Translation of the meanings Ayah 80 Surah Yūsuf - English Translation - Dr. Waleed Bleyhesh Omary - The Noble Qur'an Encyclopedia

Ayah: 80

فَلَمَّا ٱسۡتَيۡـَٔسُواْ مِنۡهُ خَلَصُواْ نَجِيّٗاۖ قَالَ كَبِيرُهُمۡ أَلَمۡ تَعۡلَمُوٓاْ أَنَّ أَبَاكُمۡ قَدۡ أَخَذَ عَلَيۡكُم مَّوۡثِقٗا مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ وَمِن قَبۡلُ مَا فَرَّطتُمۡ فِي يُوسُفَۖ فَلَنۡ أَبۡرَحَ ٱلۡأَرۡضَ حَتَّىٰ يَأۡذَنَ لِيٓ أَبِيٓ أَوۡ يَحۡكُمَ ٱللَّهُ لِيۖ وَهُوَ خَيۡرُ ٱلۡحَٰكِمِينَ

(80) When they ˹fully˺ despaired, they took themselves aside in conference. Their senior said: “Do you not know that your father took from you a pledge by Allah and before that you had relinquished Yūsuf!^[2799] I shall not leave the land until my father permits me so or Allah passes a judgement for me—He is the best of judges!”

[2799] By this he gave them a stark reminder of their father’s deep mistrust of them, especially when they had betrayed his trust with Joseph once before. So by offering to stay back, he wanted to send their father a message that this situation was different from Joseph’s and that it was for real; he would not have been prepared to remain in alien lands had he not been keen on his father’s trust nor would his sibling brothers have willingly forsaken him as they would a half-brother (cf. Ibn ʿĀshūr).