Section 10
Yusuf discloses his identity
Brothers of Joseph returned to report to Jacob saying that Benjamin committed a theft and hence detained by the king - Jacob loses his sight in his sorrow for his son Joseph and orders search for Joseph - Joseph discloses his identity to his Brothers
(80) فَلَمَّا اسْتَيْأَسُوا مِنْهُ خَلَصُوا نَجِيًّا قالَ كَبيرُهُمْ أَ لَمْ تَعْلَمُوا أَنَّ أَباكُمْ قَدْ أَخَذَ عَلَيْكُمْ مَوْثِقاً مِنَ اللَّهِ وَ مِنْ قَبْلُ ما فَرَّطْتُمْ في يُوسُفَ فَلَنْ أَبْرَحَ الْأَرْضَ حَتَّى يَأْذَنَ لي أَبي أَوْ يَحْكُمَ اللَّهُ لي وَ هُوَ خَيْرُ الْحاكِمينَ
80. " So when they despaired of(moving)him, they conferred in private. The eldest of them said: 'Don't you know that your father has taken a solemn covenant from you in Allah's name, and before that you failed to perform your duty with Yusuf Therefore, I will never leave this land until my father permits me, or Allah decides for me; and He is the best of judges'. "
Commentary :
The brothers were faced with the prospect of returning to their father in shame. They did their utmost to save Benjamin, however they found all roads leading to a solution blocked. Therefore, they despaired from the 'Aziz, or from deliverance of the brother, and decided to return to kan'an and tell their father about the matter when they went off by themselves into a corner and conferred as to what next to do. The verse says:
" So when they despaired of(moving)him, they conferred in private. ..."
However, in that private conference the elder brother told them whether they did not know that their father had taken an oath of Allah from them that they had to return Benjamin in any possible price, and that they were the same persons who formerly failed to fulfil their duty concerning Yusuf, and had a bad background with the Father. The verse says:
"... The eldest of them said: 'Don't you know that your father has taken a solemn covenant from you in Allah's name, and before that you failed to perform your duty with Yusuf ? ..."
The older brother, who embarrassed and frustrated at their unreliability with their father, decided to stay in Egypt until his father permitted or until Allah(s.w.t.) decided. The holy verse continues saying:
"... Therefore, I will never leave this land until my father permits me, or Allah decides for me; and He is the best of judges'. ..."
The decision of Allah means either until death overtook him or that Allah(s.w.t.) would make manifest a solution to this problem; or a plausible excuse which could decisively accepted by father.
Explanations:
1. The Arabic term/ xalas ou ou/ means separating themselves away from others. The Qur'anic word/ najiyyan/ means to enter into a whispered conversation with someone. Therefore, the phrase/ xalasou najiyyan/ means that they gathered together apart from others, for a confidential meeting to decide on what to do.
2. Pleas and requests should not hinder one from executing Divine commands and implementing decisive plans in that respect.
3. In cases where one is a culprit in major disasters and unpleasant matters, the elders are more responsible and the more shameful they seem.
4. Treachery and crime hurt the conscience of good people throughout their lives.
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(81) ارْجِعُوا إِلى أَبيكُمْ فَقُولُوا يا أَبانا إِنَّ ابْنَكَ سَرَقَ وَ ما شَهِدْنا إِلاَّ بِما عَلِمْنا وَ ما كُنَّا لِلْغَيْبِ حافِظينَ
81. " Go back to your father and say: 'O' father! Verily your son has committed theft, and we did not bear witness except to what we knew, and we were not guardians of the Unseen'. "
Commentary :
Then the elder brother told other brothers that they would return to the Father and say that his son(Benjamin)committed theft and that the testimony they would present to their father could only be based on the amount of the truth that they were aware of.
They saw the king's cup discovered and taken out from their brother's load which proved that he had committed theft. Nevertheless, they started to become aware that the hidden truth of the matter rested with Allah.
The verse says:
" Go back to your father and say: 'O' father! Verily your son has committed theft, and we did not bear witness except to what we knew, and we were not guardians of the Unseen'. "
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(82) وَ سْئَلِ الْقَرْيَةَ الَّتي كُنَّا فيها وَ الْعيرَ الَّتي أَقْبَلْنا فيها وَ إِنَّا لَصادِقُونَ
82. " And ask at the town in which we were and the caravan with which we travelled hither, and verily we are indeed truthful. "
Commentary :
The Arabic term/ qaryah/ does not only mean 'village ', but it also means 'a meeting place' and 'a residential area' as well, whether be it a town or a village.
Yusuf's brothers did not have any evidence to prove that he was killed by a wolf when they described the event for their father, but they provided two proofs to support their story in this situation. Firstly they had witnesses in the town, and secondly, they had witnesses in the caravan among which they were.
