Yusuf-peace be upon him approached his brother and then revealed his identity to him; to assure him that he was in his brother’s presence and that his brother was alive, and he was holding a high position. He urged him to end sadness and disdain for the brothers’ repeated actions and abuses, “When they entered Yusuf pbuh’s presence, he called his brother ˹Benjamin˺ aside, and confided ˹to him˺, “I am indeed your brother ˹Yusuf pbuh˺! So do not feel distressed about what they have been doing.”
Yusuf pbuh’s trick in keeping his brother with him is as follows:
First: he made his servants put the King’s cup, in which he drank water or wine, in the brother’s saddle-bag.
Second: when the convoy went, they called them, Oh people of the caravan, you stole from us, “Then a herald cried, “O people of the caravan! You must be thieves!”
Third: the brothers trusted that they had done nothing to fear that charge, so they turned to the caller who allegedly told them that they had stolen and said, “What have you lost?” They did not say, “What did we steal?”, to assert that they were innocent of the theft.
Fourth: the caller said, “We lost the measuring cup which we use to measure the king’s drink, and whoever finds this cup has a reward for finding it, and the caller guarantees that he will give him compensation.” They asked, turning back, “What have you lost?” The herald ˹along with the guards˺ replied, “We have lost the King’s measuring cup. And whoever brings it will be awarded a camel-load ˹of grain˺. I guarantee it.”
Fifth: The brothers defended themselves that they did not come to steal, but came to get provisions and al-Aziz knew about them, and he ordered them to bring their brother and returned their goods to them the first time. It is not reasonable for them to be thieves, and theft is one of the biggest types of corruption in the land, and they are not corrupt, i.e., their conditions indicated that they are exempt and deterred from theft and that they would not commit theft, and that is more informed than if they said: “by Allah, we did not destroy the land and we did not steal.
What they did say was : “(Yusuf pbuh’s brothers replied, “By Allah! You know well that we did not come to cause trouble in the land, nor are we thieves.”
Six: Here the caller told them, what is the punishment of the thief if you are lying? They said that the thief would be a slave to whomever he stole from.
Yusuf pbuh’s men asked, “What should be the price for theft if you are lying?” Yusuf pbuh’s brothers responded, “The price will be ˹the enslavement of˺ the one in whose bag the cup is found. That is how we punish the wrongdoers.”
Seven: Yusuf-pbuh ordered his guards to begin searching the saddlebags of the brothers before his own brother’s bag, and he found nothing in those bags until he reached his brother’s bag and found the cup there.
Eight: Then Yusuf pbuh achieved what he set out to do; keep his brother with him without the brothers suspecting. Allah facilitated that plot so Yusuf pbuh could retain his brother with him. Because the brother who was accused of taking the king’s cup, was punished by becoming owned by the person he stole from; that punishment was not in the laws of the state in which Yusuf pbuh lived, but it was in the religion of Yusuf pbuh . Therefore Allah says: ‘He could not have taken his brother under the King’s law’.
(Yusuf pbuh began searching their bags before that of his brother ˹Benjamin˺, then brought it out of Benjamin’s bag. This is how We inspired Yusuf pbuh to plan. He could not have taken his brother under the King’s law, but Allah had so willed. We elevate in rank whoever We will. But above those ranking in knowledge is the One All-Knowing.) Yusuf 12: 70-76
قرب يوسف-عليه السلام-أخاه منه ثم عرفه بنفسه ليكون مطمئنًا أنه بحضرة أخيه وأن أخاه على قيد الحياة، بل هو في منصب عالٍ حتى قصدته الناس جميعًا، ونهاه عن الحزن والكدر لأفعال الإخوة وإساءاتهم المتكررة، قال الله تعالى: “وَلَمَّا دَخَلُوا عَلى يُوسُفَ آوَى إِلَيْهِ أَخاهُ قالَ إِنِّي أَنَا أَخُوكَ فَلا تَبْتَئِسْ بِما كانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ
ب. الحيلة التي دبرها يوسف لإبقاء أخيه عنده هي كما يلي:
أولاً: أنه جعل الإناء الذي يشرب فيه الماء أو الخمر في الحمل المخصوص به الأخ.
