وَجَآءُوٓ أَبَاهُمْ عِشَآءً يَبْكُونَ 16
Translations
And they came to their father at night, weeping.
Transliteration
Wa jaa'u abahum 'ishaa'an yabkun
Tafsir (Explanation)
The brothers came to their father in the evening, weeping and claiming that a wolf had devoured Yusuf while they were tending their flocks. According to classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, this represents a pivotal moment of deception wherein the brothers fabricate a false story to conceal their jealous act of throwing Yusuf into the well. Their tears were part of their calculated deceit, demonstrating how they manipulated their father's emotions through feigned grief to make their lie more convincing.
Revelation Context
This ayah occurs within the narrative of Surah Yusuf (the only surah dedicated entirely to one prophet's story), which details Yusuf's trials and tests. The context shows the brothers returning home after committing their crime, marking the beginning of their father's long suffering and Yusuf's separation from his family—events that would test both the father's and son's patience and faith over many years.
Related Hadiths
While no specific hadith directly references this ayah, Surah Yusuf is called 'Ahsan al-Qisas' (the best of stories) in Surah 12:3. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) emphasized this surah's lessons on patience and trust in Allah during trials, as narrated in various hadith collections regarding the virtue of reciting this surah.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah serves as a sobering reminder that deception, no matter how elaborate or emotionally manipulative, ultimately cannot escape divine knowledge and justice. For modern readers, it warns against allowing jealousy to corrupt our hearts and teaches that honesty and integrity are essential values, even when facing difficult circumstances.
Related Ayahs
قَالَ لَا يَأْتِيكُمَا طَعَامٌ تُرْزَقَانِهِۦٓ إِلَّا نَبَّأْتُكُمَا بِتَأْوِيلِهِۦ قَبْلَ أَن يَأْتِيَكُمَا ۚ ذَٰلِكُمَا مِمَّا عَلَّمَنِى رَبِّىٓ ۚ إِنِّى تَرَكْتُ مِلَّةَ قَوْمٍ لَّا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِٱللَّهِ وَهُم بِٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ هُمْ كَـٰفِرُونَ
He said, "You will not receive food that is provided to you except that I will inform you of its interpretation before it comes to you. That is from what my Lord has taught me. Indeed, I have left the religion of a people who do not believe in Allāh, and they, in the Hereafter, are disbelievers.
وَكَأَيِّن مِّنْ ءَايَةٍ فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ يَمُرُّونَ عَلَيْهَا وَهُمْ عَنْهَا مُعْرِضُونَ
And how many a sign within the heavens and earth do they pass over while they, therefrom, are turning away.
وَكَذَٰلِكَ مَكَّنَّا لِيُوسُفَ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ يَتَبَوَّأُ مِنْهَا حَيْثُ يَشَآءُ ۚ نُصِيبُ بِرَحْمَتِنَا مَن نَّشَآءُ ۖ وَلَا نُضِيعُ أَجْرَ ٱلْمُحْسِنِينَ
And thus We established Joseph in the land to settle therein wherever he willed. We touch with Our mercy whom We will, and We do not allow to be lost the reward of those who do good.
قَالَ مَعَاذَ ٱللَّهِ أَن نَّأْخُذَ إِلَّا مَن وَجَدْنَا مَتَـٰعَنَا عِندَهُۥٓ إِنَّآ إِذًا لَّظَـٰلِمُونَ
He said, "[I seek] the refuge of Allāh [to prevent] that we take except him with whom we found our possession. Indeed, we would then be unjust."