Quran Universe
12:65

وَلَمَّا فَتَحُواْ مَتَٰعَهُمۡ وَجَدُواْ بِضَٰعَتَهُمۡ رُدَّتۡ إِلَيۡهِمۡۖ قَالُواْ يَـٰٓأَبَانَا مَا نَبۡغِيۖ هَٰذِهِۦ بِضَٰعَتُنَا رُدَّتۡ إِلَيۡنَاۖ وَنَمِيرُ أَهۡلَنَا وَنَحۡفَظُ أَخَانَا وَنَزۡدَادُ كَيۡلَ بَعِيرٖۖ ذَٰلِكَ كَيۡلٞ يَسِيرٞ

Walamma fatahoo mataAAahum wajadoo bidaAAatahum ruddat ilayhim qaloo ya abana ma nabghee hathihi bidaAAatuna ruddat ilayna wanameeru ahlana wanahfathu akhana wanazdadu kayla baAAeerin thalika kaylun yaseerun

And when they opened their baggage, they found their merchandise returned to them. They said, "O our father, what [more] could we desire? This is our merchandise returned to us. And we will obtain supplies for our family and protect our brother and obtain an increase of a camel's load; that is an easy measurement."

Word by word
  1. وَلَمَّاAnd when
  2. فَتَحُواْthey opened
  3. مَتَٰعَهُمۡtheir baggage
  4. وَجَدُواْthey found
  5. بِضَٰعَتَهُمۡtheir merchandise
  6. رُدَّتۡreturned
  7. إِلَيۡهِمۡۖto them
  8. قَالُواْThey said
  9. يَـٰٓأَبَانَاO our father
  10. مَاWhat
  11. نَبۡغِيۖ(could) we desire
  12. هَٰذِهِۦThis
  13. بِضَٰعَتُنَا(is) our merchandise
  14. رُدَّتۡreturned
  15. إِلَيۡنَاۖto us
  16. وَنَمِيرُAnd we will get provision
  17. أَهۡلَنَا(for) our family
  18. وَنَحۡفَظُand we will protect
  19. أَخَانَاour brother
  20. وَنَزۡدَادُand get an increase
  21. كَيۡلَmeasure
  22. بَعِيرٖۖ(of) a camel's (load)
  23. ذَٰلِكَThat
  24. كَيۡلٞ(is) a measurement
  25. يَسِيرٞeasy
Yusuf · 12:65Makkah

Our money came back, what more could we want?

The returned goods become their argument

In the bags
their goodsreturned to them
so
their pitchmore food, guard our brother
one more loadan easy measure
What they saw
a good dealextra camel-load
missing
a hidden kindnesssomeone cared for them

Opening their bags, the brothers found their goods returned. Qatadah said they asked: what more can we want? Ibn Kathir says they used it to make their case more appealing: food for the family, and an extra camel-load if Binyamin came.

A refund lands in your account. A colleague covers your shift. You immediately calculate what it means for you. Pause and ask who was kind, and why.

Unexpected good just means a better deal for me.

Unexpected good is often someone's quiet care, and it is worth noticing.

Try this

Next time something unexpected and good comes your way, find out who to thank.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir

And when they opened their bags, they found their money had been returned to them. They said: "O our father! What (more) can we desire? This, our money has been returned to us; so we shall get (more) food for our family, and we shall guard our brother and add one more measure of a camel's load. This quantity is easy (for the king to give). (65)He Ya'qub said: "I will not send him with you until you swear a solemn oath to me in Allah's Name, that you will bring him back to me unless you are yourselves surrounded (by enemies)," And when they had sworn their solemn oath, he said: "Allah is the Witness to what we have said. (66)

They find Their Money returned to Their Bags

Allah says, when Yusuf's brothers opened their bags, they found their merchandise inside them, for Yusuf had ordered his servants to return it to their bags. When they found their merchandise in their bags,

قَالُوا يَا أَبَانَا مَا نَبْغِي

(They said: "O our father! What (more) can we desire?..."), what more can we ask for,

هَٰذِهِ بِضَاعَتُنَا رُدَّتْ إِلَيْنَا

(This, our money has been returned to us;) Qatadah commented (that they said), "What more can we ask for, our merchandise was returned to us and the 'Aziz has given us the sufficient load we wanted?" They said next,

وَنَمِيرُ أَهْلَنَا 

(so we shall get (more) food for our family,), 'if you send our brother with us the next time we go to buy food for our family,'

وَنَحْفَظُ أَخَانَا وَنَزْدَادُ كَيْلَ بَعِيرٍ

(and we shall guard our brother and add one more measure of a camel's load.) since Yusuf, peace be upon him, gave each man a camel's load of corn.

ذَٰلِكَ كَيْلٌ يَسِيرٌ

(This quantity is easy (for the king to give).) They said these words to make their case more appealing, saying that taking their brother with them is worth this gain,

قَالَ لَنْ أُرْسِلَهُ مَعَكُمْ حَتَّىٰ تُؤْتُونِ مَوْثِقًا مِّنَ اللَّهِ

(He [Ya'qub (Jacob)] said: "I will not send him with you until you swear a solemn oath to me in Allah's Name..."), until you swear by Allah with the strongest oath,

لَتَأْتُنَّنِي بِهِ إِلَّا أَن يُحَاطَ بِكُمْ

(that you will bring him back to me unless you are yourselves surrounded (by enemies)), unless you were all overwhelmed and were unable to rescue him,

فَلَمَّا آتَوْهُ مَوْثِقَهُمْ

(And when they had sworn their solemn oath), he affirmed it further, saying,

اللَّهُ عَلَىٰ مَا نَقُولُ وَكِيلٌ

(Allah is the Witness to what we have said.) Ibn Ishaq commented, "Ya'qub did that because he had no choice but to send them to bring necessary food supplies for their survival. So he sent Binyamin with them."