Transliteration:( Irji'ooo ilaaa abeekum faqooloo yaaa abaanaaa innab naka saraq; wa maa shahidnaaa illaa bimaa 'alimnaa wa maa kunnaa lilghaibi haafizeen )
Return to your father and say, "[O our father], indeed your son has stolen [175], and we testified only to what we knew, and we were not guardians over the unseen." (Kanzul Imaan Translation)
This means that the act of stealing was attributed to Benyamin based on circumstantial evidence. Hence, the brothers did not declare it with full certainty, instead they clarified their position by saying, “We testified only to what we knew.”
From this, we learn the following:
Even if a stolen item is recovered from someone, observers should refrain from outrightly labeling that person a thief unless all aspects of the situation are fully understood.
This reflects a principle of Islamic justice: a person cannot be conclusively called guilty without a complete investigation.
A judge in Islam will not immediately order the cutting of hands merely on the basis of possession of stolen property. The matter requires full and fair inquiry.
The tafsir of Surah Yusuf verse 81 by Ibn Kathir is unavailable here.
Please refer to Surah Yusuf ayat 80 which provides the complete commentary from verse 80 through 82.
(12:81) So go back to your father and tell him: “Father! Your son has certainly been guilty of stealing. We did not see him stealing but testify according to what we know, and obviously we had no power to keep watch over that what is altogether hidden from us.
There is no commentary by Abul Maududi available for this verse.
[613]- i.e., We could not have known when we gave you the oath that he would steal and be apprehended.
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