12:84 Yusuf (Joseph)

أي: وتولى يعقوب عليه الصلاة والسلام عن أولاده بعد ما أخبروه هذا الخبر، واشتد به الأسف والأسى، وابيضت عيناه من الحزن الذي في قلبه، والكمد الذي أوجب له كثرة البكاء، حيث ابيضت عيناه من ذلك. { فَهُوَ كَظِيمٌ } أي: ممتلئ القلب من الحزن الشديد، { وَقَالَ يَا أَسَفَى عَلَى يُوسُفَ } أي: ظهر منه ما كمن من الهم القديم والشوق المقيم، وذكرته هذه المصيبة الخفيفة بالنسبة للأولى، المصيبة الأولى.

" وتولى عنهم وقال يا أسفا على يوسف " أي أعرضي عن بنيه وقال متذكرا حزن يوسف الأول " يا أسفا على يوسف " جدد له حزن الابنين الحزن الدفين; قال عبد الرزاق أنا الثوري عن سفيان العصفري عن سعيد بن جبير أنه قال لم يعط أحد غير هذه الأمة الاسترجاع ألا تسمعون إلى قول يعقوب عليه السلام " يا أسفا على يوسف وابيضت عيناه من الحزن فهو كظيم " أي ساكت يشكو أمره إلى مخلوق قاله قتادة وغيره وقال الضحاك فهو كظيم كئيب حزين وقال ابن أبي حاتم حدثنا أبي حدثنا حماد عن سلمة عن علي بن يزيد عن الحسن عن الأحنف بن قيس أن النبي صلي الله عليه وسلم قال إن داود عليه السلام قال: يا رب إن بني إسرائيل يسألونك بإبراهيم وإسحاق ويعقوب فاجعلني لهم رابعا فأوحى الله تعالى إليه أن يا داود إن إبراهيم ألقي في النار بسببي فصبر وتلك بلية لم تنلك وإن إسحاق بذل مهجة دمه بسببي فصبر وتلك بلية لم تنلك وإن يعقوب أخذت منه حبه فابيضت عيناه من الحزن فصبر وتلك بلية لم تنلك وهذا مرسل وفيه نكارة فإن الصحيح أن إسماعيل هو الذبيح ولكن علي بن زيد بن جدعان له مناكير وغرائب كثيرة والله أعلم وأقرب ما في هذا أن الأحنف بن قيس رحمه الله حكاه عن بعض بني إسرائيل ككعب ووهب ونحوهما والله أعلم فإن بني إسرائيل ينقلون أن يعقوب كتب إلى يوسف لما احتبس أخاه بسبب السرقة يتلطف له في رد ابنه ويذكر له أنهم أهل بيت مصابون بالبلاء فإبراهيم ابتلي بالنار وإسحاق بالذبح ويعقوب بفراق يوسف في حديث طويل لا يصح والله أعلم فعند ذلك رق له بنوه وقالوا له على سبيل الرفق به والشفقة عليه.

Allah's Prophet Ya`qub receives the Grievous News

Allah's Prophet Ya`qub repeated to his children the same words he said to them when they brought false blood on Yusuf' shirt,

بَلْ سَوَّلَتْ لَكُمْ أَنفُسُكُمْ أَمْرًا فَصَبْرٌ جَمِيلٌ

(Nay, but your own selves have beguiled you into something. So patience is most fitting (for me).) Muhammad bin Ishaq said, "When they went back to Ya`qub and told him what happened, he did not believe them and thought that this was a repetition of what they did to Yusuf. So he said,

بَلْ سَوَّلَتْ لَكُمْ أَنفُسُكُمْ أَمْرًا فَصَبْرٌ جَمِيلٌ

(Nay, but your own selves have beguiled you into something. So patience is most fitting (for me).) Some said that since this new development came after what they did before to Yusuf, they were given the same judgement to this later incident that was given to them when they did what they did to Yusuf. Therefore, Ya`qub's statement here is befitting,

