Indexed OCR Text

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Surah Yusuf : 12 : 83 - 87
the passage of such a long time with his sorrow being as fresh as when it
came.
After hearing the concern of his sons, Sayyidna Ya'qub said: are
,that is, 'I complain of my anguish and sorrow, not to you, يَتّىُ وَحُزْنِىّ إِلَى اللهِ
or to anyone else, but to Allah jalla thana'uh Himself. Therefore, leave
me alone as I am.' And, along with what he said, he also indicated that
'this remembrance of his will not go to waste for he knew from Allah
Ta'ala what they did not know - that he has been promised by Him that
He would bring them all together with him.'
Verse 87 begins with the order given by Sayyidna Ya'qub &dell:
O my sons, go and search for Yusuf and his) اذْهَبُوا فَتَحَسَّسُوا مِنْ يُّوُسُفَ وَآَخِيُهِ
brother ... ).
It was after the passage of such a long time that Sayyidna Ya'qub
de asked his sons to 'go and search for Yusuf and his brother' - and not
to lose hope in finding them. Before this, he had never given an order of
this nature. All these things were subservient to the Divine destiny.
Meeting them earlier than that was not so destined. Therefore, no such
action was taken either. And now, the time to meet had arrived. There-
fore, Allah Ta'ala put in his heart the way-out appropriate to it.
And the direction in which the search was to be made was turned to-
wards nowhere but Egypt itself - which was known and definite in the
case of Benyamin. But, there was no obvious reason, given the outward
conditions, to look for Sayyidna Yusuf Skal in Egypt. But, when Allah
Ta'ala intends to do something, He arranges to put together appropriate
causes for its execution. Therefore, this time, he instructed his sons to go
to Egypt once again for the purpose of this search. Some commentators
have said that Sayyidna Ya'qub &Cell, by noticing that the 'Aziz of Mişr
had treated them unusually the first time when he had returned their
capital by putting it within their baggage, had got the idea that this
'Aziz seems to be someone very noble and generous, perhaps he may be
Yusuf himself.
Points of Guidance
Patience in Pain is Obligatory on Every Muslim
Imam Al-Qurțubi has said: The event relating to Sayyidna Ya'qub

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Surah Yusuf : 12 : 83 - 87
proves that it is Wajib on every Muslim when faced with distress or
pain in the case of his person, children, family or property that he or she
should seek redress from it by resorting to patience (sabr) at its best and
by becoming resigned to and content with the decree of Allah Ta'ala -
and follow the example of Sayyidna Ya'qub Seal and other blessed proph-
ets.
The Merit of Swallowing Anger and Pain
Imam Hasan Al-Basri Ju Ul , has said: Out of what one swallows,
two are the best in the sight of Allah Ta'ala: (1) To do Sabr on pain or dis-
tress, and (2) to swallow anger.
Complaining of pain before everyone
In another Hadith from Sayyidna Abu Hurairah
, the Holy
Prophet
has been reported to have said: ◌ُمَنُ بَثَّ لَم يَصُبر ,that is, one who
goes about narrating his distress before everyone has not observed Şabr.
The Reward for Şabr
Sayyidna Ibn 'Abbas 4ce has said: Allah Ta'ala conferred upon Sayy-
idna Ya'qub &cell the reward of Shuhada' (martyrs in the way of Allah)
for this Şabr. And, in this Ummah too, whoever observes Sabr while in
distress shall receive a similar reward.
The Reason why Sayyidna Ya'qub des was put to Trial
Imam Al-Qurțubi has given a reason for this severe trial and test of
Sayyidna Ya'qub Xa as it appears in some narrations. It is said that
one day Sayyidna Ya'qub &all was doing his Tahajjud prayers and Sayy-
idna Yusuf Sel was sleeping before him. All of a sudden a sound of snor-
ing by Sayyidna Yusuf Med caused his attention to be diverted to him.
This happened twice, and thrice. Then, Allah Ta'ala said to His angels:
Look, this is My friend, and My favoured servant, see how he, in the mid-
dle of his address and approach to Me, turns his attention to someone
other than Me. By My Honour and Power, I shall take these two eyes of
his out, the eyes with which he has turned his attention to someone
other than Me, and the one to whom he has turned his attention, I shall
separate from him for a long time.
How About Looking at Someone During Salah?
Therefore, in a Hadith of Al-Bukhari narrated by Sayyidah 'A'ishah
, it appears that she asked the Holy Prophet
§: 'How is it to look else-

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Surah Yusuf : 12 : 88 - 92
where during Salah?' In reply, he said: 'Through it, the Shaytan
snatches the Salah of a servant of Allah away from him.' May Allah
subhanahū wa Ta'ala keep us protected.
Verses 88 - 92
فَلَمَّا دَخَلُوا عَلَيْهِ قَالُوا يَأَيُّهَا الْعَزِيْزُ مَسِّنَا وَأَهْلَنَا الضُّرُّ وَجِئْنَا بِضَاعَةٍ
مُّزُجْيَةٍ فَوْفٍ لَنَا الْكَيْلَ وَتَصَدَّقُ عَلَيْنَاء إِنَّ اللهَ يَحُزِى الْمُتَصَدِّقِينَ
﴿٨٨﴾ قَالَ هَلُ عَلِمْتُمُ مَّا فَعَلْتُمُ بُيُوسُفَ وَآَخِيُهِ إِذْ أَنْتُمُ جُهْلُونَ ﴿٨٩﴾
قَالُوَّاءَ إِنَّكَ لَأَنْتَ يُوسُفُ ، قَالَ أَنَا يُوسُفُ وَهُذَّا أَخِىُ : قَدُ مَنَّ اللَّهُ
عَلَيْنَا إِنَّهُ مَنْ يَنَّقِ وَ يَصْبِرُفَإِنَّ اللّهَ لاَيُضِيعُ أَجُرَالْمُحُسِنِينَ ﴿٤﴾
قَالُوا تَاللهِ لَقَدُ أَثْرَكَ اللّهُ عَلَيْنَا وَإِنُ كُنَّا لَخْطِئِينَ ﴿١١﴾ قَالَ لاَتَغْرِيُبَ
عَلَيْكُمُ الْيَوْمَ + يَغْفِرُ اللهُ لَكُمُ: وَهُوَاَرُحَمُ الرَّحِمِيْنَ ﴿١٢)
So, when they came to him (Yusuf), they said, "O 'Aziz,
distress has befallen us and our family, and we have
brought a capital of very little worth. So, give us the full
measure and be charitable to us. Surely, Allah rewards
the charitable." [88] He said, "Do you know what you did
to Yusuf and his brother when you acted ignorant?" [89]
They said, "Are you really the Yusuf?" He said, "I am
Yusuf, and this is my brother. Allah has been very kind
to us. Surely, whoever fears Allah and observes pa-
tience, then Allah does not waste the reward of the
good-doers." [90]
They said, "By God, Allah has given to you preference
over us, and we were surely in error." [91]
He said, "No reproach upon you today. May Allah forgive
you, and He is the most merciful of all the merciful. [92]
Commentary
Mentioned in the verses appearing above is the remaining part of the
story of Sayyidna Yusuf Seel and his brothers. It tells us that Sayyidna
Ya'qub &dell asked his sons to go and search Yusuf and his brother. So
they travelled to Egypt for a third time - because they knew that Benya-

