Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (4/224)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

It is also said that he inherited that beauty from his grandmother Sarah, who had been given one-sixth of all beauty.

Ibn Ishaq said: Joseph and his mother were given two-thirds of all beauty. (1)

When Malik ibn Du'r saw him, he said, “O, what joyful news!” The majority recited it ya bushraya (“O my joyful news!”), with an alif and a fathah on the final ya: the water-drawer was announcing the good news to his companions, saying, “Rejoice!” The scholars of Kufa recited it ya Bushra, without the possessive suffix, meaning that the water-drawer called out to one of his companions, whose name was Bushra: “Here is a boy!”

Ibn Mujahid narrated from his father that the walls of the well wept for Joseph when he was taken out of it.

“They concealed him as merchandise,” meaning, they hid him. Mujahid said: Malik ibn Du'r and his companions concealed him from the merchants travelling with them, saying, “He is merchandise that some people at the watering-place entrusted to us for delivery to Egypt,” fearing that they would demand a share in him.

It was also said that Joseph’s brothers concealed ⦗180/b⦘ the matter of Joseph and said, “This is a runaway slave of ours.” (3)

Allah, exalted is He, says: “And Allah knew well what they were doing.” Judah then brought food to Joseph, but did not find him in the well. He informed his brothers, and they searched for him. They found Malik and his companions encamped, and when they came to them, they found Joseph with them. They said, “This is a runaway slave of ours.”

It is also said that they threatened Joseph until he did not disclose his circumstances, and he repeated what they said. Then they sold him. This is the meaning of His saying, exalted is He:

“And they sold him for a paltry price—a few silver coins—having no desire for him. (20)”

“And they sold him,” meaning, they sold him. “For a paltry price”: Al-Dahhak, Muqatil, and Al-Suddi said: it was unlawful, because the price received for a free person is unlawful. What is unlawful was called paltry because it is deprived of blessing.

Ibn Abbas and Ibn Mas'ud said: “Paltry” means counterfeit.

Ikrimah and Al-Sha'bi said: it means a small price.

“A few silver coins”: the silver coins further explain the price. Their being described as numbered indicates that they were few.

It was also said that they were described as numbered because, in that time, they did not weigh amounts less than forty dirhams; rather, they counted them. Once they reached an ounce, they weighed them.

They differed over the number of those silver coins. Ibn Abbas, Ibn Mas'ud, and Qatadah said: twenty dirhams, which they divided, two dirhams apiece.

Mujahid said: twenty-two dirhams.

Ikrimah said: forty dirhams. (4)

(1) Al-Albani said: “Munkar (reprehensible) and unsound in this wording, because it contradicts the authentic hadith and because its chain of transmission is extremely weak.” See the previous references. (2) In manuscript B: “then he said.” (3) Omitted from manuscript B. (4) Imam Abu Ja'far al-Tabari said in his Tafsir, 16:15-16: “The sound view on this matter is that Allah, exalted be He, informs us that they sold him for a number of dirhams, counted rather than weighed. He did not specify their amount by weight or number, nor is there any indication of it in the Book or in any report from the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him. It may have been twenty, twenty-two, or forty, or less or more. Whatever the amount was, they were counted rather than weighed. Knowing their precise amount has no religious benefit, nor is there any harm in being ignorant of it. Belief in the outward meaning of the revelation is obligatory; as for anything beyond that, we are not required to seek knowledge of it.”

