Surah Yusuf 12:80-93 - Quran Translation Commentary

(12:80) When they were despaired of moving him, they held a conference in private. The senior-most of them said,¹¹⁹ ‘Do you not know that your father took a firm pledge from you by Allah? And (remember) how you failed in (your duty to) Yusuf? So, I shall not leave the land until my father permits me, or Allah judges for me. And surely, He is the best of judges.

(12:81) Return to your father and say, “O our father! Indeed, your son committed theft. And we bear witness to naught but what we know; and surely, we were not guardians of the Unseen.¹²⁰

(12:82) And inquire the town we were in,¹²¹ and the caravan we came with. Indeed we are truthful.”’

(12:83) He said, ‘Rather, your own minds have concocted (this) story.¹²² Therefore, (my recourse is to) graceful patience. It is possible that Allah will bring them all back to me.¹²³ Verily, He is the Knowing, the Wise.’

(12:84) Then turning away from them he said, ‘O (my) grief for Yusuf!’¹²⁴ His eyes turned white from grief,¹²⁵ but he was very suppressing (of sorrow).¹²⁶

(12:85) They remarked, ‘By Allah you will never cease remembering Yusuf till you are fatally ill,¹²⁷ or are of the perished.’

(12:86) He replied, ‘I complain my anguish and grief unto Allah alone, and I know from Allah what you do not know.¹²⁸

(12:87) O my sons! Go and search¹²⁹ for Yusuf and his brother; and do not despair of Allah’s mercy.¹³⁰ Surely, none despairs of Allah’s mercy but an unbelieving people.’¹³¹

(12:88) So, when they entered upon him they pleaded, ‘O `Aziz! Affliction has visited us and our family. And we have come with scanty goods.¹³² (Despite that) give us full measure, and be charitable to us. Surely, Allah rewards the charitable.¹³³

(12:89) He asked, ‘Are you aware of what you did with Yusuf and his brother when you were ignorant?’¹³⁴

(12:90) They cried out, ‘Why, are you indeed Yusuf?’ He replied, ‘I am Yusuf and this is my brother.¹³⁵ Allah has indeed been gracious unto us. Surely, whoever fears (Him) and endures patiently, verily then, Allah does not let go waste the reward of those who do good.’

(12:91) They said, ‘By Allah! Allah has preferred you over us; and certainly, we have been sinners.’¹³⁶

(12:92) He said, ‘No reproach on you this day.¹³⁷ Allah will forgive you. He is the most merciful of those who show mercy.

(12:93) Go, with this shirt of mine, and cast it on my father’s face; he will become seeing.¹³⁸ And bring me your entire household.’

Commentary

119. It is said that although not the eldest, he was the best of them in character and the most knowledgeable and hence the most esteemed.

120. That is, when we gave the pledge to you to bring back Bin Yamin with us, we did not know that he would steal: an event of the Unseen.

121. The city alluded to was the capital of Egypt.

122. The allusion could be not merely to the news of Bin Yamin having committed theft, but to the whole story beginning with the sons claiming that they were denied any further supplies, if they would not bring Bin Yamin with them, until the explanation of why he and the other brother had not returned with the rest (Razi).

123. That is, all the three missing so far - and the best of the lot (Au.).

124. Of the three missing, Ya`qub specifically mentioned Yusuf perhaps because he was the only one about whom he did not know whether he was dead or alive (from Asad).

125. The blindness was perhaps because of a lot of crying in grief, and hence the words (Au). Zamakhshari writes that once Hasan b. ‘Ali cried over someone who had died. When asked to explain he said, “Ya`qub cried for his son without Allah censuring him.”

A little further down Imam Razi raises the doubt that it is normally said that a heart filled with the love of other than Allah cannot love Allah, the heart being a container that can contain either this or that, and then answers that love and grief over someone do not rule out love of Allah. In fact, one filled with grief can be very oft-turning to Allah.

After all, did our Prophet not cry when his son Ibrahim died? - saying,

تَدْمَعُ الْعَيْنُ وَيَحْزَنُ الْقَلْبُ وَلاَ نَقُولُ إِلاَّ مَا يَرْضَى رَبُّنَا وَاللَّهِ يَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ إِنَّا بِكَ لَمَحْزُونُونَ

“The eye sheds tears, the heart grieves, but we do not utter what will displease Allah. By Allah, we are, O Ibrahim, in grief (at your departure).”

