Yūsuf 12:15
The verse
Then, when they led him off, and were of one mind that they should place him in the depth of the pit, We inspired in him: Thou wilt tell them of this deed of theirs when they know (thee) not. — Marmaduke Pickthall
The issue
No obvious predicate concludes the opening clause in this verse: “And when they had gone off with him and agreed to put him in the depths of the pit….” Al-Qurţubī suggests three possible conclusions:
The phrase “and we inspired him,” which follows in the same verse
A later verse (Q 12.17): “[they] said, ‘O our father! verily, we went forth to race…’”
An implied inference: “And when they had gone off with him and agreed to put him in the depths of the pit, [they put him in it]”. Grammatical rules of language allow for the omission of the predicate if the meaning of the remaining sentence is obvious or understood by the reader. But, if even Muslim exegetes are confused regarding this predicate’s location (or lack thereof), how can the lay reader find it?.
Arabic text of this item
جواب جملة <فَلَمَّا ذَهَبُواْ بِهِۦ وَأَجۡمَعُوٓاْ أَن يَجۡعَلُوهُ فِي غَيَٰبَتِ ٱلۡجُبِّۚ> محذوف. وحسب القرطبي إن جواب «لمـَّا» هو أحد الاحتمالات التالية:
<وَأَوْحَيْنَآ إِلَيْهِ> في نفس الآية.
<قَالُواْ يَا أَبَانَا إِنَّا ذَهَبْنَا نَسْتَبِقُ> (يوسف 12: 17).
إن الجواب مقدر، تقديره: «فلما ذهبوا به من عند أبيهم، وأجمعوا أن يجعلوه في غيابة الجب [جعلوه فيها]».
تقتضي قواعد اللغة أن يُحذفَ الجوابُ إذا كان ظاهراً أو مفهوماً للقارئ، أما وقد احتار المفسرون في موقع الجواب، فبالأحرى القارئ العادي! مما يشير إلى حقيقة افتقار القرآن إلى لغة البيان.
Sources cited
- al-Qurţubī 11: 277.
- القرطبي، تفسير 11: 277.