Story Of Prophet Yusuf ✔

PART 27:TEN BROTHERS MET YUSUF [Surah Yusuf 12: 58 -61]

58. And Yusuf’s brothers came, and they entered in on him, and he recognized them well but they were to him totally unaware.

59. And when he had provided them with their provisions, he said “Bring to me a brother of yours from your father. Do you not see that I give full measure and that I am the best of
hosts?”.

60. “But if you do not bring him to me, then you will have no measure from me, and you will not come near me”.

61. They said “We will strive to make his father yield and surely we will do it.”

With this ayah Allah (swt) tells us about a new chapter in the life of Yusuf (AS). Allah (swt) begins this ayah during the 5th or 6th year of the famine. The seven years of prosperity had ended and the years of famine had begun. This famine was so great that it was not confined only to Egypt but it had spread to all of the neighboring lands as well. Now everyone from all the lands came to Egypt to get their food. This shows us that Yusuf (AS) was doing a superb and marvelous job of managing the resources of the country. He was so good that other countries were getting their grain from Egypt. They had enough and can even trade with other people.

So these brothers not only come to Egypt but they came to Yusuf (AS). They were foreigners and required a higher delegation because they were asking for a large quantity. These 11 brothers had a family of a hundred or more. So they were sent to Yusuf (AS).

Allah (swt) then says “and he recognized them well but they were to him totally unaware”. When Yusuf (as) saw his brothers he knew exactly who they were. He (AS) recognized them very well but they did not recognize him at all. They did not realize that this man whom they saw before them at that moment was their young brother who they had put in the well. As far as they were concerned their brother had been dead for many years. If by some chance he were alive then he would have been a slave or in poverty. They never expected that their brother could have some way found himself out of that well and into the shoes of the man whom they saw before themselves at that moment. They were completely ignorant as to the true reality of the situation.  Yusuf (AS) was dressed in the garb of Egyptian and speaking the language of Egypt. Whereas they spoke in Hebrew. Even though Yusuf understood their language, he put a translator in the middle because how would he speak Hebrew unless he was one of them. He then began asking them questions:  Who are you?  Why are you coming to our land?  They told their whole story:  “We are a group of people living in Palestine.  We are all brothers, and we have a father.”  “How many brothers are you?”  “We used to be twelve, but a wolf ate one of them, and the eleventh one, his full brother, is still with his father.”  He kept on questioning to get the full details of the story. He then provided his brothers with everything that they could need. Not only did they get the food and provisions that they came for but they also got everything that they needed for their journey home.

The grain was distributed based on how many people there were in one’s family. The more people that there were in one’s family the more grain that they would receive. They mentioned Binyamin as well, and when Yusuf (AS) asked them as to why they did not bring him they said that their father was very attached to him and so he would not let him go. Now it seems and Allah (swt) Knows best, that the rule is that all able-bodied men must present themselves before Yusuf (AS) before he can give them grain. Only the women, the extremely young, and the extremely old were excused from having to come to Yusuf (AS). So rightfully the brothers should have brought Binyamin with them. That is why in verse 59 Yusuf (AS) tells them to bring this brother with them the next time they come. If they want to get the full measure of grain next time, then they must bring Binyamin with them. However, in reality, Yusuf wanted to meet his real brother. He tells them that if they do not bring their brother the next time that they come then they will receive no measure of grain from him whatsoever and they will not even be allowed to approach him.

They knew that this was going to be a challenge. Their father simply was not willing to send Binyamin with them but they are going to try their best to convince him. Notice they said ‘his father’ and not ‘our father.’  We can sense the jealousy already. So they say, “We are going to try to convince his father to let go of him.”  They know that their father loves Binyamin more than them so there is this hurt and pain that they have.  They are distant from their father, so they said 'his father' instead of 'our father'. 
The question is why would Yusuf want his younger brother to come to Egypt and deprive his father from both his sons. The answer is that Allah told him to do so. Ya'qub was old and blind and the brothers were treating Binyamin in a very harsh manner. Binyamin was maybe not in threat but was not being treated properly. That's why Allah wanted to save Binyamin as well and bring him into Egypt.

LESSONS

1. If we strive to please Allah (swt) then He (swt) will give us insight into the true reality of situations. Allah (swt) will give us the knowledge with which we can perceive the reality for what it truly is.

2. It is said that knowledge is the greatest of power that one can have over a person. Yusuf (AS) had full knowledge over his brothers, he knew exactly who they were, what they were speaking and why they had come. They on other hand were completely ignorant of him. They had no knowledge whatsoever that this man was Yusuf (AS). So see here how much power Allah (swt) had given Yusuf (AS) over his brothers. He knew them fully while they were completely ignorant of him. Such is how Allah (swt) raises those whom He (swt) is pleased with in degrees over others.