Besides that, in the former description they said: " even though we be truthful"(1) where the Arabic word/ lau/ is a sign of doubt, weakness, and anxiety, while here, in this verse, they say: " verily we are indeed truthful" that, with the application of 'verily' and 'indeed', they claimed that they were really truthful.
Then, in order to make clear their father from any suspicion and to make him sure that the fact had been exactly that very thing they explained, they said:
" And ask at the town in which we were and the caravan with which we travelled hither, ..."
(1) The current Sura, verse 17
This statement means that there were naturally some people from Kan'an among them whom Jacob knew and he could ask the true affair from them so that, however, he would become certain that they were telling nothing but the truth. It says:
"... and verily we are indeed truthful. "
They were very confident in their position, they were sure that if the father were to investigate he would find that they were indeed telling the truth.
From the verse, we can also deduce that the news that Benjamin had stolen the king's cup spread around the town and among the caravan,
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(83) قالَ بَلْ سَوَّلَتْ لَكُمْ أَنْفُسُكُمْ أَمْراً فَصَبْرٌ جَميلٌ عَسَى اللَّهُ أَنْ يَأْتِيَني بِهِمْ جَميعاً إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْعَليمُ الْحَكيمُ
83. " He(Ya'qoub)said: 'No, but your(guilty)selves have made a matter fair for you, so patience is good. Maybe Allah will bring them to me all together; verily He is the All- Knowing, the All- Wise'. "
Commentary :
The brothers departed from Egypt, leaving the youngest and the oldest behind, they returned to Kan'an in frustration and shame. On this occasion, contrary to other times, their father found them deeply disturbed and depressed and that Benjamin and the oldest brother were not with them, thus he realized that something unpleasant had taken place.
In order to remove their father's suspicions and increase his confidence in them, this time they told the truth of the matter as it had appeared to them, calling him to inquire from the people of Egypt and the caravan to verify their story.
Ya'qoub was not impressed, he became angry, and staring at them, he told them that it was their souls that had made something appealing to them that had led to this disaster. The verse says:
" He(Ya'qoub)said: 'No, but your(guilty)selves have made a matter fair for you, ..."
On his part Ya'qoub had no other choice than to take recourse in sweet patience and trust in Allah to return all his sons to him, if He willed, because He is aware of them inside of all as well as whatever happened and will happen. Moreover,
He is Wise and never does anything undue. The holy verse continues saying:
"... so patience is good. Maybe Allah will bring them to me all together; verily He is the All- Knowing, the All- Wise'. "
Explanations:
1- When the brothers, feigning sadness, brought Yusuf's bloody shirt to their father, they said that Yusuf had been eaten by a wolf. Had rat Ya'qoub(a.s.) said that their souls had made up something which they had found attractive. Now, with his next two sons taken away from him, he repeats the same sentence. Perhaps, this question may be raised that: in Yusuf's affair the brothers committed treason and planned conspiracies, while in the Benjamin's affair, such was not the case. Then, why does Ya'qoub say the same thing in both cases Tafsir Al Mizan, provides the answer. 'Allamah Tabataba'i says that Ya'qoub meant that the facts surrounding these two other brothers remaining in Egypt is an extension of their previous conduct with regard to Yusuf(a.s.) . That is, all these occurrences, even though they were not directly responsible for the last one, were the consequences of their previous unethical behaviour.
It may be said that the purpose of Ya'qoub was that even then they thought themselves as innocent and that they had acted well, however, they had still behaved unethically in the crisis. Firstly why were they quick to assume that their brother was guilty once they saw the cup among his load Couldn't it be possible that someone else had hidden it there Secondly, why did they return so quickly without any research And thirdly, why did they choose servitude as a penalty of the thief 2- One's selfish ego seeks to present evil acts as beautiful to itself in order to justify guilt.
3- Maintaining patience is a practice prevalent among the men of Allah and a good patience in a believer is the kind that one surrenders oneself to Allah without complaining about His Will.
4- One must never despair of Allah's omnipotence. "May be Allah will bring them to me, " 5- Solving old and new problems are both alike once the issue in question is Allah's will. Allah is able to bring together in one place yesterday's Yusuf and today's brother after many years.
6- A devout believer regards bitter events as having their origin in Allah's Providence as well.
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(84) وَ تَوَلَّى عَنْهُمْ وَ قالَ يا أَسَفى عَلى يُوسُفَ وَ ابْيَضَّتْ عَيْناهُ مِنَ الْحُزْنِ فَهُوَ كَظيمٌ
84. " And he turned away from them and said: 'Alas for Yusuf! ' And his eyes became white with the grief of that he repressed. "
Commentary :
The Arabic word/ 'asaf/ philologically means grief and sorrow accompanied with wrath. Ya'qoub constantly had some tear in his eyes, the word 'what a pity! ' on his tongue, and grief in his heart.
