“They said, ‘By Allah! You certainly know that we did not come to spread corruption in the land, nor have we ever been thieves.’ They said, ‘Then what shall be its penalty, if you are lying?’ They said, ‘Its penalty is that whoever it is found in whose saddlebag shall himself be the penalty. Thus do we punish the wrongdoers.’ So he began with their bags before his brother’s bag, then brought it out of his brother’s bag. Thus We devised a plan for Joseph. He could not have detained his brother under the king’s law unless Allah had so willed. We raise in rank whomever We will, and above every person of knowledge is one more knowledgeable.” (73–76)

“They said,” meaning Joseph’s brothers, “By Allah!” That is, “By Allah.” This particular expression is uniquely formed in an oath by replacing the waw with a ta; this does not occur with any of the other Names of Allah, Most High. “You certainly know that we did not come to spread corruption in the land”—that is, to steal in the land of Egypt.

If it is asked: How could they say, “You certainly know”? How did they know that?

It is said: They meant, “You certainly know that we did not come to spread corruption in the land. Ever since we set out along this route, we have not deprived anyone of anything. Ask those whom we passed: have we harmed anyone?”

It was also said that this was because they had returned the goods that had been placed in their saddlebags. They said, “Had we been thieves, we would not have returned them.”

It was also said that they said this because they were known not to take what did not belong to them. Whenever they entered Egypt, they would muzzle their animals so that they would not take anything from people’s crops.

“Nor have we ever been thieves.”

“They said,” meaning the announcer and his companions, “Then what shall be its penalty?” That is, the penalty of the thief, “if you are lying” in your statement, “Nor have we ever been thieves.”

“They said,” meaning Joseph’s brothers (1), “Its penalty is that whoever it is found in whose saddlebag shall himself be the penalty.” That is, the thief’s penalty was that he would be handed over, on account of his theft, to the person from whom he had stolen, who would hold him as a slave for one year. This was the established practice of Jacob’s family concerning the ruling on a thief. The ruling of the king of Egypt, however, was that the thief would be beaten ⦗185/a⦘ or made to pay twice the value of what had been stolen. Joseph wished to keep his brother with him, so he referred the judgement back to them in order that he might be able to keep him with him according to their own ruling.

“Thus do we punish the wrongdoers”: those who do what they have no right to do, such as stealing another’s property.

At that point, the messenger said, “Your belongings must be searched.”

So he began searching them. It is also related that he brought them back to Joseph, who ordered their bags to be searched before him.

“So he began with their bags,” in order to remove suspicion, “before his brother’s bag.” Thus he searched their bags one by one. He said: