What Did the Brothers Tell Their Father When They Returned Without Yusuf?
ماذا قال الإخوة لأبيهم حين عادوا دون يوسف عليه السلام؟
They told their father that they had gone to race and left their clothes and things, leaving Yusuf with the belongings, and the wolf came and ate him. They brought his shirt with false blood on it and showed it to their father. In fact, they had thrown Yusuf into the well, as one of the brothers had suggested to them. “They cried, ‘Our father! We went racing and left Yusuf with our belongings, and a wolf devoured him! But you will not believe us, no matter how truthful we are.’ And they brought his shirt, stained with false blood” (Surah Yusuf 12:17-18). Note: the original answer labelled this quotation 12:17 only; its last sentence is from verse 18, so the reference has been corrected.
قالوا لأبيهم إنهم ذهبوا ليتسابقوا وتركوا ثيابهم وأشياءهم، فتركوا يوسف عند الأغراض، فجاء الذئب وأكله، وقد أحضروا قميصه وعليه دم كاذب، وهم في الواقع أنزلوه إلى البئر كما أشار عليهم أحد الإخوة. قال الله تعالى: قَالُوا يَا أَبَانَا إِنَّا ذَهَبْنَا نَسْتَبِقُ وَتَرَكْنَا يُوسُفَ عِندَ مَتَاعِنَا فَأَكَلَهُ الذِّئْبُ ۖ وَمَا أَنتَ بِمُؤْمِنٍ لَّنَا وَلَوْ كُنَّا صَادِقِينَ ﴿١٧﴾ وَجَاءُوا عَلَىٰ قَمِيصِهِ بِدَمٍ كَذِبٍ ۚ (سورة يوسف: 17-18). ملاحظة: كانت الإحالة في الجواب الأصلي إلى الآية 17 وحدها، والجملة الأخيرة من الآية 18، فصُحّحت.
1. A Confession Hidden Inside Their Own Lie | اعتراف خفيّ في ثنايا كذبتهم
Strikingly, the brothers themselves said, “you will not believe us, no matter how truthful we are,” anticipating their father’s disbelief before he even responded. Ibn Kathir calls this a skilful attempt to make their claim acceptable, and Yaqoub’s own reaction, covered in the next question in this subcategory, shows that it did not deceive him.
واللافت أن الإخوة أنفسهم قالوا: (وَمَا أَنتَ بِمُؤْمِنٍ لَّنَا وَلَوْ كُنَّا صَادِقِينَ) (يوسف 12: 17)، فتوقعوا تكذيب أبيهم قبل أن يجيبهم. ورأى ابن كثير في ذلك تلطفًا عظيمًا منهم في تقرير ما يحاولونه، وأما موقف يعقوب عليه السلام نفسه، فيدل على أن ذلك لم ينطلِ عليه، وقد بيّناه في جواب: كيف قابل النبي يعقوب عليه السلام ما أخبره به أبناؤه؟
2. Evidence That Gave Away the Deception | دليل كشف الخديعة
Ibn Kathir reports from Mujahid, al-Suddi and others that they slaughtered a young goat and smeared Yusuf’s shirt with its blood, but forgot to tear it; Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said, “Had a beast eaten him, it would have torn the shirt,” and al-Sha’bi, al-Hasan and Qatada said the same. That is why the ruse did not deceive Yaqoub (peace be upon him).
ذكر ابن كثير عن مجاهد والسدي وغير واحد أنهم ذبحوا سخلة، ولطخوا قميص يوسف بدمها، ونسوا أن يخرقوه، وقال ابن عباس رضي الله عنهما: لو أكله السبع لخرق القميص، وكذا قال الشعبي والحسن وقتادة. ولهذا لم يَرُج هذا الصنيع على يعقوب عليه السلام.
3. A Shirt Would Later Tell the Truth | قميص يكشف الحقيقة بعد ذلك
Yusuf’s shirt appears again later in the surah, at different moments: used to prove his innocence in Egypt and, later, to restore Yaqoub’s eyesight. A shirt was first used to deceive, and later shirts revealed the truth.
ويعود ذكر قميص يوسف عليه السلام في السورة بعد ذلك في موضعين: حين كان دليلًا على براءته في مصر، ثم حين ردّ الله به بصر يعقوب عليه السلام. فقد كان القميص أداة خداع أولًا، ثم صار بعد ذلك شاهدًا على الحق.
Frequently Asked Questions | الأسئلة الشائعة
What story did the brothers tell their father about Yusuf?
That a wolf had devoured him while they were racing and had left him with their belongings.
What false evidence did they present?
Yusuf’s shirt, stained with blood that was not actually his.
Did their story seem convincing?
Not entirely; they themselves admitted their father might not believe them, and according to tafsir reports, the shirt showed no tears consistent with a wolf attack.