فَبَدَأَ بِأَوْعِيَتِهِمْ قَبْلَ وِعَاءِ أَخِيهِ ثُمَّ اسْتَخْرَجَهَا مِنْ وِعَاءِ أَخِيهِ كَذَلِكَ كِدْنَا لِيُوسُفَ مَا كَانَ لِيَأْخُذَ أَخَاهُ فِي دِينِ الْمَلِكِ إِلَّا أَنْ يَشَاءَ اللَّهُ نَرْفَعُ دَرَجَاتٍ مَنْ نَشَاءُ وَفَوْقَ كُلِّ ذِي عِلْمٍ عَلِيمٌ ﴿۷۶﴾ قَالُوا إِنْ يَسْرِقْ فَقَدْ سَرَقَ أَخٌ لَهُ مِنْ قَبْلُ فَأَسَرَّهَا يُوسُفُ فِي نَفْسِهِ وَلَمْ يُبْدِهَا لَهُمْ قَالَ أَنْتُمْ شَرٌّ مَكَانًا وَاللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا تَصِفُونَ ﴿۷۷﴾ قَالُوا يَا أَيُّهَا الْعَزِيزُ إِنَّ لَهُ أَبًا شَيْخًا كَبِيرًا فَخُذْ أَحَدَنَا مَكَانَهُ إِنَّا نَرَاكَ مِنَ الْمُحْسِنِينَ ﴿۷۸﴾

﴾76﴿ Fabada-a bi-aw'iyatihim qabla wi'aaa'i akheehi summas takhrajahaa minw wi 'aaa'i akheeh; kazaalika kidnaa li Yoosuf; maa kaana liyaakhuza akhaahu fee deenil maliki illaaa any yashaaa'al laah; narfa'u darajaatim man nashaaa'; wa fawqa kulli zee 'ilmin 'Aleem
﴾77﴿ Qaaloo iny yasriq faqad saraqa akhul lahoo min qabl; fa asarrahaa Yoosufu fee nafsihee wa lam yubdihaa lahum; qaala antum sharrum makaananw wallaahu a'lamu bimaa tasifoon
﴾78﴿ Qaaloo yaaa ayyuhal 'Azeezu inna lahooo aban shaikhan kabeeran fakhuz ahadanaa makaanahoo innaa naraaka minal muhsineen

﴾76﴿ So he began searching their belongings before searching his brother’s belongings. Then he brought out the cup from his brother’s belongings. Thus, We devised a plan for Yusuf (Joseph, peace be upon him). He could not have detained his brother under the king’s law, except as Allah willed. We elevate in ranks whomever We will, and above everyone endowed with knowledge is the All-Knowing
﴾77﴿ They said, "If he has stolen, then it is no surprise, for his brother had stolen before him. But Joseph (peace be upon him) concealed this in his heart and did not reveal it to them. He said (to himself), "You are in a worse state, and Allah knows best what you describe
﴾78﴿ They said, O dear one, surely he has a very old father. So take one of us in his place. Indeed, we see you as one of the righteous

[76] In this scenario, they started by inspecting the belongings of the other brothers first to ensure that they would not suspect that they had planted the cup themselves. (كَذَلِكَ كِدْنَا لِيُوسُفَ) - "Thus, We planned for Yusuf." This addresses the doubt that Yusuf (peace be upon him) imposed a burden on his father and defamed his own brother, and whether such an action is religiously permissible. The response is that this plan was divinely inspired; Yusuf (peace be upon him) did not devise it on his own. Another part, (إِلَّا أَنْ يَشَاءَ اللَّهُ), indicates that this act was according to the divine will of Allah. If someone still doubts whether such actions could be permissible for us, the answer is in the specific wording (لِيُوسُفَ), where "لِ" indicates exclusivity, suggesting that this strategy was specific to Yusuf (peace be upon him). Thus, generalizing this to justify deceptive strategies is prohibited, as there is no religious proof supporting such tactics in general circumstances. Regarding (وَفَوْقَ كُلِّ ذِي عِلْمٍ عَلِيمٌ) - "And above every person endowed with knowledge, there is one [Allah] who is more knowing." If someone argues that Allah also has knowledge, could there be someone more knowledgeable than Him? The response is that "ذو عِلْمٍ" does not apply to Allah because attributing the degree of knowledge (as a comparative) to Allah based on transmission does not hold. This verse highlights that there is a great variety in levels of knowledge, and no scholar should pride themselves on their knowledge; Allah is the ultimate source of all knowledge.
[77] Since the accusation of theft was confirmed against them, they tried to distance themselves from the blame.
So they said, “This Binyamin is not our full brother; his brother (Yusuf) also stole before him” – meaning: he comes from a line of thieves.
They were attempting to justify and disconnect themselves from both Binyamin and Yusuf (peace be upon him).
At this point, Yusuf (peace be upon him) did not respond to them openly. He said secretly: (أَنْتُمْ شَرٌّ مَكَانًا) – “You are in a worse position,” and said aloud: (وَاللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا تَصِفُونَ) – “And Allah knows best what you describe.”
(فَأَسَرَّهَا) – “He concealed it” – the pronoun can refer to his statement (أَنْتُمْ شَرٌّ مَكَانًا) or to the rebuttal of their words, or to the proof he had against them.
Benefit: Regarding the claim that Yusuf (peace be upon him) stole, the preferred opinion is that in childhood, he had taken an idol belonging to his maternal grandfather, hidden it, and broken it, as a way to turn him away from shirk.
Because of this noble act, his brothers later falsely accused him of being a thief.
[78] Since they had made a promise to their father to bring Binyamin back, they appealed to the ‘Azīz of Egypt (Yusuf, peace be upon him) with a humble request that included three points:
1. The first excuse: They explained that his father is an old man, and the loss of Binyamin would be a great sorrow for him.
2. An offer of substitution: They asked that one of them be taken in Binyamin’s place, fulfilling the penalty on his behalf.
3. Praise for the ‘Azīz (Yusuf): They acknowledged his noble character, saying, “You are surely among the doers of good (محسنین),” and reminded him that he had treated them kindly before as well.