Verse:94 Commentary Verse 94 opens with the words: وَلَمَّا فَصَلَتِ الْعِيرُ‌ ` And when the caravan set out' (and had reached barely outside the limits of the city), then, Sayyidna Yaqub 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 ؓ there was a travel distance of eight days from the city of Egypt to Canaan, and according to Sayyidna Hasan (رح) 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 (علیہ السلام) ، the scent of his son Yusuf (علیہ السلام) through the shirt of his son Yusuf. And something of wonder it certainly is that this scent, when Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) 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 nearest of the near recedes into the farthest. Verse:95 Commentary 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.' Verse:96 Commentary 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. Verse:97 Commentary 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. Verse:98 Commentary 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? Verse:99 Commentary 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 Commentary 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 reward. But, life was hard, therefore, 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 relating to Sayyidna Ka'b ibn Malik ؓ from among the noble Sahabah is well known. He had not participated in the battle of Taber 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 (علیہ السلام) 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 obligatory 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 Sahib of Al-Bukhari that the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم 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 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 injustice 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 (علیہ السلام)

To pick up the thread of the story, we see that Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) 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 (علیہ السلام) and had he been enabled to meet his parents after such a long trial of separation and disappointment, just imagine 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 recounting 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 (علیہ السلام) ، when he meets his father after having gone through the long period of so many hardships, see what he says:

وَقَدْ أَحْسَنَ بِي إِذْ أَخْرَ‌جَنِي مِنَ السِّجْنِ وَجَاءَ بِكُم مِّنَ الْبَدْوِ مِن بَعْدِ أَن نَّزَغَ الشَّيْطَانُ بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَ إِخْوَتِي

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 (علیہ السلام) can be divided over three stages respectively: (1) The injustices of his brothers; (2) the separation from his parents; (3) the pain of the prison. What this great prophet 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 suffered 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 corollary of his release from the prison and his gratitude to Allah for it, he also told them that he has been in the prison for a certain time.

Worth noticing here is that Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) 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 reason is that he had already forgiven the mistake made by his brothers, and had said: لَا تَثْرِ‌يبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الْيَوْمَ (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. (Qurtubi)

After that, he was supposed to dwell on the long and trying separation 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 (علیہ السلام) 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 (علیہ السلام) has not been mentioned 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 occasion to be grateful to Allah under all conditions. Therefore, with prophets, 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 complained about this human mind-set when it says:إِنَّ الْإِنسَانَ لِرَ‌بِّهِ لَكَنُودٌ (that is, human beings are, to their Rabb, very ungrateful -100:6).

After having reduced the tale of his trials in three words, Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) said:إِنَّ رَ‌بِّي لَطِيفٌ لِّمَا يَشَاءُ ۚ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْعَلِيمُ الْحَكِيمُ (Surely, my Lord does what He wills, in a subtle way. Surely, He is the All-Knowing, the All-Wise - 12:100). Verse:101 Commentary Commentary

The address of Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) 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 directly to praising Allah Ta` ala and to supplicating before Him. at he said appears immediately above. The ` salihin' or ` the righteous' or morally 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 presents 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 علیہ السلام ، and the subsequent chain of instructions and lessons, as mentioned in the Qur'an, has reached its completion. at happened after that has not been re-ported in the Holy Qur' an, or in any Marts' 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 (رح) ، it has been reported in Tafsir Ibn Kathir that Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) 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 hundred and twenty years.

As in the narrations of the People of the Book, reports Muhammad ibn Ishaq, the period of separation between Sayyidna Yaqub and Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) was forty years. Then, Sayyidna Ya` qub after his arrival in Egypt, lived in the company of Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) for seventeen years. After that, he died.

As in the annals of historians, reports the author of Tafsir al-Qurtubi, Sayyidna Yaqub (علیہ السلام) died after having lived for twenty four years in Egypt. Before his death, he ordered Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) that his body should be sent to his home country and that he be buried by the side of his father, Sayyidna Ishaq (علیہ السلام) .

Sayyidna Said ibn Jubayr has said that the body of Sayyidna Ya` qub (علیہ السلام) 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 faraway places to Baytul-Maqdis for a burial there. The age of Sayyidna Ya` qub (علیہ السلام) was one hundred and forty seven years when he died.

When Sayyidna Ya` qub (علیہ السلام) entered Egypt with his family, says Sayyidna ` Abdullah ibn Masud ؓ ، they were a total of ninety three men and women - and when this progeny of Sayyidna Ya` qub (علیہ السلام) ، that is, the Bani Isra'il, left Egypt with Sayyidna Musa (علیہ السلام) their number was six hundred and seventy thousand1. (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 it was not that big - (Muhammad Taqi Usmani)

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 (علیہ السلام) .

