After Yusuf's brothers saw that the king's bowl was taken out of Binyamin's bag, they said,

[إِن يَسْرِقْ فَقَدْ سَرَقَ أَخٌ لَّهُ مِن قَبْلُ]

(If he steals, there was a brother of his who did steal before.) They tried to show themselves as innocent from being like Binyamin, saying that he did just like a brother of his did beforehand, meaning Yusuf, peace be upon him! Allah said,

[فَأَسَرَّهَا يُوسُفُ فِى نَفْسِهِ]

(But these things did Yusuf keep in himself), meaning the statement that he said afterwards,

[أَنْتُمْ شَرٌّ مَّكَاناً وَاللَّهُ أَعْلَمْ بِمَا تَصِفُونَ]

(You are in an evil situation, and Allah is the Best Knower of that which you describe!) Yusuf said this to himself and did not utter it aloud, thus intending to hide what he wanted to say to himself even before he said it. Al-`Awfi reported that Ibn `Abbas said about Allah's statement,

[فَأَسَرَّهَا يُوسُفُ فِى نَفْسِهِ]

(But these things did Yusuf keep in himself), "He kept in himself [his statement next],

[أَنْتُمْ شَرٌّ مَّكَاناً وَاللَّهُ أَعْلَمْ بِمَا تَصِفُونَ]

(You are in an evil situation, and Allah is the Best Knower of that which you describe!).''

[قَالُواْ يأَيُّهَا الْعَزِيزُ إِنَّ لَهُ أَبًا شَيْخًا كَبِيرًا فَخُذْ أَحَدَنَا مَكَانَهُ إِنَّا نَرَاكَ مِنَ الْمُحْسِنِينَ - قَالَ مَعَاذَ اللَّهِ أَن نَّأْخُذَ إِلاَّ مَن وَجَدْنَا مَتَـعَنَا عِندَهُ إِنَّـآ إِذًا لَّظَـلِمُونَ ]

(78. They said: "O `Aziz! Verily, he has an old father (who will grieve for him); so take one of us in his place. Indeed we think that you are one of the doers of good.'') (79. He said: "Allah forbid, that we should take anyone but him with whom we found our property. Indeed (if we did so), we should be wrongdoers.'')