قَالُوا۟ يَـٰٓأَبَانَا مَا لَكَ لَا تَأْمَ۫نَّا عَلَىٰ يُوسُفَ وَإِنَّا لَهُۥ لَنَـٰصِحُونَ 11
Translations
They said, "O our father, why do you not entrust us with Joseph while indeed, we are to him sincere counselors?
Transliteration
Qalū yā abānā mā laka lā ta'mannā ʿalā Yūsufa wa-innā lahu lanāṣihūn
Tafsir (Explanation)
The sons of Yaʿqūb petition their father, asking why he does not trust them with Yūsuf, asserting their sincere intention to care for him. This verse reveals the brothers' apparent concern for their father's trust while masking their true envious intent—a subtle portrayal of hypocrisy that Ibn Kathīr highlights as central to understanding their later betrayal. Al-Ṭabarī notes that their claim of being well-wishers (nāṣihūn) contrasts sharply with their actual malice, demonstrating how the Qur'ān exposes the discrepancy between outward words and hidden intentions.
Revelation Context
This ayah occurs early in Sūrah Yūsuf, establishing the narrative tension that drives the surah's plot. The brothers' request to take Yūsuf out with them marks the beginning of the crisis that will separate him from his father. The surah was revealed in Mecca during a period when the Prophet Muhammad (ṣallallāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam) faced opposition, and the themes of patience, trust in Allah, and divine providence are woven throughout.
Related Hadiths
While no ḥadīth directly addresses this ayah, the principle of sincere advice (nṣīḥah) is emphasized in the ḥadīth: 'The religion is sincere advice' (Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim). Additionally, ḥadīths on trusting one's children and recognizing hidden intentions relate thematically to Yaʿqūb's paternal concern.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches us that words alone cannot be trusted without examining the hearts behind them; we should develop spiritual discernment to recognize sincere counsel from deceptive claims. It also reminds us that even those closest to us may harbor hidden malice, and that our ultimate trust should rest with Allah, who alone knows the unseen realities of human hearts.
Related Ayahs
إِذْ قَالُوا۟ لَيُوسُفُ وَأَخُوهُ أَحَبُّ إِلَىٰٓ أَبِينَا مِنَّا وَنَحْنُ عُصْبَةٌ إِنَّ أَبَانَا لَفِى ضَلَـٰلٍ مُّبِينٍ
When they said, "Joseph and his brother are more beloved to our father than we, while we are a clan. Indeed, our father is in clear error.
ٱقْتُلُوا۟ يُوسُفَ أَوِ ٱطْرَحُوهُ أَرْضًا يَخْلُ لَكُمْ وَجْهُ أَبِيكُمْ وَتَكُونُوا۟ مِنۢ بَعْدِهِۦ قَوْمًا صَـٰلِحِينَ
Kill Joseph or cast him out to [another] land; the countenance [i.e., attention] of your father will [then] be only for you, and you will be after that a righteous people."
قَالَ مَا خَطْبُكُنَّ إِذْ رَٰوَدتُّنَّ يُوسُفَ عَن نَّفْسِهِۦ ۚ قُلْنَ حَـٰشَ لِلَّهِ مَا عَلِمْنَا عَلَيْهِ مِن سُوٓءٍ ۚ قَالَتِ ٱمْرَأَتُ ٱلْعَزِيزِ ٱلْـَٔـٰنَ حَصْحَصَ ٱلْحَقُّ أَنَا۠ رَٰوَدتُّهُۥ عَن نَّفْسِهِۦ وَإِنَّهُۥ لَمِنَ ٱلصَّـٰدِقِينَ
Said [the king to the women], "What was your condition when you sought to seduce Joseph?" They said, "Perfect is Allāh! We know about him no evil." The wife of al-ʿAzeez said, "Now the truth has become evident. It was I who sought to seduce him, and indeed, he is of the truthful.
وَقَالَ ٱلْمَلِكُ ٱئْتُونِى بِهِۦ ۖ فَلَمَّا جَآءَهُ ٱلرَّسُولُ قَالَ ٱرْجِعْ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكَ فَسْـَٔلْهُ مَا بَالُ ٱلنِّسْوَةِ ٱلَّـٰتِى قَطَّعْنَ أَيْدِيَهُنَّ ۚ إِنَّ رَبِّى بِكَيْدِهِنَّ عَلِيمٌ
And the king said, "Bring him to me." But when the messenger came to him, [Joseph] said, "Return to your master and ask him what is the case of the women who cut their hands. Indeed, my Lord is Knowing of their plan."