Overall meaning : Allah Almighty states that Joseph’s brothers, keen not to break the promise they had made to their father, earnestly appealed to Joseph, saying, 'Chief Minister, he has an aged father who loves him dearly and cannot bear his absence, so take one of us instead of him. We can see that you are a very good man.’ Joseph said, 'God forbid that we should take any but the man with whom we have found the drinking cup, otherwise we will surely be unjust.’
Having now despaired of having their request granted, they withdrew from people and began to consult among themselves. The oldest of them said, 'Do you not know that you made your father a solemn promise and swore by Allah that you would bring your brother back to him unless you were overwhelmed by circumstances beyond your control, and how, before that, you failed him regarding Joseph? Therefore, I will not leave the land of Egypt until my father gives me permission to or my Lord decides for me; for Allah is the best of judges and the fairest to judge between people.