Quran Universe
12:17

قَالُواْ يَـٰٓأَبَانَآ إِنَّا ذَهَبۡنَا نَسۡتَبِقُ وَتَرَكۡنَا يُوسُفَ عِندَ مَتَٰعِنَا فَأَكَلَهُ ٱلذِّئۡبُۖ وَمَآ أَنتَ بِمُؤۡمِنٖ لَّنَا وَلَوۡ كُنَّا صَٰدِقِينَ

Qaloo ya abana inna thahabna nastabiqu watarakna yoosufa AAinda mataAAina faakalahu alththibu wama anta bimuminin lana walaw kunna sadiqeena

They said, "O our father, indeed we went racing each other and left Joseph with our possessions, and a wolf ate him. But you would not believe us, even if we were truthful."

Word by word
  1. قَالُواْThey said
  2. يَـٰٓأَبَانَآO our father
  3. إِنَّاIndeed,we
  4. ذَهَبۡنَا[we] went
  5. نَسۡتَبِقُracing each other
  6. وَتَرَكۡنَاand we left
  7. يُوسُفَYusuf
  8. عِندَwith
  9. مَتَٰعِنَاour possessions
  10. فَأَكَلَهُand ate him
  11. ٱلذِّئۡبُۖthe wolf
  12. وَمَآBut not
  13. أَنتَyou
  14. بِمُؤۡمِنٖ(will) believe
  15. لَّنَاus
  16. وَلَوۡeven if
  17. كُنَّاwe are
  18. صَٰدِقِينَtruthful
Yusuf · 12:17Makkah

A wolf ate him, and you will not believe us anyway.

Using his own fear as their excuse

Their story
we were racingleft him with our things
then
a wolfthe fear he named
plus
you won't believe usblocking doubt early
How the lie was built
a fresh storywhat it seemed
his words returnedthe wolf he feared

They said they went racing and left Yusuf by their belongings, and a wolf devoured him, exactly what Yaqub had feared. Then they added that he would not believe them even if they were truthful, trying to blunt his doubt before it came.

You know your partner's worst worry, your parent's soft spot, your boss's pet fear. In a tight spot it is tempting to use it as the excuse, because it will sound believable. That is turning someone's trust into a tool.

If the excuse matches what they already feared, it is harmless.

Using someone's own fear to cover my lie wounds them twice.

Try this

Next time you need an excuse, give the true reason instead, even if it is smaller.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (shared passage from 12:16)

And they came to their father in the early part of the night weeping (16)They said: "O our father! We went racing with one another, and left Yusuf by our belongings and a wolf devoured him; but you will never believe us even when we speak the truth. (17)And they brought his shirt stained with false blood. He said: "Nay, but your own selves have made up a tale. So (for me) patience is most fitting. And it is Allah (Alone) Whose help can be sought against that (lie) which you describe. (18)

Yusuf's Brothers try to deceive Their Father

Allah narrates to us the deceit that Yusuf's brothers resorted to, after they threw him to the bottom of the well. They went back to their father, during the darkness of the night, crying and showing sorrow and grief for losing Yusuf. They started giving excuses to their father for what happened to Yusuf, falsely claiming that,

إِنَّا ذَهَبْنَا نَسْتَبِقُ

(We went racing with one another), or had a shooting competition,

وَتَرَكْنَا يُوسُفَ عِندَ مَتَاعِنَا 

(and left Yusuf by our belongings), guarding our clothes and luggage,

فَأَكَلَهُ الذِّئْبُ

(and a wolf devoured him), which is exactly what their father told them he feared for Yusuf and warned against. They said next,

وَمَا أَنتَ بِمُؤْمِنٍ لَّنَا وَلَوْ كُنَّا صَادِقِينَ

(but you will never believe us even when we speak the truth.) They tried to lessen the impact of the grave news they were delivering. They said, 'We know that you will not believe this news, even if you consider us truthful. So what about when you suspect that we are not truthful, especially since you feared that the wolf might devour Yusuf and that is what happened?' Therefore, they said, 'You have reason not to believe us because of the strange coincidence and the amazing occurrence that happened to us.'

وَجَاءُوا عَلَىٰ قَمِيصِهِ بِدَمٍ كَذِبٍ

(And they brought his shirt stained with false blood.) on it, to help prove plot that they all agreed on. They slaughtered a sheep, according to Mujahid, As-Suddi and several other scholars, and stained Yusuf's shirt with its blood. They claimed that this was the shirt Yusuf was wearing when the wolf devoured him, being stained with his blood. But, they forgot to tear the shirt, and this is why Allah's Prophet Ya'qub did not believe them. Rather, he told them what he felt about what they said to him, thus refusing their false claim,

بَلْ سَوَّلَتْ لَكُمْ أَنفُسُكُمْ أَمْرًا ۖ فَصَبْرٌ جَمِيلٌ

(Nay, but your ownselves have made up a tale. So (for me) patience is most fitting.) Ya'qub said, 'I will firmly observe patience for this plot on which you agreed, until Allah relieves the distress with His aid and compassion,

وَاللَّهُ الْمُسْتَعَانُ عَلَىٰ مَا تَصِفُونَ

(And it is Allah (alone) Whose help can be sought against that which you describe.), against the lies and unbelievable incident that you said had occurred.'