Part of Stories of the Prophets (series completed)
· Lesson 15 of 15
Stories of the Prophets | Episode (15) | The story of Joseph, peace be upon him (4)
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Transcript
Machine translation — may contain errors
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Stories of the Prophets, stories of the prophets, peace be upon them.
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Allah's blessings, followed by peace,
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Be upon the best of all creation.
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Men of resolute will, exalted in rank—
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The story of Yusuf, peace be upon him.
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In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
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Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds,
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And blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad,
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And upon all his family and Companions.
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To proceed:
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"And Allah may bring together two who are separated, after
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They both thought they would never meet again."
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This verse is fitting
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To serve as the title for a new chapter in the life of the Prophet of Allah, Yusuf, peace be upon him.
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For after the trials he endured—
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From the desolate nights of the well,
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To the dark nights of prison,
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Interspersed with the glittering days of the palace
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And moments of ruinous temptation—
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Here is Yusuf, peace be upon him,
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Ascending the throne over the storehouses of Egypt,
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Managing the greatest economy in the region,
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Armed with the knowledge Allah taught him,
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Guided by prophetic, administrative,
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And divinely inspired acumen,
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For he is "a trustworthy keeper and knowledgeable."
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After the seven years of abundance passed—
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During which Yusuf preserved the provisions,
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Storing the grain in its ears against times of need—
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The seven dry, barren years arrived.
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Food grew scarce,
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Famine struck the surrounding lands,
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And merchant caravans poured in from everywhere
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To secure provisions
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From the bustling market of Egypt,
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After drought had ravaged all the lands.
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Thus, Yusuf, peace be upon him,
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Opened his storehouses to everyone in measured rations,
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Dispensing to each person a single camel-load,
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So that the food would suffice all who sought it.
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Yusuf's brothers came from the land of Palestine,
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Having heard about the market in Egypt,
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Seeking to obtain grain like everyone else.
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Allah willed to bring together the transgressing brothers
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With their wronged brother,
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After years of separation and alienation.
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When they entered his presence
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And his eyes met theirs,
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He recognized them immediately.
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His memory swept back to years long past;
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He recalled their plotting, their cruelty,
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Their coldness, and their harshness.
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Yet despite their large number,
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They failed to recognize him;
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They did not know who he was,
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Having long forgotten him.
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But the victim of injustice never forgets.
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Yusuf, peace be upon him, received them
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With noble and elevated character.
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He did not disclose his identity,
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Nor did he remind them of the past,
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Knowing that time would take its course.
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He showed them generosity and treated them kindly,
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Inquiring about their wellbeing
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And the state of the noble ones they had left behind
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In the blessed land of Palestine.
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Then he provided them with their share of grain,
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Whereupon they said to him,
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"Grant us also the shares for our father and our brother,
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For they were unable to travel with us."
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He accepted their father's excuse for not coming,
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Granted him his share,
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But said to them,
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"Bring your brother with you next time,
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And I will give you your share as well as his.
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Do you not see my generosity toward you and others?
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This is my condition upon you:
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If you do not bring him to me next time,
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Do not bother coming back,
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For you shall have no measure of grain from me,
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Nor shall you approach my land or my market."
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Such was the firm message delivered;
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The words were decisive and the command final.
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Yet his heart burned with longing and earnest yearning
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To see his noble, affectionate father
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And his full brother.
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Yusuf, peace be upon him, feared they might not return,
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For he knew well their poverty and need,
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And worried that their goods
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Used to purchase food might be insufficient,
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Leaving them unable to make another journey.
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So he said to his servants,
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"Take the goods they brought as payment,
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And put them back into their saddlebags without their knowledge,
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So they may discover them when they return to their family,
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And thus be prompted to return once more.
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And deduct the cost of their grain
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From my own personal wealth."
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Indeed, the noble Yusuf
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Would not take payment from his brothers for the food
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That they carried back with them;
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He deemed it a breach of noble character to take money
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From his father and brothers in exchange for food.
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Thus he honored them, repaying the mistreatment
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Of his brothers with kindness and benevolence.
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The brothers returned to their father
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And said, "We have obtained the food
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That we need for this year.
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However, we will not be able to get any grain
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Next year unless we take
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Our brother Benjamin with us,
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For this was made a condition upon us.
