‘Do you not know that your father took from you a solemn pledge before Allah, and that you previously failed in your duty concerning Joseph? I will not leave this land until my father gives me permission or Allah judges in my favour, and He is the best of judges.’”

It may be said that istī’ās (losing hope) is not the same as īyās (despair), for several reasons.

The first is that Joseph’s brothers had not entirely lost hope of him. Their eldest’s words:

“I will not leave this land until my father gives me permission or Allah judges in my favour, and He is the best of judges”

show that he hoped Allah would judge in his favour. His judgment here must necessarily entail our securing Joseph’s release from them; otherwise, a judgment in his favour concerning something else would have no bearing on his remaining in Egypt for that purpose.

Furthermore, despair concerns something that will not happen, yet nothing had occurred to warrant that conclusion. For they said:

“They said, ‘O governor, he has a father who is a very old man, so take one of us in his place. Indeed, we see that you are among those who do good.’”

“He said, ‘Allah forbid that we should take anyone except the one with whom we found our property! We would then indeed be wrongdoers.’”

Thus, he refused to hand him over to them. It is well known that this does not warrant certainty that he will never be handed over to them. His resolve and intention may change—and how often hearts are turned! Circumstances may also change through someone else, so that authority passes to another. The captive may also gain his freedom without his captor’s consent. Such things commonly happen when someone holds another person in his custody and says he will not hand him over. For he may