Tafseer of Joseph · Yusuf · 12:66
[Jacob] said, "Never will I send him with you until you give me a promise by Allah that you will bring him [back] to me, unless you should be surrounded by enemies." And when they had given their promise, he said, "Allah, over what we say, is Witness."
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.
The explanation of the words of Allah the Exalted: قَالَ لَنْ أُرْسِلَهُ مَعَكُمْ حَتَّى تُؤْتُونِ مَوْثِقًا مِنَ اللَّهِ لَتَأْتُنَّنِي بِهِ إِلا أَنْ يُحَاطَ بِكُمْ فَلَمَّا آتَوْهُ مَوْثِقَهُمْ قَالَ اللَّهُ عَلَى مَا نَقُولُ وَكِيلٌ (66)
Abū Jaʿfar said: Allah the Exalted says: Yaʿqūb said to his sons: "I will not send your brother with you to the king of Egypt حَتَّى تُؤْتُونِ مَوْثِقًا مِنَ اللَّهِ — that is to say: until you give me a binding pledge (mawthiq) by Allah" — in the meaning of "al-mīthāq" (the covenant), namely that which one binds oneself to by an oath or a promise. لَتَأْتُنَّنِي بِهِ — that is to say: that you will bring your brother back to me. إِلا أَنْ يُحَاطَ بِكُمْ — that is to say: unless you are all surrounded by something against which you are not able to prevail, so that you cannot bring him to me.
In accordance with what we have said, the people of interpretation also said.
Mention of those who said that:
19480 — Al-Muthanā related to me, saying: Abū Ḥudhayfa related to us, saying: Shibl related to us, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid: فَلَمَّا آتَوْهُ مَوْثِقَهُمْ — he said: their pledge (ʿahd).
19481 — Al-Muthanā related to me, saying: Isḥāq informed us, saying: ʿAbdullāh related to us, on the authority of Warqāʾ, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid — the same.
19482 — Al-Ḥasan ibn Muḥammad related to us, saying: Shabāba related to us, saying: Warqāʾ related to us, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid, concerning the words إِلا أَنْ يُحَاطَ بِكُمْ : unless you all perish.
19483 — Al-Muthanā related to me, saying: Abū Ḥudhayfa related to us, saying: Shibl related to us, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid.
19484 — He said, and Isḥāq related to us, saying: ʿAbdullāh informed us, on the authority of Warqāʾ, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid — the same.
19485 — Al-Ḥasan ibn Yaḥyā related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Razzāq informed us, saying: Maʿmar informed us, on the authority of Qatāda: إِلا أَنْ يُحَاطَ بِكُمْ — he said: unless you are overwhelmed so that you cannot do it.
19486 — Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, saying: Salama related to us, on the authority of Ibn Isḥāq, concerning the words إِلا أَنْ يُحَاطَ بِكُمْ : unless something befalls you that wipes you all out, then that is a valid excuse with me.
His words فَلَمَّا آتَوْهُ مَوْثِقَهُمْ — that is to say: when they had given him their binding pledges, Yaʿqūb said: اللَّهُ عَلَى مَا نَقُولُ — I and you — وَكِيلٌ — that is to say: He is witness over us for the fulfilment of what we all say.
Notes: See the explanation of "al-mīthāq" earlier (14:82, note 1 and the references there). — See the explanation of "al-iḥāṭa" earlier (15:462, note 1 and the references there). — See the explanation of "al-wakīl" earlier (15:220, note 3 and the references there).
