Al-Qur'an Surah Yusuf Verse 10

Mufti Taqi Usmani

One of them said, “Do not kill Yūsuf; rather, cast him into the bottom of a pit, so that some wayfarers may pick him up, if you are going to do something anyway.’’

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

One of them said, “Do not kill Joseph. But if you must do something, throw him into the bottom of a well so perhaps he may be picked up by some travellers.”

Ruwwad Translation Center

One of them said, “Do not kill Joseph; but if you must do something, then throw him into the bottom of the well, so that some travelers may pick him up.”

A. J. Arberry

One of them said, 'No, kill not Joseph, but cast him into the bottom of the pit and some traveller will pick him out, if you do aught.'

Abdul Haleem

[Another of them] said, ‘Do not kill Joseph, but, if you must, throw him into the hidden depths of a well where some caravan may pick him up.’

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

Said a speaker from among them; slay not Yusuf, but cast him into the bottom of a well, some of the caravan will take him up--if ye must be doing.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Said one of them; "Slay not Joseph, but if ye must do something, throw him down to the bottom of the well; he will be picked up by some caravan of travellers."

Abul Ala Maududi

Thereupon one of them said: "Do not kill Joseph, but if you are bent upon doing something, cast him down to the bottom of some dark pit, perhaps some caravan passing by will take him out of it."

Ahmed Ali

One of them said: "If you must do so, then do not kill Joseph, but throw him into an unused well. Some passing caravan may rescue him."

Ahmed Raza Khan

A speaker among them said, “Do not kill Yusuf – and drop him into a dark well so that some traveller may come and take him away, if you have to.”

Ali Quli Qarai

One of them said, ‘Do not kill Joseph, but cast him into the recess of a well so that some caravan may pick him up, if you are to do [anything].’

Ali Ünal

Another of them, putting forward his view, said: "Do not kill Joseph, but rather, cast him into the depth of the well (that you know of), that some caravan may pick him up – (do that) if you are seriously intending to take action."

Amatul Rahman Omar

(At this) a speaker among them said, `If you are bent upon doing something at all, do not kill Joseph but put him into the dark depths of the dry well; (perhaps) some caravan of travellers may pick him out.´

English Literal

A speaker from them said: "Do not kill/fight Joseph, and (but) throw him/throw him away in the well`s/deep well`s low hidden area/grave, some (of) the caravan unintentionally finds and picks him up, if you were making/doing."

Faridul Haque

A speaker among them said, "Do not kill Yusuf - and drop him into a dark well so that some traveller may come and take him away, if you have to."

Hamid S. Aziz

"Slay Joseph, or cast him out to some (far or unknown) land; that your father´s face (favour) may be free for you, and you may afterwards be a righteous folk."

Hilali & Khan

One from among them said: "Kill not Yusuf (Joseph), but if you must do something, throw him down to the bottom of a well, he will be picked up by some caravan of travellers."

Maulana Mohammad Ali

Slay Joseph or banish him to some (other) land, so that your father’s regard may be exclusively for you, and after that you may be a righteous people.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

A speaker from among them said: Do not slay Yusuf, and cast him down into the bottom of the pit if you must do (it), (so that) some of the travellers may pick him up.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

One among them said: Kill not Joseph but, if ye must be doing, fling him into the depth of the pit; some caravan will find him.

Muhammad Sarwar

One of them said, "Do not kill Joseph, but if you must, throw him into a dark well so that perhaps some caravan will take him away."

Qaribullah & Darwish

One of them said: 'No, do not kill Joseph, if you do anything, cast him into a dark pit, a traveler will pick him up'

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

One from among them said: "Kill not Yusuf, but if you must do something, throw him down to the bottom of a well; he will be picked up by some caravan of travelers."

Wahiduddin Khan

One of them said, "Do not kill Joseph, but if you must do something, cast him into the bottom of a well; some of the travellers will pick him up."

Talal Itani

One of them said, “Do not kill Joseph, but throw him into the bottom of the well; some caravan may pick him up—if you must do something.”

Tafsir jalalayn

One of them, namely, Judah, said, `Do not kill Joseph, but cast him, throw him, into the bottom of a well (ghaybat al-jubb is the darkest recess of a well; a variant reading has the plural [ghaybt]), so that some caravan might pick him up, if you are to do anything', of what you desire, in the way of separating [Joseph from us]; so content yourselves with this [solution].

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

قَالَ قَأيِلٌ مَّنْهُمْ لَا تَقْتُلُواْ يُوسُفَ وَأَلْقُوهُ فِي غَيَابَةِ الْجُبِّ

One from among them said;"Kill not Yusuf, but if you must do something, throw him down to the bottom of a well;

قَالَ قَأيِلٌ مَّنْهُمْ

One from among them said...

Qatadah and Muhammad bin Ishaq said that;

he was the oldest among them and his name was Rubil (Reuben).

As-Suddi said that;

his name was Yahudha (Judah).

Mujahid said that;

it was Sham`un (Simeon) who said,
لَا تَقْتُلُواْ يُوسُفَ
(Kill not Yusuf),

do not let your enmity and hatred towards him reach this level, of murder.

However, their plot to kill Yusuf would not have succeeded, because Allah the Exalted willed that Yusuf fulfill a mission that must be fulfilled and complete; he would receive Allah's revelation and become His Prophet. Allah willed Yusuf to be a powerful man in Egypt and govern it.

Consequently, Allah did not allow them to persist in their intent against Yusuf, through Rubil's words and his advice to them that if they must do something, they should throw him down to the bottom of a well,

يَلْتَقِطْهُ بَعْضُ السَّيَّارَةِ

he will be picked up by some caravan,

of travelers passing by. This way, he said, you will rid yourselves of this bother without having to kill him,

إِن كُنتُمْ فَاعِلِينَ



if you must do something,

meaning, if you still insist on getting rid of him.

Muhammad bin Ishaq bin Yasar said,

"They agreed to a particularly vicious crime that involved cutting the relation of the womb, undutiful treatment of parents, and harshness towards the young, helpless and sinless.

It was also harsh towards the old and weak who have the rights of being respected, honored and appreciated, as well as, being honored with Allah and having parental rights on their offspring. They sought to separate the beloved father, who had reached old age and his bones became weak, yet had a high status with Allah, from his beloved young son, in spite of his weakness, tender age and his need of his father's compassion and kindness.

May Allah forgive them, and indeed, He is the Most Merciful among those who have mercy, for they intended to carry out a "grave error."

Ibn Abi Hatim collected this statement, from the route of Salamah bin Al-Fadl from Muhammad bin Ishaq