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 (علیہ السلام) .Of the progeny of Ifra'im, there was Yusha' ibn Nun (علیہ السلام) who was a companion of Sayyidna Musa (علیہ السلام) . (Mazhari)

Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) 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 (رح) ، Ibn Ishaq has reported: When Sayyidna Musa (علیہ السلام) 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 (علیہ السلام) 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 (علیہ السلام) made investigations and succeeded in locating his burial place. He found his body in a marble coffin which he took with him to Canaan in Palestine. There he buried him beside Sayyidna Ishaq and Sayyidna Ya` qub (علیہما السلام) . (Mazhari)

After Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) ، the Amalkites took over Egypt as the new Pharaohs. As for the Ban' Isra'il, they lived under them but kept adhering to the Faith of Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) . 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 Musa علیہ السلام (Tafsir Mazhari)

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 (علیہ السلام) did.

2. We also learn from here that a prostration of reverence was permissible in the religious code of Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) which is why his parents and brothers prostrated to him. But, in the Shari' ah of the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم ، this Sajdah or Sujud has been declared as a particular mark of ` Ibadah (worship) and it cannot be done before anyone other than Allah. If done, it is حَرَام Haram. The Holy Qur' an has said: لَا تَسْجُدُوا لِلشَّمْسِ وَلَا لِلْقَمَرِ‌ (prostrate not to the Sun and the Moon ... - 41:37). And in Hadith, it is said that Sayyidna Mu` adh ؓ ، when he went to Syria, saw local Christians prostrating to their parents. After his return from there, he started making a prostration before the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم . He (صلى الله عليه وسلم) asked him not to do that. He said: If I were to take prostration before anyone as permissible, I would have told a wife to prostrate before her husband. Similarly, when Sayyidna Salman al-Farisi ؓ wished to prostrate to him, he said:

لَا تَسجُد لِی یَا سَلمانُ وَاسجُد لِلحَیِّ الَّذِی لَا یَمُوتُ

Do not prostrate to me, 0 Salman, instead, prostrate to the Ever Living who would never die. (Ibn Kathir)

This tells us that a prostration done as a token of respect for the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم is not permissible. With that being the truth, how can it become permissible if done before a saint, or an elder or pir?

3. From: هَـٰذَا تَأْوِيلُ رُ‌ؤْيَايَ مِن قَبْلُ (here is the fulfillment of my early dream - 100), we learn that the fulfillment of the interpretation of a dream could sometimes take a long time to materialize - as it was in the present case when it manifested itself after forty, or eighty, years. (Ibn Jarir Ibn Kathir)

4. The words:' وَقَدْ أَحْسَنَ بِي (He favoured me - 100) said by Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) prove that if a person after having been suffering from a disease or disaster, finds him or her delivered from it, then, following the traditional way of prophets, he or she must show gratitude to Allah for this deliverance, and forget about any remembrance of that disease or disaster.

5. From the statement: إِنَّ رَ‌بِّي لَطِيفٌ لِّمَا يَشَاءُ (Surely, my Lord does what He wills, in a subtle way - 100), we learn that, when Allah Ta` ala intends to do something, He has His subtle ways of arranging things and causes secretly in a manner that no one can get the slightest inkling about it.

6. The words of prayer: تَوَفَّنِي مُسْلِمًا (Make me die a Muslim - 101) refer to the prayer of Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) in which he has wished to die while adhering to his Belief and Faith ('Iman and Islam). This tells us that to make a dua' for death under particular conditions is not prohibited. And as for the prohibition of wishing for death in sound and authentic Aha-dith, the purpose there is to tell people that it is not correct to go about asking for death just because of depression from worldly hardships or simple lack of patience. The Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم has said: Let no one ask for death because of some hardship. If one has to say something like that, let him say: ` Ya Allah, keep me alive as long as life is better for me, and give me death when death is better for me.' Verse:102 Commentary Commentary

After a full description of the story of Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) ، first to come in the verses cited above is an address to the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم : ذَٰلِكَ مِنْ أَنبَاءِ الْغَيْبِ نُوحِيهِ إِلَيْكَ (That is a part of the reports of the unseen We reveal to you), and that ` you were not there with the brothers of Yusuf (علیہ السلام) when they had decided to throw Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) into the well and were making plans for it.

The purpose of choosing to say this is that the very act of the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم in describing this story of Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) correctly and in full details is a clear proof of his being a prophet and recipient of revelation. The reason is that this story dates back to thousands of years before his time. Neither was he present there on the scene to have described it as an eye witness, nor was he ever taught by anyone to have consulted books of history, or heard it from a teacher and described it. Therefore, there is no way he could have known it in the manner he did except that it be Divine revelation itself.

