by some travelers, ‘if you must do something.’ In other words, if you are determined to carry out what you say, then let it be the course I have suggested to you, for it is less grievous than killing him outright or exiling him to a far-off land. They all agreed on this opinion, and at that point:

“They said, ‘Our father, why do you not trust us with Joseph, while we are surely his well-wishers?
Send him with us tomorrow so that he may eat freely and play; we will certainly keep him safe.’
He answered, ‘It grieves me that you should take him, and I fear that the wolf may eat him while you are inattentive.’
They said, ‘If the wolf were to eat him while we are a strong band, then we would indeed be losers.’” (Yūsuf 11–14)

They asked their father to let their brother Joseph go out with them, pretending that they wanted him to graze the flock, play, and enjoy himself, even though they were hiding intentions that Allah alone knew. The venerable patriarch—upon him the finest blessings and peace—replied:

“My sons, it pains me to be parted from him even for an hour of the day; yet I also fear that you will become absorbed in your play and pastimes, whereupon a wolf may come and devour him. Because of his youth, he cannot fend it off, and you might be heedless of him.”

“They said, ‘If the wolf were to eat him while we are a strong band, we would surely be losers,’” meaning: if a wolf attacked him and devoured him while we were present, or we became distracted until that happened even though we are many, then we would truly be ruined—powerless and destroyed.

The People of the Scripture claim that Jacob sent Joseph after them to catch up, whereupon he lost the road until a man directed him to them. This, too, is among their mistakes and mistranslations, for Jacob—peace be upon him—was far too protective of him when allowing him to go with them; how, then, would he have sent him alone?

“When they had taken him away and agreed to throw him into the depths of the well, We revealed to him, ‘You will surely inform them of this deed of theirs while they are unaware.’ Then they came to their father at nightfall, weeping. They said, ‘Our father, we were racing one another and left Joseph with our belongings, and a wolf ate him. Yet you will not believe us even though we speak the truth.’ And they produced his shirt stained with false blood. He said, ‘Rather, your souls have enticed you to something. So patience is beautiful, and Allah is the One whose help is sought against what you describe.’” (Yūsuf 15–18)

They persisted with their father until he sent Joseph with them, and no sooner had they vanished from his sight than they began cursing him and abusing him in word and deed. They were unanimous in their resolve to cast him into the depths of the well—its very bottom, upon the rocky ledge in its middle. The water-drawer (māʾiḥ) stands on this ledge when he descends to fill the buckets when the water is low; the one who hoists them up by rope is called the mātih.

When they threw him in, Allah revealed to him that relief and deliverance from this ordeal were inevitable, and that he would one day inform his brothers of their deed at a time when he would be honored, they would be dependent upon him, fearful of him, and unaware.

Mujāhid and Qatādah said that they were unaware of Allah’s inspiration to him in this matter. Ibn ʿAbbās said: “while they are unaware” means that you will inform them of this deed of theirs at a time when they do not recognize you; this was reported from him by Ibn Jarīr.

When they had placed him in the well and turned back, they took his shirt, smeared it with some blood, and returned to their father at nightfall, weeping—ostensibly for their brother. For this reason