Yusuf 12:13

"[Jacob] said, "Indeed, it saddens me that you should take him, and I fear that a wolf would eat him while you are of him unaware.""

Ya`qub's Answer to Their Request

Allah narrates to us that His Prophet Ya`qub said to his children, in response to their request that he send Yusuf with them to the desert to tend their cattle,

إِنِّى لَيَحْزُنُنِى أَن تَذْهَبُواْ بِهِ

(Truly, it saddens me that you should take him away.) He said that it was hard on him that he be separated from Yusuf for the duration of their trip, until they came back. This demonstrates the deep love that Ya`qub had for his son, because he saw in Yusuf great goodness and exalted qualities with regards to conduct and physical attractiveness associated with the rank of prophethood. May Allah's peace and blessings be on him. Prophet Ya`qub's statement next,

وَأَخَافُ أَن يَأْكُلَهُ الذِّئْبُ وَأَنْتُمْ عَنْهُ غَـفِلُونَ

(I fear lest a wolf should devour him, while you are careless of him.) He said to them, `I fear that you might be careless with him while you are tending the cattle and shooting, then a wolf might come and eat him while you are unaware.' They heard these words from his mouth and used them in their response for what they did afterwards. They also gave a spontaneous reply for their father's statement, saying,

لَئِنْ أَكَلَهُ الذِّئْبُ وَنَحْنُ عُصْبَةٌ إِنَّآ إِذَا لَّخَـسِرُونَ

(If a wolf devours him, while we are an `Usbah, then surely, we are the losers.) They said, `If a wolf should attack and devour him while we are all around him in a strong group, then indeed we are the losers and weak.'

Йакуб сказал сыновьям: «Мне тяжело расставаться с Йусуфом и грустно от одной мысли о том, что вы уведете его. Я не могу выносить даже короткой разлуки с ним. Вот почему я не позволяю вам гулять с ним. А еще я боюсь, что вы оставите его без присмотра, и его разорвет волк. Он еще слишком мал для того, чтобы уберечься от волков».

When the brothers of Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) requested their father that he should send Yusuf with them on a recreational outing, Sayyidna Ya'qub (علیہ السلام) told them that he did not favour sending him out for two reasons: (1) He remains uncomfortable without him in sight and (2) he apprehends that, in the wilderness out there, it might so happen that they become neglectful at some time and a wolf might eat him up.

The apprehension of Sayyidna Ya'qub may have been caused either due to the abundance of wolves in Canaan, or because he had seen in a dream that he is standing on top of a hill and Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) is there on the slope downhill. All of a sudden ten wolves surround him and try to attack him. But, one of the wolves came forward to rescue him from the rest. Once released, Sayyidna Yusuf علیہ السلام took refuge inside the terrain.

The interpretation of that dream manifested later when it turned out that the ten wolves were these ten brothers and the wolf which defended Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) and saved him from being killed was his elder brother, Yahuda (Judah). And the depth of the pit was the interpretation of his hiding under the land.

In a narration from Sayyidna ` Abdullah ibn ` Abbas ؓ ، it has been reported that Sayyidna Ya` qub (علیہ السلام) ، because of this dream, felt the danger of an unfortunate situation coming at the hands of these brothers. Thus, in fact, they were the ones he had alluded to as wolves - but, in consideration of his wisdom, he did not lay the truth bare. (Qurtubi)

Other English translations

Tafsīr · classical commentary

Ya`qub's Answer to Their Request