• Brothers of Joseph return to report to Jacob saying that Benjamin committed a theft. and hence detained by the King

• Jacob loses his sight in his sorrow for his son Joseph

• and orders search for Joseph

• Joseph discloses his identity to his Brothers

Yusuf (Joseph) Verses 80 - 93

فَلَمَّا اسْتَيْأَسُوا مِنْهُ خَلَصُوا نَجِيًّا قَالَ كَبِيرُهُمْ أَلَمْ تَعْلَمُوا أَنَّ أَبَاكُمْ قَدْ أَخَذَ عَلَيْكُمْ مَوْثِقًا مِنَ اللَّهِ وَمِنْ قَبْلُ مَا فَرَّطْتُمْ فِي يُوسُفَ فَلَنْ أَبْرَحَ الْأَرْضَ حَتَّىٰ يَأْذَنَ لِي أَبِي أَوْ يَحْكُمَ اللَّهُ لِي وَهُوَ خَيْرُ الْحَاكِمِينَ

And when they despaired of (moving) him, they retired whispering (to each other); Said the eldest of them: “Know ye not how your father took from you a (firm) covenant in God’s name, (and) how failed ye about Joseph aforetime? So never will I leave this land until my father permitteth me or decideth God for me; And He is the Best of judges.” (12:80)

ارْجِعُوا إِلَىٰ أَبِيكُمْ فَقُولُوا يَا أَبَانَا إِنَّ ابْنَكَ سَرَقَ وَمَا شَهِدْنَا إِلَّا بِمَا عَلِمْنَا وَمَا كُنَّا لِلْغَيْبِ حَافِظِينَ

“Return ye unto your father1and say ye: “O’ our father! Verily thy son committed theft; we bear not witness but to what we have known and we could not guard against the unseen.” (12:81)

وَاسْأَلِ الْقَرْيَةَ الَّتِي كُنَّا فِيهَا وَالْعِيرَ الَّتِي أَقْبَلْنَا فِيهَا وَإِنَّا لَصَادِقُونَ

“And inquire thou2in the township in which we were and the caravan which we proceeded with; And verily we are truthful.” (12:82)

قَالَ بَلْ سَوَّلَتْ لَكُمْ أَنْفُسُكُمْ أَمْرًا فَصَبْرٌ جَمِيلٌ عَسَى اللَّهُ أَنْ يَأْتِيَنِي بِهِمْ جَمِيعًا إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْعَلِيمُ الْحَكِيمُ

Said he3“Nay, your self have contrived the story (suitable) for you; so (my course) is comely patience; maybe God bringeth them unto me all together; Verily He is the All-Knowing, The All-Wise.” (12:83)

وَتَوَلَّىٰ عَنْهُمْ وَقَالَ يَا أَسَفَىٰ عَلَىٰ يُوسُفَ وَابْيَضَّتْ عَيْنَاهُ مِنَ الْحُزْنِ فَهُوَ كَظِيمٌ

And he turned away from them, and said: “Alas! my grief for Joseph!” and his eyes were whitened4with the grief, and he was a represser5(of grief). (12:84)

قَالُوا تَاللَّهِ تَفْتَأُ تَذْكُرُ يُوسُفَ حَتَّىٰ تَكُونَ حَرَضًا أَوْ تَكُونَ مِنَ الْهَالِكِينَ

Said they: “By God! Thou wilt not cease to remember Joseph until thou art (seriously) ill or (until) thou art of the perished ones (dead).” (12:85)

قَالَ إِنَّمَا أَشْكُو بَثِّي وَحُزْنِي إِلَى اللَّهِ وَأَعْلَمُ مِنَ اللَّهِ مَا لَا تَعْلَمُونَ

He said: “I only complain of my distress and grief unto God, and I know from God what ye know not.” (12:86)

يَا بَنِيَّ اذْهَبُوا فَتَحَسَّسُوا مِنْ يُوسُفَ وَأَخِيهِ وَلَا تَيْأَسُوا مِنْ رَوْحِ اللَّهِ إِنَّهُ لَا يَيْأَسُ مِنْ رَوْحِ اللَّهِ إِلَّا الْقَوْمُ الْكَافِرُونَ

“O’ my sons! go ye and inquire about Joseph and his 6Brother, and despair not of God’s mercy; Verily despaireth7not of God’s mercy but the disbelieving people.” (12:87)