بَلْ سَوَّلَتْ لَكُمْ أَنفُسُكُمْ أَمْرًا فَصَبْرٌ جَمِيلٌ

(Nay, but your own selves have beguiled you into something. So patience is most fitting (for me).) He then begged Allah to bring back his three sons: Yusuf, Binyamin and Rubil to him." Rubil had remained in Egypt awaiting Allah's decision about his case, either his father's permission ordering him to go back home, or to secure the release of his brother in confidence. This is why Ya`qub said,

عَسَى اللَّهُ أَن يَأْتِيَنِى بِهِمْ جَمِيعًا إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْعَلِيمُ

(May be Allah will bring them (back) all to me. Truly, He! Only He is All-Knowing,), in my distress,

الْحَكِيمُ

(the All-Wise), in His decisions and the decree and preordainment He appoints. Allah said next,

وَتَوَلَّى عَنْهُمْ وَقَالَ يأَسَفَا عَلَى يُوسُفَ

(And he turned away from them and said: "Alas, my grief for Yusuf!") He turned away from his children and remembered his old grief for Yusuf,

يأَسَفَا عَلَى يُوسُفَ

(Alas, my grief for Yusuf!) The new grief, losing Binyamin and Rubil, renewed his old sadness that he kept to himself. `Abdur-Razzaq narrated that Ath-Thawri said that Sufyan Al-`Usfuri said that Sa`id bin Jubayr said, "Only this nation the following of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ were given Al-Istirja'. Have you not heard the statement of Ya`qub, peace be upon him,

يأَسَفَا عَلَى يُوسُفَ وَابْيَضَّتْ عَيْنَاهُ مِنَ الْحُزْنِ فَهُوَ كَظِيمٌ

("Alas, my grief for Yusuf !" And he lost his sight because of the sorrow that he was suppressing. )" Ya`qub suppressed his sorrow and did not complain to a created being, according to Qatadah and other scholars. Ad-Dahhak also commented, "Ya`qub was aggrieved, sorrowful and sad." Ya`qub's children felt pity for him and said, while feeling sorrow and compassion,

تَالله تَفْتَأُ تَذْكُرُ يُوسُفَ

(By Allah! You will never cease remembering Yusuf), `you will keep remembering Yusuf,

حَتَّى تَكُونَ حَرَضاً

(until you become weak with old age,), until your strength leaves you,'

أَوْ تَكُونَ مِنَ الْهَـلِكِينَ

(or until you be of the dead.) They said, `if you continue like this, we fear for you that you might die of grief,'

قَالَ إِنَّمَآ أَشْكُو بَثِّى وَحُزْنِى إِلَى اللَّهِ

(He said: "I only complain of my grief and sorrow to Allah.") When they said these words to him, Ya`qub said,

إِنَّمَآ أَشْكُو بَثِّى وَحُزْنِى

`(I only complain of my grief and sorrow) for the afflictions that struck me,

إِلَى اللَّهِ

(to Allah, ) alone,

وَأَعْلَمُ مِنَ اللَّهِ مَا لاَ تَعْلَمُونَ

(and I know from Allah that which you know not.) I anticipate from Allah each and every type of goodness.' Ibn `Abbas commented on the meaning of,

وَأَعْلَمُ مِنَ اللَّهِ مَا لاَ تَعْلَمُونَ

(and I know from Allah that which you know not.) "The vision that Yusuf saw is truthful and Allah will certainly make it come true."

And he turned away from them no longer addressing them and said ‘Alas my grief for Joseph!’ yā asafā the final alif of asafā has taken the place of the possessive yā’ of genitive annexation sc. yā asafī in other words it means yā huznī ‘O my sorrow’. And his eyes turned white their dark colour was effaced and became white on account of his tears with grief for him such that he was filled with suppressed agony anguished and grief-stricken but not manifesting his grief.

