فَلَمّا ذَهَبوا بِهِ وَأَجمَعوا أَن يَجعَلوهُ في غَيابَتِ الجُبِّ ۚ وَأَوحَينا إِلَيهِ لَتُنَبِّئَنَّهُم بِأَمرِهِم هٰذا وَهُم لا يَشعُرونَ

So when they took him away and conspired to put him into the recess of a well, We revealed to him: ‘[A day will come when] you will surely inform them about this affair of theirs while they are not aware [of your identity].’

EXEGESIS

Ghayābah (recess) and jubb (well) were discussed under verse 10.

Awḥaynā (we revealed) comes from the root waḥy, which means to pass a message to someone else, whether through speech, whispers, knowledge, or revelation.^[1] Hence, waḥy can cover a whole range of things, such as:

1. God giving order to His creation: Then He set them up as seven heavens in two days, and revealed (awḥā) in each heaven its ordinance (41:12).
2. The innate God-given nature and natural instinct of creatures: And your Lord inspired (awḥā) the bee (16:68).
3. The whisperings of devils: Indeed the satans inspire (yūḥūna) their friends to dispute with you (6:121).
4. To relate something through sign language: So he emerged before his people from the Temple, and signalled (awḥā) to them that they should glorify [Allah] morning and evening (19:11).
5. Divine inspiration: We revealed (awḥaynā) to Moses’ mother (28:7).
6. And of course prophetic revelation.

Yashʿurūn (aware) comes from shuʿūr, which means to sense something in an accurate and delicate manner.^[2]

EXPOSITION

The brothers took Prophet Joseph (a) away and carried out their wicked plot, leaving him stranded alone in the well. However, he was not alone, for through his faith, God was with him and comforted him at that moment, reminding him of His plan.

So when they took him away: there is an omission here and it is understood that Prophet Jacob (a) acquiesced and agreed to send Prophet Joseph (a) with his older brothers on their excursion.^[3] So they left on the agreed upon outing, to the place that they had previously conspired upon together.

And conspired to put him into the recess of a well: there is an abrupt break in the verse between this statement and the next. This is a powerful literary technique. A similar pause is utilised for example in Sūrat Yā Sīn when it relates the story of a man who came to confirm what three apostles sent by God had proclaimed to his people: There came a man from the city outskirts, hurrying. He said: ‘O my people! Follow the apostles!’ (36:20). In response to his advice and bravery, his people had him killed, but God does not relate that, simply moving on to describe how he was rewarded with the paradise of barzakh (the liminal world) immediately upon his death: ‘Indeed I have faith in your Lord, so listen to me.’ He was told: ‘Enter paradise!’ He said: ‘Alas! Had my people only known for what my Lord forgave me and made me one of the honoured ones!’ (36:25-27).

What a terrible deed Prophet Jacob’s (a) sons did to a young innocent boy, their own brother, a prophet of God, and the son of prophets. How terrible is jealousy, which results in men who had grown up in the house of a prophet to stoop to such lowly deeds.^[4]

From verse 18 we also understand that they took off his shirt prior to putting him in the well. There are no reliable details about how they did this and how they went about putting him in the well, whether they used physical force to subdue him or whether he complied with their demands peacefully, or they somehow tricked him to go down into the well.^[5] The latter two options seem the most likely, as the word put (jaʿl) does not indicate a violent flinging, but rather that they placed him there. Compare this especially to verse 10, which has them planning to throw him (alqūhu).

We revealed to him: some have said that this revelation here is prophetic revelation.^[6] Others have stated that this was not prophetic revelation, but an inspiration of the heart, and he began receiving prophetic revelation later, as alluded to in the later verse, When he came of age, We gave him judgement and [sacred] knowledge (verse 22).^[7] According to them then, We revealed to him was waḥy the like of which was given to the mother of Prophet Moses (a), or when an angel came to Lady Mary, even though neither are considered prophets. Revelation is of different types, and one of these types is what scholars designate as ilhām (inspiration) (which itself – like revelation – can be of various degrees of strength and clarity).

Having said that, it should be born in mind that prophets enjoy certain blessings of God from the very start of their lives and can be considered to be in the category of prophets even before their official mission. The Quran and the biography of Prophet Muhammad (s) are rife with examples of that.

