Al-Qur'an Surah Yusuf Verse 58

Mufti Taqi Usmani

And came the brothers of Yūsuf and appeared before him. He recognized them, while they did not recognize him.

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

And Joseph’s brothers came and entered his presence. He recognized them but they were unaware of who he really was.

Ruwwad Translation Center

The brothers of Joseph came and presented themselves before him; he recognized them but they did not know him.

A. J. Arberry

And the brethren of Joseph came, and entered unto him, and he knew them, but they knew him not.

Abdul Haleem

Joseph’s brothers came and presented themselves before him. He recognized them- though they did not recognize him-

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

And the brethren of Yusuf came and entered unto him, and he recognized them, while they recognized him not.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Then came Joseph's brethren; they entered his presence, and he knew them, but they knew him not.

Abul Ala Maududi

And Joseph's brothers came to Egypt and presented themselves before him. He recognized them, but they did not know him.

Ahmed Ali

The brothers of Joseph came (to Egypt) and visited him. He recognised them, though they did not recognise him.

Ahmed Raza Khan

And Yusuf’s brothers came and presented themselves before him, so he recognised them whereas they remained unaware of him.

Ali Quli Qarai

[After some years] the brothers of Joseph came and entered his presence. He recognized them, but they did not recognize him.

Ali Ünal

And (after some years) Joseph’s brothers came to Egypt and presented themselves before him: he knew them (at once), they did not recognize him.

Amatul Rahman Omar

And (in the years of famine) Joseph´s brothers came (from Kin`ân to Egypt) and they presented themselves to him. But though he knew them they recognized him not.

English Literal

And Joseph`s brothers/brethren came, so they entered on him, so he knew them, and they are to him ignorant (not recognizing).

Faridul Haque

And Yusuf’s brothers came and presented themselves before him, so he recognised them whereas they remained unaware of him.

Hamid S. Aziz

Surely the reward of the Hereafter is better for those who believe and fears (ward off evil or are constant in righteousness).

Hilali & Khan

And Yusuf's (Joseph) brethren came and they entered unto him, and he recognized them, but they recognized him not.

Maulana Mohammad Ali

And certainly the reward of the Hereafter is better for those who believe and guard against evil.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

And Yusuf's brothers came and went in to him, and he knew them, while they did not recognize him.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

And Joseph's brethren came and presented themselves before him, and he knew them but they knew him not.

Muhammad Sarwar

Joseph's brothers came to him. When they entered his court, he recognized them. They did not know him.

Qaribullah & Darwish

Joseph's brothers came and presented themselves before him. He recognized them, but they did not know him.

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

And Yusuf's brethren came and they entered unto him, and he recognized them, but they recognized him not.

Wahiduddin Khan

Joseph's brothers arrived and presented themselves before him. He recognized them, but they did not know him.

Talal Itani

And Joseph's brothers came, and entered into his presence. He recognized them, but they did not recognize him.

Tafsir jalalayn

And Joseph's brothers came -- except for Benjamin -- in order to secure provisions, when they found out that the [new] Court officer of Egypt was providing food at its [fair] price; and they entered to him, and he recognised them, to be his brothers, but they did not recognise him, not knowing who he was, because it had been a long time since they had seen him, and because they supposed that he had died. They spoke to him in Hebrew and he said to them, as if reproaching them; `What brings you to my land?' They replied, `[We have come] for supplies'. He said, `You might be spies!' They said, `God forbid!' He said, `So where are you from?' They said, `From the land of Canaan, our father is Jacob, the prophet of God.' He said, `Does he have children other than you?' They said, `Yes. We used to be twelve, but the youngest of us passed away; he perished in the wild. He was the most beloved to him [our father] from among us; only his full brother remains, and so he keeps him by his side, in order to comfort himself with him in place of the other.' He [Joseph] commanded that they be given lodging and treated well.

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

Yusuf's Brothers travel to Egypt

Allah tells;

وَجَاء إِخْوَةُ يُوسُفَ فَدَخَلُواْ عَلَيْهِ فَعَرَفَهُمْ وَهُمْ لَهُ مُنكِرُونَ



And Yusuf's brethren came and they entered unto him, and he recognized them, but they recognized him not.

As-Suddi, Muhammad bin Ishaq and several others said that the reason why Yusuf's brothers went to Egypt, is that after Yusuf became minister of Egypt and the seven years of abundance passed, then came the seven years of drought that struck all areas of Egypt. The drought also reached the area of Kana`an (Canaan), where Prophet Yaqub, peace be upon him, and his children resided.

Prophet Yusuf efficiently guarded the people's harvest and collected it, and what he collected became a great fortune for the people. This also permitted Yusuf to give gifts to the people who sought his aid from various areas who came to buy food and provisions for their families. Yusuf would not give a family man more than whatever a camel could carry, as annual provisions for them.

Yusuf himself did not fill his stomach from this food, nor did the king and his aids eat except one meal a day. By doing so, the people could sustain themselves with what they had for the remainder of the seven years. Indeed, Yusuf was a mercy from Allah sent to the people of Egypt.

Yusuf's brothers were among those who came to Egypt to buy food supplies, by the order of their father. They knew that the Aziz of Egypt was selling food to people who need it for a low price, so they took some merchandise from their land with them to exchange it for food. They were ten, because Yaqub peace be upon him kept his son and Yusuf's brother Binyamin with him. Binyamin was the dearest of his sons to him after Yusuf.

When Prophet Yusuf's brothers entered on him in his court and the center of his authority, he knew them the minute he saw them. However, they did not recognize him because they got rid of him when he was still young, and sold him to a caravan of travelers while unaware of their destination. They could not have imagined that Yusuf would end up being a minister, and this is why they did not recognize him, while he did recognize them.

As-Suddi said that;

Yusuf started talking to his brothers and asked them, "What brought you to my land?"

They said, "O, Aziz, we came to buy provisions."

He asked them, "You might be spies."

They said, "Allah forbids."

He asked them, "Where are you from?"

They said, "From the area of Kana`an, and our father is Allah's Prophet Yaqub."

He asked them, "Does he have other children besides you?"

They said, "Yes, we were twelve brothers. Our youngest died in the desert, and he used to be the dearest to his father. His full brother is alive and his father kept him, so that his closeness compensates him for losing our youngest brother (who died)."

Yusuf ordered that his brothers be honored and allowed to remain