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So send him with us, and we will surely safeguard him."
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Thus they reopened a wound that time had not healed,
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Striking their father where it hurt him most.
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He said to them in deep pain,
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"How can I trust you with Benjamin,
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When I trusted you with his brother Yusuf before,
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And you betrayed my trust?
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I will never send him with you.
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Allah will protect him with His protection,
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And protect his brother, and save us from hunger,
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For He is the Most Merciful of the merciful."
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They remained silent, unable
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To offer any reply, for a guilty person's
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Argument is weak. The brothers then opened
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Their baggage to unload the grain provisions
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They had brought back from Egypt,
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Only to find the goods they had taken to purchase food
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Had been returned to them.
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Overjoyed, they went to their father with glad tidings,
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Saying to him,
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"O our father, what more could we desire?
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We have brought back the food,
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And here are our goods returned to us.
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This is part of the governor's benevolence toward us.
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Now, all we need
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Is to take our brother along,
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So we may secure grain for ourselves and all our family,
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Protect our brother during our journey,
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And gain an extra measure of grain—the load of one more camel.
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This will be an easy and effortless gain."
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They persistently pressed their father,
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Until the grieving father finally agreed,
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But he imposed a strict condition upon them:
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That they give him a solemn pledge in the name of Allah
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To safeguard him,
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Unless they were completely overwhelmed.
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When they gave him their solemn oaths and pledges,
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He permitted their brother Benjamin to go with them
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To the market of Egypt
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And meet its governor.
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Allah Almighty said:
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“And Joseph's brethren came and presented themselves before him, and he knew them but they knew him not.” (12:58)
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﴿...and he recognized them, while they were unaware of him.﴾
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﴿And when he had furnished them
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with their supplies, he said,
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"Bring me a brother of yours
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from your father.
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Do you not see that I
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“And when he provided them with their provision he said: Bring unto me a brother of yours from your father. See ye not that I fill up the measure and I am the best of hosts?” (12:59)
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“And if ye bring him not unto me, then there shall be no measure for you with me, nor shall ye draw near.” (12:60)
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“And if ye bring him not unto me, then there shall be no measure for you with me, nor shall ye draw near.” (12:60)
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...nor shall you come near me."﴾
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﴿They said, "We will solicit
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his father for him, and we will surely
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do so."﴾
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﴿And he said to his servants, "Put
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their goods into their saddlebags
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so that they may recognize them
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so that they may recognize them
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when they return to their family,
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that perhaps they may return."﴾
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“So when they went back to their father they said: O our father! The measure is denied us, so send with us our brother that we may obtain the measure, surely we will guard him well.” (12:63)
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“So when they went back to their father they said: O our father! The measure is denied us, so send with us our brother that we may obtain the measure, surely we will guard him well.” (12:63)
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﴿..."The measure of grain has been denied us,
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“So when they went back to their father they said: O our father! The measure is denied us, so send with us our brother that we may obtain the measure, surely we will guard him well.” (12:63)
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“So when they went back to their father they said: O our father! The measure is denied us, so send with us our brother that we may obtain the measure, surely we will guard him well.” (12:63)
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so send with us our brother that we may get our measure,
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and we will indeed
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protect him."﴾
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﴿He said, "Can I trust you with him
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any differently than I trusted you with his brother before?
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“He said: Can I entrust him to you save as I entrusted his brother to you aforetime? Allah is better at guarding, and He is the Most Merciful of those who show mercy.” (12:64)
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But Allah is the best guardian,
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and He is the Most Merciful of the merciful."﴾
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﴿And when
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they opened their baggage, they found
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their goods returned to them.﴾
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“And when they opened their belongings they discovered that their merchandise had been returned to them. They said: O our father! What (more) can we ask? Here is our merchandise returned to us. We shall get provision for our folk and guard our brother, and we shall have the extra measure of a camel (load). This (that we bring now) is a light measure.” (12:65)
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﴿They said, "O our father, what more can we desire? This is our merchandise
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returned to us!
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We will obtain food for our family,
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protect our brother,
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and gain an extra measure—the load of a camel.