You will surely inform them about this affair of theirs: he will remind them of the evil action which they did. This is in reference to when they later come to him in Egypt, asking him for help without realising he is Joseph (a), and he asks them, Have you realised what you did to Joseph and his brother, when you were senseless? (verse 89).^[8] It was a reminder from God to Prophet Joseph (a) that what he saw in his vision would come to pass and that he should not give room to worry or doubt in his heart.^[9]

The scene conveyed by the verse is an extremely evocative one: a young boy abandoned to a dark well by the very brothers that he loved and trusted. In that tragic moment of sorrow, he finds solace in his prayers and the promise of God fills his heart with tranquillity. The contrast is striking. In the depths of the well, Prophet Joseph (a) is at his lowest point of weakness, completely at the mercy of his cruel brothers. At that instant he is reminded that the day will come when his brothers will prostrate before him. This hope-giving knowledge is what brings tranquillity to his heart. This is the power of the reliance of the believers who trust in the plan of God. This important theme and message is revisited throughout the surah, such as when Prophet Jacob (a) says to his sons, He said: ‘Did I not tell you: “I know from Allah what you do not know?”’ (verse 96), or in the final exhortations when God says, When the apostles lost hope and they thought that they had been told lies, Our help came to them, and We delivered whomever We wished (verse 110).

While they are not aware: at that time, they would not recognise you and would not know that you are Prophet Joseph (a) in front of whom they are standing.^[10] Alternatively, it has been suggested to mean that they are not aware that he is a prophet,^[11] or of the revelation that had been revealed to him.^[12]

Tabatabai builds on this latter point, saying it means that the brothers were not aware of the reality of what was revealed to Prophet Joseph (a) and the reality of what they had done. By putting Prophet Joseph (a) in the well, they thought they would bring him down and make his name forgotten and quench his light and humiliate him, whilst in reality these events only made him rise higher and come closer to the divine light and extoll his name.^[13]

This is certainly what the main theme of the surah is conveying and teaching the readers. Those who try to plan against the plan of God can never succeed, for God’s plan has taken their actions into account and the knowledge of the final manifestation of all things is known to Him.

Tabatabai further adds that inform in this verse would mean to tell them the reality of what they had done, like in many other verses such as, To Allah will be the return of you all, whereat He will inform you concerning what you used to do (5:105). He says this is why Prophet Joseph (a) later asks them, Have you realised what you did to Joseph and his brother, when you were senseless? (verse 89), meaning ‘do you understand the reality of what you have done?’^[14]

This revelation also explains why Prophet Joseph (a) never later sought out his family, even after becoming a governor in Egypt.^[15] God revealed His plan to him and how one day his brothers would come to him.

INSIGHTS FROM HADITH

1. From Mismaʿ ibn Abd al-Malik Abū Sayyār, that Imam al-Ṣādiq (a) said: ‘When Joseph’s brothers cast him into the well, Gabriel descended upon him and said: “Young boy, who has brought you here?” He replied: “My brothers envied my status with my father, so they cast me into this well.” Gabriel said to him: “Do you wish to come out from this well?” He said: “That is up to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” Then Gabriel said to him: “The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob commands you to say: ‘O Allah, I ask You as You are the one who is praised, there is no god but You, the Originator of the heavens and the earth, O Possessor of Majesty and Grace, to send blessings upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, and to make for me an outlet and aid in my affair, and provide for me from where I expect and do not expect.’”’^[16]
2. From Zayd al-Shaḥḥām, that Imam al-Ṣādiq (a) said regarding you will surely inform them about this affair of theirs: ‘He was seven years old.’^[17]

REVIEW OF TAFSĪR LITERATURE

Some have claimed that you will surely inform them about this affair of theirs means that Prophet Joseph (a) will punish them for their actions, saying that inform has the meaning of ‘making them know’ as in punishing them.^[18] This is contrary to the surah though, as Prophet Joseph (a) explicitly forgives them and says There shall be no reproach on you today (verse 92); unless we say that detaining his brother and not accepting their excuse and sending them back without their brother was enough as punishment.

