Prophet Yūsuf: Part 1 — The Well, the House and the Prison
Section 10 of 31 · Lives of the Prophets
A Price Far Too Low
وَشَرَوْهُ بِثَمَنٍۭ بَخْسٍ دَرَٰهِمَ مَعْدُودَةٍ وَكَانُوا۟ فِيهِ مِنَ ٱلزَّٰهِدِينَ
“And they sold him for a paltry price, for a few silver-coins, and they had not much interest in him.” (12:20)
But Allah (swt) says that they sold him for a low price. Why, when they got a good deal for Yūsuf? Allah (swt) calls it a low price because they never knew who was in their hands. They did not know who it was they were selling, or who this child would grow up to be. Had they sold him for his weight in gold, it would still have been a cheap price. Wa kānū fīhi min al-zāhidīn — and they regarded him as insignificant. They did not know who he was. That was ghayb, unseen, known to Allah (swt).