12:70 Yusuf (Joseph)

{ فَلَمَّا جَهَّزَهُمْ بِجَهَازِهِمْ } أي: كال لكل واحد من إخوته، ومن جملتهم أخوه هذا. { جَعَلَ السِّقَايَةَ } وهو: الإناء الذي يشرب به، ويكال فيه { فِي رَحْلِ أَخِيهِ ثُمَّ } أوعوا متاعهم، فلما انطلقوا ذاهبين، { أَذَّنَ مُؤَذِّنٌ أَيَّتُهَا الْعِيرُ إِنَّكُمْ لَسَارِقُونَ } ولعل هذا المؤذن، لم يعلم بحقيقة الحال.

لما جهزهم وحمل لهم أبعرتهم طعاما أمر بعض فتيانه أن يضع السقاية وهي إناء من فضة في قول الأكثرين وقيل من ذهب قال ابن زيد كان يشرب فيه ويكيل للناس به من عزة الطعام إذ ذاك قاله ابن عباس ومجاهد وقتادة والضحاك وعبد الرحمن بن زيد وقال شعبة عن أبي بشر عن سعيد بن جبير عن ابن عباس صواع الملك قال: كان من فضة يشربون فيه وكان مثل المكوك وكان للعباس مثله في الجاهلية فوضعها في متاع بنيامين من حيث لا يشعر أحد ثم نادى مناد بينهم " أيتها العير إنكم لسارقون " فالتفتوا إلى المنادي.

Yusuf had His Golden Bowl placed in Binyamin's Bag; a Plot to keep Him in Egypt

After Yusuf supplied them with their provisions, he ordered some of his servants to place his silver bowl (in Binyamin's bag), according to the majority of scholars. Some scholars said that the king's bowl was made from gold. Ibn Zayd added that the king used it to drink from, and later, measured food grains with it since food became scarce in that time, according to Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid, Qatadah, Ad-Dahhak and `Abdur-Rahman bin Zayd. Shu`bah said that Abu Bishr narrated that Sa`id bin Jubayr said that Ibn `Abbas said that the king's bowl was made from silver and he used it to drink with. Yusuf had the bowl placed in Binyamin's bag while they were unaware, and then had someone herald,

أَيَّتُهَا الْعِيرُ إِنَّكُمْ لَسَارِقُونَ

(O you (in) the caravan! Surely, you are thieves!) They looked at the man who was heralding this statement and asked him,

مَّاذَا تَفْقِدُونَقَالُواْ نَفْقِدُ صُوَاعَ الْمَلِكِ

("What is it that you have lost" They said: "We have lost the bowl of the king..."), which he used to measure food grains,

وَلِمَن جَآءَ بِهِ حِمْلُ بَعِيرٍ

(and for him who produces it is a camel load), as a reward,

وَأَنَاْ بِهِ زَعِيمٌ

(and I will be bound by it.), as assurance of delivery of the reward.

And when he had equipped them with their provision he put the drinking-cup a golden cup studded with jewels into the saddlebag of his brother Benjamin. Then a crier shouted a herald cried after they were dismissed from Joseph’s court ‘O cameleers caravan you are surely thieves!’

Commentary

The present verses describe how Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) arranged to have his real brother, Benyamin, stay on with him. All brothers were given grains according to rules. The grains for each brother was loaded on his camel, separately and by name.

In the supply of grain loaded on the camel for Benyamin, a bowl was concealed. This bowl has been called: سِقَایَہ (siqayah) at one place, and: صُوَاعَ الْمَلِكِ (suwa' al-malik) at another. The word: سِقَایَہ (siqayah) means a bowl used to drink water from, and: صُوَاعَ (suwa' ) too is a utensil similar to it. That it has been attributed to ` malik' or king shows the additional feature that this bowl had some special value or status. According to some narrations, it was made of a precious stone similar to emerald. Others say that it was made of gold, or silver. However, this bowl hidden in Benyamin's baggage was fairly precious besides having some special connection with the king of Egypt - whether he used it himself, or had it de-clared to be the official measure of grains.

In the second sentence of verse 70, it is said:

ثُمَّ أَذَّنَ مُؤَذِّنٌ أَيَّتُهَا الْعِيرُ‌ إِنَّكُمْ لَسَارِ‌قُونَ

Then, an announcer shouted out, "0 people of the caravan, you are thieves."

Here, the word: (thumma ثُمَّ : translated as ` then' ) shows that this public announcement was not made instantly. Instead, a temporary delay was allowed for the caravan to leave. The announcement was made after that to offset the likelihood of anyone sensing a foul play. After all, this proclaimer identified the caravan of the brothers of Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) as the thieves.