Hadith 32-6

حَدَّثَنا المُظَفَّر بْنِ جَعْفَرِ بْنِ مُظَفَّر العَلَوِيّ قالَ: حَدَّثَنا جَعْفَرِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ مَسْعُودٍ، عَنْ أَبيهِ، عَنْ عُبِيْداللَّه بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ خالِد قالَ: حَدَّثَني الحَسَن بْنِ عَلِى الوَشَّاء قالَ: سَمِعْتُ عَلىِّ بْنِ الرِّضا عَلَيْهِ السَّلامُ يَقُولُ: كَانَتِ الْحُكُومَةُ فِي بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ إِذَا سَرَقَ أَحَدٌ شَيْئاً اسْتُرِقَّ بِهِ وَكَانَ يُوسُفُ عِنْدَ عَمَّتِهِ وَهُوَصَغِيرٌ وَكَانَتْ تُحِبُّهُ وَكَانَتْ لاسْحَاقَ مِنْطَقَةٌ أَلْبَسَهَا يَعْقُـوبَ وَكَانَتْ عِنْـدَ أُخْتِهِ، وَإِنَّ يَعْـقُوبَ طَلَبَ يُوسُـفَ لِيَأْخُذَهُ مِنْ عَمَّتِهِ فَاغْتَمَّتْ لِذَلِكَ وَقَالَتْ دَعْهُ حَتَّى أُرْسِلَهُ إِلَيْكَ وَأَخَذَتِ الْمِنْطَقَةَ وَشَدَّتْ بِهَا وَسْطَهُ تَحْتَ الثِّيَابِ فَلَمَّا أَتَى يُوسُفُ أَبَاهُ جَاءَتْ وَقَالَتْ قَدْ سُرِقَتِ الْمِنْطَقَةُ فَفَتَّشَتْهُ فَوَجَدَتْهَا مَعَهُ فِي وَسْطِهِ فَلِذَلِكَ قَالَتْ إِخْوَةُ يُوسُفَ لَمَّا حَبَسَ يُوسُفُ أَخَاهُ حَيْثُ جَعَلَ الصَّاعَ فِي وِعَاءِ أَخِيهِ فَقَالَ يُوسُفُ مَا جَزَاءُ مَنْ وُجِدَ فِي رَحْلِهِ قَالُوا هُوَجَزَاؤُهُ السُّنَّةُ الَّتِي تَجْرِي فِيهِمْ فَلِذَلِكَ قَالَ إِخْوَةُ يُوسُفَ إِنْ يَسْرِقْ فَقَدْ سَرَقَ أَخٌ لَهُ مِنْ قَبْلُ فَأَسَرَّها يُوسُفُ فِي نَفْسِهِ وَلَمْ يُبْدِها لَهُمْ.

Al-Mudhaffar ibn Ja'far ibn Mudhaffar al-Alawi narrated that Ja'far ibn Muhammad ibn Mas’ood quoted on the authority of his father, on the authority of Ubaydillah ibn Muhammad ibn Khalid, on the authority of Al-Hassan ibn Ali al-Washsha’, “I heard Ali ibn Musa Ar-Ridha’ (a.s.) say, ‘During the rule of the Children of Israel, if someone stole something, he would become the slave of the owner of that stolen property. Joseph (a.s.) was with his aunt when he was small. She really liked him. The Prophet Isaac (a.s.) had a belt which he (a.s.) had put on Jacob (a.s.). That belt was with Isaac’s daughter (Joseph’s aunt). Jacob (a.s.) asked her to return Joseph (a.s.). She got sad about this and sent him a message that she would return the child later. When she wanted to send him back, she undressed him, put the belt on him and then put his shirt on him and sent him to his father. When Joseph (a.s.) reached Jacob, she arrived there also claiming that the belt had been lost. They searched Joseph’s body and found the belt on him. That was why when Joseph (a.s.) found the drinking cup in his brother’s saddle-bag which he himself had hidden there, his brothers said, ‘…If he steals, there was a brother of his who did steal before (him).’ [3] Then Joseph (a.s.) asked them, ‘What is the punishment of the one in whose saddle-bag the drinking cup is found?’ They said, ‘The penalty should be that he in whose saddle-bag it is found, should be held (as bondman) to atone for the (crime)…’ as it is our tradition. Then ‘So he began (the search) with their baggage, before (he came to) the baggage of his brother: at length he brought it out of his brother's baggage…’ [4] That is why Joseph’s brothers said, ‘If he steals, there was a brother of his who did steal before (him).’ [5] They were referring to that belt. ‘…But these things did Joseph keep locked in his heart, revealing not the secrets to them.’” [6]