Yusuf · Makki · ayah 74 of 111

Yusuf 12:74

قَالُوا۟ فَمَا جَزَٰٓؤُهُۥٓ إِن كُنتُمْ كَـٰذِبِينَ

“They [the accusers] said, "Then what would be its recompense[607] if you should be liars?"”

Saheeh International

Essence

The searchers ask the accused to name the penalty, if they are liars; men whose family turned on a lie must now pass sentence.

A reflection

A small procedural question that was the hinge of the plan

This ayah is usually read as filler. The brothers deny the theft; the searchers ask what the penalty should be; the search follows. A procedural step.

But the commentaries saw it as the hinge on which the whole plan turned.

The penalty for theft differed between the two peoples. Several commentaries report that in Egypt a thief was beaten and fined twice the value of what he took. In the house of Yaqub, the thief was handed over to the owner and kept as his servant, for a year in one report.

So the question matters enormously. If the Egyptians apply their own law, Binyamin pays a fine and goes home with his brothers. If the brothers name their own law, he stays.

One classical commentary says it plainly. Yusuf wanted to keep his brother with him. So he handed the ruling over to them, to detain him by their own judgement.

And the surah confirms it two ayat later. He could not have taken his brother under the law of the king, except that Allah willed.

Another classical commentary notices the twist in the language. The searchers do not pronounce a sentence. They ask the accused for a ruling, as one asks a scholar for an opinion.

The accused become the judges. And they will judge confidently, because they are sure they are innocent.

A question that looks like routine is often where the real decision is made. Who gets to name the rule? Who gets to set the terms?

Here, without knowing it, the brothers are about to write the sentence that keeps their youngest brother in Egypt.

The full entry has 5 more reflections, questions to sit with, and "Live it today" - with the words, the roots and the tafsir alongside. Free, no account, works offline.