The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 3) — Page 249
PT. 13 YUSUF CH. 12 فَلَمَّا جَهَّزَهُمْ بِجَهَازِهِم جَعَلَ And when he had provided. 71 them with their provision, he السَّقَايَةَ فِي رَحْلِ أَخِيهِ ثُمَّ أَذْنَ مُؤَذِّنُ put the drinking cup in his brother's saddlebag. Then a crier cried, 'O ye men of the caravan, you have been guilty of theft. '1572 72. They said, turning towards them, 'What is it that you miss?' 1573 أَيَّتُهَا الْعِيْرُ إِنَّكُمْ لَسْرِقُونَ قَالُوا وَ اقْبَلُوْا عَلَيْهِمْ مَّاذَا تَفْقِدُونَ pcbjjjelljé pólójá قَالُوا نَفْقِدُ صُوَاعَ الْمَلِكِ وَلِمَنْ جَاءَ بِهِ They replied, “We miss the. 73 حِمْلُ بَعِيرٍ وَ أَنَا بِهِ زَعِيْمُ King's measuring cup, and whoso brings it shall have a camel- load, and I am surety for it. '1574 mean either that Joseph assured Benjamin that he was his selfsame brother who was supposed to be dead or that he desired to comfort him that henceforth he would be safe from the machinations of his brothers. 1572. Commentary: The word (put) may either mean that Joseph ordered the cup to be put in his brother's sack knowingly so that he might use it on his way home; or that it was put there by mistake i. e. when Joseph had drunk water from it while the two brothers were engaged in conversation, the cup happened to be placed among Benjamin's articles, Joseph not knowing that it was there. 1573. Commentary: The words, turning towards them, hint that on this occasion Joseph's brothers had no guilty conscience. 1574. Important Words: (measuring cup) is derived from. They say, i. e. he folded or doubled the thing; he twisted it or bent it. E means, he measured the corn with the measure means, he صاع القوم صاع known as incited the people against one another. is a well-known measure for measuring corn, etc. ε means, a certain measure for measuring corn; a cup of the kind called from which one drinks (Aqrab & Lane). Commentary: The incident mentioned in this and the contiguous verses has given rise to much controversy. It is absurd to say, as some commentators of the Quran have done, that Joseph first intentionally put the drinking cup into his brother's sack, and then accused him of theft an action much below his dignity, inasmuch as it represents 1457