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That is an easy measure!"﴾
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“He said: I will not send him with you till ye give me an undertaking in the name of Allah that ye will bring him back to me, unless ye are surrounded. And when they gave him their undertaking he said: Allah is the Warden over what we say.” (12:66)
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﴿He said, "I will not send him with you until you give me a solemn pledge
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in the name of Allah that you will bring him back
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to me..."﴾
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“He said: I will not send him with you till ye give me an undertaking in the name of Allah that ye will bring him back to me, unless ye are surrounded. And when they gave him their undertaking he said: Allah is the Warden over what we say.” (12:66)
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﴿And when they had given him
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their solemn pledge, he said, "Allah
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is Witness over what we say."﴾
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Then, as the brothers
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prepared to set out on the journey, their father
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Ya'qub, peace be upon him, gave them counsel,
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speaking out of deep affection and care: "O my sons,
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Egypt has four gates;
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enter through all the different gates,
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"And do not enter through a single gate,
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It was said that he feared the evil eye for them,
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for they were ten brothers,
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all possessing striking and handsome appearances.
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The evil eye is a reality;
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'If anything could precede the divine decree, it would be the evil eye,'
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as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said.
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So they did as their father instructed them,
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entering just as their father had commanded them.
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Yet it could not avail them against the decree of Allah in the least,
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if He had ordained something for them,
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except that it fulfilled a deep need in the soul of their father.
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For he, peace be upon him, was possessed of knowledge,
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taught to him directly by Allah,
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such as most people do not know.
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When they arrived in the land of Egypt once again,
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Joseph (peace be upon him) summoned them,
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and lodged every two of them together in a dwelling.
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Thus, his full brother Benjamin was left alone without a companion.
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When they retired to their quarters,
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Joseph took his brother aside to himself without their knowledge,
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and embraced him warmly—
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his beloved full brother.
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He disclosed his identity to him, saying:
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'Indeed, I am your brother Joseph,
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so do not despair or grieve over what they used to do.'
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He then agreed with him upon a plan
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by which he could remain with him in Egypt.
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So Joseph placed the royal measuring goblet of the King of Egypt
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inside his brother's saddlebag, and then they departed.
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The next day, the brothers prepared
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their mounts and intended to return home,
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having secured their provisions.
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Suddenly, a herald called out to them:
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'O caravan!
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O traveling party!
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Indeed, you are thieves!'
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The brothers were astonished by this accusation
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and said, 'Perhaps there is some misunderstanding in this matter.'
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They turned to the herald and asked him:
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'What are you missing?'
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He replied, 'We are missing the King's measuring goblet,
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and this cup is precious and valuable.
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Whoever brings it back of his own accord
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shall have a camel's load of grain in addition to his share,
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and I personally guarantee it.'
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The brothers answered with complete confidence:
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'By Allah, you well know that we did not come
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to cause corruption in the land,
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and you have recognized this from our noble conduct.'
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It was said that they used to muzzle
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their camels when passing through the farmlands
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and orchards of Egypt so they would not graze on them.
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They reinforced their statement with an absolute denial
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of theft. So the herald said to them:
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'What shall be the penalty for the thief if it turns out to be one of you,
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and you prove to be liars?'
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The official herald responsible for the goblet—
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under the guidance of Joseph (peace be upon him)—
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wanted the penalty of the thief to be determined
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by them in accordance with their own sacred law,
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wherein the thief becomes a slave to the victim,
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unlike the imperial law of the King in Egypt,
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under which a thief was merely beaten and imprisoned.
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Therefore, he left the judgment to them,
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and they said:
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'The penalty for him in whose bag the goblet is found
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is that he himself shall be retained by you as a slave.'
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They all agreed to this judgment.
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Thereupon, the search commenced
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in the belongings of all the brothers in the caravan,
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so that they would not suspect any contrivance.
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Then, when he reached the saddlebag of Benjamin,
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he extracted the goblet from it.
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The brothers were utterly dumbfounded and demoralized,
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and the plan of Joseph (peace be upon him) succeeded.
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This was part of the subtle plan decreed for him by Allah, Glorified and Exalted.
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So they seized Benjamin
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from among his brothers
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to remain behind in Egypt.
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And when they presented themselves
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before Joseph, he took
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his brother to himself,
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“And when they went in before Joseph, he took his brother unto him, saying: Lo! I, even I, am thy brother, therefore sorrow not for what they did.” (12:69)
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saying, 'Do not grieve over what they used
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to do.'
