12. Yusuf

Now the brothers of Yusuf (علیہ السلام) had no choice left with them but to confess the wrongs they had done and admit the grace and excellence of Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) . So, in one voice, they all said: تَاللَّـهِ لَقَدْ آثَرَ‌كَ اللَّـهُ عَلَيْنَا وَإِن كُنَّا لَخَاطِئِينَ : ` By God, Allah has given to you preference over us [ which you deserved ], 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' (علیہ السلام) said what a prophet of his stature would say:

لَا تَثْرِ‌يبَ عَلَيْكُمُ (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. Then, he prayed for them before Allah Ta’ ala: يَغْفِرُ‌ اللَّـهُ لَكُمْ ۖ وَهُوَ أَرْ‌حَمُ الرَّ‌احِمِينَ (May Allah forgive you, and He is the most merciful of all the merciful).

After that, he said: اذْهَبُوا بِقَمِيصِي هَـٰذَا فَأَلْقُوهُ عَلَىٰ وَجْهِ أَبِي يَأْتِ بَصِيرً‌ا وَأْتُونِي بِأَهْلِكُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ : ` 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: تَصَدَّقْ عَلَيْنَا (` tasaddaq ` alaina': be charitable to us) in verse 88 raises a question as to how would Sadaqah and Khairat (charity) become Halal (lawful) for the brothers of Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) who are the progeny of prophets? Secondly, even if Sadaqah could be taken as Halal, how would the act of asking for it become Halal? Even if the brothers of Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) 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 the transaction has been given the name of Sadaqah and Khairat - because, 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 spirit of remission given in such hard circumstances. Moreover, it is also possible that the unlawfulness of Sadaqah and Khairat (charity) for the progeny of prophets may be exclusive to the Ummah of the Holy Prophet ﷺ - as held by Mujahid from among Tafsir authorities. (Bayan a1-Qur'an)

2. The last sentence of verse 88: إِنَّ اللَّـهَ يَجْزِي الْمُتَصَدِّقِينَ (Surely, Allah rewards the charitable) tells us that Allah Ta` ala gives good return to those who spend in Sadaqah and Khairat (charity). But, there are details 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 (علیہ السلام) did not know at that time whether or not he was a believer - 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 …

Commentary

The previous verses about the story of Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) 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 admonish them for what they had done to him in the past. In fact, he prayed to Allah Ta` la for them. Meeting his father was now his next concern. 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 concern. So, he said to his brothers: اذْهَبُوا بِقَمِيصِي هَـٰذَا فَأَلْقُوهُ عَلَىٰ وَجْهِ أَبِي يَأْتِ بَصِيرً‌ا (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 eyesight to return. In fact, this was a miracle of Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) 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. Instead, it was brought from Paradise for Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) at the time when he was thrown into the fire naked by Nimrud. Then, this apparel of Paradise remained preserved with Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) . After his death, it passed on to Sayyidna Ishaq (علیہ السلام) . After his death, it came to Sayyidna Ya` qub (علیہ السلام) In view of its status as a sacred legacy, he put it inside a tube, sealed it and made Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) 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 (علیہ السلام) removed the shirt of Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) to deceive their father and he was thrown into the well without 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 (علیہ السلام) wear it. Since that time, it remained preserved with him. When needed again, it was Jibra'il al-Amin again who advised Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) that this shirt was an apparel of Paradise. It had a unique property. 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 (رح) is that the beauty, rather the very existence of Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) ، 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: وَأْتُونِي بِأَهْلِكُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ that is, ` all of you, my brothers, bring your entire family to me.' Though, the real purpose 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 …

In verse 95, it was said: قَالُوا تَاللَّـهِ إِنَّكَ لَفِي ضَلَالِكَ الْقَدِيمِ (They said, 'By God, you are still in your old fallacy!' ). It means that those around Sayyidna Ya` qub (علیہ السلام) 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 أَن جَاءَ الْبَشِير that is, ` when this man with the good news reached Canaan' and put the shirt of Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) 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 (علیہ السلام) who had brought his shirt from Egypt.

