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 يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلْعَزِيزُ إِنَّ لَهُۥٓ أَبًا شَيْخًا كَبِيرًا فَخُذْ أَحَدَنَا مَكَانَهُۥٓ ۖ إِنَّا نَرَىٰكَ مِنَ ٱلْمُحْسِنِينَ
They said, "O ʿAzeez, indeed he has a father [who is] an old man, so take one of us in place of him. Indeed, we see you as a doer of good."
قَالُوٓا۟ أَضْغَـٰثُ أَحْلَـٰمٍ ۖ وَمَا نَحْنُ بِتَأْوِيلِ ٱلْأَحْلَـٰمِ بِعَـٰلِمِينَ
They said, "[It is but] a mixture of false dreams, and we are not learned in the interpretation of dreams."
وَكَذَٰلِكَ مَكَّنَّا لِيُوسُفَ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ يَتَبَوَّأُ مِنْهَا حَيْثُ يَشَآءُ ۚ نُصِيبُ بِرَحْمَتِنَا مَن نَّشَآءُ ۖ وَلَا نُضِيعُ أَجْرَ ٱلْمُحْسِنِينَ
And thus We established Joseph in the land to settle therein wherever he willed. We touch with Our mercy whom We will, and We do not allow to be lost the reward of those who do good.
لَقَدْ كَانَ فِى قَصَصِهِمْ عِبْرَةٌ لِّأُو۟لِى ٱلْأَلْبَـٰبِ ۗ مَا كَانَ حَدِيثًا يُفْتَرَىٰ وَلَـٰكِن تَصْدِيقَ ٱلَّذِى بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ وَتَفْصِيلَ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ وَهُدًى وَرَحْمَةً لِّقَوْمٍ يُؤْمِنُونَ
There was certainly in their stories a lesson for those of understanding. Never was it [i.e., the Qur’ān] a narration invented, but a confirmation of what was before it and a detailed explanation of all things and guidance and mercy for a people who believe.