His saying, the Almighty: "A speaker among them said, 'Do not kill Joseph'"

[The first opinion]

11357 - 'Ali ibn al-Husayn narrated to us, [saying] Abu al-Jumahir narrated to us, [saying] Sa'id ibn Bashir narrated to us, from Qatadah, [regarding] his saying: "A speaker among them said, 'Do not kill Joseph'," he said: We used to be told that he was Reuben (Rubil), and he was the eldest of his brothers and the son of Joseph's maternal aunt.

And the second opinion:

11358 - 'Abd Allah narrated to us, [saying] al-Husayn narrated to us, [saying] 'Amir informed us, from Asbat, from al-Suddi, he said: A speaker among them said: "Do not kill Joseph," and he was Judah (Yahudha).

And the third opinion:

11359 - My father narrated to us, [saying] Ibn Abi 'Umar narrated to us, [saying] Sufyan narrated to us, from a man, from Mujahid. My father said: And in the book of someone else, from Ibn Jurayj, from Mujahid, he said: A speaker among them said: "Do not kill Joseph," he said: He was Simeon (Sham'un).

11360 - Muhammad ibn al-'Abbas narrated to us, [saying] 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Salamah narrated to us, [saying] Salamah ibn al-Fadl narrated to us, he said: Muhammad ibn Ishaq said: A speaker among them said: "Do not kill Joseph," and they mentioned—and Allah knows best—that the one who said that among them was Reuben, the eldest of the sons of Jacob, and he was the most moderate of them in opinion regarding him.

And all of them had committed a grave sin regarding him, and he was the least of them in sin, yet his sin was sufficient as a sin for what they gathered upon of severing ties of kinship, disobedience to their father, and lack of compassion for the young child who had no sin, and for the elder, frail father who possessed rights, sanctity, and favor over them—and his importance in the sight of Allah, along with the right of the father over his son—so that they might separate him from his son and his beloved, despite his advanced age and the frailty of his bones, along with his standing with Allah, and [separate him] from one whom he loved as a small child, despite the weakness of his strength, the smallness of his age, and his need for the kindness of his father and his comfort in him. May Allah forgive them, for He is the Most Merciful of those who show mercy; they have indeed committed a great matter.

His saying, the Almighty: "And throw him into the bottom of the well"

11361 - Muhammad ibn Sa'd informed us in what he wrote to me, [saying] my father narrated to us, my uncle narrated to me, my father narrated to me, from his father, from Ibn 'Abbas regarding his saying: "A speaker among them said: 'Do not kill Joseph, and throw him into the bottom of the well'," meaning: the water pit.