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So when he had provided them
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with their supplies, he placed the drinking cup
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in his brother's saddlebag.
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Then a herald called out:
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'O caravan, indeed you
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are thieves!'
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They turned back to them and said:
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'What are you missing?'
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“They said: We have lost the king's cup, and he who bringeth it shall have a camel-load, and I (said Joseph) am answerable for it.” (12:72)
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'And for him who brings it back is
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a camel's load,
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and for him who brings it back is
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a camel's load,
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and I am bound as guarantor for it.'
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“They said: By Allah, well ye know we came not to do evil in the land, and are no thieves.” (12:73)
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“They said: By Allah, well ye know we came not to do evil in the land, and are no thieves.” (12:73)
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'And we have never been thieves.'
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They said, 'Then what shall be its penalty
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if you should be
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liars?'
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They replied, 'Its penalty shall be on him in whose
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saddlebag it is found; he himself shall be its penalty.
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Thus do we repay the wrongdoers.'
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So he began searching
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“Then he (Joseph) began the search with their bags before his brother's bag, then he produced it from his brother's bag. Thus did We contrive for Joseph. He could not have taken his brother according to the king's law unless Allah willed. We raise by grades (of mercy) whom We will, and over every lord of knowledge there is one more knowing.” (12:76)
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then extracted it
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from his brother's bag.
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Thus did We plan
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for Joseph;
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“Then he (Joseph) began the search with their bags before his brother's bag, then he produced it from his brother's bag. Thus did We contrive for Joseph. He could not have taken his brother according to the king's law unless Allah willed. We raise by grades (of mercy) whom We will, and over every lord of knowledge there is one more knowing.” (12:76)
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he could not have taken his brother except by the will of
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Allah.
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We raise in degrees whom We
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will,
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and above every
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possessor of knowledge is One All-Knowing.
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The brothers stood before
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Joseph, the minister,
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and spoke, offering excuses for what had transpired from their brother:
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“They said: If he stealeth, a brother of his stole before. But Joseph kept it secret in his soul and revealed it not unto them. He said (within himself): Ye are in worse case, and Allah knoweth best (the truth of) that which ye allege.” (12:77)
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referring to their brother Joseph
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when he was young,
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claiming he had stolen an idol and destroyed it,
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or saying this falsely against him
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out of a lingering jealousy in their hearts to this day.
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Joseph (peace be upon him) said to himself:
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'You are in a far worse position,'
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“They said: If he stealeth, a brother of his stole before. But Joseph kept it secret in his soul and revealed it not unto them. He said (within himself): Ye are in worse case, and Allah knoweth best (the truth of) that which ye allege.” (12:77)
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for the worst of brothers are those who break their pledge to their father.
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Sensing the severity of the situation,
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they pleaded with Joseph (peace be upon him):
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'O noble chief!
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Indeed, this boy has a father who is a very elderly man,
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who cannot bear separation from him.
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So show mercy to him and take one of us in his place,
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for we see that you are among the doers of good.'
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Joseph (peace be upon him) replied:
18:13
'We would indeed be wrongdoers were we to do that.'
18:16
The brothers persisted in pleading with him,
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but their attempts met with no success.
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When they reached a point of total despair,
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they withdrew by themselves,
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conferring in low, hushed tones.
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Their eldest brother said:
18:34
“So, When they despaired of (moving) him, they conferred together apart. The eldest of them said: Know ye not how your father took an undertaking from you in Allah's name and how ye failed in the case of Joseph aforetime? Therefore I shall not go forth from the land until my father giveth leave or Allah judgeth for me. He is the Best of Judges.” (12:80)
18:37
'Has your father not taken solemn oaths from you?
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With what face will you meet him now,
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given your past crime
18:46
in losing his son Joseph?
18:49
Have you forgotten that?
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As for me, I cannot bring myself to return
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to my father in this state.
18:58
I will never leave this land of Egypt
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unless my father grants me leave,
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or Allah judges in my favor by returning my brother to me.
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Return, O my brothers,
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and inform my father of what happened,
19:15
and speak the truth.
19:18
Tell him: "Your son committed theft,
19:21
and we have only reported what we witnessed.
