Surah Yusuf Ayat 77 in Arabic Text
English Translation
Here you can read various translations of verse 77
They said, “If he steals – a brother of his has stolen before.” But Joseph kept it within himself and did not reveal it to them. He said, “You are worse in position, and Allah is most knowing of what you describe.”
They said: “If he steals, there was a brother of his who did steal before (him).” But these things did Joseph keep locked in his heart, revealing not the secrets to them. He (simply) said (to himself): “Ye are the worse situated; and Allah knoweth best the truth of what ye assert!”
They said: “No wonder that he steals for a brother of his stole before.” But Joseph kept his reaction to himself without disclosing the truth to them. He merely said to himself: “You are an evil lot. Allah knows well the truth of the accusation that you are making against me (to my face).”
They [(Yusuf’s (Joseph) brothers] said: “If he steals, there was a brother of his [Yusuf (Joseph)] who did steal before (him).” But these things did Yusuf (Joseph) keep in himself, revealing not the secrets to them. He said (within himself): “You are in worst case, and Allah knows best the truth of what you assert!”
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.
They said, “In case he steals, then a brother of his already stole even before.” Yet Yûsuf (Joseph) kept it secret within himself and did not display it to them. He said (to himself), “You are in an eviler place; and Allah knows best what you are describing.”
[His brothers] said, ‘If he is a thief then his brother was a thief before him,’ but Joseph kept his secrets and did not reveal anything to them. He said, ‘You are in a far worse situation. God knows best the truth of what you claim.’
انہوں نے کہا کہ اگر اس نے چوری کی (تو کوئی تعجب کی بات نہیں) اس کابھائی بھی پہلے چوری کر چکا ہے۔ یوسف (علیہ السلام) نے اس بات کو اپنے دل میں رکھ لیا اور ان کے سامنے بالکل ﻇاہر نہ کیا۔ کہا کہ تم بدتر جگہ میں ہو، اور جو تم بیان کرتے ہو اسے اللہ ہی خوب جانتا ہے
Quran 12 Verse 77 Explanation
For those looking for commentary to help with the understanding of Surah Yusuf ayat 77, we’ve provided two Tafseer works below. The first is the tafseer of Abul Ala Maududi, the second is of Ibn Kathir.
Ala-Maududi
(12:77) They said: “No wonder that he steals for a brother of his stole before.”[61] But Joseph kept his reaction to himself without disclosing the truth to them. He merely said to himself: “You are an evil lot. Allah knows well the truth of the accusation that you are making against me (to my face).”
61. As regards to the question why it was not worthy of Prophet Joseph to apply the king’s law to his personal case, its best answer is again found in the practice of the Prophet (peace be upon him). During the interim period, when the laws of ignorance had not yet been replaced by Islamic laws, other Muslims went on drinking wine and taking interest as before, but the Prophet (peace be upon him) never practiced any of these things. Likewise some un- Islamic laws of marriage, such as taking in marriage of real sisters at one and the same time, were practiced, but the Prophet (peace be upon him) never practiced any such thing. Thus it is clear, that there was a difference between leaving in vogue some un-Islamic laws during the period of the evolution of the Islamic law and practicing the same. Had Prophet Joseph applied the king’s law to his own case, it would have meant that he had lent his seeming sanction to that law. But it is obvious that a Prophet, who is sent to eliminate the ways of ignorance cannot follow these even under the temporary leave that is given to others.
Their position and dissociated themselves from Benjamin, declaring that he was a thief like his brother Joseph. It is obvious that this was a false accusation the clever brothers had invented on the spot. But it is an instance of the malice these brothers bore to their two step brothers, and is also the answer to the question why Prophet Joseph desired to keep his brother with him.
Ibn-Kathir
77. They ﴿Yusuf’s brothers﴾ said: “If he steals, there was a brother of his ﴿ Yusuf ﴾who did steal before (him). ” But these things did Yusuf keep in himself, revealing not the secrets to them. He said : (within himself) “You are in an evil situation, and Allah is the Best Knower of that which you describe!”
After Yusuf’s brothers saw that the king’s bowl was taken out of Binyamin’s bag, they said,
(If he steals, there was a brother of his who did steal before.) They tried to show themselves as innocent from being like Binyamin, saying that he did just like a brother of his did beforehand, meaning Yusuf, peace be upon him! Allah said,
(But these things did Yusuf keep in himself), meaning the statement that he said afterwards,
(You are in an evil situation, and Allah is the Best Knower of that which you describe!) Yusuf said this to himself and did not utter it aloud, thus intending to hide what he wanted to say to himself even before he said it. Al-`Awfi reported that Ibn `Abbas said about Allah’s statement,
(But these things did Yusuf keep in himself), “He kept in himself ﴿his statement next﴾,
(You are in an evil situation, and Allah is the Best Knower of that which you describe!).”
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