ثانيًا: لما سارت القافلة ناداهم المنادي يا أيتها القافلة لقد سرقتم منا، “أَذَّنَ مُؤَذِّنٌ أَيَّتُهَا الْعِيرُ إِنَّكُمْ لَسَارِقُونَ“.
ثالثًا: كان الإخوة يثقون أنهم لم يرتكبوا شيئًا يقتضي الخوف من تلك التهمة ولذلك التفتوا إلى ذلك المنادي الذي زعم أنهم قد سرقوا وقالوا لهم: “مَاذَا تَفْقِدُونَ”؟ ولم يقولوا: “ما الذي سرقنا”، لجزمهم بأنهم براء من السرقة.
رابعًا: قال المنادي نفقد الكيل الذي يكال فيه شراب الملك، ومن وجد هذا الإناء فله أجر على وجادته، والمنادي كفيل لمن وجد الصواع أن يعطيه الأجرة والعوض.
“قَالُوا وَأَقْبَلُوا عَلَيْهِمْ مَاذَا تَفْقِدُونَ * قَالُوا نَفْقِدُ صُوَاعَ الْمَلِكِ وَلِمَنْ جَاءَ بِهِ حِمْلُ بَعِيرٍ وَأَنَا بِهِ زَعِيمٌ”
خامسًا: دافع الإخوة عن أنفسهم بأنهم لم يأتوا ليسرقوا وإنما أتوا للميرة، وقد عرفت أخبارهم عند العزيز الذي أمرهم بإحضار أخيهم ورد بضاعتهم عليهم في المرة الأولى، فهؤلاء لا يعقل أن يكونوا سارقين، والسرقة من أكبر أنواع الفساد في الأرض، وهم ليسوا بمفسدين، أي: إن أحوالهم تدل على عفتهم وورعهم عن السرقة، وأنها لا تقع منهم، وذلك أبلغ مما لو قالوا: “تالله لم نفسد في الأرض ولم نسرق .
ولذلك قالوا:” قَالُوا تَاللَّهِ لَقَدْ عَلِمْتُمْ مَا جِئْنَا لِنُفْسِدَ فِي الأرْضِ وَمَا كُنَّا سَارِقِينَ
سادسًا: هنا قال لهم المنادي، فما جزاء السارق إن كان كلامكم كذبا وفي غير محله، قالوا يكون السارق عبدًا عند المسروق منه.
“قَالُوا فَمَا جَزَاؤُهُ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ كَاذِبِينَ * قَالُوا جَزَاؤُهُ مَنْ وُجِدَ فِي رَحْلِهِ فَهُوَ جَزَاؤُهُ كَذَلِكَ نَجْزِي الظَّالِمِينَ”
سابعًا: أمر يوسف-عليه السلام-أن يبدأ العمال في تفتيش الأمتعة، والبداءة في أوعية الإخوة قبل وعاء أخيه الشقيق، ولم يجد شيئًا في تلك الأوعية حتى وصل إلى وعاء أخيه فوجد الصواع هناك.
ثامنًا: حينئذ تم ليوسف ما أراد من بقاء أخيه عنده على وجه لا يشعر به إخوته، وقد يسر الله ذلك التدبير الخفي ليتوصل به إلى أمر غير مذموم، فقد جرت معاقبة الأخ المتهم بأخذ صواع الملك بأنه يكون مملوكًا للمسروق منه، وتلك العقوبة ليست في قوانين الدولة التي فيها يوسف، وإنما هي في الدين الذي كان عليه يوسف-عليه السلام- ولذا قال: “مَا كَانَ لِيَأْخُذَ أَخَاهُ فِي دِينِ الْمَلِكِ
قال الله تعالى: “فَبَدَأَ بِأَوْعِيَتِهِمْ قَبْلَ وِعاءِ أَخِيهِ ثُمَّ اسْتَخْرَجَها مِنْ وِعاءِ أَخِيهِ كَذلِكَ كِدْنا لِيُوسُفَ مَا كانَ لِيَأْخُذَ أَخاهُ فِي دِينِ الْمَلِكِ إِلَاّ أَنْ يَشاءَ اللَّهُ نَرْفَعُ دَرَجاتٍ مَنْ نَشاءُ وَفَوْقَ كُلِّ ذِي عِلْمٍ عَلِيمٌ