Surah Yusuf • Ayah 62

Yusuf's Brothers travel to EgyptAs-Suddi, Muhammad bin Ishaq and several others said that the reason why Yusuf's brothers went to Egypt, is that after Yusuf became minister of Egypt and the seven years of abundance passed, then came the seven years of drought that struck all areas of Egypt. The drought also reached the area of Kana`an (Canaan), where Prophet Ya`qub, peace be upon him, and his children resided. Prophet Yusuf efficiently guarded the people's harvest and collected it, and what he collected became a great fortune for the people. This also permitted Yusuf to give gifts to the people who sought his aid from various areas who came to buy food and provisions for their families. Yusuf would not give a family man more than whatever a camel could carry, as annual provisions for them. Yusuf himself did not fill his stomach from this food, nor did the king and his aids eat except one meal a day. By doing so, the people could sustain themselves with what they had for the remainder of the seven years. Indeed, Yusuf was a mercy from Allah sent to the people of Egypt. Yusuf's brothers were among those who came to Egypt to buy food supplies, by the order of their father. They knew that the `Aziz of Egypt was selling food to people who need it for a low price, so they took some merchandise from their land with them to exchange it for food. They were ten, because Ya`qub peace be upon him kept his son and Yusuf's brother Binyamin with him. Binyamin was the dearest of his sons to him after Yusuf. When Prophet Yusuf's brothers entered on him in his court and the center of his authority, he knew them the minute he saw them. However, they did not recognize him because they got rid of him when he was still young, and sold him to a caravan of travelers while unaware of their destination. They could not have imagined that Yusuf would end up being a minister, and this is why they did not recognize him, while he did recognize them. As-Suddi said that Yusuf started talking to his brothers and asked them, "What brought you to my land" They said, "O, `Aziz, we came to buy provisions." He asked them, "You might be spies." They said, "Allah forbids." He asked them, "Where are you from" They said, "From the area of Kana`an, and our father is Allah's Prophet Ya`qub." He asked them, "Does he have other children besides you" They said, "Yes, we were twelve brothers. Our youngest died in the desert, and he used to be the dearest to his father. His full brother is alive and his father kept him, so that his closeness compensates him for losing our youngest brother who died." Yusuf ordered that his brothers be honored and allowed to remain, وَلَمَّا جَهَّزَهُم بِجَهَازِهِمْ(And when he furnished them with their provisions,) according to their needs and gave them what they wanted to buy, he said to them, "Bring me your brother from your father's side whom you mentioned, so that I know that you have told me the truth." He continued, أَلاَ تَرَوْنَ أَنِّى أُوفِى الْكَيْلَ وَأَنَاْ خَيْرُ الْمُنْزِلِينَ(See you not that I give full measure, and that I am the best of the hosts) encouraging them to return to him. He then threatened them, فَإِن لَّمْ تَأْتُونِى بِهِ فَلاَ كَيْلَ لَكُمْ عِندِى(But if you bring him not to me, there shall be no measure (of corn) for you with me. ) He threatened them that if the next time they come without Binyamin with them, they will not be allowed to buy the food that they need, فَإِن لَّمْ تَأْتُونِى بِهِ فَلاَ كَيْلَ لَكُمْ عِندِى وَلاَ تَقْرَبُونِ - قَالُواْ سَنُرَوِدُ عَنْهُ أَبَاهُ وَإِنَّا لَفَـعِلُونَ ("...nor shall you come near me." They said: "We shall try to get permission (for him) from his father, and verily, we shall do it.") They said, `We will try our best to bring him with us, so that we spare no effort to prove to you that we are truthful in what we told you about ourselves.' Allah said, وَقَالَ لِفِتْيَانِهِ(And Yusuf told his servants), or his slaves, اجْعَلُواْ بِضَـعَتَهُمْ(to put their money), or the merchandise they brought with them to exchange for food, فِى رِحَالِهِمْ(into their bags,), while they were unaware, لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْجِعُونَ(in order that they might come again.) It was said that Yusuf did this because he feared that his brothers might not have any more merchandise they could bring with them to exchange for food.

