Quran Universe
12:72

قَالُواْ نَفۡقِدُ صُوَاعَ ٱلۡمَلِكِ وَلِمَن جَآءَ بِهِۦ حِمۡلُ بَعِيرٖ وَأَنَا۠ بِهِۦ زَعِيمٞ

Qaloo nafqidu suwaAAa almaliki waliman jaa bihi himlu baAAeerin waana bihi zaAAeemun

They said, "We are missing the measure of the king. And for he who produces it is [the reward of] a camel's load, and I am responsible for it."

Word by word
  1. قَالُواْThey said
  2. نَفۡقِدُWe are missing
  3. صُوَاعَ(the) cup
  4. ٱلۡمَلِكِ(of) the king
  5. وَلِمَنAnd for (one) who
  6. جَآءَbrings
  7. بِهِۦit
  8. حِمۡلُ(is) a load
  9. بَعِيرٖ(of) a camel
  10. وَأَنَا۠and I
  11. بِهِۦfor it
  12. زَعِيمٞ(is) responsible
Yusuf · 12:72Makkah

The king's measure is missing, and a reward is offered.

A camel-load for whoever brings it

The announcement
missingthe king's measure
reward
a camel-loadfor whoever finds it
I guarantee itthe herald's word
How it was handled
search them all roughlyforce
a clear offerwith a guarantee

The men said: we are missing the king's measuring bowl. Whoever brings it gets a camel-load as reward, and the herald added: I guarantee it. Ibn Kathir says this was an assurance that the reward would be delivered.

You lose your wallet and offer a reward online. A boss loses a file and offers credit to whoever finds it. Clear terms and a promise you will honor make people trust you.

When something is lost, suspicion is the fastest route.

A clear offer, backed by a real guarantee, brings things to light more fairly.

Try this

If you promise someone something today, state it clearly and then keep it.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (shared passage from 12:70)

So when he furnished them forth with their provisions, he put the bowl in his brother's bag. Then a crier cried: "O you (in) the caravan! Surely, you are thieves! (70)They, turning towards them, said: "What is it that you have lost? (71)They said: "We have lost the bowl of the king and for him who produces it is (the reward of) a camel load; and I will be bound by it. (72)

Yusuf had His Golden Bowl placed in Binyamin's Bag; a Plot to keep Him in Egypt

After Yusuf supplied them with their provisions, he ordered some of his servants to place his silver bowl (in Binyamin's bag), according to the majority of scholars. Some scholars said that the king's bowl was made from gold. Ibn Zayd added that the king used it to drink from, and later, measured food grains with it since food became scarce in that time, according to Ibn 'Abbas, Mujahid, Qatadah, Ad-Dahhak and 'Abdur-Rahman bin Zayd. Shu'bah said that Abu Bishr narrated that Sa'id bin Jubayr said that Ibn 'Abbas said that the king's bowl was made from silver and he used it to drink with. Yusuf had the bowl placed in Binyamin's bag while they were unaware, and then had someone herald,

أَيَّتُهَا الْعِيرُ إِنَّكُمْ لَسَارِقُونَ

(O you (in) the caravan! Surely, you are thieves!) They looked at the man who was heralding this statement and asked him,

مَّاذَا تَفْقِدُونَ - قَالُوا نَفْقِدُ صُوَاعَ الْمَلِكِ

("What is it that you have lost?" They said: "We have lost the bowl of the king..."), which he used to measure food grains,

وَلِمَن جَاءَ بِهِ حِمْلُ بَعِيرٍ

(and for him who produces it is a camel load), as a reward,

وَأَنَا بِهِ زَعِيمٌ

(and I will be bound by it.), as assurance of delivery of the reward.