Surah 12

Surah 12:17

"They said, ‘Our father! Surely we went off racing (one another), and we left Joseph (behind) with our things, and the wolf ate him. But you will not believe us, even though we are truthful.’"
Yusufs Brothers try to deceive Their Father Verses 12:16-18
Show Full Scripture Context (12:16-18) — 3 Verses
Verse 16

وَجَآءُوٓ أَبَاهُمۡ عِشَآءٗ يَبۡكُونَ

And they came to their father in the evening, weeping.

Verse 17

قَالُواْ يَـٰٓأَبَانَآ إِنَّا ذَهَبۡنَا نَسۡتَبِقُ وَتَرَكۡنَا يُوسُفَ عِندَ مَتَٰعِنَا فَأَكَلَهُ ٱلذِّئۡبُۖ وَمَآ أَنتَ بِمُؤۡمِنٖ لَّنَا وَلَوۡ كُنَّا صَٰدِقِينَ

They said, ‘Our father! Surely we went off racing (one another), and we left Joseph (behind) with our things, and the wolf ate him. But you will not believe us, even though we are truthful.’

Verse 18

وَجَآءُو عَلَىٰ قَمِيصِهِۦ بِدَمٖ كَذِبٖۚ قَالَ بَلۡ سَوَّلَتۡ لَكُمۡ أَنفُسُكُمۡ أَمۡرٗاۖ فَصَبۡرٞ جَمِيلٞۖ وَٱللَّهُ ٱلۡمُسۡتَعَانُ عَلَىٰ مَا تَصِفُونَ

And they brought his shirt with fake blood on it. He said, ‘No! You have only contrived a story for yourselves. Patience is becoming (for me), and God is the One to be sought for help against what you allege.’

Quoted Scripture
"16. And they came to their father in the early part of the night weeping."

"17. They said: "O our father! We went racing with one another, and left Yusuf by our belongings and a wolf devoured him; but you will never believe us even when we speak the truth.""

"18. And they brought his shirt stained with false blood. He said: "Nay, but your own selves have made up a tale. So (for me) patience is most fitting. And it is Allah (Alone) Whose help can be sought against that (lie) which you describe.""

Yusufs Brothers try to deceive Their Father
Allah narrates to us that His Prophet Ya'qub said to his children, in response to their request that he send Yusuf with them to the desert to tend their cattle,
{We went racing with one another}, or had a shooting competition,
{and left Yusuf by our belongings}, guarding our clothes and luggage,
{and a wolf devoured him}, which is exactly what their father told them he feared for Yusuf and warned against. They said next,
{but you will never believe us even when we speak the truth.}

They tried to lessen the impact of the grave news they were delivering. They said, "We know that you will not believe this news, even if you consider us truthful. So what about when you suspect that we are not truthful, especially since you feared that the wolf might devour Yusuf and that is what happened?' Therefore, they said, 'You have reason not to believe us because of the strange coincidence and the amazing occurrence that happened to us.'
{And they brought his shirt stained with false blood.}

on it, to help prove plot that they all agreed on. They slaughtered a sheep, according to Mujahid, As-Suddi and several other scholars, and stained Yusufs shirt with its blood. They claimed that this was the shirt Yusuf was wearing when the wolf devoured him, being stained with his blood. But, they forgot to tear the shirt, and this is why Allah's Prophet Ya'qub did not believe them. Rather, he told them what he felt about what they said to him, thus refusing their false claim,
{Nay, but your ownselves have made up a tale. So (for me) patience is most fitting.}

Ya'qub said, 'I will firmly observe patience for this plot on which you agreed, until Allah relieves the distress with His aid and compassion,
{And it is Allah (alone) Whose help can be sought against that which you describe.} against the lies and unbelievable incident that you said had occurred.'

About this Source & Scholarly Authority (Tafsir Ibn Kathir)

Universal Sunni Consensus: Tafsir al-Qur'an al-Azim by Hafiz Ibn Kathir (701–774 AH / 1301–1373 AD) is universally regarded across all major schools of Sunni Islam (traditional, Salafi, Ash'ari) as the most authoritative classical exegesis. It is prized because it relies on Tafsir bil-Ma'thur—interpreting the Quran using the Quran itself, authentic Hadiths of Prophet Muhammad, and recorded statements of the early Companions (Sahabah).

Standard English Edition: This text is from the standard 10-volume English abridgment published by Dar-us-Salam Publications (supervised by Shaykh Safiur-Rahman Al-Mubarakpuri), which is the official, most widely distributed English Quranic commentary in mosques and Islamic libraries worldwide today.