"They said, 'His recompense is he in whose saddlebag it is found, he himself is its recompense,'" meaning: he shall be taken as a slave. This was their custom regarding judgment; that a thief is taken as a slave to be employed according to the value of his theft. The custom of the people of Egypt was that a thief would be fined double what he took and then released. Thus, they judged against themselves according to the custom of their land, by way of what Allah ordained for Joseph. That is the meaning of His saying: "Thus did We plan for Joseph," meaning: We arranged for him, "he could not take his brother under the law of the king," meaning: according to the decree of
﴿قَالُوا جَزَاؤُهُ مَنْ وُجِدَ فِي رَحْله فَهُوَ جَزَاؤُهُ﴾ أَيْ: يُؤْخَذُ بِهِ عَبْدًا، وَكَذَلِكَ كَانَ الْحَكْمُ بِهِ عِنْدَهُمْ؛ أَنْ يُؤْخَذَ بِسَرِقَتِهِ عَبْدًا يُسْتَخْدَمُ عَلَى قَدْرِ سَرِقَتِهِ، وَكَانَ قَضَاءُ أَهْلِ مِصْرَ أَنْ يُغَرَّمَ السَّارِقُ ضِعْفَيْ مَا أَخَذَ، ثُمَّ يُرْسَلُ؛ فَقَضَوْا عَلَى أَنْفُسِهِمْ بِقَضَاءٍ أَرْضِهِمْ مِمَّا صَنَعَ اللَّهُ لِيُوسُفَ؛ فَذَاكَ قَوْلُهُ: ﴿كَذَلِك كدنا ليوسف﴾ أَيْ: صَنَعْنَا لَهُ ﴿مَا كَانَ لِيَأْخُذَ أَخَاهُ فِي دِينِ الْمَلِكِ﴾ أَيْ: عَلَى قَضَاءِ
