How Did the Brothers React When the King’s Cup Was Found With Benjamin?
كيف قابل الإخوة وجود صُواع المَلِك في رحل بنيامين؟
First: Yusuf’s brothers wanted to look good in front of the king, so they took a different approach to criticize their brother because he was their half-brother. They said: “If he has stolen, so did his ˹full˺ brother before.” But Joseph suppressed his outrage, revealing nothing to them, and said ˹to himself˺, “You are in such an evil position, and Allah knows best ˹the truth of˺ what you claim.” (Surah Yusuf 12:77)
Second: Yusuf’s response was a secret one; he responded within himself, and the brothers did not hear it. He said within himself: You have done something worse than this act. (Note: the earlier published wording said “he said to them”; the verse shows that he kept it within himself and did not reveal it to them, Yusuf 12:77.)
Third: That’s when the brothers realized they were in trouble because they had made a pact with their father to get their brother back to him, so they told Yusuf: His father is an old man, he could not bear parting with him, and parting with him would be hard on him; so put another man in his place, and be kind to us and to our father as you have been kind to us.
Fourth: Yusuf pbuh denied their request and said they would only take the one who took the goods. It would be unfair to punish anyone for someone else’s crime.
“They appealed, ‘O Chief Minister! He has a very old father, so take one of us instead. We surely see you as one of the good-doers.’ Joseph responded, ‘Allah forbid that we should take other than the one with whom we found our property. Otherwise, we would surely be unjust.'” (Surah Yusuf 12:78-79)
And here the brothers discuss among themselves in an attempt to solve the misfortune that has befallen them.
أولاً: أراد إخوة يوسف تلميع صورتهم أمام المَلِك، فانتهجوا منهج ذم لأخيهم لأنه من أبيهم وليس أخًا شقيقًا، فقالوا، كما أخبر الله تعالى: “إِنْ يَسْرِقْ فَقَدْ سَرَقَ أَخٌ لَهُ مِنْ قَبْلُ فَأَسَرَّهَا يُوسُفُ فِي نَفْسِهِ وَلَمْ يُبْدِهَا لَهُمْ قَالَ أَنْتُمْ شَرٌّ مَكَانًا وَاللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا تَصِفُونَ” (يوسف: 77)
ثانيًا: كان رد يوسف ردًّا سريًّا في نفسه، لم يسمعه الإخوة، فقال في نفسه: قد فعلتم شرا من هذا الفعل. (ملاحظة: في النص المنشور سابقا “فقال لهم”، والآية تبين أنه أسرها في نفسه ولم يبدها لهم، يوسف 12:77.)
ثالثًا: هنالك أدرك الإخوة أنهم وقعوا في مأزق لأن بينهم وبين أبيهم ميثاقًا في إرجاع أخيهم إليه، ولذلك قالوا ليوسف: إن أباه رجل كبير في السن، وإنه لا يصبر على فراقه وسيكون فراقه شاقًّا عليه، فاجعل بدلاً عنه رجلًا آخر، وأحسن إلينا وإلى أبينا كما أحسنت إلينا.
رابعًا: رفض يوسف الطلب وقال لهم: لا نأخذ إلا من أخذ المتاع، فلا نعاقب أحدًا بجريمة غيره، فإن ذلك ضرب من ضروب الظلم.
قال الله تعالى: “قَالُوا يَا أَيُّهَا الْعَزِيزُ إِنَّ لَهُ أَبًا شَيْخًا كَبِيرًا فَخُذْ أَحَدَنَا مَكَانَهُ إِنَّا نَرَاكَ مِنَ الْمُحْسِنِينَ. قَالَ مَعَاذَ اللَّهِ أَنْ نَأْخُذَ إِلا مَنْ وَجَدْنَا مَتَاعَنَا عِنْدَهُ إِنَّا إِذًا لَظَالِمُونَ” (يوسف: 78-79)
وهنا يتحول الإخوة إلى النقاش بينهم في محاولة لحلِّ تلك المصيبة التي حلّت بهم.
1. An Old Accusation Revived Under Pressure | تهمةٌ قديمة تُستعاد في الشدة
Caught off guard by the discovery, the brothers reached for an old accusation against Yusuf rather than defend Benjamin outright, distancing themselves from Benjamin by linking his accusation with Yusuf’s alleged earlier theft. The Ayah notes that Yusuf kept his true reaction hidden and answered them only within himself, not exposing to them who he really was or how their words affected him.
لما فاجأهم ما وُجد، لجأ الإخوة إلى تهمة قديمة رموا بها يوسف عليه السلام بدل أن يدافعوا عن بنيامين، فتبرؤوا منه بأن قرنوا تهمته بسرقة زعموها ليوسف من قبل. وقد أخبر الله تعالى أن يوسف كتم ذلك، فلم يردّ عليهم إلا في نفسه، ولم يكشف لهم مَن هو، ولا كيف أثّرت فيه كلماتهم: (فَأَسَرَّهَا يُوسُفُ فِي نَفْسِهِ وَلَمْ يُبْدِهَا لَهُمْ) (يوسف 12: 77).