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Surah Yusuf : 12 : 88 - 92
min was there and they had to try to get him released first. As for Sayy-
idna Yusuf Sel, though his presence in Egypt was not known to them
but, when the time comes for something to happen, human plans too
start falling in place, unconsciously and without an intentional effort.
This is confirmed by a Hadith which says: When Allah Ta'ala intends to
do something, He makes its causes get together automatically. There-
fore, to search Yusuf too, the very travel to Egypt was appropriate,
though taken up unconsciously. Then, they needed foodgrains, after all.
And yet another factor was that they hoped to see the 'Aziz of Misr on
the pretext of their request for foodgrains, when they could put forward
their plea for the release of Benyamin.
The first verse (88) begins with the words: فَلَمَّا دَخَلُوا عَلَيْهِ قَالُوا (And when
they came to him, they said ... ). It means: When the brothers of Yusuf
reached Egypt as ordered by their father and met the 'Aziz of Misr, they
talked to him in a flattering tone. Presenting their need and helpless-
ness, they told the 'Aziz that they and their family were suffering be-
cause of the famine, so much so that they did not have even adequate
funds to purchase foodgrains. Compelled by circumstance, they had
brought a capital which was not good enough for that purpose. Thus,
their request was that, given his generosity, he should accept whatever
they had and give them the full measure of grains as is usually given
against things of good value. Not being their right in any way, they
pleaded that the grains should be given to them as if given in charity be-
cause 'Allah rewards the charitable.'
What was this 'capital of very little worth'? The Qur'an and Hadith
have not clarified it. The sayings of the commentators differ. Some say
that they were bad dirhams which were not acceptable in the open mar-
ket. Others say that this comprised of household articles. This expres-
sion - 'capital of very little worth' - is a translation of the meaning of the
word: aby ('muzjatin') which really means something which does not
move on its own, but has to be moved by someone else forcefully.
When Sayyidna Yusuf del heard these submissive words from his
brothers and saw their broken-down condition, he was naturally coming
to a point where he would have no option but to disclose the truth as it
was. And the drift of events was showing that the restriction placed by
Allah Ta'ala on Sayyidna Yusuf all that he would not disclose the truth

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Surah Yusuf : 12 : 88 - 92
of the matter about himself was not going to be there anymore for the
time had come close when it would be taken back. Based on a narration
of Sayyidna Ibn 'Abbas 480, it has been reported in Tafsir al-Qurtubi and
Mazhari that Sayyidna Ya'qub Seal had, on this occasion, sent a letter in
writing and had addressed it to the 'Aziz of Misr. The letter said:
"From Ya'qub Şafi Allah Ibn Ishaq Dhabi Allah Ibn Ibrahim Khalil
Allah To the 'Aziz of Misr. After offering praise to Allah: Our entire fami-
ly is known for hardships and trials. My grandfather, Ibrahim Khalil
Allah was tested through the fire of Nimrud. Then, my father, Ishaq was
put to a hard test. Then, I was tested through a son of mine whom I held
very dear - to the limit that I lost my eyesight when separated from him.
After that, there was his younger brother, a source of comfort for me in
my grief, whom you arrested on a charge of theft. And let me tell you
that we are the progeny of prophets. Never have we committed a theft,
nor has there ever been a thief among our children. And peace on you!"
When Sayyidna Yusuf Xell
read this letter, he trembled and broke
into tears and decided to let his secret out. To start with, he first asked
his brothers if they remembered what they had done with Yusuf and his
brother at a time when they were ignorant, unable to distinguish
between good and bad, and quite neglectful of acting with foresight.
When his brothers heard his question, they were dumbfounded.
What has the 'Aziz of Misr got to do with the story of Yusuf? Then, they
recollected the dream seen by young Yusuf the interpretation of which
was that he would achieve some high rank and they would have to bow
down before him. Could it be that this 'Aziz of Misr is none else but
Yusuf himself? Then, as they exerted and deliberated a little more, they
recognized him by some signs. Still, to confirm it further, they asked
him : ◌ُءَ إِنَّكَ لَأَنْتَ يُوسُف (Are you really the Yusuf?). Then, Sayyidna Yusuf
ell said: 'Yes, I am Yusuf and this is my brother, Benyamin.' He supple-
mented his statement by adding the name of his brother so that they be-
come certain about him. In addition to that, he also wanted them to be-
come sure right then about the total success of their mission, that is, the
two they had started to search for were there before them, both at the
قَدُ مَنَّ اللّهُ عَلَيْنَا ﴿ إِنَّهُ، مَنْ يَتَّقِ وَ يَصْبِرُ فَإِنَّ اللّهَ لاَيُضِيعُ:same time and place. Then, he said
JJJIsi , that is, 'Allah has been very kind to us [that he first gave
both of us two qualities, those of patience (Sabr) and the fear of Allah

