Overall meaning : Almighty Allah says: When Joseph’s brothers presented themselves before Joseph, he took his full brother aside and confided to him that he was indeed his full brother. He also told him not to feel distressed about what their half-brothers had done to them before and instructed him to keep what he had told him secret. After Joseph had provided them with food supplies that were loaded on their camels, he slipped the king’s drinking cup, which he also used as a grain measure, into his full brother’s bag. As they mounted their camels to embark on their journey homewards, a crier called out after them, saying, 'You, owners of the grain-laden caravan! You are thieves!’
Turning to the crier and those with him, Jacob’s sons asked, 'What are you missing?’ 'We are missing the King’s drinking cup and grain measure,’ they replied, 'and whoever brings it will receive a camel-load of grains as reward.’ The crier then added, 'I solemnly pledge my word of honour that I will personally give whoever brings it back a camel-load of grains.’ Joseph’s brothers said, 'We swear by Allah—and you have already ascertained—that we did not come to Egypt to do wrong and commit evil in it, nor have we ever committed theft, for we are not thieves by nature.’
The crier and his helpers said to Joseph’s brothers, 'What is the punishment for theft according to your laws if you are lying and we find the drinking cup among your belongings?’ They replied, 'The thief’s punishment, in our religion and according to our laws, is that he becomes the slave of the person from whom he has stolen. Thus do we punish the wrongdoers who are guilty of theft.’
They were brought before Joseph to be searched, and he himself started searching their belongings. He started with the bags of his half-brothers before his full brother’s to ensure his plan to keep his full brother with him would work. At length he took the drinking cup from his brother's bag. Thus did We help Joseph devise this scheme to enable his full brother to stay with him. Had Allah not willed, Joseph could not have kept his full brother as a slave for theft under the king’s law.
We raise the rank of whomever We will over others in this world, just as We raised the rank of Joseph; and above everyone who is endowed with knowledge, there is one who knows better than him, and so on until all knowledge ends with Allah Almighty, the Knower of all—seen and unseen.
When the drinking cup was pulled out of their half-brother’s bag, they said, in an attempt to distance themselves from him and clear themselves of such shameful accusation, 'If he has stolen, his full brother did indeed steal before.’ Joseph patiently bore such unjust accusation and said within himself, without revealing his thought to them, 'You are far worse in this respect when you carried out your evil plot to harm me, and Allah is fully aware of the lies you have told.’