The town we were in is Egypt. This means he sent to its people and asked them about the essence of the story. And the caravan we came in, and the owners of the caravan, were a people from Canaan, neighbors of Jacob. It was said they were from the people of Sana'a. Its meaning is: they returned to their father and told him what their brother had said to them. He said, 'Rather, your souls have made a matter seem good to you that you desired.' Mahmoud said: 'This is something you desired... etc.' Ahmad said: 'This is from Al-Zamakhshari, a response to a question, as if someone is saying: they in the first incident had their souls make a matter seem good to them without a doubt, but in this second incident, they did not intend any wrongdoing towards Benjamin, nor did they inform their father except with the reality of it, and they left him in Egypt only because they were compelled to leave him behind. What is the meaning of his saying again, 'Rather, your souls have made a matter seem good to you' as he said to them before? If the question arises on this report, there must be an elaboration in the answer. So we say: they were with Jacob, peace be upon him, at that time suspected, and they were in a position to complete what they had done regarding Joseph, peace be upon him. There was a circumstantial evidence that confirmed and strengthened the suspicion, which was the king's taking him for theft, and that was only from Jacob's religion alone, not from the religion of others or from their customs. To that, there is an indication in His saying, 'It was not for him to take his brother in the religion of the king,' a warning from Allah, the Exalted, regarding the accusation of Jacob against them. So it was known that the king only acted upon their fatwa to him, and they thought they had advised him about that after the theft became apparent, intentionally to leave their brother behind. The reality was that they sought a fatwa before they were accused of theft, so they mentioned what they had, and they did not realize that the intention was to bind them to what they said and accuse someone who is in a position where the accusation could reach him without any harm, especially regarding the father from the child. It is possible, and Allah knows best, that the reason that justified this saying about them was that they considered the mere existence of the cup in the luggage of whoever it was found in as theft, without referring the judgment to the proof of him being a thief in a known manner. This in our law does not establish theft upon someone who is accused of it. If their law is like our law in this, then their fatwa is not valid, indicating that they were keen on establishing the theft upon him. This is confirmed by their saying, 'If he steals, then a brother of his has stolen before.' They confirm thereby the establishment of theft upon him, and Allah knows best. And His saying to them, 'Rather, your souls have made a matter seem good to you,' is appropriate to their situation, even if their law requires that which is contrary to our law. The basis is on the first answer, and Allah is the One whose help is sought. Otherwise, how does that man know that the thief is taken for his theft if it were not for your fatwa and your teaching concerning them all, with Joseph and his brother, or Reuben or others? Indeed, He is the All-Knowing of my state in sadness and grief, the Wise who has not tested me with that except for a wisdom and benefit.