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Surah Yusuf : 12 : 88 - 92
(Taqwa), qualities which are a key to success and a security shield
against every hardship. Then He changed hardship into comfort, separa-
tion into union, and our paucity of wealth and recognition into its total
abundance. 'Surely, whoever fears Allah [and abstains from sins] and ob-
serves patience [while in distress], then Allah does not waste the reward
of the good- doers [like these].'
Now the brothers of Yusuf had no choice left with them but to con-
fess the wrongs they had done and admit the grace and excellence of
تَاللهِ لَقَدُ اثْرَكَ اللهُ عَلَيْنَا وَإِن كُنَّا :So, in one voice, they all said . القيمة Sayyidna Yusuf
JAJ : 'By God, Allah has given to you preference over us [which you de-
served], and we were surely in error [in whatever we did - and so, forgive
us in the name of Allah].' To this in reply, Sayyidna Yusuf &gel said
what a prophet of his stature would say: ◌ْلاَتَتُرِيُبَ عَلَيْكُم (No reproach upon
you), that is, 'not to say much about taking a revenge of your injustices
against me, on this day, I would not even blame you for it.' This much
was the good news of forgiveness from his side which he let them hear.
يَغْفِرُ اللّهُ لَكُمْ وَهُوَاَرُحَمُ الرَّحِمِينَ :Then, he prayed for them before Allah Ta'ala
(May Allah forgive you, and He is the most merciful of all the merciful).
إِذْهَبُوا بِقَمِيُصِىُ هذَا فَالْقُوُهُ عَلَى وَجُهِ آَبِىُ يَأْتِ بَصِيْرًا وَأَتُوُنِىُ بِأَهْلِكُمُ أَجْمَعِيْنَ : After that, he said
: 'Go with this shirt of mine and put it over the face of my father, and he
will turn into a sighted man [which will enable him to come here]. And
bring to me all your family [so that all of us can get together, be happy,
enjoy the blessings given by Allah and be grateful to Him].'
Points of Guidance
We come to know of many injunctions, rulings, as well as guidelines,
which are good to have in life:
1. First of all, the use of the expression: Ql sua ('tasaddaq 'alaina':
be charitable to us) in verse 88 raises a question as to how would Sada-
qah and Khairat (charity) become Halal (lawful) for the brothers of Sayy-
idna Yusuf šel who are the progeny of prophets? Secondly, even if Sada-
qah could be taken as Halal, how would the act of asking for it become
Halal? Even if the brothers of Sayyidna Yusuf Sal were no prophets, he
himself certainly was. Why did he not warn them against this error?
A clear enough answer to this is that the word Sadaqah used here
does not mean the real Sadaqah. In fact, the request for a concession in

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the transaction has been given the name of Sadaqah and Khairat - be-
cause, they had just never asked for a free supply of grains. Instead,
they had offered 'a capital of very little worth.' And the essence of their
request was that this 'capital of very little worth' be accepted in the spir-
it of remission given in such hard circumstances. Moreover, it is also pos-
sible that the unlawfulness of Sadaqah and Khairat (charity) for the pro-
geny of prophets may be exclusive to the Ummah of the Holy Prophet
- as held by Mujahid from among Tafsir authorities. (Bayan al-Qur'an)
2. The last sentence of verse 88:َإِنَّ اللَّهَ يَجُزَى الْمُتَصَدِّقِين (Surely , Allah re-
wards the charitable) tells us that Allah Ta'ala gives good return to
those who spend in Sadaqah and Khairat (charity). But, there are de-
tails to it, that is, there is a general return for Sadaqah and Khairat
which is received by everyone, believer or disbeliever, right here in the
present world. That return comes in the form of the removal of disasters
and hardships. Then, there is the return which is particularly attached
to the 'Akhirah (Hereafter), that is, the Jannah (Paradise). That is for
the believers only. Since the addressee here is the 'Aziz of Misr - and the
brothers of Yusuf did not know at that time whether or not he was a be-
liever - therefore, they opted for a sentence which was general, and
which included the return of the present world, as well as that of the
Hereafter. (Bayan al-Qur'an)
Besides, this being an address to the 'Aziz of Misr, the occasion obvi-
ously demanded that the address in this sentence should have been di-
rect, as: 'Allah will give you the best of return.' But, as his being a believ-
er was not known, therefore, the form of address used was general, and
any special return for him was not mentioned. (Qurțubi)
3. The sentence:قَدٌ مَنَّ اللَّهُ عَلَيْنَا (Allah has been very kind to us) in verse
90 proves that, should one be in some distress or hardship, then, Allah
Ta'ala delivers one from these and showers him or her with his bless-
ings, now, after that, such a person should not talk about his past hard-
ships anymore. Instead, one should remember nothing but this blessing
and favour of Allah Ta'ala which one now has. After having been de-
livered from distress, and after having been blessed by Divine rewards,
to continue crying over past hardships is ingratitude. Such an ungrateful
إِنَّ الْإِنْسَانَ لِرَبِّه لَكُنُوُدٌ : kanud) in the Holy Qur'an) كنُوُد :person has been called
(Truly, man is to his Lord, ungrateful - 100:6). The word, kanud, refers to
a person who does not remember favours received, but does remember
hardships faced.

