Surah 12. Yusuf

He replied, 'I complain of my anguish and sorrow only to Allah, and I know from Allah what you do not know.

  - Mustafa Khattab

He said: "I only complain of my distraction and anguish to Allah and I know from Allah that which ye know not... ^{1760 1761}

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Jacob's plaint to Allah is about himself, not about Allah's doings. He bewails the distraction of his mind and his occasional breaking out of those bounds of patience which he had set for himself.

He knew of Allah's merciful and beneficent dealings with man in a way his shallow sons did not. And his perfect faith in Allah also told him that all would be well. He never gave up hope for Joseph, as his directions in the next verse show. They may be supposed to have been spoken after a little silence of grief and thought. That silence I have indicated in punctuation by three dots.

O my sons! Go and search 'diligently' for Joseph and his brother. And do not lose hope in the mercy of Allah, for no one loses hope in Allah's mercy except those with no faith.'

  - Mustafa Khattab

"O my sons! go ye and enquire about Joseph and his brother and never give up hope of Allah's Soothing Mercy: truly no one despairs of Allah's Soothing Mercy except those who have no faith." ^{1762 1763}

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The word is rauh, not ruh as some translators have mistakenly construed it. Rauh includes the idea of a Mercy that stills or calms our distracted state, and is particularly appropriate here in the mouth of Jacob.

Jacob ignores and forgives the sting and malice in the speech of his sons, and like a true Prophet of Allah, still wishes them well, gives them sound advice, and sends them on an errand which is to open their eyes to the wonderful ways of Providence as much as it will bring consolation to his own distressed soul. He asks them to go again in search of Joseph and Benjamin. Perhaps by now he had an idea that they might be together in Egypt. In any case their stock of grain is again low, and they must seek its replenishment in Egypt.

When they entered Joseph's presence, they pleaded, 'O Chief Minister! We and our family have been touched with hardship, and we have brought only a few worthless coins, but 'please' give us our supplies in full and be charitable to us. Indeed, Allah rewards the charitable.'

  - Mustafa Khattab

Then when they came (back) into (Joseph's) presence they said: "O exalted one! distress has seized us and our family; we have (now) brought but scanty capital: So pay us full measure (we pray thee) and treat it as charity to us: for Allah doth reward the charitable." ¹⁷⁶⁴

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The nine brothers come back to Egypt according to their father's direction. Their first care is to see the Wazir. They must tell him of all their father's distress and excite his pity, if perchance he might release Benjamin. They would describe the father's special mental distress as well as the distress which was the common lot of all in famine time. They had spent a great part of their capital and stock-in-trade. They would appeal to his charity. It might please so great a man, the absolute governor of a wealthy state. And they did so. Perhaps they mentioned their father's touching faith, and that brought Joseph out of his shell, as in the next verse.

He asked, 'Do you remember what you did to Joseph and his brother in your ignorance?'

  - Mustafa Khattab

He said: "Know ye how ye dealt with Joseph and his brother not knowing (what ye were doing)?" ¹⁷⁶⁵

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Joseph now wants to reveal himself and touch their conscience. He had but to remind them of the true facts as to their treatment of their brother Joseph, whom they pretended to have lost. He had by now also learnt from Benjamin what slights and injustice he too had suffered at their hands after Joseph's protection had been removed from him in their home. Had not Jospeh himself seen them but too prone to believe the worst of Benjamin and to say the worst of Joseph? But Joseph would be charitable,-not only in the sense which they meant when they asked for a charitable grant of grain, but in a far higher sense. He would forgive them and put the most charitable construction on what they did,-that they knew not what they were doing!

They replied 'in shock', 'Are you really Joseph?' He said, 'I am Joseph, and here is my brother 'Benjamin'! Allah has truly been gracious to us. Surely whoever is mindful 'of Allah' and patient, then certainly Allah never discounts the reward of the good-doers.'

  - Mustafa Khattab

They said: "Art thou indeed Joseph?" He said: "I am Joseph and this is my brother: Allah has indeed been gracious to us (all): behold he that is righteous and patient never will Allah suffer the reward to be lost of those who do right." ¹⁷⁶⁶

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Their father's words, the way events were shaping themselves. Joseph's questionings, perhaps Benjamin's manner now, not a slave kept in subjection but one in perfect love and understanding with this great Wazir,-perhaps also a recollection of Joseph's boyish dream,-all these things had prepared their minds and they ask the direct question, "Art thou Joseph?" They get the direct reply, "Yes, I am Joseph; and if you have still any doubt of my identity, here is Benjamin: ask him. We have suffered much, but patience and right conduct are at last rewarded by Allah!"