19:24
And if you do not believe us,
19:27
ask the people of Egypt among whom we stayed,
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or ask the people of the caravan who traveled with us,
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for we are indeed truthful in what we say."'
19:36
So they returned to Palestine
19:39
and informed their father of what had befallen them in Egypt.
19:42
Jacob (peace be upon him) said:
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'Nay, your inner selves have enticed you into something.'
19:48
And indeed he spoke the truth,
19:51
for this was a plan orchestrated by Joseph (peace be upon him).
19:55
Then Jacob composed himself with patience,
19:58
saying, 'So graceful patience is best,
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without complaining to any created being.
20:04
“(And when they came unto their father and had spoken thus to him) he said: Nay, but your minds have beguiled you into something. (My course is) comely patience! It may be that Allah will bring them all unto me. Lo! He, only He, is the Knower, the Wise.” (12:83)
20:07
Joseph, his brother Benjamin,
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and their eldest brother.
20:13
And Allah is over all things Omnipotent.'
20:16
Allah the Almighty says:
20:19
'They said: "O noble chief!
20:22
Indeed, he has a father,
20:25
a very old man,
20:28
a very old man."
20:31
He said: "Allah forbid
20:34
that we should take
20:37
anyone except him with whom we found
20:40
our property;
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except him with whom we found
20:46
our property.
20:49
Indeed, we would then be wrongdoers."
20:52
So when they despaired
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of him, they withdrew privately to confer.
20:59
“So, When they despaired of (moving) him, they conferred together apart. The eldest of them said: Know ye not how your father took an undertaking from you in Allah's name and how ye failed in the case of Joseph aforetime? Therefore I shall not go forth from the land until my father giveth leave or Allah judgeth for me. He is the Best of Judges.” (12:80)
21:02
"that your father
21:05
has taken from you
21:08
a pledge?
21:11
Has taken from you
21:14
a pledge by Allah?
21:17
And before this, how you failed
21:20
“So, When they despaired of (moving) him, they conferred together apart. The eldest of them said: Know ye not how your father took an undertaking from you in Allah's name and how ye failed in the case of Joseph aforetime? Therefore I shall not go forth from the land until my father giveth leave or Allah judgeth for me. He is the Best of Judges.” (12:80)
21:23
the land until my father permits me,
21:26
“So, When they despaired of (moving) him, they conferred together apart. The eldest of them said: Know ye not how your father took an undertaking from you in Allah's name and how ye failed in the case of Joseph aforetime? Therefore I shall not go forth from the land until my father giveth leave or Allah judgeth for me. He is the Best of Judges.” (12:80)
21:29
and He is the best of judges.
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Return to
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“Return unto your father and say: O our father! Lo! thy son hath stolen. We testify only to that which we know; we are not guardians of the Unseen.” (12:81)
21:38
'Indeed, your son has stolen.'
21:41
So say: 'O our father,
21:44
"Indeed, your son has stolen;
21:47
and we testify to nothing
21:50
except what we know,
21:53
and we were not of the unseen
21:56
guardians."
21:59
“Ask the township where we were, and the caravan with which we travelled hither. Lo! we speak the truth.” (12:82)
22:02
“Ask the township where we were, and the caravan with which we travelled hither. Lo! we speak the truth.” (12:82)
22:05
"in it, and indeed we
22:08
are truthful."
22:11
He said, "Rather, your souls have enticed you
22:14
into something,
22:17
so patience is most fitting.
22:20
Perhaps Allah will bring them
22:23
all back to me.
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Indeed, He is the All-Knowing, the All-Wise."
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A questioner may
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ask: How could Joseph,
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peace be upon him, do such a thing to his father?
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Why did he not inform his father about his condition?
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And why did he detain his brother, knowing
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the intense grief it would cause his father?
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For this would seem like undutifulness, severing family ties,
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and a lack of compassion.
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The answer to this—and Allah knows best—
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is that he did so by the command of Allah, the Glorified and Exalted.
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He commanded him to do it in order to increase the trial of
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Jacob, peace be upon him,
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so that his reward would be multiplied
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and he would reach the spiritual rank of his forefathers before him.
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To be continued, Allah willing.
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And Allah knows best.
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All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds.
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May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon our Prophet Muhammad,
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and upon his family and all his Companions.
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You were listening to Stories of the Prophets.
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May Allah send peace and blessings.