What Did the Brothers Finally Decide to Do About Yusuf?
ما الذي استقر عليه رأي الإخوة في شأن فعلهم بيوسف عليه السلام؟
One of them suggested that Yusuf be thrown into a deep well, and they would threaten him not to tell anyone about them, and if asked, he should say that he is a slave fleeing his master, because if they did just that, they would survive the scandal of his murder. Besides, throwing him in the well is not as bad as killing, and at the same time, the caravans that pass by and draw water from the well would find him, pull him out, and take him with them, thus ensuring he stayed far away from his father’s sight, since merely banishing him from the land might not achieve their aim, as Yusuf could return to his father again. This decision, although harsh and terrible, is undoubtedly less cruel than killing, because some evils are less severe than others, and a lesser harm may be used to avert a greater one. “One of them said, ‘Do not kill Yusuf. But if you must do something, throw him into the bottom of a well, so perhaps he may be picked up by some travellers'” (Surah Yusuf 12:10).
اقترح أحدهم أن يُلقى يوسف في بئر عميق، ويتوعدوه ألا يخبر بشأنهم أحدا، بل يقول عن نفسه إنه عبد مملوك هارب من سيده، لأنهم إن فعلوا ذلك سينجون من فضيحة قتله، فإن القتل شأنه عظيم، فهم حين يلقونه في البئر فذلك ليس قتلا، وفي نفس الوقت ستأخذ القوافل التي تستقي من الآبار في الطريق يوسف، فيضمنون بقاءه بعيدا عن عين أبيه، لأن نفيه من الأرض قد لا يتحقق معه المقصود، فقد يعود يوسف إلى أبيه ثانية. ولا شك أن هذا القول، على فظاعته وعظمته، أهون من القتل، لأن بعض الشر أهون من بعض، والضرر الخفيف يُدفع به الضرر الثقيل. قَالَ قَائِلٌ مِّنْهُمْ لَا تَقْتُلُوا يُوسُفَ وَأَلْقُوهُ فِي غَيَابَتِ الْجُبِّ يَلْتَقِطْهُ بَعْضُ السَّيَّارَةِ إِن كُنتُمْ فَاعِلِينَ ﴿١٠﴾ (سورة يوسف: 10).
1. A Ready-Made Cover Story | قصة تغطية جاهزة
Beyond the act itself, according to the answer, which follows al-Sa’di’s explanation of 12:10, the brothers planned Yusuf’s forced testimony in advance, threatening him to claim he was a runaway slave if anyone questioned him. This detail shows the plot was not an impulsive act but a calculated scheme with a built-in contingency for discovery, revealing just how deliberately it was thought through. Their next step, winning over their father, is told in How Did the Brothers Convince Their Protective Father to Let Yusuf Go With Them?
بعيدا عن الفعل نفسه، وبحسب الإجابة التي تتبع تفسير السعدي للآية 10، خطط الإخوة لشهادة يوسف القسرية مسبقا، مهددين إياه بادعاء أنه عبد هارب إن سأله أحد. ويُظهر هذا التفصيل أن المؤامرة لم تكن فعلا اندفاعيا بل خطة محسوبة مع احتياط مدمج لحالة الاكتشاف، كاشفة مدى التمعن الذي فُكرت به.
2. Choosing the Lesser of Two Evils | اختيار أهون الشرين
The reasoning that “some evil deeds are less severe than others” is a real principle in Islamic ethics, choosing a lesser harm to avoid a greater one, but it is applied here to justify an act that remained a serious wrong in itself. A principle meant to guide choices between unavoidable harms should never be stretched to excuse harm that was entirely avoidable in the first place.
التبرير بأن “بعض الشر أهون من بعض” مبدأ حقيقي في الأخلاق الإسلامية، اختيار ضرر أقل لتجنب ضرر أكبر، لكنه يُطبق هنا لتبرير فعل ظل خطأ جسيما في حد ذاته. فمبدأ يُقصد به توجيه الاختيارات بين أضرار لا مفر منها لا ينبغي أبدا مده ليعذر ضررا كان قابلا للتجنب تماما من الأساس.
3. A Plan Relying on Others to Finish It | خطة اعتمدت على آخرين لإتمامها
Notably, the brothers did not plan to personally exile Yusuf themselves; they relied on an unknown future caravan to happen to pass, draw water, and carry him away. What actually happened when that caravan arrived, and who ended up buying Yusuf from them, is covered in How Long Did Yusuf Stay in the Well, and How Did He Get Out? and the questions that follow it in this subcategory.
من اللافت أن الإخوة لم يخططوا لنفي يوسف بأنفسهم شخصيا؛ بل اعتمدوا على قافلة مستقبلية مجهولة قد تمر صدفة، وتستقي، وتأخذه معها. أما ما حدث فعليا حين وصلت تلك القافلة، ومن اشترى يوسف منهم في النهاية، فمذكور في مقال كم المدة التي لبث فيها يوسف في البئر، وكيف خرج منه؟ والأسئلة التي تليه في هذا القسم الفرعي.
Frequently Asked Questions | الأسئلة الشائعة
What did the brothers finally decide to do?
To throw Yusuf into a deep well rather than kill him, expecting a passing caravan to find and take him.
What cover story did they plan for Yusuf to tell?
According to al-Sa’di’s explanation of 12:10, they meant to threaten him into saying he was a runaway slave if anyone questioned him.
Why did they consider the well a better option than murder?
They reasoned it was a lesser evil, though the Quran does not present this as a genuine justification for their crime.