12:90 Yusuf (Joseph)

فعرفوا أن الذي خاطبهم هو يوسف، فقالوا: { أَئِنَّكَ لَأَنْتَ يُوسُفُ قَالَ أَنَا يُوسُفُ وَهَذَا أَخِي قَدْ مَنَّ اللَّهُ عَلَيْنَا } بالإيمان والتقوى والتمكين في الدنيا، وذلك بسبب الصبر والتقوى، { إِنَّهُ مَنْ يَتَّقِ وَيَصْبِرْ } أي: يتقي فعل ما حرم الله، ويصبر على الآلام والمصائب، وعلى الأوامر بامتثالها { فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُضِيعُ أَجْرَ الْمُحْسِنِينَ } فإن هذا من الإحسان، والله لا يضيع أجر من أحسن عملا.

فعند ذلك قالوا " أئنك لأنت يوسف " وقرأ أبي بن كعب " إنك لأنت يوسف " وقرأ ابن محيصن " أنت يوسف " والقراءة المشهورة هي الأولى لأن الاستفهام يدل على الاستعظام أي أنهم تعجبوا من ذلك أنهم يترددون إليه من سنتين وأكثر وهم لا يعرفونه وهو مع هذا يعرفهم ويكتم نفسه فلهذا قالوا على سبيل الإستفهام " أئنك لأنت يوسف قال أنا يوسف وهذا أخي " وقوله " قد من الله علينا " أي يجمعه بيننا بعد التفرقة المدة " إنه من يتق ويصبر فإن الله لا يضيع أجر المحسنين قالوا تالله لقد آثرك الله علينا " الآية يقولون معترفين له بالفضل والأثرة عليهم في الخلق والخلق والسعة والملك والتصرف والنبوة أيضا على قول من لم يجعلهم أنبياء وأقروا بأنهم أساءوا إليه واخطأوا في حقه.

Yusuf reveals His True Identity to His Brothers and forgives Them

Allah says, when Yusuf's brothers told him about the afflictions and hardship, and shortages in food they suffered from in the aftermath of the drought that struck them, and he remembered his father's grief for losing his two children, he felt compassion, pity and mercy for his father and brothers. He felt this way, especially since he was enjoying kingship, authority and power, so he cried and revealed his true identity to them when he asked them,

هَلْ عَلِمْتُمْ مَّا فَعَلْتُم بِيُوسُفَ وَأَخِيهِ إِذْ أَنتُمْ جَـهِلُونَ

(Do you know what you did with Yusuf and his brother, when you were ignorant) meaning, `when you separated between Yusuf and his brother,'

إِذْ أَنتُمْ جَـهِلُونَ

(when you were ignorant) He said, `What made you do this is your ignorance of the tremendous sin you were about to commit.' It appears, and Allah knows best, that Yusuf revealed his identity to his brothers only then by Allah's command, just as he hid his identity from them in the first two meetings, by Allah's command. When the affliction became harder, Allah sent His relief from that affliction, just as He said He does,

فَإِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْراً - إِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْراً

(Verily, along with every hardship is relief. Verily, along with every hardship is relief.)94:5-6 This is when they said to Yusuf,

أَءِنَّكَ لاّنتَ يُوسُفُ

(Are you indeed Yusuf), in amazement, because they had been meeting him for more than two years while unaware of who he really was. Yet, he knew who they were and hid this news from them. Therefore, they asked in astonishment,

أَءِنَّكَ لاّنتَ يُوسُفُ قَالَ أَنَاْ يُوسُفُ وَهَـذَا أَخِى

(Are you indeed Yusuf He said: "I am Yusuf, and this is my brother...") Yusuf said next,

قَدْ مَنَّ اللَّهُ عَلَيْنَآ

`(Allah has indeed been gracious to us.) by gathering us together after being separated all this time,'

إِنَّهُ مَن يَتَّقِ وَيِصْبِرْ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ لاَ يُضِيعُ أَجْرَ الْمُحْسِنِينَقَالُواْ تَاللَّهِ لَقَدْ آثَرَكَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْنَا

("Verily, he who has Taqwa, and is patient, then surely, Allah makes not the reward of the gooddoers to be lost." They said: "By Allah! Indeed Allah has preferred you above us.") They affirmed Yusuf's virtue above them, being blessed with beauty, conduct, richness, kingship, authority and, above all, prophethood. They admitted their error and acknowledged that they made a mistake against him,

قَالَ لاَ تَثْرَيبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الْيَوْمَ

(He said: "No reproach on you this day.") He said to them, `There will be no blame for you today or admonishment, and I will not remind you after today of your error against me.' He then multiplied his generosity by invoking Allah for them for mercy,

يَغْفِرُ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ وَهُوَ أَرْحَمُ الرَحِمِينَ

(may Allah forgive you, and He is the Most Merciful of those who show mercy!)

They said — after recognising him by his noble traits — cautiously inquiring ‘Is it really read a-innaka either pronouncing both hamzas or by not pronouncing the second but in both cases inserting an alif you Joseph?’. He said ‘I am indeed Joseph and this is my brother. God has truly shown favour He has been gracious to us by bringing us together. Verily if one fears if one fears God and endures what happens to him God does not waste the wage of those who are virtuous’ in this respect the overt noun al-muhsinīn ‘the virtuous’ has replaced the third person pronominalisation.

أَإِنَّكَ لَأَنتَ يُوسُفُ (Are you really the Yusuf?). Then, Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) said: ` Yes, I am Yusuf and this is my brother, Benyamin.' He supplemented his statement by adding the name of his brother so that they become certain about him. In addition to that, he also wanted them to become sure right then about the total success of their mission, that is, the two they had started to search for were there before them, both at the same time and place. Then, he said: قَدْ مَنَّ اللَّـهُ عَلَيْنَا ۖ إِنَّهُ مَن يَتَّقِ وَيَصْبِرْ‌ فَإِنَّ اللَّـهَ لَا يُضِيعُ أَجْرَ‌ الْمُحْسِنِين ، that is, ` Allah has been very kind to us [ that he first gave both of us two qualities, those of patience (Sabr) and the fear of Allah (Taqwa), qualities which are a key to success and a security shield against every hardship. Then He changed hardship into comfort, separation into union, and our paucity of wealth and recognition into its total abundance. ` Surely, whoever fears Allah [ and abstains from sins ] and observes patience [ while in distress ], then Allah does not waste the reward of the good-doers [ like these ].'