Page 142 - General Knowledge from the Qur'an

140 GENERAL KNOWLEDGE FROM THE QUR'AN

so we may obtain our measure. We will take care of him.' He said, 'How
will my trusting him to your care be different from entrusting his
brother before? The Best of Guardians, however, is Allah. He is the
Most Merciful of the merciful.' Then when they opened up their sad-
dlebags and found their merchandise returned to them, they said, 'Our
father! What more could we ask! Here is our merchandise returned to
us. We can provide our families with food, and guard our brother and
get an extra load. That is an easy measure to obtain.' He said, 'I will not
send him out with you until you make a covenant with Allah to bring
him home unless you are overwhelmed.' When they had made their
covenant, he said, 'Allah is Guardian over what we say.' He said, 'My
sons! You must not enter through a single gate. Go in through different
gates. But I cannot save you from Allah at all, for judgement comes
from no one but Allah. In Him I put my trust, and let all those who put
their trust, put it in Him alone.' But when they entered as their father
said, it did not save them from Allah at all, yet a need in Ya'qub's soul
was satisfied. He had knowledge which We had taught him, but most
of mankind simply do not know. (Surah Yusuf, 58-68)
Then when they entered into Yusuf's presence, he drew his brother
close to him and said, 'I am your brother. Do not be distressed con-
cerning all the things they used to do.' Then when he had supplied
them with their needs, he put the goblet in his brother's bag. A herald
called out, 'Caravan! You are thieves!' They turned to them and said,
'What are you missing?' They said, 'We're missing the goblet of the
king. The man who brings it will get a camel's load. Regarding that I
stand as guarantor.' They said, 'By Allah, you know we did not come
to corrupt the land and that we are not thieves.' They said, 'What is the
reparation for it if it in fact transpires that you are liars?' They said, 'Its
reparation shall be him in the saddlebags of whom it is discovered.
With us that is how wrongdoers are repaid.' He started with their bags
before his brother's and then produced it from his brother's bag. In that
way We devised a cunning scheme for Yusuf. He could not have held
his brother according to the statutes of the King – only because Allah
had willed it so. We raise the rank of anyone We will. Over everyone
with knowledge is a Knower. (Surah Yusuf, 69-76)
They said, 'Your Eminence! He has an old and venerable father, so