They admitted, 'By Allah! Allah has truly preferred you over us, and we have surely been sinful.'

  - Mustafa Khattab

They said: "By Allah! indeed has Allah preferred thee above us and we certainly have been guilty of sin!" ¹⁷⁶⁷

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The scales fall from the eyes of the brothers. We may suppose that they had joined Judah at this interview, and perhaps what Judah had seen when he was alone helped in the process of their enlightenment, They are convicted of sin out of their own mouths, and now there is no arrier pensee, no reserve thought, in their minds. They freely confess their wrong-doing, and the justice of Joseph's preferment.

Joseph said, 'There is no blame on you today. May Allah forgive you! He is the Most Merciful of the merciful!

  - Mustafa Khattab

He said: "This day let no reproach be (cast) on you: Allah will forgive you and He is the Most Merciful of those who show mercy? ¹⁷⁶⁸

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Joseph is most generous. He is glad that they have at last seen the significance of what happened. But he will not allow them at this great moment of reconciliation to dwell on their conduct with reproaches against themselves. There is more urgent work to do. An aged and beloved father is eating out his heart in far Canaan in love and longing for his Joseph, and he must be told all immediately, and "comforted in body, mind, and estate," and so he tells the brothers to hurry back immediately with his shirt as a sign of recognition, as a proof of these wonderful happenings.

Go with this shirt of mine and cast it over my father's face, and he will regain his sight. Then come back to me with your whole family.'

  - Mustafa Khattab

"Go with this my shirt and cast it over the face of my father: he will come to see (clearly). Then come ye (here) to me together with all your family." ¹⁷⁶⁹

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

It will be remembered that they had covered their crime by taking his shirt, putting on the stains of blood, and pretending that he had been killed by a wolf: see above, xii. 17-18. Now that they have confessed their crime and been forgiven, and they have joyful news to tell Jacob about Joseph. Joseph gives them another shirt of his to prove the truth of their story. It is rich shirt, befitting a ruler of Egypt, to prove his good fortune, and yet perhaps in design and many colours (xii. 18, n. 1651) were reminiscent of the lost Joseph. The first shirt plunged Jacob into grief. This one will now restore him. See the verses following.

When the caravan departed 'from Egypt', their father said 'to those around him', 'You may think I am senile, but I certainly sense the smell of Joseph.'

  - Mustafa Khattab

When the caravan left (Egypt) their father said: "I do indeed scent the presence of Joseph: nay think me not a dotard." ¹⁷⁷⁰

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Literally, I feel the scent, or the air, or the atmosphere or the breath of Joseph; for rih has all these significations. Or we might translate, 'I feel the presence of Joseph in the air'. When a long-lost friend is about to be found or heard of, many people have a sort of presentiment of it, which they call telepathy. In Jacob's case it was more definite. He had always had faith that Joseph was living and that his dream would he realised. Now that faith was proved true by his own sons; they had been undutiful, and hard, and ignorant; and circumstances had converged to prove it to them by ocular demonstration. Jacob's soul was more sensitive. No wonder he knew already before the news was actually brought to him.

They replied, 'By Allah! You are definitely still in your old delusion.'

  - Mustafa Khattab

They said: "By Allah! truly thou art in thine old wandering mind." ¹⁷⁷¹

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

"They" must be the people around him, before the brothers actually arrived. These same brothers had sedulously cultivated the calumny that their father was an old dotard, and everybody around believed it, even after its authors had to give it up. Thus lies die hard, once they get a start.

But when the bearer of the good news arrived, he cast the shirt over Jacob's face, so he regained his sight. Jacob then said 'to his children', 'Did I not tell you that I truly know from Allah what you do not know?'

  - Mustafa Khattab

Then when the bearer of the good news came he cast (the shirt) over his face and he forthwith regained clear sight. He said: "Did I not say to you `Know from Allah that which ye know not?' " ^{1772 1773 1774 1775}

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

We may suppose this to have been Judah (see notes 1752 and 1753 above) who was pledged to his father for Benjamin, and who could now announce the good news not only of Benjamin but of Joseph. We can imagine him hurrying forward, to be the first to tell the news, though the plural pronoun for those whom Jacob addresses in this verse, and for those who reply in the next verse, shows that all the brothers practically arrived together.

The particle fa ("then") has here the force of "forthwith".

Jacob's sight had grown dim; his eyes had become white with much sorrow for Joseph (see xii. 84 above). Both his physical and mental vision now became clear and bright as before.

He had said this (xii. 86) when everything was against him, and his sons were scoffers. Now they themselves have come to say that his faith was justified and his vision was true.