There are various stories related in the books of tafsīr regarding Prophet Joseph’s (a) stay in the well. Some of them claim that one of his brothers would bring him food while he was stuck there. Another claimed that an angel would bring him food, or that the well of the water miraculously nourished him. One report attributed to Imam al-Ṣādiq (a) claims that as his brothers had taken his shirt from him, the angel Gabriel brought him a shirt. The shirt that he brought was the shirt that was supposedly given to Prophet Abraham (a) after he was flung in the fire without his clothes, and that shirt was passed on to his son Prophet Isaac (a), and then to his son Prophet Jacob (a).^[19] Such reports are not reliable though.

It is unlikely that Prophet Joseph (a) stayed in the well for any extended period of time and therefore would have needed food or nourishment. The plan of the brothers was clear: they dropped him in a well frequented by caravans, knowing he would not stay there long, throw him into the recess of the well so that some caravan may pick him up (verse 10).

Many other details have also been related here that are clearly baseless or borrowed from the Old Testament or inspired by it, even though in contradiction to the apparent Quranic narrative, such as for example when the brothers threw him in the well Prophet Joseph (a) called out for help and they shouted at him: ‘Call the sun and the moon and the eleven stars to help you.’ However, as we discussed earlier, even though the Bible claims that Joseph (a) told his brothers about his dream(s), that is contrary to the apparent Quranic narrative.

INSIGHTS FROM OTHER TRADITIONS

1. When Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped Joseph of his coat – his coat of many colors that he had on. And they took him and threw him into a pit. The pit was empty, and there was no water in it.^[20]

[1] Tahqiq, 13/59, w-ḥ-y.
[2] Tahqiq, 6/90, sh-ʿ-r.
[3] See Tabrisi, 5/331; Tabari, 12/95.
[4] Mizan, 11/99.
[5] Some books mention that physical force was used by the brothers, but they provide no evidence for such claims (see for example what is related in Tabrisi, 5/331; Tabari, 12/95; Thalabi, 5/202; Zamakhshari, 2/449; Nemuneh, 9/341). Baghawī on the other hand clarifies that at least one such account is related from Wahab ibn Munabbih (Baghawi, 2/479), who was known for transmitting legends of the People of the Book. Abū Ḥayyān states that there is no authentic report about such events (Muhit, 6/248), as does Alusi, 6/389. It is purely speculative, but we may imagine many non-violent scenarios of them getting Prophet Joseph (a) to enter the well, for example by pretending something fell in there and asking him to lower himself into it to retrieve it. This would also be the simplest way to get the shirt off him in a non-violent way, as they could have told him to remove it so it does not get wet.
[6] Razi, 18/428; Qurtubi, 9/142; Mizan, 11/100.
[7] Nemuneh, 9/343; Tantawi, 7/328; Munyah, 14/155-156; Sharawi, p. 6880. See also Razi, 18/438; Muhit, 6/248.
[8] Tabrisi, 5/332; Nemuneh, 9/342-343; Tantawi, 7/328.
[9] See also Tantawi, 7/328; Sharawi, p. 6881.
[10] See Tabrisi, 5/332; Thalabi, 5/201; Qurtubi, 9/143; related in Tibyan, 6/109; Tabari, 12/96.
[11] This possibility is entertained in Zamakhshari, 2/450; also related in Tibyan, 6/109.
[12] Baghawi, 2/479; Mizan, 11/100; related in Tabari, 12/96.
[13] Mizan, 11/100.
[14] Mizan, 11/100-101.
[15] See also Razi, 18/428; Qurtubi, 9/143.
[16] Tabrisi, 5/332. See also for example Qurtubi, 9/143-144; Alusi, 6/389.
[17] Ayyashi, 2/170; Nur, 2/416.
[18] Related in Tibyan, 6/110.
[19] Related in Tabrisi, 5/331-332. See also Thalabi, 5/202; Zamakhshari, 2/450; Razi, 18/427-428. Albeit the others do not attribute it to Imam al-Ṣādiq (a). For a very elaborate version see Qurtubi, 9/143-144, who reports it from Suddī.
[20] Genesis 37:23-24.