They said ‘If he is stealing a brother of his stole before’ that is Joseph — he had stolen a golden idol from his maternal grandfather and smashed it lest he worship it. But Joseph kept it secret in his soul and did not disclose it manifest it to them the suffixed pronoun in yubdi-hā ‘disclose it’ refers to the words in his following saying; he said within himself ‘You are a worse case than Joseph and his brother because of your stealing a brother of yours from your father and your wronging him. And God knows very well what you are describing’ what you are mentioning with regard to him.
- 12:7777
۞ قَالُوا إِنْ يَسْرِقْ فَقَدْ سَرَقَ أَخٌ لَهُ مِنْ قَبْلُ ۚ فَأَسَرَّهَا يُوسُفُ فِي نَفْسِهِ وَلَمْ يُبْدِهَا لَهُمْ ۚ قَالَ أَنْتُمْ شَرٌّ مَكَانًا ۖ وَاللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا تَصِفُونَ
Said the brothers: "If he has stolen (no wonder), his brother had stolen before." But Joseph kept this secret and did not disclose it to them, and said (to himself): "You are worse in the degree of evil, for God knows better of what you allege."
- common.revelation-Meccan
- common.hizb : 98