Surah Yusuf · سُوْرَةُ يُوسُفَ · Juz 13
Q 12:64
قَالَ هَلْ ءَامَنُكُمْ عَلَيْهِ إِلَّا كَمَآ أَمِنتُكُمْ عَلَىٰٓ أَخِيهِ مِن قَبْلُ ۖ فَٱللَّهُ خَيْرٌ حَـٰفِظًا ۖ وَهُوَ أَرْحَمُ ٱلرَّٰحِمِينَ
Translations
He said, "Should I entrust you with him except [under coercion] as I entrusted you with his brother before? But Allah is the best guardian, and He is the most merciful of the merciful."Il dit: «Vais-je vous le confier comme, auparavant, je vous ai confié son frère? Mais Allah est le meilleur gardien, et Il est Le plus Miséricordieux des miséricordieux!»Tafsir
Their father asked them if he should trust them with him as he had trusted them with his full brother, Joseph. He had trusted them with Joseph and made them promise to take care of him, and they had not done what they promised, so he did not trust their promise to take care of his brother; but he trusted in Allah, for He is the best of guardians to whom He wills, and the most Merciful of the merciful to whom He wills.
Read Ibn Kathir (Ibn Kathir (abridged, English))
So, when they returned to their father, they said: "O our father! No more measure of grain shall we get (unless we take our brother). So send our brother with us, and we shall get our measure and truly, we will guard him. (63)He said: "Can I entrust him to you except as I entrusted his brother [Yusuf] to you aforetime? But Allah is the Best to guard, and He is the Most Merciful of those who show mercy. (64)
Yusuf's Brothers ask Ya'qub's Permission to send Their Brother Binyamin with Them to Egypt
Allah says that when they went back to their father,
قَالُوا يَا أَبَانَا مُنِعَ مِنَّا الْكَيْلُ
(they said: "O our father! No more measure of grain shall we get...") 'after this time, unless you send our brother Binyamin with us. So send him with us, and we shall get our measure and we shall certainly guard him.' Some scholars read this Ayah in a way that means, 'and he shall get his ration.' They said,
وَإِنَّا لَهُ لَحَافِظُونَ
(and truly, we will guard him.), 'do not fear for his safety, for he will be returned back to you.' This is what they said to Ya'qub about their brother Yusuf,
أَرْسِلْهُ مَعَنَا غَدًا يَرْتَعْ وَيَلْعَبْ وَإِنَّا لَهُ لَحَافِظُونَ
("Send him with us tomorrow to enjoy himself and play, and verily, we will take care of him.")[12:12] This is why Prophet Ya'qub said to them,
هَلْ آمَنُكُمْ عَلَيْهِ إِلَّا كَمَا أَمِنتُكُمْ عَلَىٰ أَخِيهِ مِن قَبْلُ
(Can I entrust him to you except as I entrusted his brother [Yusuf] to you aforetime?) He asked them, 'Will you do to him except what you did to his brother Yusuf before, when you took him away from me and separated me from him?'
فَاللَّهُ خَيْرٌ حَافِظًا ۖ وَهُوَ أَرْحَمُ الرَّاحِمِينَ
(But Allah is the Best to guard, and He is the Most Merciful of those who show mercy.) Ya'qub said, 'Allah has the most mercy with me among all those who show mercy, He is compassionate with me for my old age, feebleness and eagerness for my son. I invoke Allah to return him to me, and to allow him and I to be together; for surely, He is the Most Merciful of those who show mercy.'
Arabic text: Tanzil (Uthmani). Translations: Sahih International (en), Muhammad Hamidullah (fr). tanzil.net