“Then, when they entered unto him (Yusuf), they said: ‘O’ ‘Aziz! Affliction has visited us and our family, and we have brought scanty merchandise. So pay us full measure and bestow you charity on us; verily Allah will reward the charitable ones’.”
So once again the sons of Ya‘qub loaded up their goods and, for the third time, they headed for Egypt, a land that had been full of adventures for them.
We are now on the last phase of the story of Yūsuf (‘alayhi’l-salām) and what is left after this is the conclusion of Surah.
“So then when they entered in upon him…”
This is the third time they are undertaking the same journey from Canaan, the ancient name of Filistine, to the land of Egypt. This is the third time they are visiting Yūsuf (‘alayhi’l-salām
The brothers now enter in and they have dwindled down now to ten because Yūsuf is the twelfth and Binyamin is the eleventh, and both of them are now stuck.
The tenth one is remaining in Egypt, and now the nine come back and the ten of them enter into the palace for one more time.
They say, “O ‘Azīz, our family was struck by a calamity.” They demonstrate their poverty, and they excuse the poor quality of merchandise
They are saying, “We are bringing merchandise that we are embarrassed about.”
It is not the top-notch goods. What was it? We don’t know.
Maybe it was poor quality leather because this was primarily what they had back then.
Maybe it was other types of merchandise that was not of a high price.
Notice here, subḥānAllāh, that by now we are entering in close to the seventh year of drought.
Every single time the brothers are coming again and again and again.
Look at the surplus of Egypt that over and over again people from neighboring lands have to come to Egypt.
Egypt gave so much produce. To be more precise, Yūsuf managed to save the produce and guard it to such an extent that he can export in times of drought.
So now, once again, the brothers come, and they ask in such a beautiful manner.
It is human psychology here.
They firstly mention that they are in a distressing situation.
Then they mention the families because it is human nature that when you bring in wife and children, the person’s heart becomes softer, so they beg in their own situation and then their family situation.
Then they say, WE are not coming for free handouts. We brought something.
It is not as if we are coming as beggars, and we have brought something, but this thing is second-rate.
And our excuse is that we don’t have money right now. We purchased something, so give us what is worthy of this.
Give us the full measure of this second-rate merchandise, but then give us more as WELL.
They are not asking for free handouts, but they are asking for generosity.
Generally speaking, generosity is easier than begging and asking for free handouts.
There is an irony here that the brothers of Yūsuf are reminding Yūsuf about Islam and the benefits of remembering Allāh.
There is a little bit of irony here.
“If you are good, Allāh will reward you.” As if Yūsuf needed this reminder.
But they conclude by reminding them that anybody who is generous, Allāh (subḥānahu wa ta‘āla) will respond and give them that back.
Reflection:
‣ They have a large family, and they don’t have enough food and don’t have anything to trade with
‣ They’re just going to Egypt in hopes that they can get something and ask pretty much begging
• They know Aziz is very kind
• “You don’t want to anger anyone who has all the food.”
• They say “indeed, misfortune has struck our family, and we have only brought merchandise poor in quality, and please give us our full rations, and give us sada
Allah rewards the charitable
• They use
Lesson:
- When we don’t know why something is happening, remember that Allah has a reason.
- Allah will never allow your reward to go to waste if you constantly strive to remember Allah (
swt ) at every moment.