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
أَفَأَمِنُوٓا۟ أَن تَأْتِيَهُمْ غَـٰشِيَةٌ مِّنْ عَذَابِ ٱللَّهِ أَوْ تَأْتِيَهُمُ ٱلسَّاعَةُ بَغْتَةً وَهُمْ لَا يَشْعُرُونَ
Then do they feel secure that there will not come to them an overwhelming [aspect] of the punishment of Allāh or that the Hour will not come upon them suddenly while they do not perceive?
وَقَالَ لِلَّذِى ظَنَّ أَنَّهُۥ نَاجٍ مِّنْهُمَا ٱذْكُرْنِى عِندَ رَبِّكَ فَأَنسَىٰهُ ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنُ ذِكْرَ رَبِّهِۦ فَلَبِثَ فِى ٱلسِّجْنِ بِضْعَ سِنِينَ
And he said to the one whom he knew would go free, "Mention me before your master." But Satan made him forget the mention [to] his master, and he [i.e., Joseph] remained in prison several years.
فَلَمَّا دَخَلُوا۟ عَلَىٰ يُوسُفَ ءَاوَىٰٓ إِلَيْهِ أَبَوَيْهِ وَقَالَ ٱدْخُلُوا۟ مِصْرَ إِن شَآءَ ٱللَّهُ ءَامِنِينَ
And when they entered upon Joseph, he took his parents to himself [i.e., embraced them] and said, "Enter Egypt, Allāh willing, safe [and secure]."
فَلَمَّا جَهَّزَهُم بِجَهَازِهِمْ جَعَلَ ٱلسِّقَايَةَ فِى رَحْلِ أَخِيهِ ثُمَّ أَذَّنَ مُؤَذِّنٌ أَيَّتُهَا ٱلْعِيرُ إِنَّكُمْ لَسَـٰرِقُونَ
So when he had furnished them with their supplies, he put the [gold measuring] bowl into the bag of his brother. Then an announcer called out, "O caravan, indeed you are thieves."