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Surah Yusuf : 12 : 93 - 100
Therefore, Sayyidna Yusuf el
made no mention at this time of the
hardships he had to undergo for a long time due to the actions of his
brothers. Instead of that, he mentioned the blessings of Allah only.
4. The last sentence: ◌ُإِنَّهُ مَنْ يَتَّق وَيَصُبر (Surely, whoever fears Allah and ob-
serves patience, then Allah does not waste the reward of the good-doers)
in verse 90 tells us that Taqwa, that is, abstention from sins, and Sabr,
that is, patience and fortitude, are two qualities which deliver one from
every disaster and distress. The Holy Qur'an has said at several places
that a person's prosperity and success depend on these two qualities, for
example: وَإِنُ تَصُبُرُوا وَتَتَّقُوا لاَيَضُرُّكُمْ كَيْدُهُمُ شَيْئًا ,that is, if you keep patience and
fear Allah, their cunning shall not harm you at all - 3:120.'
A surface view of the verse here may suggest that Sayyidna Yusuf
Xe is claiming to be God-fearing and patient in the sense that it was be-
cause of his Taqwa and Sabr that he was blessed with deliverance from
difficulties and rewarded with high ranks. But, no one can claim Taqwa
for himself. It is prohibited by definite statements in the Holy Qur'an,
for example : فَلاَ تُزَكُّوًّا أَنْفُسَكُمُ هُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِمَنِ اتَّقْى (Therefore do not claim purity for
yourself: He knows best who it is that guards against evil - 53:32). But, in
reality, there is no claim here. Instead, this is a confession of the bless-
ings and favours of Allah Ta'ala, for He first gave him the Taufiq of Sabr
and Taqwa and then, through it, came all blessings from Him.
The declaration : ◌َلاَتَغْرِيُبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الْيَوْم (No reproach upon you today) in verse
92 has been made from the highest level of good morals whereby the op-
pressor was not only forgiven, but spared from reproach too.
Verses 93 - 100
إِذُهُبُوا بِقَمِيُصِىُ هُذَا فَالْقُوُهُ عَلَى وَجْهِ أَبِىُ يَأْتِ بَصِيرًا* وَأَتُوُنِىُ
باَهُلِكُمْ أَجُمَعِيْنَ ﴿٩٢﴾ وَلَمَّا فَصَلَتِ الْعِيْرُ قَالَ أَبُوُهُمُ إِنِّىُ لَاَجِدُ رِبْحَ
يُوسُفَ لَوْلَآ أَنْ تُفِّدُوُنِ ﴿١٤﴾ قَالُوا تَاللهِ إِنَّكَ لَفِىٌ ضَلْلِكَ الْقَدِيُمِ
﴿٩٥﴾ فَلَمَّ أَنُ جَآءَ الْبَشِيرُ الْقُهُ عَلَى وَجُهِهِ فَارْتَدَّ بَصِيْرَاءٌ قَالَ آَلَمُ
أَقُلُ لَّكُمُ رَّ إِنِّىُ أَعْلَمُ مِنَ اللّهِ مَالاَ تَعْلَمُونَ ﴿١٦﴾ قَالُوا يَّأَبَانَا اسْتَغْفِرْلَنَا

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Surah Yusuf : 12 : 93 - 100
ذُنُوبَنَا إِنَّا كُنَّ خْطِئِينَ ﴿١٧﴾ قَالَ سَوُفَ اسْتَغْفِرُ لَكُمُ رَبِّىُ ◌ُ إِنَّهَ هُوَ
الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ ﴿٩٨﴾ فَلَمَا دَخَلُوا عَلَى يُوسُفَ أَوِىّ إِلَيْهِ آَبَوَيُّهِ وَقَالَ
ادْخُلُوا مِصْرَ إِنُ شَآءَ اللّه أَمِنِينَ ﴿١٠﴾ وَرَفَعَ أَبَوَيُّهِ عَلَى الْعَرْشِ
وَخَرُوا لَهْ سُجَّدَاء وَقَالَ يَأَبَتِ هُذَا تَأْوِيُّلُ رُءُيَاىَ مِنْ قَبلُ قَدْ
جَعَلَهَا رَبِّىُ حَقًّا وَقَدُ أَحْسَنَ بِىِّ إِذْ آَخْرَجَنِىُ مِنَ السِّحْنِ وَجَآءَ
بِكُمُ مِّنَ الْبَدُوِ مِنْ بَعُدِ أَنْ تَّزَغَ الشَّيْطُنُ بَيْنِىُ وَبَيْنَ اِخْوَتِىٌ إِنَّ رَبِّىُ
لَطِيُفٌ لِّمَا يَشَآءُ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْعَلِيُمُ الْحَكِيمُ ﴿١٠﴾
Go with this shirt of mine and put it over the face of my
father, and he will turn into a sighted man. And bring to
me all your family." [93]
And when the caravan set out, their father said, "I sense
the scent of Yusuf if you do not take me to be senile." [94]
They said, "By God, you are still in your old fallacy!" [95]
So, when came the man with good news, he put it (the
shirt) on his face, and he turned into a sighted man. He
(Ya'qub) said, "Did I not tell you that I know from Allah
what you do not know?" [96]
They said, 'Our father, pray to Allah to forgive us our
sins. Surely, we have been wrong." [97]
He said, "I shall pray to my Lord to forgive you. Surely,
He is the Most-Forgiving, Very-Merciful." [98]
Later, when they came to Yusuf, he placed his parents
near himself and said, "Enter Egypt, God willing, in
peace."[99]
And he raised his parents up on the throne, and they all
fell before him in prostration. And he said, "My father,
here is the fulfillment of my early dream. My Lord has
made it come true. He favoured me when he released me
from the prison and brought you from the countryside
after Satan had caused a rift between me and my broth-
ers. Surely, my Lord does what He wills, in a subtle way.
Surely, He is the All-Knowing, the All-Wise." [100]