They begged, 'O our father! Pray for the forgiveness of our sins. We have certainly been sinful.'

  - Mustafa Khattab

They said: "O our father! ask for us forgiveness for our sins for we were truly at fault."

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

He said, 'I will pray to my Lord for your forgiveness.¹ He 'alone' is indeed the All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.'

  - Mustafa Khattab

 Jacob (ﷺ) delayed the prayer for his children to be forgiven until pre-dawn, which is a blessed time for supplication.

He said: "Soon will I ask my Lord for forgiveness for you: for He is indeed Oft-Forgiving Merciful." ¹⁷⁷⁶

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

He fully intended to do this, but the most injured party was Joseph, and it was only fair that Joseph should be consulted. In fact Joseph had already forgiven his brothers all their past, and his father could confidently look forward to Joseph joining in the wish of the whole family to turn to Allah through their aged father Jacob in his prophetic office.

When they entered Joseph's presence, he received his parents 'graciously' and said, 'Enter Egypt, Allah willing, in security.'

  - Mustafa Khattab

Then when they entered the presence of Joseph he provided a home for his parents with himself and said: "Enter ye Egypt (all) in safety if it please Allah." ^{1777 1778}

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

At length the whole family arrived in Egypt and were re-united with Joseph. They were all entertained and provided with homes. But the parents were treated with special honour, as was becoming both to Joseph's character and ordinary family ethics. His mother Rachel had long been dead, but he had been brought up by his mother's sister Leah, whom his father had also married. Leah was now his mother. They were lodged with Joseph himself.

This is in Arabic in the plural, not in the dual number. The welcome is for all to Egypt, and under the auspices of the Wazir or Egypt. They came, therefore, under Allah's will, to a double sense of security: Egypt was secure from the famine unlike the neighbouring countries; and they were to be cared for by the highest in the land.

Then he raised his parents to the throne, and they all fell down in prostration to Joseph,¹ who then said, 'O my dear father! This is the interpretation of my old dream. My Lord has made it come true. He was truly kind to me when He freed me from prison, and brought you all from the desert after Satan had ignited rivalry between me and my siblings.² Indeed my Lord is subtle in fulfilling what He wills. Surely He 'alone' is the All-Knowing, All-Wise.'

  - Mustafa Khattab

 Joseph’s parents and his eleven brothers prostrated before him out of respect, not as an act of worship. This was permissible in their tradition, but in Islam, Muslims prostrate only to Allah.

 Joseph (ﷺ) did not mention how Allah saved him from the well because he did not want to embarrass his brothers after forgiving them.

And he raised his parents high on the throne (of dignity) and they fell down in prostration (all) before him. He said: "O my father! this is the fulfillment of my vision of old! Allah hath made it come true! He was indeed good to me when He took me out of prison and brought you (all here) out of the desert (even) after Satan had sown enmity between me and my brothers. Verily my Lord understandeth best the mysteries of all that He planneth to do: for verily He is full of knowledge and wisdom. ^{1779 1780}

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Certainly metaphorically: probably also literally. By Eastern custom the place of honour at a ceremonial reception is on a seat on a dais, with a special cushion of honour, such as is assigned to a bridegroom at his reception. To show his high respect for his parents, Joseph made them sit on a throne of dignity. On the other hand, his parents and his brothers,-all performed the ceremony of prostration before Joseph in recognition of his supreme rank in Egypt under the Pharaoh. And thus was fulfilled the dream or vision of his youth (xii. 4 above and n. 1633). A) The ceremony of prostration for paying respect might have been allowed at the time of previous prophets, but with the advent of the complete and final revelation prostration before anyone other than Allah is a grave sin strictly prohibited.

Note how modest Joseph is throughout. The first things he thinks of among Allah's gracious favours to him are: (1) that he was brought out of prison and publicly proclaimed to be honest and virtuous; and (2) that his dear father was restored to him, as well as the brothers who had persecuted him all his life. He will say nothing against them personally. In his husn-i-zann (habit of interpreting everyone and everything in the most favourable and charitable light), he looks upon them as having been misled. It was Satan that set them against him. But now all is rectified by the grace of Allah, to Whom he renders due praise. Latif: see n. 2844 to xxii. 63; the fourth meaning mentioned there applies here, with echoes of the other meanings.

'My Lord! You have surely granted me authority and taught me the interpretation of dreams. 'O' Originator of the heavens and the earth! You are my Guardian in this world and the Hereafter. Allow me to die as one who submits¹ and join me with the righteous.'

  - Mustafa Khattab

 lit., as a Muslim.

