The Eldest Brother, The one who stayed: In the Quran in Islamic History

In the Quran

In the QuranThe one who stayed

The Eldest Brotherكبيرهم

In the time of YusufTraditional date, disputedEgypt

The brother who refused to leave Egypt without Binyamin, ashamed to face his father.

When Binyamin was held in Egypt, the brothers despaired and spoke privately. The eldest reminded them of their oath to Yaqub and of how they had failed him over Yusuf. He said: I will not leave this land until my father permits me or Allah judges for me. He sent the others home to tell the truth.

What does the Quran say?

So when they had despaired of him, they secluded themselves in private consultation. The eldest of them said, "Do you not know that your father has taken upon you an oath by Allah and [that] before you failed in [your duty to] Joseph? So I will never leave [this] land until my father permits me or Allah decides for me, and He is the best of judges.
Quran 12:80

12:80-82 12:10

The lesson

Keeping a promise sometimes means staying behind alone.

Who else is linked?

Egypt (Misr)Yusuf Yaqub The Brothers of Yusuf Binyamin

Who lived at the same time?

Binyamin The Brothers of Yusuf Hammurabi

Source: tafsir

Everyone and everything in the timeline

People named in the Quran and the hadith, the Prophet's ﷺ family and Companions, scholars, rulers, the nations of the Quran, the world's empires and the places where it all happened. Where scholars differ, each entry says so.