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Surah Yusuf : 12 : 93 - 100
Commentary
The previous verses about the story of Sayyidna Yusuf Seal have told
us about the time when, by the will of Allah, it was appropriate for him
to disclose his secret to his brothers. This he did. His brothers sought his
forgiveness. He, not only that he forgave them, did not even choose to ad-
monish them for what they had done to him in the past. In fact, he
prayed to Allah Ta'ala for them. Meeting his father was now his next con-
cern. Given the conditions, he found it better that his father comes to
him with the family. But, having come to know that his father had lost
his eyesight as a result of his separation from him, that became his first
إِذْهَبُوا بِقَمِيُصِيُ هْذَا فَالْقُوُهُ عَلَى وَجُهِ أَبِىُ يَأْتِ بَصِيرًا :concern. So, he said to his brothers
(Go with this shirt of mine and put it over the face of my father, and he
will turn into a sighted man - 93). It is obvious that putting someone's
shirt on the face of a person cannot become the physical cause of an eye-
sight to return. In fact, this was a miracle of Sayyidna Yusuf del for he,
by the will of Allah, knew that once his shirt was put over the face of his
father, Allah Ta'ala will give him his eyesight back.
Tafsir authorities, Dahhak and Mujahid have said that this was the
inherent quality of that shirt because it was not like ordinary clothes. In-
stead, it was brought from Paradise for Sayyidna Ibrahim &dal at the
time when he was thrown into the fire naked by Nimrud. Then, this ap-
parel of Paradise remained preserved with Sayyidna Ibrahim Seal. After
his death, it passed on to Sayyidna Ishaq 89. After his death, it came
to Sayyidna Ya'qub Stall. In view of its status as a sacred legacy, he put
it inside a tube, sealed it and made Sayyidna Yusuf See wear it round
his neck as a Ta'widh (spiritual charm) so that he remains safe against
the evil eye. When the brothers of Yusuf removed the shirt of Sayyidna
Yusuf Xcel to deceive their father and he was thrown into the well with-
out it, Sayyidna Jibra'il al-Amin came, and opening the tube hanging
round his neck, took this shirt out from it, and made Sayyidna Yusuf
wear it. Since that time, it remained preserved with him. When
needed again, it was Jibra'il al-Amin again who advised Sayyidna Yusuf
that this shirt was an apparel of Paradise. It had a unique proper-
ty. If put over the face of a blind person, he becomes sighted. He asked
him to send it to his father and he would become a sighted man.
The view of Hadrat Mujaddid Alf Thani J Al , is that the beauty,

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rather the very existence of Sayyidna Yusuf Seal, was itself a thing of
the Paradise. Therefore, every shirt that touched his body could have
this property. (Mazhari)
Said in the last sentence of verse 93 was:َوَأَتُوُنِىُ بِأَهْلِكُمْ أَجْمَعِين that is, 'all
of you, my brothers, bring your entire family to me.' Though, the real pur-
pose was to have his respected father come to him but, here he did not
specifically mention his father, instead, talked about bringing the family
- perhaps, because he considered that asking his father to be brought to
him was contrary to etiquette. However, he was already certain that the
sight of his father would return and there would remain no reason which
could stop him from coming to him, rather, he would himself want to hon-
our him with his visit. According to a narration reported by Al-Qurtubi,
Yahuda (Judah) from among the brothers of Sayyidna Yusuf Seal offered
to carry this shirt personally - because, it was he who had carried young
Yusuf's shirt smeared with fake blood and which brought many shocks
for his father, and now, it should be him again who should carry the
shirt in his own hands, so that amends could be made for past injustices.
Verse 94 opens with the words: ◌ُوَلَمَّا فَصَلَتِ الْعِير 'And when the caravan
set out' (and had reached barely outside the limits of the city), then,
Sayyidna Ya'qub & said (to those around him): 'I sense the scent of
Yusuf if you do not take me to be senile.' According to a narration of
Sayyidna Ibn 'Abbas 4ge there was a travel distance of eight days from
the city of Egypt to Can'aan, and according to Sayyidna Hasan 4ge the
distance was eighty farsakh, that is, nearly two hundred and fifty miles.
Unique is the power of Allah Ta'ala who, from such a distance, carried
all the way to Sayyidna Ya'qub &l, the scent of his son Yusuf through
the shirt of his son Yusuf. And some thing of wonder it certainly is that
this scent, when Sayyidna Yusuf Meel was sitting confined into a well of
his own homeland, caused no reaction into the smell buds of his father!
Right from here, we learn that no miracle is in the control of a prophet.
In fact, a miracle is not even the personal act and action of the prophet.
This is directly the act of Allah. When Allah Ta'ala wills, He makes a
miracle manifest itself. And when the Divine will is not there, the near-
est of the near recedes into the farthest.
In verse 95, it was said:قَالُوا تَاللَّهِ إِنَّكَ لَفِىُ ضَلَلِكَ القَدِيم (They said, 'By God,
you are still in your old fallacy!'). It means that those around Sayyidna

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Surah Yusuf : 12 : 93 - 100
Ya'qub &s
commented on what he had said by wondering that he still
seemed to be engrossed into his old fallacy, that is: 'Yusuf is alive and
we shall meet again.'
Said in verse 96 is: ◌ُفَلَمَّا أَنْ جَاءَ الْبَشِير that is, 'when this man with the good
news reached Can'aan' and put the shirt of Sayyidna Yusuf &all over the
face of his father, his eyesight returned and he became a sighted man.
The man who came with the good news was Yahuda, the same brother of
Sayyidna Yusuf Meel who had brought his shirt from Egypt.
The last sentence of the verse is: ◌َقَالَ أَلَمُ أَقُلُ لَّكُمُ إِنِّيّ اعْلَمُ مِنَ اللَّهِ مَالاَ تَعْلَمُون (He
[Ya'qub] said, 'Did I not tell you that I know from Allah what you do not
know?' - 96) - that Yusuf is alive and we shall meet again.
Now, when the truth of the matter became clear, the brothers of
Yusuf asked for the forgiveness of their father in a spiritually endearing
style by saying : ◌َقَالُوا يَاْبَانَا اسْتَغُفِرُلَنَا ذُنُوبَنَا إِنَّا كُنَّا خطِئِين :"Our father, pray to Allah to
forgive us our sins. Surely, we have been wrong - 97.' Thus, it is obvious
that a person who prays to Allah Ta'ala for the forgiveness of their sins
would do that himself too.
1) قَالَ سَوُفَ أَسْتَغْفِرُلَكُمْ رَبِّى :was الشا The reply given by Sayyidna Yarqub
shall pray to my Lord to forgive you ... - 98).
Here, Sayyidna Ya'qub des has, instead of praying for them instant-
ly, made a promise that he would pray for them soon. Commentators
have generally given a reason for this. According to them, his purpose
was to pray for them particularly, in peace and with concentration, to-
wards the later part of the night - because the prayer made at that hour
is answered specially. This is as it appears in a Hadith in the Şahin of
Al-Bukhari and Muslim that, in the last third part of every night, Allah
Ta'ala descends in all His Glory close to the firmament near the Earth,
and proclaims: Is there someone who would pray to Me, and I would an-
swer? Is there someone who would seek forgiveness from Me, and I
would forgive ?
About what has been said in the next verse: ◌ِفَلَمَّا دَخَلُوا عَلَيْه (Later, when
they came to Yusuf ... - 99), it appears in some narrations that Sayyidna
Yusuf XeEl had sent with his brothers this time a large supply of clothes
and other articles of need all loaded on some two hundred camels, so

