Plot

In Joseph and his brothers are lessons for those who seek understanding.

12:7Verily in Joseph and his brethren are signs (of Allah's Sovereignty) for the inquiring.

They said, “Joseph and his brother are dearer to our father than we are, though we are a strong group. Our father is clearly mistaken.”

12:8When they said: Verily Joseph and his brother are dearer to our father than we are, many though we be. Lo! our father is in plain aberration.

“Kill Joseph or cast him far away, so our father’s attention will be ours. Then we can be righteous.”

12:9(One said): Kill Joseph or cast him to some (other) land, so that your father's favour may be all for you, and (that) ye may afterward be righteous folk.

One of them said, “Do not kill Joseph, throw him into the depths of a well, and perhaps a passing caravan will pick him up, if you must do something.”

12:10One among them said: Kill not Joseph but, if ye must be doing, fling him into the depth of the pit; some caravan will find him.

They said, “Father, why do you not trust us with Joseph, though we care for him?”

12:11They said: O our father! Why wilt thou not trust us with Joseph, when lo! we are good friends to him?

“Send him with us tomorrow so he may play and enjoy himself. We will watch over him.”

12:12Send him with us to-morrow that he may enjoy himself and play. And lo! we shall take good care of him.

He said, “It worries me that you would take him, and I fear a wolf may devour him while you are distracted.”

12:13He said: Lo! in truth it saddens me that ye should take him with you, and I fear less the wolf devour him while ye are heedless of him.

They said, “If a wolf eats him while we are a strong group, then we are truly worthless.”

12:14They said: If the wolf should devour him when we are (so strong) a band, then surely we should have already perished.

So they took him away and agreed to place him at the bottom of the well. We inspired him, “One day, you will remind them of this deed while they do not recognize you.”

12:15Then, when they led him off, and were of one mind that they should place him in the depth of the pit, We inspired in him: Thou wilt tell them of this deed of theirs when they know (thee) not.

That evening, they returned to their father weeping.

12:16And they came weeping to their father in the evening.

They said, “O father, we were racing, and we left Joseph with our belongings, and the wolf ate him. But you will not believe us, even though we are truthful.”

12:17Saying: O our father! We went racing one with another, and left Joseph by our things, and the wolf devoured him, and thou believest not our saying even when we speak the truth.

They brought his shirt stained with false blood. He said, “Your souls have enticed you to do something. But patience is beautiful, and Allah is my refuge against what you describe.”

12:18And they came with false blood on his shirt. He said: Nay, but your minds have beguiled you into something. (My course is) comely patience. And Allah it is Whose help is to be sought in that (predicament) which ye describe.