بابکہتے ہیں کہ یوسف علیہ السلام نے وزیر مصر بن کر سات سال تک غلے اور اناج کو بہترین طور پر جمع کیا۔ اس کے بعد جب عام قحط سالی شروع ہوئی اور لوگ ایک ایک دانے کو ترسنے لگے تو آپ نے محتاجوں کو دینا شروع کیا، یہ قحط علاقہ مصر سے نکل کر کنعان وغیرہ شہروں میں بھی پھیل گیا تھا۔ آپ ہر بیرونی شخص کو اونٹ بھر کر غلہ عطا فرمایا کرتے تھے۔ اور خود آپ کا لشکر بلکہ خود بادشاہ بھی دن بھر میں صرف ایک ہی مرتبہ دوپہر کے وقت ایک آدھ نوالہ کھا لیتے تھے اور اہل مصر کو پیٹ بھر کر کھلاتے تھے پس اس زمانے میں یہ بات ایک رحمت رب تھی۔ یہ بھی مروی ہے کہ آپ علیہ السلام نے پہلے سال مال کے بدلے غلہ بیچا۔ دوسرے سال سامان اسباب کے بدلے، تیسرے سال بھی اور چوتھے سال بھی۔ پھر خود لوگوں کی جان اور ان کی اولاد کے بدلے۔ پس خود لوگ ان کے بچے اور ان کی کل ملیکت اور مال کے آپ علیہ السلام مالک بن گئے۔ لیکن اس کے بعد آپ علیہ السلام نے سب کو آزاد کر دیا اور ان کے مال بھی ان کے حوالے کر دئے۔ یہ روایت بنو اسرائیل کی ہے جسے ہم سچ جھوٹ نہیں کہہ سکتے۔ یہاں یہ بیان ہو رہا ہے کہ ان آنے والوں میں برادران یوسف بھی تھے۔ جو باپ کے حکم سے آئے تھے۔ انہیں معلوم ہوا تھا کہ عزیز مصر مال متاع کے بدلے غلہ دیتے ہیں تو آپ نے اپنے دس بیٹوں کو یہاں بھیجا اور یوسف علیہ السلام کے سگے بھائی بنیامین کو جو آپ علیہ السلام کے بعد یعقوب علیہ السلام کے نزدیک بہت ہی پیارے تھے اپنے پاس روک لیا۔ جب یہ قافلہ اللہ کے نبی علیہ السلام کے پاس پہنچا تو آپ نے توبہ یک نگاہ سب کو پہچان لیا لیکن ان میں سے ایک بھی آپ کو نہ پہچان سکا۔صفحہ نمبر4030اس لیے کہ آپ ان سے بچپن میں ہی جدا ہو گئے تھے۔ بھائیوں نے آپ کو سوداگروں کے ہاتھ بیچ ڈالا تھا انہیں کیا خبر تھی کہ پھر کیا ہوا۔ اور یہ تو ذہن میں بھی نہ آ سکتا تھا کہ وہ بچہ جسے بحیثیت غلام بیچا تھا۔ آج وہی عزیز مصر بن کر بیٹھا ہے۔ ادھر یوسف علیہ السلام نے طرز گفتگو بھی ایسا اختیار کیا کہ انہیں وہم بھی نہ ہو۔ ان سے پوچھا کہ تم لوگ میرے ملک میں کیسے آ گئے؟ انہوں نے کہا یہ سن کر کہ آپ غلہ عطا فرماتے ہیں۔ آپ علیہ السلام نے فرمایا مجھے تو شک ہوتا ہے کہ کہیں تم جاسوس نہ ہو؟ انہوں نے کہا معاذاللہ ہم جاسوس نہیں۔ فرمایا تم رہنے والے کہاں کے ہو؟ کہا کنعان کے اور ہمارے والد صاحب کا نام یعقوب نبی اللہ ہے۔ آپ نے پوچھا تمہارے سوا ان کے اور لڑکے بھی ہیں؟ انہوں نے کہا ہاں ہم بارہ بھائی تھے۔ ہم میں جو سب سے چھوٹا تھا اور ہمارے باپ کی آنکھوں کا تارا تھا وہ تو ہلاک ہو گیا۔ اسی کا ایک بھائی اور ہے۔ اسے باپ نے ہمارے ساتھ نہیں بھیجا بلکہ اپنے پاس ہی روک لیا ہے کہ اس سے ذرا آپ کو اطمینان اور تسلی رہے۔ ان باتوں کے بعد آپ علیہ السلام نے حکم دیا کہ انہیں سرکاری مہمان سمجھا جائے اور ہر طرح حاظر مدارات کی جائے اور اچھی جگہ ٹھہرایا جائے۔صفحہ نمبر4031اب جب انہیں غلہ دیا جانے لگا اور ان تھلیے بھر دئے گئے اور جتنے جانور ان کے ساتھ تھے وہ جتنا غلہ اٹھا سکتے تھے بھر دیا تو فرمایا دیکھو اپنی صداقت کے اظہار کے لیے اپنے اس بھائی کو جسے تم اس مرتبہ اپنے ساتھ نہ لائے اب اگر آؤ تو لیتے آنا دیکھو میں نے تم سے اچھا سلوک کیا ہے اور تمہاری بڑی خاطر تواضع کی ہے اس طرح رغبت دلا کر پھر دھمکا بھی دیا کہ اگر دوبارہ کے آنے میں اسے ساتھ نہ لائے تو میں تمہیں ایک دانہ اناج کا نہ دوں گا بلکہ تمہیں اپنے نزدیک بھی نہ آنے دوں گا۔ انہوں نے وعدے کئے کہ ہم انہیں کہہ سن کر لالچ دکھا کر ہر طرح پوری کوشش کریں گے کہ اپنے اس بھائی کو بھی لائیں تاکہ بادشاہ کے سامنے ہم جھوٹے نہ پڑیں۔صفحہ نمبر4032سدی رحمہ اللہ تو کہتے ہیں کہ آپ نے تو ان سے رہن رکھ لیا کہ جب لاؤ گے تو یہ پاؤ گے۔ لیکن یہ بات کچھ جی کو لگتی نہیں اس لیے کہ آپ علیہ السلام نے تو انہیں واپسی کی بڑی رغبت دلائی اور بہت کچھ تمنا ظاہر کی۔ جب بھائی کوچ کی تیاریاں کرنے لگے تو یوسف علیہ السلام نے اپنے چالاک چاکروں سے اشارہ کیا کہ جو اسباب یہ لائے تھے اور جس کے عوض انہوں نے ہم سے غلہ لیا ہے وہ انہیں واپس کر دو لیکن اس خوبصورتی سے کہ انہیں معلوم تک نہ ہو۔ ان کے کجاؤں اور بوروں میں ان کی تمام چیزیں رکھ دو۔ ممکن ہے اس کی وجہ یہ ہو کہ آپ کو خیال ہوا ہو کہ اب گھر میں کیا ہو گا جسے لے کر یہ غلہ لینے کے لیے آئیں۔ اور یہ بھی ہو سکتا ہے کہ آپ نے اپنے باپ اور بھائی سے اناج کا کچھ معاوضہ لینا مناسب نہ سمجھا ہو اور یہ بھی قرین قیاس ہے کہ آپ نے یہ خیال فرمایا ہو کہ جب یہ اپنا اسباب کھولیں گے اور یہ چیزیں اس میں پائیں گے تو ضروری ہے کہ ہماری یہ چیزیں ہمیں واپس دینے کو آئیں تو اس بہانے ہی بھائی سے ملاقات ہو جائے گی۔صفحہ نمبر4033

آیت 62 وَقَالَ لِفِتْيٰنِهِ اجْعَلُوْا بِضَاعَتَهُمْ فِيْ رِحَالِهِمْ اس زمانے میں چیزوں کے عوض ہی چیزیں خریدی جاتی تھیں۔ چناچہ وہ لوگ بھی اپنے ہاں سے کچھ چیزیں بھیڑ بکریوں کی اون وغیرہ اس مقصد کے لیے لے کر آئے تھے اور غلے کی قیمت کے طور پر اپنی وہ چیزیں انہوں نے پیش کردی تھیں۔ مگر حضرت یوسف نے اپنے ملازمین کو ہدایت کردی کہ جب ان کے کجاو وں میں گندم بھری جائے تو ان لوگوں کی یہ چیزیں بھی جو انہوں نے غلے کی قیمت کے طور پر ادا کی ہیں چپکے سے واپس ان کے کجاو وں میں ہی رکھ دی جائیں۔

Ibn Kathir has described several possibilities as to why Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) acted the way he did: (1) It occurred to him that, perhaps they may not have anything other than the cash and jewelry they had brought. If so, they would be unable to come for the grains again. (2) Perhaps, he could not bear by the idea of taking the price of foodstuff from his father and brothers, therefore, he paid the amount due from his pocket and had it deposited in the royal treasury, and returned their cash and jewelry back to them. (3) He knew when their cash and jewelry is found in their supplies back home and his father learns about it, then he, being a prophet of Allah, would consider what has been thus found to be a trust of the Egyptian Treasury and would certainly have it returned, therefore, the return of their brothers would become more assured.However, it can be said briefly that Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) made all these arrangements so that his brothers could keep coming to him in the future and that he could also meet his younger real brother.A Ruling:From this event relating to Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) ، we learn that, should the economic condition of a country worsen to the limit that the failure of the government to check the decline may cause people to be-come deprived of the basic necessities of life, then, the government is justified in taking over the regulation and control of such supplies and it could also fix an appropriate price of food grains. Muslim jurists have explained this provision in details.A Special Note:There is something which strikes as unusual in this story of Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) . We see that his exalted father, the prophet of Allah, Sayyidna Ya` qub (علیہ السلام) was so affected by his separation