Surah 12 Yusuf — Ayah 70
فَلَمَّا جَهَّزَهُم بِجَهَازِهِمْ جَعَلَ ٱلسِّقَايَةَ فِى رَحْلِ أَخِيهِ ثُمَّ أَذَّنَ مُؤَذِّنٌ أَيَّتُهَا ٱلْعِيرُ إِنَّكُمْ لَسَٰرِقُونَ
So when he had furnished them with their supplies, he put the [gold measuring] bowl into the bag of his brother. Then an announcer called out, "O caravan, indeed you are thieves."
falammā jahhazahum bijahāzihim jaʿala l-siqāyata fī raḥli akhīhi thumma adhana mu-adhinun ayyatuhā l-ʿīru innakum lasāriqūna
Word by word
- فَلَمَّا falammā So when
- جَهَّزَهُم jahhazahum he had furnished them
- بِجَهَازِهِمْ bijahāzihim with their supplies
- جَعَلَ jaʿala he put
- ٱلسِّقَايَةَ l-siqāyata the drinking cup
- فِى fī in
- رَحْلِ raḥli the bag
- أَخِيهِ akhīhi (of) his brother
- ثُمَّ thumma Then
- أَذَّنَ adhana called out
- مُؤَذِّنٌ mu-adhinun an announcer
- أَيَّتُهَا ayyatuhā O you
- ٱلْعِيرُ l-ʿīru (in) the caravan
- إِنَّكُمْ innakum Indeed, you
- لَسَـٰرِقُونَ lasāriqūna surely (are) thieves
Tafsir · Ibn Kathir (Abridged)
Yusuf had His Golden Bowl placed in Binyamin's Bag; a Plot to keep Him in Egypt
After Yusuf supplied them with their provisions, he ordered some of his servants to place his silver bowl (in Binyamin's bag), according to the majority of scholars. Some scholars said that the king's bowl was made from gold. Ibn Zayd added that the king used it to drink from, and later, measured food grains with it since food became scarce in that time, according to Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid, Qatadah, Ad-Dahhak and `Abdur-Rahman bin Zayd. Shu`bah said that Abu Bishr narrated that Sa`id bin Jubayr said that Ibn `Abbas said that the king's bowl was made from silver and he used it to drink with. Yusuf had the bowl placed in Binyamin's bag while they were unaware, and then had someone herald,
(O you (in) the caravan! Surely, you are thieves!) They looked at the man who was heralding this statement and asked him,
("What is it that you have lost" They said: "We have lost the bowl of the king..."), which he used to measure food grains,
(and for him who produces it is a camel load), as a reward,
(and I will be bound by it.), as assurance of delivery of the reward.