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Surah Yusuf : 12 : 93 - 100
that the whole family could make good preparations in anticipation of
their visit to Egypt. Thus, all set for the trip, when Sayyidna Ya'qub el
and his entire family set out for Egypt, their number, according to one
narration, was seventy two and, according to the other, it was comprised
of ninety three men and women.
On the other side, when came the time for their arrival in Egypt,
Sayyidna Yusuf Meel and the people of Egypt came out of the city to re-
ceive them. With them came four thousand soldiers to present a guard of
honour. When these guests reached Egypt and entered the home of Sayy-
idna Yusuf del he lodged his parents with him.
Here, the text refers to 'parents.' - though, the mother of Sayyidna
Yusuf Seel had died during his childhood, but after her death, Sayyidna
Ya'qub del had married Layya, the sister of his late wife. She was, in
her capacity as the maternal aunt of Sayyidna Yusuf Seal, almost like
his own mother, and also as the married wife of his father, was deserv-
ing of being called as nothing but his mother .*
At the end of verse 99, the statement: ◌َوَقَالَ ادْخُلُوا مِصْرَ إِنْ شَآءَ اللَّه أمِنِين (he
said, 'Enter Egypt, God willing, in peace') means that Sayyidna Yusuf
Mell asked all his family members to enter Egypt by the will of Allah
and without any fear or restriction, the sense being that they were free
from usual restrictions placed on travellers who enter another country.
Verse 100 opens with the words: وَرَفَعَ أَبَوَيُّهِ عَلَى الْعَرُش (And he raised his
parents up on the throne), that is, Sayyidna Yusuf & had his parents
sit with him on the royal throne.
After that it was said: ( Jn,, (and they all fell before him in pros-
*. This interpretation is according to the riwayah where it has been said that the mother of
Sayyidna Yusuf 85) had died at the time of Benyamin's birth. It is on this basis that the
present text of the respected author, may the mercy of Allah be upon him, appears to be
contradictory to the relevant text on page 38 of Volume V where the name of Sayyidna
Yusuf's mother >JI .Le has been given as Rahil. But, in reality, there is no authentic riway
ah in this connection. Isra'ili riwayat do exist, but they too are contradictory. The author of
Ruh al-Ma'ani has himself said that the Jewish chroniclers do not subscribe to the view that
the mother of Sayyidna Yusuf SA had died at the time of Benyamin's birth. If this riwayah
is given credence, no doubt remains. Then, in this situation, by the words: 4) , (And he
raised his parents up on the throne - 100), the reference would be to the real mother of Sayy-
idnā Yusuf SKEll . Ibn Jarir and Ibn Kathir have opted for this as the weightier view. So, com-
قال ابن جرير ولم يقم دليل على موت امه (ای ام يوسف عليه السلام) وظاهر القران :menting on this, Ibn Kathir has said
.Muhammad Taqi Usmani - يدل على حياتها

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tration), that is, the parents, and all brothers did sajdah before
Sayyidna Yusuf Ca. Sayyidna 'Abdullah ibn 'Abbas tee has said that
this prostration of gratitude was for Allah Ta'ala, and not for Sayyidna
Yusuf Nel. Others have said that a Sajdah or Sujud (prostration) as
part of 'Ibadah (worship) when done for anyone other than Allah has al-
ways been forbidden in the Shari'ah of every prophet. But, the Sajdah of
Ta'zim (veneration) was permissible in the religious codes of past proph-
ets - which has been prohibited in the Shari'ah of Islam on the basis that
it is a source of Shirk. This is confirmed by Hadith reports from
Al-Bukhari and Muslim that Sajdah (prostration) for anyone other than
Allah is not Halal.
And when both his father and mother, and eleven of his brothers,
prostrated before him simultaneously, he remembered the dream he had
: وَقَالَ يَأَبَتِ هُذَا تَأْوِيُلُ رُءُ يَاىَ مِنْ قَبْلُ قَدُ جَعَلَهَا رَبِّى حَقًّا : seen in his childhood, and he said
'My father, here is the fulfillment of my early dream,' that 'the sun and
the moon and eleven stars are prostrating to me,' and I am grateful that
'my Lord has made it come true.'
Rules and Points of Guidance
1. When his sons requested Sayyidna Ya'qub fall to pray to Allah for
their forgiveness, he said, 'I shall (soon) pray to my Lord to forgive you.'
He did not make that du'a' instantly. He delayed it.
One of the reasons given by commentators for this delay is that he
first wanted to check with Sayyidna Yusuf See whether or not he has
forgiven them - because, unless the victim of injustice forgives, there is
no forgiveness from Allah either. So, this being the state of affairs, the
making of a prayer for forgiveness was not appropriate.
Pointed to here is a matter of sound principle - that no violation of
the rights of the servants of Allah (Huquq al-'Ibad) gets to be forgiven
unless the holder of the right receives his right back, or forgives it - only
verbal repentance for it is not enough.
2. According to a narration of Sufyan al-Thawri J Ul .,, when
Yahuda brought in the shirt of Sayyidna Yusuf &# and put it over the
face of his father, he asked: How is Yusuf? Yahuda told him that he was
the king of Egypt. Sayyidna Ya'qub &well said: I am not asking if he is a

