Yusuf 12:5 - Linguistic Miracle

He said, ' My dear son, do not narrate your your vision to your brothers or they will plot concerning you. For Satan, to the human being, is a Mubeen enemy

Instead of getting offended and his feelings hurt, Yusuf's father becomes proud of him and expresses his love to his son just as he did to his father. When you want to call your son you can say Ya Ibni as well as Ya Bunayya. The first one is just a simple call of address but the second word is used when you call him lovingly which is what is used in this verse. He made sure to express and show his love to Yusuf after hearing this dream.

Next, in the words "do not narrate your vision to your brothers" he uses the same word as Allah did when He said "We narrate to you step by step the best of stories" in verse 3. There is a difference between this word and simply telling or narrating something. The word Allah and Yusuf's father use means narrating something step by step in an orderly manner. This is different from simply telling something to someone. What he is saying to Yusuf is not to tell them his dream completely but he may tell some parts of it. The brothers were jealous of Yusuf. If he takes out the part where the stars, the sun and the moon prostrated to him, the rest of the dream simply shows the central and leading role of the father. If Yusuf told them that part only, the brothers would understand that the dream is highlighting the central and leading role of the father and hence, they need to become obedient to him. Their father wanted them to accept Yusuf as their own and stop being envious of him and hence if they understood that part, they would recognize their obligation to obey their father with regards to Yusuf. You will see this mentioned some verses down as well that Yusuf's brothers considered their father to be in error while the dream shows the exact opposite of that.

The word Keid (كيد) is translated as "plot." It comes from the root Kaaf Ya Daal which was used for:

1. Menstruation
2. Vomit
3. Strained croaking of a crow

The central meaning is to forcefully discharge what was contained inside. Such as blood and vomit.

(Mu'jam Istiqaaqi)

So the word Keid does not simply mean a plot, but rather when hatred, enmity, jealousy or other such feelings that have been contained and hidden inside someone come out. Yusuf's father is telling his son that his brothers bear enmity and jealousy towards him and if he tells them his vision in full, those feelings will come out in full display and they will seek to harm Yusuf.

Next, when the father says, "or they will plot concerning you" he uses an extra preposition Laam without which the meaning would already be completed. For those who can read Arabic, you can see the difference between the two sentences below

فَيَكِيدُوا۟ لَكَ كَيْدًا

and

فَيَكِيدونك كيدا

You can see that the first sentence contains an extra letter - Laam. This extra Laam denotes intensity and intention. Their enmity and jealousy will come out and they will purposefully devise plans directed specifically to harm you. The word Keid is indefinite as well which implies the great magnitude and intensity of what they will plot against Yusuf. Yusuf's father is emphasizing the great magnitude and gravity of what they will do but he is also saying something very important in addition to this. He says that the brothers will devise plans to harm Yusuf; he does not not say that if you tell your brothers your dream they will harm you. The dream has already shown that Allah will station Yusuf on a position of great power, authority and leadership. Whatever the brothers plan against Yusuf will not change this fact. Hence he says that they will devise plans to harm you rather than saying your brothers will harm you. Therefore, he uses the extra Laam to say that they will intentionally plot concerning you or because of you but they cannot change Allah's plan for you. It is as if Yusuf's father is trying to protect his sons from their own selves. Whatever they plot and plan will not harm Yusuf, but only themselves. They will only fall deeper and deeper into Satan's lap by plotting against Yusuf, all of which will eventually come to naught as they cannot change what Allah wants to do. This ties perfectly with verse 21 of this Surah where Allah says:

ۚ وَٱللَّهُ غَالِبٌ عَلَىٰٓ أَمْرِهِۦ وَلَـٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ ٱلنَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ

 Allah prevails in His purpose, but most men know not

Next, he says "For Satan, to the human being, is a Mubeen enemy." The brothers bear deep enmity, jealousy and hatred towards Yusuf and the father attributes these feelings to Satan. They are not justified to bear these feelings, it is not as if Yusuf has done them any wrong or any wrong or harm has been done to them because of him, rather they are being played by the devil. It is Satan himself who wants to harm Yusuf. The brothers are just his pawns.

You will notice at the end of the Surah, when Allah fulfills this dream, Yusuf will attribute the evil actions of his brothers to Satan in verse 100:

وَقَدْ أَحْسَنَ بِىٓ إِذْ أَخْرَجَنِى مِنَ ٱلسِّجْنِ وَجَآءَ بِكُم مِّنَ ٱلْبَدْوِ مِنۢ بَعْدِ أَن نَّزَغَ ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنُ بَيْنِى وَبَيْنَ إِخْوَتِىٓ ۚ

My Lord was good to me when He brought me out of the prison, and again when He brought you out of the desert, after Satan had induced conflict between me and my brothers

He attributes the conflict that happened between him and his brothers to Satan. His father informed him here that Satan wants to harm him through his brothers. Yusuf understood this and at the end of it all, he attributes the evil actions of his brothers to Satan, not to his brothers. This story is primarily Yusuf verses Satan. The brothers are just Satan's pawns.

Yusuf's father calls Satan a Mubeen enemy to humankind. We saw earlier that at the start of this Surah, Allah used this same word to describe this Surah. Mubeen means something that causes separation. It clarifies things by separating them from other things. With regards to Satan, it means that he is separated and distinct from everyone else in the intensity and extent of the enmity, hatred and jealousy he bears towards human beings. Yusuf's brothers bore this same enmity and hatred because Satan was the root and source of it all. This also shows how dangerous feelings of enmity and jealousy truly are for us as well. These feelings are the hallmark of Satan and we must remain safe from bearing enmity and jealousy for others.

Next, When he says, "For Satan, to the human being, is a Mubeen enemy" he brings the phrase "to the human being" before its standard place. In this context, the meaning is that Satan is a Mubeen enemy to human beings in general but especially to those of your type - prophets and righteous people. The dream showed that Allah had especially chosen Yusuf. Satan bears enmity to all human beings and with great intensity too, but even among us, people such as Yusuf enrage him the most.