Al-Qur'an Surah Yusuf Verse 18

Mufti Taqi Usmani

And they came with fake blood on his shirt. He said, “Rather, your inner desires have tempted you to do something. So, patience is best. It is Allah whose help is sought against what you describe.’’

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

And they brought his shirt, stained with false blood.[[ They stained Joseph’s shirt with blood from a sheep, but forgot to tear his shirt. So Jacob became suspicious when he saw the intact shirt. ]] He responded, “No! Your souls must have tempted you to do something ˹evil˺. So ˹I can only endure with˺ beautiful patience![[ i.e., patience without complaining. ]] It is Allah’s help that I seek to bear your claims.”

Ruwwad Translation Center

They brought his shirt, stained with false blood. He said, “Nay; rather your souls have enticed you to commit something. But I will bear it with beautiful patience. It is Allah’s help that I seek against what you claim.”

A. J. Arberry

And they brought his shirt with false blood on it. He said, 'No; but your spirits tempted you to do somewhat. But come, sweet patience! And God's succour is ever there to seek against that you describe.'

Abdul Haleem

and they showed him his shirt, deceptively stained with blood. He cried, ‘No! Your souls have prompted you to do wrong! But it is best to be patient: from God alone I seek help to bear what you are saying.’

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

And they brought his shirt with false blood. He said: nay! your selves have embellished for you an affair; so seemly patience! and Allah is to be implored for help in that which ye ascribe

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

They stained his shirt with false blood. He said; "Nay, but your minds have made up a tale (that may pass) with you, (for me) patience is most fitting; Against that which ye assert, it is Allah (alone) Whose help can be sought"..

Abul Ala Maududi

And they brought Joseph's shirt, stained with false blood. Seeing this their father exclaimed: "Nay (this is not true); rather your evil souls have made it easy for you to commit a heinous act. So I will bear this patiently, and in good grace. It is Allah's help alone that I seek against your fabrication."

Ahmed Ali

They showed him the shirt with false blood on it. (Their father) said: "It is not so; you have made up the story. Yet endurance is best. I seek the help of God alone for what you impute."

Ahmed Raza Khan

And they brought his shirt stained with faked blood; he said, “On the contrary – your hearts have fabricated an excuse for you; therefore patience is better; and from Allah only I seek help against the matters that you relate.”

Ali Quli Qarai

And they produced sham blood on his shirt. He said, ‘No, your souls have made a matter seem decorous to you. Yet patience is graceful, and Allah is my resort against what you allege.’

Ali Ünal

They had brought his shirt back with false blood on it. Jacob said: "Rather, your (evil-commanding) souls have tempted you to do something evil. So (the proper recourse for me is) a becoming patience (a patience that endures without complaint). God it is Whose help is sought against (the situation) that you have described."

Amatul Rahman Omar

And (to assure their father) they came (to him) with (stains of) false blood on his (- Joseph´s) shirt. He (- Jacob) said, `This is not true, but you yourselves have made a (malicious) thing seem fair to you. So (now showing) patience is befitting (for me). And it is Allâh (alone) whose help can be sought to avert what you describe.´

English Literal

And they came on his shirt/dress with blood falsified , he said: "But your selves enticed/lured for you a matter/affair/order/command, so graceful patience, and God (is) the seeked help/support from on what you describe/categorize."

Faridul Haque

And they brought his shirt stained with faked blood; he said, "On the contrary - your hearts have fabricated an excuse for you; therefore patience is better; and from Allah only I seek help against the matters that you relate."

Hamid S. Aziz

And they said, "O our father! Verily, we went forth to race and left Joseph by our things, and the wolf devoured him, but you will not believe us though we speak the truth."

Hilali & Khan

And they brought his shirt stained with false blood. He said: "Nay, but your ownselves have made up a tale. So (for me) patience is most fitting. And it is Allah (Alone) Whose help can be sought against that which you assert."

Maulana Mohammad Ali

They said: O our father, we went off racing one with another and left Joseph by our goods, so the wolf devoured him. And thou wilt not believe us, though we are truthful.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

And they brought his shirt with false blood upon it. He said: Nay, your souls have made the matter light for you, but patience is good and Allah is He Whose help is sought for against what you describe.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

And they came with false blood on his shirt. He said: Nay, but your minds have beguiled you into something. (My course is) comely patience. And Allah it is Whose help is to be sought in that (predicament) which ye describe.

Muhammad Sarwar

They presented him with a shirt stained with false blood. Jacob said, "Your souls have tempted you in this matter. Let us be patient and beg assistance from God if what you say is true."

Qaribullah & Darwish

And they brought his shirt (stained) with blood, a lie. He said: 'No, your souls have tempted you to do something. But come sweet patience! The help ofAllah is always there to seek against that which you describe'

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

And they brought his shirt stained with false blood. He said: "Nay, but your own selves have made up a tale. So (for me) patience is most fitting. And it is Allah (Alone) Whose help can be sought against that (lie) which you describe."

Wahiduddin Khan

And they showed him their brother's shirt, stained with false blood. "No!" he cried. "Your souls have tempted you to do something evil! But it is best to be patient: God alone can help me bear the loss you speak of."

Talal Itani

And they brought his shirt, with fake blood on it. He said, “Your souls enticed you to do something. But patience is beautiful, and God is my Help against what you describe.”

Tafsir jalalayn

And they came with false blood on his shirt (`al qamsihi has the status of an accusative [of the verb], because it is an adverbial qualifier, meaning fawqa [qamsihi]); they slaughtered a lamb and dabbed it [his shirt] with its blood -- but they forgot to tear it [the shirt] -- and they said that it was his blood. He, Jacob, said, when he saw that it [the shirt] was undamaged and realised that they were lying; `Nay, but your souls have beguiled you into something, and so you did it to him. Yet comely patience!, without any anxiety! (fa- sabrun jamlun is the predicate of a missing subject such as amr, `my course]'). And God is the One Whose succour is sought in that [predicament] which you describe', that which you mention of Joseph's affair.

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

وَجَأوُوا عَلَى قَمِيصِهِ بِدَمٍ كَذِبٍ

And they brought his shirt stained with false blood.

on it, to help prove plot that they all agreed on.

According to Mujahid, As-Suddi and several other scholars,

they slaughtered a sheep, and stained Yusuf's shirt with its blood.

They claimed that this was the shirt Yusuf was wearing when the wolf devoured him, being stained with his blood. But, they forgot to tear the shirt, and this is why Allah's Prophet Yaqub did not believe them. Rather, he told them what he felt about what they said to him, thus refusing their false claim,

قَالَ بَلْ سَوَّلَتْ لَكُمْ أَنفُسُكُمْ أَمْرًا فَصَبْرٌ جَمِيلٌ

He said;"Nay, but your own selves have made up a tale. So (for me) patience is most fitting.

Yaqub said, `I will firmly observe patience for this plot on which you agreed, until Allah relieves the distress with His aid and compassion,

وَاللّهُ الْمُسْتَعَانُ عَلَى مَا تَصِفُونَ



And it is Allah (alone) Whose help can be sought against that which you describe.

against the lies and unbelievable incident that you said had occurred.