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prince or a pauper. I am asking how is he in his faith and deed. Then he
told him about the qualities of his character and how God-fearing and
chaste in conduct he was. This is how the noble prophets love and relate
to their children. They are more concerned about the state of their spiri-
tual life than they are with the state of their physical comfort. This is
the model every Muslim should follow.
3. According to Hadrat Hasan ' All ), when the carrier of the
good news arrived with the shirt of his separated son, Sayyidna Ya'qub
Sell wished to give him something in reward. But, life was hard, there-
fore, he apologized that there was no bread baked in the house for seven
days and he could not give a material reward. However, he prayed that
Allah Ta'ala makes the agony of death easy on him. Al-Qurtubi has said
that this prayer was the best reward for him.
4. This event also tells us that the giving of a reward to someone who
brings a good news is a practice of the blessed prophets. An event relat-
ing to Sayyidna Ka'b ibn Malik
from among the noble Şahabah is
well known. He had not participated in the battle of Tabuk for which he
was reproached and punished - though his repentance was later ac-
cepted. When the man with the good news of this acceptance came to
him, he gave the dress he was wearing to him.
In addition to that, it also proves that inviting friends over meals on
occasions of happiness is Sunnah. Sayyidna 'Umar
when he
completed his reading of Surah al-Baqarah, shared his happiness with
others by inviting them to eat with him for which he slaughtered a
camel.
5. The sons of Sayyidna Ya'qub &el, once the truth had come out in
the open, asked for the forgiveness of their father and brother. This tells
us that a person who has caused pain to someone, by word or action, or
remains responsible for returning any right owed to him, then, it is oblig-
atory on that person that he must pay back that right immediately, or
have it forgiven by him.
Based on a narration of Sayyidna Abu Hurairah
there is a report
in the Sahih of Al-Bukhari that the Holy Prophet
¿ said: A person who
has someone's financial right due against him, or may have caused pain
to him, by word or action, then, he must pay it back today, or get it off

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his shoulders by seeking forgiveness - before comes the day of Qiyamah
where no one would have any property or wealth from which rights could
be paid back. Therefore, his good deeds will be given to the victim of in-
justice and he will be left empty-handed. And if, he has no good deeds in
his account, the sins of the other person will be put on his shoulders.
May Allah protect us all from this.
Patience and Gratitude :
The Dignified Station of Sayyidna Yusuf Šel
To pick up the thread of the story, we see that Sayyidna Yusuf Sel
starts telling his parents things which happened to him. This is a point
where it would be useful to stop for a while and think. Had someone in
our day been subjected to go through all those hardships which were
faced by Sayyidna Yusuf well and had he been enabled to meet his par-
ents after such a long trial of separation and disappointment, just ima-
gine where would he begin his tale of woes, how would he cry and make
others do the same, and how many days and nights would he spend in re-
counting the hardships faced by him? But, the two parties, the teller and
the listener, are both no less than two messengers and prophets of Allah.
Worth observing is their conduct in this matter. Here is the very dear
separated son of Sayyidna Ya'qub &Cel, when he meets his father after
having gone through the long period of so many hardships, see what he
says:
وَقَدُ أَحُسَنَ بِىّ إِذْ أَخْرَ جَنِىُ مِنَ السِّجْنِ وَجَآءَ بِكُمُ مِّنَ الْبَدُوِ مِنْ بَعُدِ آَنُ نَّزَغَ الشَّيْطِنُ
بَيْنِى وَبَيْنَاخوتى
He favoured me when He released me from the prison and
brought you from the countryside after the Satan had caused a
rift between me and my brothers - 100.
The hardships faced by Sayyidna Yusuf Seel can be divided over
three stages respectively: (1) The injustices of his brothers; (2) the separ-
ation from his parents; (3) the pain of the prison. What this great proph-
et of Allah has done is that, in his statement, he has changed the order
of events as they had happened. He started from the prison. Then, he
said nothing about how he had entered the prison and how he had suf-
fered there. Rather, talked about how he was released from the prison
and mentioned that too with words of gratitude for Allah Ta'ala. As a co-
rollary of his release from the prison and his gratitude to Allah for it, he

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also told them that he has been in the prison for a certain time.
Worth noticing here is that Sayyidna Yusuf al has mentioned his
release from the prison. But, he has not said anything about the prison
of the well in which his brothers had thrown him. He did not mention it
even functionally, as in 'He released me from the prison - 100.' The rea-
son is that he had already forgiven the mistake made by his brothers,
and had said: ◌َلاَ تَثُرَيُبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الْيَوْم (No reproach upon you today - 92). There-
fore, he did not consider it proper to mention the incident of the well in
any form whatsoever, so that his brothers may not be put to shame.
(Qurțubi)
After that, he was supposed to dwell on the long and trying separa-
tion from his parents, and talk about how they had affected him. But, he
set all these things aside. He took up the last part of it and mentioned
his meeting with the parents and said so by thanking Allah for it: 'and
brought you from the countryside (al-badw)' to this city of Egypt. There
is a hint here to the blessing of Allah that He brought Sayyidna Ya'qub
from his home in the countryside, where conveniences of living are
scarce, to a city with royal honours.
The first stage of the trials of Sayyidna Yusuf &Cel has not been men-
tioned yet. This concerns the injustices inflicted by his brothers on him.
It is interesting that he sweeps the whole thing away as a handiwork of
Satan and makes things come easy even by suggesting that his brothers
were not of the kind who would do something like that. It was Satan
who deceived them and caused this rift between them.
This is the elegance of prophets. Not only that they would be patient
against pain and hardship, but that they would invariably find the occa-
sion to be grateful to Allah under all conditions. Therefore, with proph-
ets, there is no state of being in which they are not grateful to Allah
Ta'ala. This is contrary to what ordinary human beings would do. In
their state of being, they would have thousands of blessings of Allah
Ta'ala being showered over them, yet they would not talk about them to
anyone. And when they have some hardship overtake them at some
time, they would go about crying over it all their lives. The Qur'an has
إِنَّ الإنْسَانَ لِرَبّه لَكُنُوُدٌ : complained about this human mind-set when it says
(that is, human beings are, to their Rabb, very ungrateful -100:6).
After having reduced the tale of his trials in three words, Sayyidna

