His saying, exalted and majestic is He:

﴿So when he had equipped them with their supplies, he placed the drinking cup in the saddlebag of his brother. Then a herald called out, "O caravan, indeed you are thieves!"﴾ ﴿They said, "And they turned toward them. What is it that you are missing?"﴾ ﴿They said, "We are missing the king's cup, and for whoever brings it, there is a camel's load, and I am responsible for it."﴾ ﴿They said, "By Allah, you certainly know we did not come to cause corruption in the land, and we were not thieves."﴾ ﴿They said, "Then what is its recompense if you should be among the liars?"﴾ ﴿They said, "Its recompense is that whoever is found in his saddlebag, then he is its recompense. Thus do we recompense the wrongdoers."﴾

This is from the plot that Allah facilitated for Yusuf, peace be upon him. This is because it was in the religion of Yaqub that the thief should be enslaved. And in the law of Egypt, he should be beaten and made to pay a fine. Yusuf knew that his brothers, due to their confidence in their innocence, would call for judgment regarding the theft. So he devised a plan for that, and made the matter easy regarding what it involved of accusing the innocent of theft and bringing distress upon Yaqub, peace be upon him, and upon them. This was because he knew that there was goodness in it in the long run, and by revelation, without a doubt, and the will of Allah was their trial through that. This is the interpretation of a group, and it is supported by His saying, exalted and majestic is He: ﴿Thus did We plan for Yusuf﴾ [Yusuf: 76].

It is said that it was revealed to Yusuf to place the drinking cup only, then if he kept it, he would lose it. So he called out according to his opinion regarding what appeared to him. Al-Tabari favored this, and the searching of the containers refutes him.

It is said that when they had sold Yusuf, it was permissible to say this to them, and that he was punished for that by their saying: ﴿Indeed, a brother of his stole before﴾ [Yusuf: 77].

(p-120) And His saying: "He placed" means by his command, his servants and young men. Ibn Mas'ud read: "And He placed" with an additional waw.

And "the drinking cup" is the vessel from which the king drinks, and with which he measures food for the people. Thus is the text of the majority of the interpreters: Ibn Abbas, Al-Hasan, Mujahid, Al-Dhahhak, and Ibn Zayd. In the books of those who clarified its matter, it is a form that has two ends and is connected between them by a handle that is held by hands. Food is measured with one end, and drunk from the other end or both, and it resembles that it is for the drink of the king's guests and in the beautiful foods that require large vessels.

And Said ibn Jubair said: The cup is like the Persian mug, and it was the vessel that Yusuf drank from, and it was long. He said: Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, told me that it was similar to that which Abbas had in the days of ignorance.

And Ibn Jubair also said: The cup is the Persian mug that meets at its ends, and the non-Arabs used to drink from it. It has been narrated that it was made of silver, and this is the saying of the majority. It has been narrated that it was made of gold. Al-Zajjaj said: And it is said that it was made of musk.

Qadi Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: And this has been narrated with the opening of the meem.

And it is said that it resembled a basin, and it is said to be made of brass, this was also said by Ibn Abbas. And due to the value of food in those years, its measure was limited to that vessel. And this placing was done without the knowledge of Yamin. This was said by Al-Suddi, and it is the apparent meaning.

So when the caravan had departed with its loads, and it left Egypt, as has been narrated - and a group said: rather before leaving Egypt - they were commanded and thus they were detained. And 'A caller called out,' and addressing the caravan is a figure of speech, and what is meant is its owners. What is intended is: O caravan or O group. Mujahid said: Their animals were donkeys, and he described them as thieves from where one of them stole - apparently. This is like saying: 'The sons of so-and-so killed so-and-so,' whereas only one of them killed him. So when the brothers of Yusuf heard this statement, they approached them, and it displeased them to be accused of this disgrace. They said: 'What do you miss?' so that the investigation may take place and their innocence may be revealed. They did not resort to denial from the beginning, but rather they asked to complete the claim in hopes that there would be something in it that would invalidate it, so that there would be no need for dispute. Abu Abdur-Rahman read: 'You miss' with a dammah on the taa, and Abu Hatim weakened it.

They said: 'We miss the king's measuring cup,' and it is the measure, and it is the drinking vessel, its form is first with one of its sides and lastly with the second. The majority of the people read: 'measuring cup' with a dammah on the saad and with an alif. Abu Haywah read: 'measuring cup' with a kasrah on the saad and with an alif. Abu Hurairah and Mujahid read: 'the king's sa' with a fathah on the saad without a waw. Abdullah ibn Auf read: 'measuring cup' with a dammah on the saad. Abu Rajaa read: 'measuring cup.'

These are different dialects regarding the measure, as stated by Abu al-Fath and others. These names are feminine and masculine. Abu Ubaid said: The sa' is feminine because it is called a drinking vessel, and it is masculine because it is a sa'. Yahya ibn Ya'mur read: 'measuring cup' with a ghain that is dotted. This is based on the fact that it is the thing that is crafted for the king, as has been narrated that it was made of gold or silver, so it is a source named after it. This reading has been narrated from Abu Rajaa. Abu Hatim said: And Sa'id ibn Jubair and al-Hasan read: 'measuring cups' with a dammah on the saad and an alif and a ghain that is dotted.

And His saying: 'And for whoever brings it is a load of a camel,' means: for whoever indicates his thief and exposes him, and he compensates the measuring cup to the king. This is a reward. And His saying: 'And I am a guarantor for it' is a pledge, and that is because when food is only found with the king, it was understood from the caller that he only made it on behalf of another. So out of fear that he would not be trusted with this reward - since it is on behalf of another - he took it upon himself. Mujahid said: The guarantor is the caller who said: 'O caravan,' and the guarantor is the one who ensures in the speech of the Arabs, and the leader is called a guarantor because he takes on the needs of the people.

And His saying: ﴿They said, 'By Allah'﴾. It has been narrated that the brothers of Yusuf returned the goods that were in the bags and were hesitant to take food without payment. Therefore, they said: ﴿You have certainly known﴾, meaning: You have known from us the caution. It has been narrated that they were well-known in Egypt for their piety and abstinence. They would place a cover over the mouths of their camels so that they would not eat the crops of the people. Therefore, they said: 'You have certainly known that we did not come for corruption and that we are not people of theft.' The ت in 'تالله' is a substitute for the و, just as it was substituted in 'تراث' and in 'التوراة' and 'تخمّة'. The ت does not enter into the oath except in what is written among the names of Allah, the Most High, and not in anything else. Do not say: 'تالرّحمن' nor 'تالرّحيم'.