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
قَالُوا۟ فَمَا جَزَٰٓؤُهُۥٓ إِن كُنتُمْ كَـٰذِبِينَ
They [the accusers] said, "Then what would be its recompense if you should be liars?"
وَجَآءَتْ سَيَّارَةٌ فَأَرْسَلُوا۟ وَارِدَهُمْ فَأَدْلَىٰ دَلْوَهُۥ ۖ قَالَ يَـٰبُشْرَىٰ هَـٰذَا غُلَـٰمٌ ۚ وَأَسَرُّوهُ بِضَـٰعَةً ۚ وَٱللَّهُ عَلِيمٌۢ بِمَا يَعْمَلُونَ
And there came a company of travelers; then they sent their water drawer, and he let down his bucket. He said, "Good news! Here is a boy." And they concealed him, [taking him] as merchandise; and Allāh was Knowing of what they did.
قَالَ لَنْ أُرْسِلَهُۥ مَعَكُمْ حَتَّىٰ تُؤْتُونِ مَوْثِقًا مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ لَتَأْتُنَّنِى بِهِۦٓ إِلَّآ أَن يُحَاطَ بِكُمْ ۖ فَلَمَّآ ءَاتَوْهُ مَوْثِقَهُمْ قَالَ ٱللَّهُ عَلَىٰ مَا نَقُولُ وَكِيلٌ
[Jacob] said, "Never will I send him with you until you give me a promise [i.e., oath] by Allāh that you will bring him [back] to me, unless you should be surrounded [i.e., overcome by enemies]." And when they had given their promise, he said, "Allāh, over what we say, is Entrusted."
ذَٰلِكَ مِنْ أَنۢبَآءِ ٱلْغَيْبِ نُوحِيهِ إِلَيْكَ ۖ وَمَا كُنتَ لَدَيْهِمْ إِذْ أَجْمَعُوٓا۟ أَمْرَهُمْ وَهُمْ يَمْكُرُونَ
That is from the news of the unseen which We reveal, [O Muḥammad], to you. And you were not with them when they put together their plan while they conspired.