Yusuf (Joseph)
Verse 91
Table of Contents
91. “They said: ‘By Allah! Allah has indeed preferred you above us, and we certainly have been guilty’.”
The Arabic term /’iar/ means: ‘accepting other people’s superiority over oneself’. Because of their wrong way of thinking, such as saying “We are a (strong) group”1 , they did wrong things like throwing Yusuf down the well.
Allah made them so exasperated that they had to beg in order to fill their stomachs and only after this were they ready to confess that their plans were in ruins and they could see the reality of their wrong thinking.
The verse says:
“They said: ‘By Allah! Allah has indeed preferred you above us, and we certainly have been guilty’.”
The brothers had sworn on several occasions employing the holy phrase /tallah/. When the cup was discovered they swore to Allah that they had not come to that land to commit theft or any other kind of corruption.1
Swearing to Allah, they told their father that he was always repeating the name of Yusuf,2 and by doing so he showed his extreme love towards him being in his ancient error.3 Now they swore Yusuf was superior to them.4
Of course the brothers could not look Yusuf in the eyes because of their shame, and they were probably worried whether or not their crimes would be forgiven.