What is prohibited is the beating of the faces, tearing of clothes and other such foolish acts (Qurtubi, Alusi and others).

126. Another possible meaning of “kazim”, as suggested by Ibn Qutaybah, is that he was filled with grief (Razi).

127. “Harad” of the text is a condition in which neither the mind nor the body function normally: a condition of severe agony when one is more dead than alive (Ibn Jarir).

128. The dream of the childhood not yet realized, Ya`qub knew that Yusuf has to come back (Au.).

129. The beauty of the textual word should not be missed: “tahassu” stands for a search involving the various senses of the body (Qurtubi and others).

130. The “rawh” of the text could mean both “mercy” as well as “relief” (Ibn Jarir from Suddi, Qat adah, Dahh ak and others). In the opinion of the linguist Asma`i, “rawh” is for that feeling which is realized when a cool current of air passes by one’s face.

131. That is because the unbelievers do not know that Allah (swt) has power over all things. Hence, to be in despair - someone who has lost hope - is considered a major sin in Islam. A step further, to be in despair out of belief that Allah is incapable of rescue, is disbelief (Alusi, Thanwi and others).

132. The textual “muzjat” is applicable both to what is “scanty” as well as to what is of “poor quality” - in either case bits and pieces of merchandise such as wool, rope, cheese, and things of the sort that are not highly valued (Ibn Jarir from the earliest commentators).

Zamakhshari writes that “muzjat” is that merchandise which a trader would refuse to accept because of its poor worth.

Razi adds: Linguistically, “izja’” is to push something little by little. They say, “The winds are moving the clouds.” Allah said (24: 43):

أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ يُزْجِي سَحَابًا

“Do you not see that Allah moves the clouds.”

Note use of the word “yuzji.”

The meaning here, as Zajjaj has said, is that, “We have brought something with which we can just manage to push our lives,” or, “goods that we can just manage to push in the market” (Au.).

133. The once arrogant brothers, their pride broken, now reduced to begging, are mentally better disposed to learn that the one they had cast into the pit without qualms, had been chosen by Allah and showered with great blessings. An earlier declaration of identity on the part of Yusuf could have led them to jealousy and envy rather than re-evaluation of the self (Au.).

134. The choice of words, Qurtubi points out, (“when you were ignorant”) indicates that the brothers had not only grown up in age but had also undergone reform.

135. So, Allah’s words came true (verse: 15):

وَأَوْحَيْنَا إِلَيْهِ لَتُنَبِّئَنَّهُمْ بِأَمْرِهِمْ هَذَا وَهُمْ لَا يَشْعُرُونَ [يوسف : 15]

“We revealed unto him that you will (one day) remind them of this their deed, while they would be unaware” - Razi.

Yusuf added, “and this is my brother” to remove any doubt about his identity: I am not any Yusuf, rather, Bin Yamin’s very brother (Thanwi).

136. Linguistically, “khatiyy” would mean erroneous. But, as Razi has pointed out, there is a difference between “mukhtiyy” and “khatiyy.” The former is for someone who commits an error unknowingly, while the latter for one who does it intentionally - an instance of Qur’anic accuracy. Hence our rendition, “sinners” - (Au.).

137. These are the words that our Prophet uttered when he had overcome the Makkans. After his victory (over those that had persecuted him and his followers for full 20 years: Au.) he asked his enemies:

" ماذا تظنون يا معشر قريش " قالوا: خيرا، أخ كريم، وابن أخ كريم وقد قدرت، قال: " وأنا أقول كما قال أخي يوسف " لا تثريب عليكم اليوم "

“What are you expecting, O Quraysh?” They said, “Good. A generous brother, and the son of a generous brother, and you have overpowered. He replied, “Let me tell you now what my brother Yusuf said, ‘No reproach upon you this day.’” (Kashshaf, Razi, Qurtubi).

138. Yusuf could only have known the predicted effect of his shirt on his father’s face by Allah’s revelation (Razi, Qurtubi).