — they the caravan purchased him from them — for a very low a diminished price a handful of dirhams 20 or 22; for they that is his brothers set small store by him. So the caravan brought him to Egypt where the one who had bought him sold him for 20 dinars two pairs of sandals and two robes.

Verse 20 begins with the words: وَشَرَ‌وْهُ بِثَمَنٍ بَخْسٍ دَرَ‌اهِمَ مَعْدُودَةٍ (And they sold him for a paltry price, for a few silver-coins, and they were disinterested in him). In Arabic, the word: شِرَا (shira' ) is used for buying and selling both. The probability of both meanings exists here. If the pronoun is reverted back to the brothers of Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) ، it will mean selling - and if applied to the people of the caravan, it would mean buying. Thus, the sense would be: ` the brothers of Yusuf sold him - or, the people of the caravan bought him - for a paltry price, that is, for a counted few dirhams in return.'

Al-Qurtubi says: The Arab traders used to transact deals involving big amounts by weight while, for amounts not more than forty, they would go by count. Therefore, the word: مَعْدُودَةٍ (ma` dudah: few) used with: دِرَاھُم (darahim: plural of dirham: silver-coins) tells us that the count of dirhams was less than forty. Ibn Kathir, citing the authority of Sayyidna ` Abdullah ibn Masud ؓ ، has written that the deal was closed at twenty dirhams which the ten brothers had divided among themselves at the rate of two dirhams per person. As for the exact amount of dirhams, reported there are other narrations as well which put them as twenty two and forty. (Ibn Kathir)

In the last sentence of the verse: وَكَانُوا فِيهِ مِنَ الزَّاهِدِينَ (and they were disinterested in him), the word: الزَّاهِدِينَ (az-zahidin) is the plural of zahid which is a derivation from zuhd. Literally, zuhd means indifference, disinterestedness. In usage, the lack of interest in and the avoidance of wealth and property in worldly life is referred to as zuhd. The meaning of the verse is that the brothers of Yusuf (علیہ السلام) were really not interested in any financial gain for themselves in this matter. Their real purpose was to separate Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) from their father. Therefore, they struck a deal for a very few dirhams.

They sold him for a paltry price. It is not surprising that Joseph's brothers sold him for a small price. What is surprising is the work of those travelers, who acquired someone like Joseph for twenty dirhams! It is not surprising that people should sell subsistent paradise for this small world. What is surprising is that they gain such a magnificent paradise and tremendous kingdom with a loaf of bread given to a poor man! Indeed, good fortune does not have a price, and the Real's generosity is nothing but a gift. If what Joseph possessed in himself-the characteristics of sinlessness, the realities of proxim- ity, and the subtleties of knowledge and wisdom-had been unveiled to his brothers, they would not have sold him for that small price, nor would they have called him a slave. A single speck of those characteristics and subtleties was unveiled to the governor of Egypt and Zulaykhā. Look how they bestowed their kingdom on his work and what value they placed on him! So also, when the women of Egypt saw his beauty, they said, " This is no mortal! This is none but a noble angel " [12:31]. Yes, it is showing that does the job, not seeing. MuṣṬafā said, " O God, show us things as they are! " Ibn ʿAṬāÌ said, " Beauty is of two sorts, outward beauty and inward beauty. Outward beauty is an adorned creation and a lovely form. Inward beauty is perfect character and fine conduct. " The Lord of the Worlds showed Joseph's outward beauty to his brothers. They saw nothing more, even though in God's eyes the outward has no importance. Hence they sold him for a small price. A trace of the inner beauty was shown to the governor of Egypt, so he said to his wife, " Give him generous lodging " [12:21]. This is so that the world's folk may know that in God's eyes im- portance and worth belong to inner beauty, not outward. MuṣṬafā said, " God gazes not on your forms or your possessions, but He gazes on your hearts and your deeds. " It is said that one day Joseph looked in a mirror and gazed on himself. He saw perfect beauty and said, " If I were a slave, what would my price be!? Who would be able to pay it? " The Lord of the Worlds did not let that pass, not until Joseph had tasted the punishment of gazing on himself.