Said in verse 84 was: وَتَوَلَّىٰ عَنْهُمْ وَقَالَ يَا أَسَفَىٰ عَلَىٰ يُوسُفَ وَابْيَضَّتْ عَيْنَاهُ مِنَ الْحُزْنِ فَهُوَ كَظِيمٌ :` And he turned away from them and said, "How sad I am about Yusuf' and his eyes turned white with sorrow and he was suppressing (his anger and grief).' It means that, after this second shock, Sayyidna Ya` qub (علیہ السلام) closed this chapter of talking to his sons about this matter, and turned to his Lord with his plaint before Him as to how sad he was about Yusuf. at happened was that this constant crying at his separation from Yusuf (علیہ السلام) caused his eyes to turn white from sorrow. The sense is that he lost his eyesight, or it became very weak. Tafsir authority, Muqatil has said that this state of Sayyidna Ya` qub (علیہ السلام) continued for six years when his eyesight had nearly gone. In the last sentence of the verse, it was said: فَهُوَ كَظِيمٌ which can be explained by saying that he became silent, speechless, unable to share his pain with anyone else. The word: كَظِيمٌ (kazim) has been derived from: کَظم (kazm) which means to be choked up or filled. Thus, the sense would be that his heart was all filled up with sorrow and his tongue was tied for he would not talk about his grief to anyone.

Therefore, the word: کَظم (kazm) is also taken in the sense of sup-pressing anger - in a way that anger, despite having one's heart filled with it, does not become the motivating factor of doing something, by word of mouth or movement of hand, as demanded by one's anger. It appears in Hadith:

وَ مَن یَّکظِمِ الغَیظَ یَاجُرہُ اللہُ

That is, ` whoever suppresses his anger (and does not act as it demands despite having the ability to do so), Allah will reward him.'

It is said in another Hadith that, on the day of Resurrection (Al-Hashr), Allah Ta` ala will bring such people before the whole multitude of people and would give them the option to take whichever of the blessings of Jannah (Paradise) they liked.

At this point, Imam Ibn Jarir has reported a Hadith according to which, at a time of distress, reciting or prompting to recite: إِنَّا لِلَّـهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَ‌اجِعُونَ (Inna lil-lahi wa inna ilaihi rajiun : To Allah we belong and to Him we are to return) is one of the distinguishing characteristics of this Ummah, and this Kalimah is highly effective in delivering one from the suffering of sorrow. We can understand why it has been called the distinguishing characteristic of the Ummah of the Holy Prophet ﷺ since Sayyidna Ya` qub (علیہ السلام) ، when choked with deadly sorrow and shock, did not say this Kalimah, instead, he said: (How sad I am about Yusuf). In his Shu` abul-'Iman, Al-Baihaqi has also reported this Hadith as based on a narration of Sayyidna Ibn ` Abbas ؓ .

Why Was Sayyidna Ya` qub (علیہ السلام) So Deeply Attached To

Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) ?

At this stage, we notice that Sayyidna Ya` qub (علیہ السلام) had extraordinary love for Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) . He was so affected by his disappearance that, during this whole period of his separation from him which has been reported to be forty years in some narrations while eighty in some others, he kept weeping continuously, so much so that he lost his eyesight. Apparently, this does not measure upto his spiritual majesty as a prophet that he would love his children so much and that much. On the other hand, the Holy Qur an says: إِنَّمَا أَمْوَالُكُمْ وَأَوْلَادُكُمْ فِتْنَةٌ:` Your wealth and your children are a fitnah (trial) - 64:15.' And, as for the spiritual majesty of the noble prophets, may peace be upon them all, the Holy Qur’ an has this to say: إِنَّا أَخْلَصْنَاهُم بِخَالِصَةٍ ذِكْرَ‌ى الدَّارِ‌: that is, We have made them special to specialize in the remembrance of the Home (of 'Akhirah) - 38:46.' Malik ibn Dinar (رح) explains its meaning by saying that: We have taken out the love of dunya from their hearts and, in its place, We have filled their hearts with nothing but the love of Akhirah. Their only criterion, in taking or leaving something, is Akhirah.

From the sum-total of what has been said here, there rises a difficulty before us as to how could Sayyidna Ya` qub (علیہ السلام) allow himself to be so consumed with his love for Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) and how could that be explained as correct.

