Transliteration:( Wa sharawhu bisamanim bakhsin daraahima ma'doo datinw wa kaanoo feehi minaz zaahideen )
"And they sold him for a low price [36], a few dirhams, and they were indifferent to him [37]."
The word BAKHS refers to counterfeit dirhams, or those obtained through unlawful means, or those that carry no blessing. The brothers of Hazrat Yusuf (on whom be peace) sold him for a very small amount, less than forty dirhams, which was the usual amount for transactions at that time. This amount was less than forty, indicating that it was even less than the customary price, possibly around twenty or twenty-two dirhams.
The indifference of the buyers and sellers, whether it was the brothers or the people of the caravan, can be attributed to the fact that the brothers had earlier referred to Hazrat Yusuf (on whom be peace) as their runaway slave. The notion of being a fugitive was viewed as a vice, causing them to show disinterest and indifference towards him. The low price and their lack of regard reflect the moral decline and misjudgment of his worth in their eyes.
The tafsir of Surah Yusuf verse 20 by Ibn Kathir is unavailable here.
Please refer to Surah Yusuf ayat 19 which provides the complete commentary from verse 19 through 20.
(12:20) Later they sold him for a paltry sum[15] – just a few dirhams; they did not care to obtain a higher price.
15. Though the matter of the disposal of Prophet Joseph by his brothers was simple, the Bible has made this very complicated. It is obvious that the brothers threw Joseph into the well and went away. Afterwards a caravan came there and pulled him out and carried him to Egypt where they sold him. But the Bible says that the brothers cast him into a pit: then a company of Ishmaelites came there and they agreed to sell him to them. But in the meantime the Midianite merchantmen had drawn and lifted up Joseph and sold him to the Ishmaelites who brought him into Egypt. (Gen. 37: 25-28). But the authors of the Bible forget this sale transaction and further on in v. 36 say that Prophet Joseph was sold in Egypt by the Midianites and not by the Ishmaelites as stated in v. 28. But the Talmudic version of the matter is a little different from this. It says that the Midianites drew Joseph up from the pit and carried him along with them. As they passed by, the sons of Jacob saw Joseph with them and accused them of stealing their slave. At this a furious quarrel arose and they were ready to enter upon a bloody fray. But a bargain was concluded and the sons of Jacob sold their brother to the Midianites for twenty pieces of silver, who afterwards sold him to the Ishmaelites for the same amount. Then the Ishmaelites took him into Egypt and sold him there. Incidentally, it is this Talmudic version that has given rise to the tradition among some Muslims that the brothers of Joseph had sold him. But it should be noted that the Quran does not confirm this tradition.
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