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Yusuf العَيَا said: ◌ُإِنَّ رَبِّى لَطِيفٌ لِّمَا يَشَاءُ إِنَّه هُوَ الْعَلِيُمُ الْحَكِيم (Surely, my Lord does
what He wills, in a subtle way. Surely, He is the All-Knowing, the
All-Wise - 12:100).
Verse 101
رَبِّ قَدُ أَيْتَنِىُ مِنَ الْمُلْكِ وَعَلَّمُتَنِىُ مِنْ تَأْوِيُّلِ الْأَحَادِيثِ ، فَاطِرَ
السَّمُوْتِ وَالْأَرْضِ قَفَ أَنْتَ وَلِّ فِى الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةِ ◌َ تَوَقَّنِىُ مُسْلِمًا
وَالْحِقْنِىُ بِالصُّلِحِيْنَ ﴿١٠١﴾
My Lord, You have given me some power to rule and a
knowledge of interpreting events. O the Creator of the
heavens and the Earth, You are my guardian in this
world and the Hereafter. Make me die a Muslim and
make me join the righteous." [101]
Commentary
The address of Sayyidna Yusuf See in the previous verses was to his
respected father. Now, after having achieved an important objective by
meeting his parents and brothers, he was at peace to devote himself di-
rectly to praising Allah Ta'ala and to supplicating before Him. What he
said appears immediately above. The 'salihin ' or 'the righteous' or moral-
ly the most perfect servants of Allah can be the prophets themselves for
they are Divinely protected (ma'sum) against all sins. (Mazhari)
Worth noticing in this du'a' is the prayer for a good end to life. It pre-
sents before us a profile of the typical servants of Allah who have the
honour of being accepted in the sight of their Creator. Their attitude is
that they may be enjoying the highest possible ranks in this world and
in the Hereafter, and they may have all sorts of power and office beneath
their feet, yet, they would never wax proud over these. In fact, they keep
fearing lest such things around them may be taken away or cut down.
So, they keep praying that the physical and spiritual blessings given to
them by Allah Ta'ala continue to be with them, even keep increasing,
right through the hour of death.
At this stage, the unusual story of Sayyidna Yusuf &CHI, and the sub-
sequent chain of instructions and lessons, as mentioned in the Qur'an,

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has reached its completion. What happened after that has not been re-
ported in the Holy Qur'an, or in any Marfu' Hadith (with its chain of re-
porting authorities ascending to the Holy Prophet
¿himself). Most com-
mentators have reported that with reference to historical or Isra'ili
narrations.
Based on a narration by Hadrat Hasan 's dl ), it has been re-
ported in Tafsir Ibn Kathir that Sayyidna Yusuf el
was seven years
old when his brothers had thrown him into a well. Then, he remained
separated from his father for eighty years, remained alive for twenty
three years after having met his parents, and died at the age of one hun-
dred and twenty years.
As in the narrations of the People of the Book, reports Muhammad
ibn Ishaq, the period of separation between Sayyidna Ya'qub and Sayyid-
na Yusuf JI Lle was forty years. Then, Sayyidna Ya'qub &Ell, after
his arrival in Egypt, lived in the company of Sayyidna Yusuf Seal for
seventeen years. After that, he died.
As in the annals of historians, reports the author of Tafsir al-Qurțu
bi, Sayyidna Ya'qub &al died after having lived for twenty four years in
Egypt. Before his death, he ordered Sayyidna Yusuf Sell that his body
should be sent to his home country and that he be buried by the side of
his father, Sayyidna Ishaq Sal.
Sayyidna Said ibn Jubayr
e has said that the body of Sayyidna
Ya'qub &tcell was placed in a coffin made of wood from saul tree and
taken to Baytul-Maqdis. For this reason, it became common custom
among Jews that they would take their dead from far away places to
Baytul-Maqdis for a burial there. The age of Sayyidna Ya'qub &del was
one hundred and forty seven years when he died.
When Sayyidna Ya'qub &H entered Egypt with his family, says
Sayyidna 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud 4%, they were a total of ninety three
men and women - and when this progeny of Sayyidna Ya'qub Sell, that
is, the Bani Isra'il, left Egypt with Sayyidna Musa &gel, their number
was six hundred and seventy thousand. (Qurtubi & Ibn Kathir)
1. As pointed out earlier, this is based on Israelite narrations. Ibn Khaldun, the well-known
Muslim historian, has criticized this narration in his Muqaddimah and has urged that the
number of Bani Isra'il was not that big - (Muhammad Taqi Usmani)

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It has been mentioned earlier that, after the death of the former
'Aziz of Misr, the king of Egypt had arranged the marriage of Zulaikha
with Sayyidna Yusuf Seal.
It appears in the Torah and in the historical accounts of the People of
the Book that they had two sons, Ifra'im and Mansha, and a girl, Rahma
bint Yusuf. Rahma was married to Sayyidna Ayyub &&all. Of the progeny
of Ifra'im, there was Yusha' ibn Nun >JI ale who was a companion of
Sayyidna Musa Seal (Mazhari)
Sayyidna Yusuf &Cell died at the age of one hundred and twenty
years and he was buried by the bank of the river Nile.
Based on a narration by Sayyidna 'Urwah ibn Zubayr Js dil ,, Ibn
Ishaq has reported: When Sayyidna Musa Seal was commanded to leave
Egypt with the Bani Isra'il, it was revealed to him that he should not
leave the body of Sayyidna Yusuf &del in Egypt and he was ordered to
take it with him to Syria and bury him close to his ancestors. In obedi-
ence to this order, Sayyidna Musa Sed made investigations and suc-
ceeded in locating his burial place. He found his body in a marble coffin
which he took with him to Can'aan in Palestine. There he buried him
beside Sayyidna Ishaq and Sayyidna Ya'qub &Kal. (Mazhari)
After Sayyidna Yusuf Mel, the Amalkites took over Egypt as the
new Pharaohs. As for the Bani Isra'il, they lived under them but kept ad-
hering to the Faith of Sayyidna Yusuf &Cel. However, they were taken as
foreigners and subjected to all sorts of painful discriminations. Finally,
Allah Ta'ala delivered them from this punishment through Sayyidna
Mūsa Šta. (Tafsir Mazharī)
Rules and Points of Guidance
1. From the previous verses (99-100), we learn that paying due respect
to parents is obligatory (wajib) - as it stands proved from what Sayyidna
Yusuf Kell did.
2. We also learn from here that a prostration of reverence was per-
missible in the religious code of Sayyidna Yusuf Seel which is why his
parents and brothers prostrated to him. But, in the Shari'ah of the Holy
Prophet , this Sajdah or Sujud has been declared as a particular mark
of 'Ibadah (worship) and it cannot be done before anyone other than Al-