قَالُوا۟ يَـٰٓأَبَانَآ إِنَّا ذَهَبْنَا نَسْتَبِقُ وَتَرَكْنَا يُوسُفَ عِندَ مَتَـٰعِنَا فَأَكَلَهُ ٱلذِّئْبُ ۖ وَمَآ أَنتَ بِمُؤْمِنٍ لَّنَا وَلَوْ كُنَّا صَـٰدِقِينَ 17
Translations
They said, "O our father, indeed we went racing each other and left Joseph with our possessions, and a wolf ate him. But you would not believe us, even if we were truthful."
Transliteration
Qāloo yā abānā innā dhahabnā nastabiq wa taraknā Yūsuf ʿinda matāʿinā fa-akalahu al-dhiʾb wa mā anta bi-muʾmin lanā wa law kunnā sādiqīn
Tafsir (Explanation)
Yusuf's brothers fabricate a lie to their father Yaʿqub, claiming they went racing and left Yusuf with their belongings, where a wolf devoured him. Their statement 'you will not believe us even if we are truthful' reveals their knowledge of their father's expected disbelief, reflecting their guilty conscience and the weight of their deception. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir note this phrase exposes the brothers' awareness of how their previous behavior and jealousy had damaged their credibility with their father.
Revelation Context
This ayah occurs within the narrative of Surah Yusuf, which presents the complete story of Prophet Yusuf in sequential order—unique among Quranic surahs. This specific ayah depicts the moment the brothers return to their father after throwing Yusuf into the well, establishing the human element of their guilt and the beginning of divine providence working through their deception.
Related Hadiths
While no hadith directly addresses this specific lie, Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim contain numerous hadiths on the prohibition of lying (al-kadhib) and the virtue of truthfulness (al-sidq), such as the hadith: 'Truthfulness leads to righteousness, and righteousness leads to Paradise' (Sahih Bukhari 6094).
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that lies compound guilt and damage trust irreparably—the brothers' own words betray their consciousness of wrongdoing. For modern readers, it serves as a reminder that dishonesty not only violates divine commands but also fractures relationships and ultimately cannot prevent Allah's plans from unfolding.
Related Ayahs
وَشَرَوْهُ بِثَمَنٍۭ بَخْسٍ دَرَٰهِمَ مَعْدُودَةٍ وَكَانُوا۟ فِيهِ مِنَ ٱلزَّٰهِدِينَ
And they sold him for a reduced price - a few dirhams - and they were, concerning him, of those content with little.
وَلَمَّا دَخَلُوا۟ مِنْ حَيْثُ أَمَرَهُمْ أَبُوهُم مَّا كَانَ يُغْنِى عَنْهُم مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ مِن شَىْءٍ إِلَّا حَاجَةً فِى نَفْسِ يَعْقُوبَ قَضَىٰهَا ۚ وَإِنَّهُۥ لَذُو عِلْمٍ لِّمَا عَلَّمْنَـٰهُ وَلَـٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ ٱلنَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ
And when they entered from where their father had ordered them, it did not avail them against Allāh at all except [it was] a need [i.e., concern] within the soul of Jacob, 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.
ٱرْجِعُوٓا۟ إِلَىٰٓ أَبِيكُمْ فَقُولُوا۟ يَـٰٓأَبَانَآ إِنَّ ٱبْنَكَ سَرَقَ وَمَا شَهِدْنَآ إِلَّا بِمَا عَلِمْنَا وَمَا كُنَّا لِلْغَيْبِ حَـٰفِظِينَ
Return to your father and say, 'O our father, indeed your son has stolen, and we did not testify except to what we knew. And we were not witnesses of the unseen.
ٱقْتُلُوا۟ يُوسُفَ أَوِ ٱطْرَحُوهُ أَرْضًا يَخْلُ لَكُمْ وَجْهُ أَبِيكُمْ وَتَكُونُوا۟ مِنۢ بَعْدِهِۦ قَوْمًا صَـٰلِحِينَ
Kill Joseph or cast him out to [another] land; the countenance [i.e., attention] of your father will [then] be only for you, and you will be after that a righteous people."