that constant weeping made him lose his eyesight. Then, on the other hand, we have Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) ، a prophet and messenger of Allah like him, one who naturally loved his father and knew his rights on him fully well. But, during this long period of forty years, how was it that it did not occur to him even once that his father must be missing him miserably and that it would be nice to let him know about his wellbeing through some source. The sending of such information was not too far out a proposition even when he had reached Egypt as a slave. Then, once he was in the home of the ` Aziz of Misr, he had the freedom, comfort and time to do that. It was not so difficult to send a message to his home through some source. For that matter, this could have been done when he was in the prison as well. Who does not know that messages from inside those walls can be delivered anywhere, near or far? Then, came the time when Allah Ta’ ala took him out of the prison with all honours and the authority over the land of Egypt became his own. That was a time when he should have presented himself before his father as his primary task. And had it been against some state consideration, he could have at the least sent an emissary to comfort his father, something ordinary given the status he had.But, Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) has not been reported to have even intended to do that. Not to say much about his intention, when his brothers came to procure food grains, he sent them back without telling them about the real situation.These are conditions which cannot be imagined about an ordinary human being. How was it possible for an exalted messenger of Allah to bear by this situation?The only answer to this surprising silence which kept returning to me was that may be Allah Ta’ ala, in His infinite wisdom, had stopped Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) from exposing himself. This was found authentically clarified in Tafsir al-Qurtubi that Allah Ta` a1a had, through a Way (revelation), stopped Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) from sending any news about himself to his home.It is Allah alone who knows the workings of His infinite wisdom. To comprehend it all is humanly impossible. But, once in a while, there may be something one could see through. Here too, as it appears, the real consideration of wisdom was to complete the trial of Sayyidna Ya` qub (علیہ السلام) .This was the reason why, at the very initial stage of the event, when Sayyidna Ya` qub (علیہ السلام) had realized that his son, Yusuf (علیہ السلام) ، was not eaten up by a wolf but that it was some trick of his brothers, the natural demand of the situation was that he should have visited the place of the reported incident and made necessary investigations. But, as Allah Ta ala would have it, he was unable to think on those lines. Then, after a long passage of time, he also said to his brothers: ` Go and search for Yusuf (علیہ السلام) and his brother.' When Allah Ta ala wills to do something, this is the way He would put all its causes together.