2. Restraint Under False Accusation | ضبط النفس أمام التهمة الباطلة
Even while hearing himself slandered in his presence, Yusuf did not lash out or reveal himself in anger. His silent, inward reply, that they themselves were in a worse position, models a restraint consistent with his character throughout the surah: responding to provocation with patience rather than an immediate public rebuke.
كان يوسف عليه السلام يسمع الافتراء عليه في مجلسه، فلم يثُر غضبًا، ولم يكشف عن نفسه. وكان ردّه الصامت في نفسه، أنهم في منزلة أسوأ، مثالًا لضبط النفس يوافق خُلقه في السورة كلها: أن يقابل الاستفزاز بالصبر، لا بالتوبيخ العلني العاجل.
3. Why the Brothers Could Not Simply Walk Away | لماذا لم يستطع الإخوة الانصراف
The brothers’ panic makes sense only in light of the pledge they had given their father before this journey, that they would bring Benjamin back safely (see how Yusuf planned to bring his brother to him). Their pledge allowed an exception only if they were overpowered (12:66), yet they still tried to secure Benjamin’s release by offering one of themselves in his place rather than simply accepting the outcome.
لا يُفهم فزع الإخوة إلا في ضوء الميثاق الذي أعطوه أباهم قبل هذه الرحلة أن يردّوا إليه بنيامين، كما بيّنا في جواب: كيف دبّر يوسف عليه السلام أن يأتيه أخوه الأصغر، وبمَ أجابه إخوته؟ ولم يستثنِ ميثاقهم إلا ما ذكره الله تعالى في قوله: (إِلَّا أَن يُحَاطَ بِكُمْ) (يوسف 12: 66)، ومع ذلك حاولوا تخليص بنيامين بأن يعرضوا أحدهم مكانه، بدل أن يسلّموا بما وقع.
4. A Refusal Grounded in Justice, Not Cruelty | رفضٌ قائم على العدل لا على القسوة
Yusuf’s refusal was not framed as harshness but as justice: taking anyone other than the one actually found with the cup, he said, would make them wrongdoers. This reflects a principle stated elsewhere in the Quran in the plainest terms, that no soul bears the burden of another. Read the fuller context in the tafsir of Surah Al-An’am, where this principle is stated directly.
لم يكن رفض يوسف عليه السلام قسوةً، بل عدلًا، فقد قال: (مَعَاذَ اللَّهِ أَن نَّأْخُذَ إِلَّا مَن وَجَدْنَا مَتَاعَنَا عِندَهُ إِنَّا إِذًا لَّظَالِمُونَ) (يوسف 12: 79). وهذا مبدأ قرّره الله تعالى في موضع آخر بأوضح عبارة: (وَلَا تَزِرُ وَازِرَةٌ وِزْرَ أُخْرَىٰ) (الأنعام 6: 164)، وانظر تفصيله في تفسير سورة الأنعام.
5. From Public Appeal to Private Counsel | من الرجاء العلني إلى المشاورة الخاصة
Having failed to change Yusuf’s decision, the brothers turn from addressing him to conferring privately among themselves. This shift, from a public appeal to the vizier to a private family discussion, sets up the difficult conversation about how to face their father, continued directly after this point in the surah. See the trick Yusuf used to keep his brother with him for how this moment was set up.
لما لم يفلح الإخوة في ردّ يوسف عن قراره، تركوا مخاطبته، وخلصوا يتشاورون فيما بينهم. وهذا التحول من التماسهم من العزيز علنًا أن يُطلق أخاهم إلى مشاورة خاصة بين أهل البيت يمهّد للحديث العسير عن كيفية لقاء أبيهم، وهو ما يليه في السورة مباشرة. وأما كيف هُيّئ هذا الموقف، فقد بيّناه في جواب: ما الحيلة التي دبّرها يوسف عليه السلام ليُبقي أخاه عنده في مصر؟
Frequently Asked Questions | الأسئلة الشائعة
How did the brothers first react to finding the cup?
They tried to distance themselves by recalling an old accusation against Yusuf, associating Benjamin with Yusuf’s alleged theft.
How did Yusuf respond to their accusation against Yusuf himself?
He answered them only within himself, without revealing his true feelings or identity, saying inwardly that they were in a worse position, and that Allah knew best what they claimed.
Why were the brothers so desperate to bring Benjamin back?
They had pledged to their father that they would return him safely, and feared they could not bear to break that promise.
Did Yusuf agree to take one of the brothers instead of Benjamin?
No, he refused, saying it would be unjust to take anyone other than the one actually found with the cup.
Which verses of the Quran describe this exchange?
Surah Yusuf 12:77-79 records the brothers’ accusation, their appeal, and Yusuf’s refusal.