وَيُقَالُ: إِنَّهُ وَرِثَ ذَلِكَ الْجَمَالَ مِنْ جَدَّتِهِ سَارَةَ، وَكَانَتْ قَدْ أُعْطِيَتْ سُدُسَ الْحُسْنِ. قَالَ ابْنُ إِسْحَاقَ ذَهَبَ يُوسُفُ وَأُمُّهُ بِثُلُثَيِ الْحَسَنِ (١) . فَلَمَّا رَآهُ مَالِكُ بْنُ ذُعْرٍ، ﴿قَالَ يَا بُشْرَى﴾ قَرَأَ الْأَكْثَرُونَ هَكَذَا بِالْأَلْفِ وَفَتْحِ الْيَاءِ، بَشَّرَ الْمُسْتَقِي أَصْحَابَهُ يَقُولُ (٢) : أَبْشِرُوا. وَقَرَأَ أَهْلُ الْكُوفَةِ: يَا بُشْرَى، بِغَيْرِ إِضَافَةٍ، يُرِيدُ نَادَى الْمُسْتَقِي رَجُلًا مِنْ أَصْحَابِهِ اسْمُهُ بُشْرَى. ﴿هَذَا غُلَامٌ﴾ وَرَوَى ابْنُ مُجَاهِدٍ عَنْ أَبِيهِ: أَنَّ جُدْرَانَ الْبِئْرِ كَانَتْ تَبْكِي عَلَى يُوسُفَ حِينَ أُخْرِجَ مِنْهَا. ﴿وَأَسَرُّوهُ﴾ أَخْفَوْهُ، ﴿بِضَاعَةً﴾ قَالَ مُجَاهِدٌ: أَسَرَّهُ مَالِكُ بْنُ ذُعْرٍ وَأَصْحَابُهُ مِنَ التُّجَّارِ الَّذِينَ مَعَهُمْ وَقَالُوا: هُوَ بِضَاعَةٌ اسْتَبْضَعَهَا بَعْضُ أَهْلِ الْمَاءِ إِلَى مِصْرَ خِيفَةَ أَنْ يَطْلُبُوا مِنْهُمْ فِيهِ الْمُشَارَكَةَ. وَقِيلَ: أَرَادَ أَنَّ إِخْوَةَ يوسف أسروا ١٨٠/ب شَأْنَ يُوسُفَ وَقَالُوا هَذَا عَبْدٌ لَنَا [أَبِقَ] (٣) . قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: ﴿وَاللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ بِمَا يَعْمَلُونَ﴾ فَأَتَى يَهُوذَا يُوسُفَ بِالطَّعَامِ فَلَمْ يَجِدْهُ فِي الْبِئْرِ، فَأَخْبَرَ بِذَلِكَ إِخْوَتَهُ، فَطَلَبُوهُ فَإِذَا هُمْ بِمَالِكٍ وَأَصْحَابِهِ نُزُولًا فَأَتَوْهُمْ فَإِذَا هُمْ بِيُوسُفَ، فَقَالُوا هَذَا عَبْدٌ آبِقٌ مِنَّا. وَيُقَالُ: إِنَّهُمْ هَدَّدُوا يُوسُفَ حَتَّى لَمْ يَعْرِفْ حَالَهُ. وَقَالَ مِثْلَ قَوْلِهِمْ، ثُمَّ بَاعُوهُ، فَذَلِكَ قَوْلُهُ ﷿: ﴿وَشَرَوْهُ بِثَمَنٍ بَخْسٍ دَرَاهِمَ مَعْدُودَةٍ وَكَانُوا فِيهِ مِنَ الزَّاهِدِينَ (٢٠) ﴾ . ﴿وَشَرَوْهُ﴾ أَيْ: بَاعُوهُ، ﴿بِثَمَنٍ بَخْسٍ﴾ قَالَ الضَّحَّاكُ، وَمُقَاتِلٌ، وَالسُّدِّيُّ: حَرَامٌ لِأَنَّ ثَمَنَ الْحُرِّ حَرَامٌ، وَسُمِّيَ الْحَرَامُ بَخْسًا لِأَنَّهُ مَبْخُوسُ الْبَرَكَةِ. وَعَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ وَابْنِ مَسْعُودٍ: بَخْسٍ أَيْ زُيُوفٍ. وَقَالَ عِكْرِمَةُ وَالشَّعْبِيُّ: بِثَمَنٍ قَلِيلٍ. ﴿دَرَاهِمَ﴾ بَدَلٌ مِنَ الثَّمَنِ، ﴿مَعْدُودَةٍ﴾ ذَكَّرَ الْعَدَدَ عِبَارَةٌ عَنْ قِلَّتِهَا. وَقِيلَ: إِنَّمَا قَالَ مَعْدُودَةً لِأَنَّهُمْ كَانُوا فِي ذَلِكَ الزَّمَانِ لَا يَزِنُونَ مَا كَانَ أَقَلَّ مِنْ أَرْبَعِينَ دِرْهَمًا، إِنَّمَا كَانُوا يَعُدُّونَهَا عَدًّا، فَإِذَا بَلَغَتْ أُوقِيَّةً وَزَنُوهَا. وَاخْتَلَفُوا فِي عَدَدِ تِلْكَ الدَّرَاهِمِ: قَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ وَابْنُ مَسْعُودٍ وقَتَادَةُ: عِشْرُونَ دِرْهَمًا، فَاقْتَسَمُوهَا دِرْهَمَيْنِ دِرْهَمَيْنِ. وَقَالَ مُجَاهِدٌ: اثْنَانِ وَعِشْرُونَ دِرْهَمًا. وَقَالَ عِكْرِمَةُ: أَرْبَعُونَ دِرْهَمًا (٤) .

(١) قال الألباني: منكر باطل بهذا اللفظ، لمخالفته للحديث الصحيح، ولأن إسناده واهٍ جدا. وانظر: المراجع السابقة. (٢) في "ب": فقال. (٣) ساقط من "ب". (٤) قال الإمام أبو جعفر الطبري في التفسير: (١٦ / ١٥-١٦) : "والصواب من القول في ذلك أن يقال: إن الله تعالى ذكره أخبر أنهم باعوه بدراهم معدودة غير موزونة، ولم يحد مبلغ ذلك بوزن ولا عدد، ولا وضع عليه دلالة في كتاب ولا خبر من الرسول ﷺ. وقد يحتمل أن يكون كان عشرين، ويحتمل أن يكون كان اثنين وعشرين، وأن يكون كان أربعين، وأقل من ذلك وأكثر. وأي ذلك كان، فإنها كانت معدودة غير موزونة، وليس في العلم بمبلغ وزن ذلك فائدة تقع في دين، ولا في الجهل به دخول ضر فيه. والإيمان بظاهر التنزيل فرض. وما عداه فموضوع عنا تكلف علمه".