In his Tafsir (Mazhari), Qadi Thana'ullah Panipati (رح) has, with reference to this difficulty, reported a special research of Hadrat Mujaddid Alf Thani, the gist of which is that, no doubt, the love of dunya and its enjoyment is blameworthy. Categorical statements of the Qur’ an and Hadith prove that. But, the love of things of dunya which relate to 'Akhi-rah is, in reality, included under the love of 'Akhirah. The excellences of Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) were not limited to his physical beauty alone. Also to be taken into account are his prophetic chastity and high morals. So, given an overall view, love for him was not the love of what wordly life has to offer. In fact and in reality, this was nothing but the love for rah itself.

In the comment quoted above, it is worth noticing that this love, though not the love of dunya really, yet it did have a certain worldly touch. For this reason, this love became the source of the trial and test of Sayyidna Ya` qub (علیہ السلام) ، for which he had to undergo the unbearable shock of a forty-year separation from him. Then, the chains of this event, from the beginning to the end, show that things kept taking shape as determined by Allah Ta’ ala which made this shock stretch longer and longer. Otherwise, at the very start of the event, it would have not been possible for a father who loved his son so intensely that he would simply listen to what his other sons told him and elect to keep sitting home and not do anything about it. In fact, if he had immediately visited the site of the incident and made necessary inquiries and investigations, he would have known the truth of the matter on the spot. But, things happened in a way as Allah would have them, so it just did not occur to him. After that, Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) was stopped, through revelation, from sending to his father any news about himself - to the limit that he took no initiative in this direction even after his ascension to power in Egypt. Then, more trying were events which happened concerning the repeated visits of his brothers to Egypt. Even at that time, he said nothing to his brothers about himself, nor did he try to send some note of information to his father. Instead of doing all that, he detained yet another brother through a secret plan, thus inflicting yet another shock on his father. All these actions cannot possibly issue forth from a great prophet such as Sayyidna Yusuf unless and until he had not been prohibited from doing so through the medium of Wahy (revelation). Therefore, al-Qurtubi and other commentators have declared this entire range of actions taken by Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) as directly prompted by Divine revelation. The Qur’ anic statement: كَذَٰلِكَ كِدْنَا لِيُوسُفَ (This is how We planned for Yusuf -76) also indicates in this directon. Allah knows best.

" Oh, my grief for Joseph! " And his eyes turned white because of the sorrow that he was suppressing. Revelation came from the Compeller of all engendered beings: " O Jacob! You grieve so much for him, but you do not grieve for what you are missing of Me by being busy with grief for him! " O Jacob, how long this sorrow and regret at separation from Joseph? How long will you suffer grief and coldly sigh? Do you not suffer grief that you are held back from Me while busy with him? " With two kiblahs you can't walk straight on the road of tawḤīd- either the Friend's approval, or your own caprice. [DS 488] " O Jacob! Be careful not to pass Joseph's name over your tongue any more, or I will remove your name from the register of the prophets. " The Pir of the Tariqah said, " Jacob's remembrance of Joseph was the seed of heartache, and Joseph's remembrance of Jacob was the seed of ease. Since Jacob had all that rebuke for remem- bering Joseph, everything other than remembering God is loss. It is said that remembering the Friend is like the spirit. Look more carefully: remembering the Friend is the spirit itself! " When Jacob saw the harshness of the Real's rebuke, he no longer mentioned Joseph's name. Then the mercy and gentleness of the Exalted Threshold gave this command to Gabriel: " O Ga- briel, go to Jacob and remind him of Joseph. " Gabriel came and mentioned Joseph's name. Jacob sighed. Revelation came from the Real: " O Jacob, I know what is beneath your moaning. By My exaltedness, were he dead, I would resurrect him because of the beauty of your loyalty. " And his eyes turned white because of the sorrow that he was suppressing. Abū ʿAlī al-Daqqāq said, " Jacob wept because of a created thing, so his eyesight went. David wept more than Jacob, but his eyesight did not go, because his weeping was for the sake of his Lord. " Weeping for the Real is of two sorts: weeping from the eyes and weeping from the heart. Weeping from the eyes is the weeping of repenters in fear of God; they weep at seeing their own disobedience.