Quran Universe
12:66

قَالَ لَنۡ أُرۡسِلَهُۥ مَعَكُمۡ حَتَّىٰ تُؤۡتُونِ مَوۡثِقٗا مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ لَتَأۡتُنَّنِي بِهِۦٓ إِلَّآ أَن يُحَاطَ بِكُمۡۖ فَلَمَّآ ءَاتَوۡهُ مَوۡثِقَهُمۡ قَالَ ٱللَّهُ عَلَىٰ مَا نَقُولُ وَكِيلٞ

Qala lan orsilahu maAAakum hatta tutooni mawthiqan mina Allahi latatunnanee bihi illa an yuhata bikum falamma atawhu mawthiqahum qala Allahu AAala ma naqoolu wakeelun

[Jacob] said, "Never will I send him with you until you give me a promise by Allah that you will bring him [back] to me, unless you should be surrounded by enemies." And when they had given their promise, he said, "Allah, over what we say, is Witness."

Word by word
  1. قَالَHe said
  2. لَنۡNever
  3. أُرۡسِلَهُۥwill I send him
  4. مَعَكُمۡwith you
  5. حَتَّىٰuntil
  6. تُؤۡتُونِyou give to me
  7. مَوۡثِقٗاa promise
  8. مِّنَby
  9. ٱللَّهِAllah
  10. لَتَأۡتُنَّنِيthat surely you will bring him to me
  11. بِهِۦٓthat surely you will bring him to me
  12. إِلَّآunless
  13. أَنthat
  14. يُحَاطَyou are surrounded
  15. بِكُمۡۖyou are surrounded
  16. فَلَمَّآAnd when
  17. ءَاتَوۡهُthey had given him
  18. مَوۡثِقَهُمۡtheir promise
  19. قَالَhe said
  20. ٱللَّهُAllah
  21. عَلَىٰover
  22. مَاwhat
  23. نَقُولُwe say
  24. وَكِيلٞ(is) a Guardian
Yusuf · 12:66Makkah

Swear by Allah, then I will send him.

A father's oath and a father's trust

The agreement
Ya'qubonly with a solemn oath
they swear
the brothersunless we are overwhelmed
witnessed by
Allahover what we say
What he relied on
the oath alonewords can break
Allah as witnessover every word

Ya'qub said he would not send Binyamin until they swore by Allah to bring him back, unless they were all overwhelmed. When they swore, he said: Allah is Witness over what we say. Ibn Ishaq said he had no choice, since they needed food to survive.

You sign the contract. You make the family agreement in the group chat. You shake on the deal. Remember who is also listening. Allah witnesses every promise, yours included.

A promise is just between me and the other person.

Every promise I make is made in front of Allah.

Try this

Before you agree to something today, quietly remember that Allah is witness.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (shared passage from 12:65)

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."