The last sentence of the verse is: قَالَ أَلَمْ أَقُل لَّكُمْ إِنِّي أَعْلَمُ مِنَ اللَّـهِ مَا لَا تَعْلَمُونَ (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 يَا أَبَانَا اسْتَغْفِرْ‌ لَنَا ذُنُوبَنَا إِنَّا كُنَّا خَاطِئِينَ : '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.

The reply given by Sayyidna Ya` qub (علیہ السلام) was: قَالَ سَوْفَ أَسْتَغْفِرُ‌ لَكُمْ رَ‌بِّي shall pray to my Lord to forgive you ... - 98).

Here, Sayyidna Ya` qub (علیہ السلام) has, instead of praying for them instantly, 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, towards 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 Sahib 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 answer? Is there someone who would seek forgiveness from Me, and I would forgive?

About what has been said in the next verse: فَلَمَّا دَخَلُوا عَلَيْهِ (Later, when they came to Yusuf ... - 88), it appears in some narrations that Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) 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 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 (علیہ السلام) 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 (علیہ السلام) and the people of Egypt came out of the city to receive them. With them came four thousand soldiers to present a guard of honour. When these guests reached Egypt and entered the home of Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) he lodged his parents with him.

Here, the text refers to ` parents.' - though, the mother of Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) had died during his childhood, but after her death, Sayyidna Ya` qub (علیہ السلام) had married Layya, the sister of his late wife. She was, in her capacity as the maternal aunt of Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) ، 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.

. This interpretation is according to the riwayah where it has been said that the mother of Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) 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 (علیہا السلام) has been given as Rabil. 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` ni has himself said that the Jewish chroniclers do not subscribe to the view that the mother of Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہا السلام) 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: وَرَ‌فَعَ أَبَوَيْهِ (And he raised his parents up on the throne - 100), the reference would be to the real mother of Sayyidna Yusuf ill . Ibn Jarir and Ibn Kathir have opted for this as the weightier view. So, commenting on this, Ibn Kathir has said: قال ابن جریر ولم یقم دلیل علی موت امہ (ای ام یوسف علیہ السلام) وظایر القرآن یدل علی حیا تھا - Muhammad Taqi Usmani.

At the end of verse 99, the statement: وَقَالَ ادْخُلُوا مِصْرَ‌ إِن شَاءَ اللَّـهُ آمِنِينَ (he said, 'Enter Egypt, God willing, in peace' ) means that Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) 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 أَبَوَيْهِ عَلَى الْعَرْ‌شِ (And he raised his parents up on the throne), that is, Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) had his parents sit with him on the royal throne.

After that it was said: وَخَرُّ‌وا لَهُ سُجَّدًا (and they all fell before him in prostration), that is, the parents, and all brothers did sajdah before Sayyidna Yusuf I. Sayyidna ` Abdullah ibn ` Abbas ؓ has said that this prostration of gratitude was for Allah Ta` ala, and not for Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) . Others have said that a Sajdah or Sujud (prostration) as part of ` Ibadah (worship) when done for anyone other than Allah has always been forbidden in the Shari'ah of every prophet. But, the Sajdah of Ta` zim (veneration) was permissible in the religious codes of past prophets - 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 seen in his childhood, and he said: وَقَالَ يَا أَبَتِ هَـٰذَا تَأْوِيلُ رُ‌ؤْيَايَ مِن قَبْلُ قَدْ جَعَلَهَا رَ‌بِّي حَقًّا : ` 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 (علیہ السلام) 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 (علیہ السلام) 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 (رح) when Yahuda brought in the shirt of Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) 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 Yaqub (علیہ السلام) said: I am not asking if he is a 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 spiritual life than they are with the state of their physical comfort. This is the model every Muslim should follow.

3. According to Hadrat Hasan (رح) ، when the carrier of the good news arrived with the shirt of his separated son, Sayyidna Ya` qub (علیہ السلام) wished to give him something in …