Tafseer of Joseph · Yusuf · 12:17
They said, "O our father, indeed we went racing each other and left Joseph with our possessions, and a wolf ate him. But you would not believe us, even if we were truthful."
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
They said: (O our father, truly we went off competing and left Yūsuf with our baggage, and the wolf ate him!) The old man burst into tears and cried out with his loudest voice: "Where is the shirt?" They brought him the shirt, which bore false blood; he took the shirt and threw it upon his face, and wept until his face was smeared with the blood of the shirt.
Concerning His words: (and you do not believe us) — they say: you give us no credence when we say that the wolf ate Yūsuf, even if we spoke the truth! As:
18842. Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, he said: ʿAmr ibn Muḥammad related to us, on the authority of Asbāṭ, on the authority of al-Suddī: (and you do not believe us) — he said: you give us no credence!
[illegible — several lines missing from the source]
If someone says: (even if we spoke the truth) — either this is a report from themselves that they do not speak the truth, and that would be self-incrimination, or it is a report from them about their father that he would not believe them even if they spoke the truth — but you surely know that he would believe them if they had told him the truth?
The answer is: the meaning is neither of the two. The meaning is: you give us no credence, even if we were among the people of truth who are not suspected — because of your evil opinion of us and your suspicion toward us.
