Tafsir Ibn Abbas: Yusuf, Ayah 76
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Tafsir
And so he began with their sacks and searched them before his brother’s sack lest he be accused of the theft; then he pulled it the drinking-cup out of his brother’s sack. God exalted be He says Thus through such contrivance did We contrive for Joseph thus We taught him how to devise a plot to take his brother; he Joseph could not have taken his brother as a slave on account of theft according to the king’s law according to the laws of the king of Egypt — since his a thief’s requital according to his law would have been a beating and a penalty of twice the value of the stolen item but not enslavement — unless God willed for him to be taken according to the law of his father Jacob; in other words he was only able to take him with God’s will by God’s inspiring him to ask his brothers about the nature of requital and their responding according to what is decreed by their customary practice. We raise by degrees whom We will read with a genitive annexation darajāti man nashā’ or simply with nunation darajātin man nashā’ in terms of knowledge as We did with Joseph; and above every man of knowledge from among creatures is one who knows better better than him and so on until it ends with God exalted be He.
Ibn Abbas Commentary
(Then he) Joseph's servant (began the search with their bags before) searching (his brother's bag) where he obviously did not find it, (then he produced it from his brother's bag) from his brother Benjamin's bag. The servant said to him: �May Allah lift your trouble as you have lifted mine�. (Thus did We contrive) We did (for Joseph) We honoured him with knowledge, wisdom, prophethood and sovereignty. (He could not have taken his brother according to the king's law unless Allah willed) and Allah willed that he does take his brother according to the king's law because, according to the latter, the penalty for theft was beating and payment of a fine; it was also said that according to the king's law, the penalty for theft was the amputation of limbs and payment of a fine; it is also said that (unless Allah willed) means: except those laws of the king which Joseph knew to be pleasing to Allah, for he applied those. (We raise by grades (of mercy)) We raise the virtues of (whom We will) as We do in the life of this world, (and over every lord of knowledge there is one more knowing) above every one who knows there someone who knows more, and so on and so forth until one stops at Allah, for there is no one who has more knowledge than Him.