فَلَمَّا دَخَلُوا عَلَيْهِ قَالُوا يَا أَيُّهَا الْعَزِيزُ مَسَّنَا وَأَهْلَنَا الضُّرُّ وَجِئْنَا بِبِضَاعَةٍ مُزْجَاةٍ فَأَوْفِ لَنَا الْكَيْلَ وَتَصَدَّقْ عَلَيْنَا إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَجْزِي الْمُتَصَدِّقِينَ

So when they8came in unto him9said they: “O’ Aziz! distress hath touched us and our family; and we have (now) come (but) with scanty capital: so give us full measure and bestow thou charity on us; Verily God rewardeth the charitable ones.” (12:88)

قَالَ هَلْ عَلِمْتُمْ مَا فَعَلْتُمْ بِيُوسُفَ وَأَخِيهِ إِذْ أَنْتُمْ جَاهِلُونَ

Said he10: “Know ye what ye did unto Joseph and his brother when ye were ignorant (of the consequences).” (12:89)

قَالُوا أَإِنَّكَ لَأَنْتَ يُوسُفُ قَالَ أَنَا يُوسُفُ وَهَٰذَا أَخِي قَدْ مَنَّ اللَّهُ عَلَيْنَا إِنَّهُ مَنْ يَتَّقِ وَيَصْبِرْ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُضِيعُ أَجْرَ الْمُحْسِنِينَ

They said: “Art thou indeed Joseph?” Said he: “I am Joseph and this is my 11Brother; Indeed God hath been gracious unto us; Verily he who practiceth piety and is patient (is always rewarded) for verily God wasteth not the reward of the doers of good. (12:90)

قَالُوا تَاللَّهِ لَقَدْ آثَرَكَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْنَا وَإِنْ كُنَّا لَخَاطِئِينَ

Said they: “By God! indeed hath God chosen thee over us, and we were certainly guilty.” (12:91)

قَالَ لَا تَثْرِيبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الْيَوْمَ يَغْفِرُ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ وَهُوَ أَرْحَمُ الرَّاحِمِينَ

He said: 12“(There shall be) no reproof against you (from) this day; God may forgive you, and He is the Most Merciful of the merciful (ones).” (12:92)

اذْهَبُوا بِقَمِيصِي هَٰذَا فَأَلْقُوهُ عَلَىٰ وَجْهِ أَبِي يَأْتِ بَصِيرًا وَأْتُونِي بِأَهْلِكُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ

“Take ye this my shirt and cast it on the face of my father, he shall become seeing (recover his sight); and come ye unto me with all your family.” (12:93)

Commentary

Verse 83

(a) In verse 12:18 Jacob was justified in accusing his sons of scheming for they had actually forged the story but the justification here is because they were responsible for the misinterpretation of the law13 when they declared that from whose bag the missing article comes out, he must be punished. The law was against the one who was proved to be a thief, and the theft was not proved and here they should have defied the accusation against the detention of their brother but they did not argue the case at all, on the contrary they had accepted the accusation on a wrong basis.14

(b) This shows how Jacob was certain about the actual position in both the cases. (A.P.).

Verse 92

The events of Joseph’s story fully agree with those of the Holy Prophet’s life and those of the Holy Ahl al-Bayt. When the Holy Prophet captured Mecca, he declared the same kind of amnesty in the same words to all the heathens of the town who had been the bloodthirsty enemies of his own and that of his faithful followers, the early converts to Islam.

Verses 93 - 96

There is sufficient evidence to the fact that Jacob knew that Joseph was alive and safe and one day they would meet him and yet the extent to which he felt the separation is given in this story. What would have been the feeling and grief of the Fourth Holy Imam Ali Ibn al-Husayn Zayn al ‘Abidin who had lost not one but eighteen Josephs of his family who were massacred before his eyes at Karbala whom he would never meet in this world. The Holy Imam wept for all the forty years he lived after the heart-rending tragedy of Karbala.

• 1. Jacob.
• 2. i.e., Jacob.
• 3. Jacob.
• 4. Lost his sight - could not see.
• 5. One who controls himself in sorrow and anger.
• 6. Ben-Yamin (Benjamin).
• 7. Despair against God’s mercy is counted as a major sin.
• 8. Brothers of Joseph.
• 9. Joseph.
• 10. Joseph.
• 11. Ben-Yamin (Benjamin).
• 12. This same declaration was that which the Holy Prophet Muhammad had issued on his capture of the Holy City Mecca, for all his enemies.
• 13. See verse 12:75.
• 14. See verse 12:77.