"O my Lord! Thou hast indeed bestowed on me some power and taught me something of the interpretation of dreams and events O Thou Creator of the heavens and the earth! Thou art my Protector in this world and in the Hereafter take thou my soul (at death) as one submitting to Thy Will (as a Muslim) and unite me with the righteous." ^{1781 1782 1783}

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Then he turns to Allah in prayer, and again his modesty is predominant. He held supreme power under the king, but he calls it "some power" or authority. His reading of events and dreams had saved millions of lives in the great Egyptian famine; yet he refers to it as "something of the interpretation of dreams and events". And he takes no credit to himself, "All this," he says, "was Thy gift, O Allah! For such things can only come from the Creator of the heavens and earth."

Power in the doing of things as well as power in intelligent forecasts and plans,-both must look to Allah: otherwise the deed and the plan would be futile.

Joseph's prayer may be analysed thus: (1) I am nothing; all power and knowledge are Thine; (2) such things can only come from Thee, for Thou art the Creator of all; (3) none can protect me from danger and wrong, but only Thou; (4) Thy protection I need both in this world and the next; (5) may I till death remain constant to Thee-, (6) may I yield up my soul to Thee in cheerful submission to Thy will; (7) in this moment of union with my family after many partings let me think of the final union with the great family of the righteous. How marvellously apt to the occasion!

That is from the stories of the unseen which We reveal to you 'O Prophet'. You were not present when they 'all'¹ made up their minds, and when they plotted 'against Joseph'.

  - Mustafa Khattab

 This includes Joseph’s brothers, the travellers who picked him up from the well and sold him into slavery, and the Chief Minister’s wife and other women in the city.

Such is one of the stories of what happened unseen which We reveal by inspiration unto thee: nor wast thou (present) with them when they concerted their plans together in the process of weaving their plots. ^{1784 1785}

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The story is finished. But is it a story? It is rather a recital of forces and motives, thoughts and feelings, complications and results, ordinarily not seen by men. However much they concert their plans and unite their forces, whatever dark plots they back with all their resources,-the plan of Allah works irresistibly, and sweeps away all their machinations. The good win through in the end, but not always as they planned: the evil are foiled, and often their very plots help the good. What did the brothers desire in trying to get rid of Joseph, and what actually happened? How the Courtier's wife, encouraged by the corrupt women of her acquaintance, tried and failed to seduce Joseph and how Allah listened to his prayer and saved him from her vile designs? How wrong was it of the cup-bearer to forget Joseph, and yet how his very forgetfulness kept Joseph safe and undisturbed in prison until the day came when he should tackle the great problems of Pharaoh's kingdom? With every character in the story there are problems, and the whole is a beautifully balanced picture of the working of Allah's providence in man's chequered destiny.

The holy Prophet was no actor in those scenes; yet by inspiration he was able to expound them in the divine light, as they had never been expounded before, whether in the Pentateuch or by any Seer before him. And allegorically they figured his own story,-how his own brethren sought to betray and kill him how by Allah's providence he was not only saved but he won through.

And most people will not believe- no matter how keen you are-

  - Mustafa Khattab

Yet no faith will the greater part of mankind have however ardently thou dost desire it. ¹⁷⁸⁶

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

In spite of such an exposition and such a convincing illustration, how few men really have true faith,- such a faith as Jacob had in the old story, or Muhammad the Chosen One had, in the story which was actually unfolding itself on the world's stage when his Sara was revealed, shortly before the Hijrat? Al-Mustafa's ardent wish and faith was to save his people and all mankind from the graceless condition of want of faith. But his efforts were flouted, and he had to leave his home and suffer all kinds of persecution, but like Joseph, and more than Joseph, he was marked out for great work, which he finally achieved.

even though you are not asking them for a reward for this 'Quran'. It is only a reminder to the whole world.

  - Mustafa Khattab

And no reward dost thou ask of them for this: it is no less than a Message for all creatures. ¹⁷⁸⁷

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The divine Message was priceless; it was not for the Messenger's personal profit, nor did he ask of men any reward for bringing it for their benefit. It was for all creatures,-literally, for all the worlds, as explained in i. 2, n. 20.

How many signs in the heavens and the earth do they pass by with indifference!

  - Mustafa Khattab

And how many Signs in the heavens and the earth do they pass by? Yet they turn (their faces) away from them! ¹⁷⁸⁸

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Not only can we learn through Scripture of the working of Allah's providence in human history and the history of individual souls. His Signs are scattered literally throughout nature-throughout Creation-for all who have eyes to see. And yet man is so arrogant that he turns away his very eyes from them!