At this place, the Holy Quran has considered it sufficient to say that ` you were not there1. It has not deemed it necessary to mention that this information did not come to him through another person or book because the whole Arabia knew that the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was an Ummiyy - that is, he did not learn to read and write from anyone. And also known to everyone was that he had lived his whole life in Makkah al-Mu` azzamah. He did make one of his trips to Syria with his uncle Abu Talib, a trip in which he came back home while still enroute. The second trip he made was for business. He finished his work there and returned in a few days. In this trip too, there was no chance of his meeting some scholar or going to an educational institution. Therefore, at this place, it was not considered necessary to mention it. And at another occasion in the Holy Quran this too was further clarified by saying: مَا كُنتَ تَعْلَمُهَا أَنتَ وَلَا قَوْمُكَ مِن قَبْلِ هَـٰذَا ، that is, ` you did not know them (events) before this (the revelation of the Quran), neither you nor your people -11:49"

Imam Al-Baghawi has said that the Jews and the Quraysh had joined hands to test the veracity of the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم . For this purpose, they had asked the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم to tell them everything about Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) as it had happened to him, if he was true in his claim of prophethood. When he told them what he had learnt through Divine revelation, they still remained sticking to their disbelief and denial. This shocked the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم . Thereupon, said in the next verse was: And most of the people are not going to believe - even though, the proofs of his being a prophet were clear, and even if he himself longed for it, or tried his best. The sense of the statement is: ` Your duty is to spread the call and seek the betterment of people. That you succeed in it is not in your control nor is this your responsibility nor should you grieve over it.

Rules and Guidance

The Difference between the News of the Unseen and the Knowledge of the Unseen

1. The statement: ذَٰلِكَ مِنْ أَنبَاءِ الْغَيْبِ نُوحِيهِ إِلَيْكَ (That is a part of the reports of the unseen We reveal to you - 102) has appeared in the same words in verse 44 of Surah Al-` Imran in the context of the story of Sayyidah Mar-yam, that is: ذَٰلِكَ مِنْ أَنبَاءِ الْغَيْبِ نُوحِيهِ إِلَيْكَ (That is a part of the reports of the unseen We reveal to you - 3:44). Then, with a slight change, the same state-ment appears in verse 49 of Surah Hud where it is related to the story of Sayyidna Nuh (علیہ السلام) : تِلْكَ مِنْ أَنبَاءِ الْغَيْبِ نُوحِيهَا إِلَيْكَ (These are reports from the unseen [ events ] which We reveal to you - 11:49).

From these verses we learn that Allah Ta` ala communicates to his prophets many a news of the unseen through Wahy (revelation). He has particularly blessed our Rasul ", known as the Head of all the messengers, with a special portion of the news from the unseen, which is more than that which has been given to all past prophets. This is the reason why the Holy Prophet has informed the Muslim Ummah of many events due to happen right through the day of Qiyamah, either briefly, or in details. All Al-Hadith given in the Kitab al-Fitan of Hadith books are full of them.

Since common people take the Knowledge of the Unseen (i1m al-Ghayb) only in the sense that a person somehow gets to become aware of the news of the unseen, and this quality is found at its best in the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم ، therefore, they think that the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was ` Alim al-Ghayb (knower of the Unseen). But, the Holy Qur' an has declared in very clear words that: لَّا يَعْلَمُ مَن فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْ‌ضِ الْغَيْبَ إِلَّا اللَّـهُ (No one in the heavens, or on the Earth, knows the unseen except Allah - 27:65) which proves that no one, other than Allah Ta` ala, can be called the ` Alim al-Ghayb or the Knower of the Unseen. The ` Jim of al-Ghayb (the knowledge of the unseen) is the unique attribute of Allah Ta` ala. Taking an apostle, messenger, prophet or angel as a sharer in this attribute amounts to equating him with Allah, and is what the Christians do, who declare a Messenger to be the son of God, and a partner in Godhead. The verses of the Holy Qur' an quoted here make the truth of the matter very clear. It stands settled that the ilm of al-Ghayb (the knowledge of the unseen) is an exclusive attribute of Allah Ta` ala and the only ` Alim al-Ghayb (the Knower of the Unseen) is Allah jalla thanauh Himself. However, there are many news of the unseen which Allah Ta` ala does give to his messengers through the medium of Wahy (revelation). This, in the terminology of the Holy Quran, is not known as the ilm of al-Ghayb (the knowledge of the unseen). Since common people do not understand this fine difference, they tend to take the news of the unseen as the knowledge of the unseen. This is why when one adheres to the terminology of the Qur' an and asserts that no one, other than Allah, can claim to know what is unseen, they would prefer to differ, rather than accept truth as it is. Verse:103 Commentary - - - Verse:104 Commentary After that it was said: وَمَا تَسْأَلُهُمْ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ أَجْرٍ‌ ۚ إِنْ هُوَ إِلَّا ذِكْرٌ‌ لِّلْعَالَمِين ، that is, ` your mission is to tell them the truth and call 'them to the straight path. For this you do not ask them to give you something in return - which could have caused them to find it difficult to listen to him or follow him. In fact, what you are telling them is for their own good. It is only an advice to heed to and a lesson to learn from. And it is for everyone. The text here also carries a hint to the effect: When the purpose behind your effort is no worldly gain, in fact it is nothing but the reward of the Hereafter and the betterment of your people, then, that purpose of yours already stands achieved. Why would you then grieve over it?