*Hazrat Yusuf (Peace be upon him) – Part 4*

The king commanded: “Bring him to me; I will make him my close advisor.” Then when he spoke with him, he said: “Indeed, today you are with us established and trusted.” Yusuf (peace be upon him) said: “Appoint me over the storehouses of the land. Indeed, I am a knowing guardian.” Thus We established Yusuf in the land of Egypt, and he could settle in it wherever he wished. We bestow Our mercy on whom We will, and We do not allow the reward of the doers of good to be lost. And the reward of the Hereafter is better for those who believed and were fearing Allah.

And the brothers of Yusuf came from Canaan to Egypt to buy grain, and they entered upon Yusuf. He recognized them, but they did not recognize him. When he had furnished them with their supplies, he said: “Bring to me a brother of yours from your father. Do you not see that I give full measure and that I am the best of hosts? But if you do not bring him to me, then there will be no measure for you from me, nor will you approach me.” They said: “We will try to get his father to send him with us, and indeed, we will do it.” And at that time he told his servants: “Put their money back into their saddlebags so that they may recognize it when they return to their families; perhaps they will come back.”

When they returned to their father, they said: “O our father, the measure has been denied to us unless we take Binyamin along. So send our brother with us, that we may get the measure, and indeed, we will be his guardians.” Yaqub said: “Should I trust you with him as I trusted you with his brother before? But Allah is the best guardian, and He is the most merciful of the merciful.” And when they opened their baggage, they found their money returned to them. They said: “O our father, what more do we want? Here is our money returned to us. We will get provision for our family and guard our brother and obtain an additional camel’s load; that which we brought is a small measure.” Yaqub 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.” So when they had given him their promise, Yaqub said: “Allah is Witness over what we say.” And he instructed: “O my sons, do not enter from one gate but enter from different gates; and I cannot avail you against Allah at all. The decision is only for Allah. Upon Him I rely, and upon Him let those who would rely rely.” And when they entered from where their father had ordered them, it would not have availed them against Allah at all except that it was a desire in the soul of Yaqub which he satisfied. And indeed, he was a possessor of knowledge because of what We had taught him, but most of the people do not know.

And when they came to him, Yusuf took his real brother aside and said: “Indeed, I am your brother, so do not grieve over what they used to do.” When Yusuf had furnished them with their supplies, he put the drinking cup into his brother’s saddlebag. Then when they had left the city, a caller cried: “O caravan, indeed you are thieves.” They turned back and said: “What is it you are missing?” They said: “We are missing the king’s drinking cup, and for whoever brings it will be a camel’s load, and I am responsible for it.” They said: “By Allah, you certainly know that we did not come to cause corruption in the land, and we are not thieves.” They said: “Then what is the recompense for it if you should be liars?” They said: “The recompense is that he in whose saddlebag it is found — he himself will be its recompense. Thus do we recompense the wrongdoers.” So he began with their bags before the bag of his brother; then he brought it out of his brother’s bag. Thus did We plan for Yusuf. He could not have taken his brother within the king’s law except that Allah willed. We raise in degrees whom We will, and above every possessor of knowledge is one more knowing. 

The brothers of Yusuf said: “If he has stolen — then a brother of his stole before.” But Yusuf kept it secret within himself and did not reveal it to them. He said: “You are in a worse position, and Allah knows best what you describe.” They said: “O ‘Aziz, indeed he has a father who is an old man, and he loves him, so take one of us in his place. Indeed, we see you as a doer of good.” He said: “Allah forbid that we take anyone except the one with whom we found our property. Indeed, we would then be unjust.”