Imam Baqir(a.s.) has been narrated who said in a tradition that his father Ali- ibn- il- Husayn, even twenty years after the event of Karbala, used to weep upon any ground. Once he was asked why he wept such a great deal. He answered "Ya'qoub had eleven sons one of whom disappeared, although he was alive Ya'qoub lost his eye- sight for him, while I saw by my own eyes that my father, my brothers and seventeen men from the house- hold of the Prophet(p.b.u.h.) were slain as martyr before my eyes. How may I not weep ? "
However, a deep sorrow and grief occupied throughout the entity of Ya'qoub, and the absence of Benjamin, the same son who was a cause of solace for him, reminded him of his dear Yusuf. The remembrance of the time this fair, intelligent, faithful, fair young son was close in his bosom and a moment of the smelling of whose smelt refreshed the father as new life for him. But now, not only there was no sign of him, but also his substitute, Benjamin, had an important painful fate like him. It was at this moment that he showed reaction as follows:
" And he turned away from them and said: 'Alas for Yusuf! ' ..."
This double grief caused Ya'qoub(a.s.) to shed flood of tears involuntarily as much as that his eyes lost its sight. The verse continues saying:
"... And his eyes became white with the grief of that he repressed. "
He was very sad, yet he tried to control his grief and anger patiently, so that he would say nothing contrast to the Will of Allah.
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(85) قالُوا تَاللَّهِ تَفْتَؤُا تَذْكُرُ يُوسُفَ حَتَّى تَكُونَ حَرَضاً أَوْ تَكُونَ مِنَ الْهالِكينَ
85. " They said: 'By Allah! You will never cease to remember Yusuf until you are ill or(until)you are of the perished ones'. "
Commentary :
The Arabic term/ h arad/ refers to a person who grieves to death out of love or sorrow.
The brothers, who were over whelmed by sorrow as a result of this sequence of events, had a troubled conscience because of Yusuf's affair and now they were finding themselves being tried anew with regard to Benjamin while they were profoundly hurt at the ever increasing sadness of their father.
With inconvenience they addressed the Father, and as the verse says:
" They said: 'By Allah! You will never cease to remember Yusuf until you are ill or(until)you are of the perished ones'. "
Explanations:
1. The ideal love is spiritual and the heavenly sighs of grief which are of valuable import. The thinking of the men of Allah is identical with the thinking of Allah Himself.
2. The issue of paternal love is different from ordinary kinds of love.
3. Spiritual and psychic problems leave their impact on the body, among which one can name the separation from a loved one which might cause a nervous break- down or even death.
(86) قالَ إِنَّما أَشْكُوا بَثِّي وَ حُزْني إِلَى اللَّهِ وَ أَعْلَمُ مِنَ اللَّهِ ما لا تَعْلَمُونَ
86. " He said: 'I only complain of my anguish and my grief to Allah, and I know from Allah that which you do not know'. "
Commentary :
Ya'qoub declared that he used to relate his grief, his need, his life problems and his difficulties to Allah in the dark of night and in private times; and some commentators have said that/ ba/ means an expression of grief while the word/ h uzn/ signifies hiding and covering one's grief. The verse says:
" He said: 'I only complain of my anguish and my grief to Allah, and I know from Allah that which you do not know'. "
The Prophet of Allah(p.b.u.h.) has been narrated to have said that Gabriel came to visit Ya'qoub and said: "Allah sends His greetings to you and says that you should be of good cheer that He swears upon His Glory and Magnanimity that if those two sons were dead He would return their lives to them. Now you should prepare some food for the poor, those who are Allah's most favorite servants. " From then on, whenever Ya'qoub wanted to have a meal, he would order someone to call any poor man outside his home that was hungry could come inside and share his meal with him. And when he was fasting, he would order someone to proclaim outside his house that whoever was fasting could come in and join him in breaking his fast with him. This narration has been quoted by Hakim Abou 'Abdullah Hafiz in his Sahih.
The sentence "and I know from Allah that which you do not know", means that Ya'qoub well knew that Yusuf's dream would come true, that he was alive and according to the dream he saw they would soon prostrate before him.
In the book entitled 'An- Nubuwwah'(The Prophethood)documented from Sadir Siyrafi, Imam Baqir(a.s.) is narrated to have said that Ya'qoub prayed for Allah to send the Angel of Death to him, and when the latter came to Ya'qoub, the angel asked him what he could do for him. Ya'qoub asked him if he had seen the spirit of Yusuf among those that he had taken. He answered he had not, so Ya'qoub realized that Yusuf was still alive.
Messages to Note:
1. A monotheist shares his secrets and his hidden troubles only with Allah.
2. There are two vicious and heinous attributes regarding human beings: The silence which rules and reigns over one's heart and nerves, exerting pressure on them and jeopardizing one's health. The other one is crying and moaning in front of people which diminishes ones honor, and lowers the chances of success. The best action in this regard is to take one's complaint to Allah.
3. There lies in a dialogue or a discussion with Allah such a great pleasure which cannot be understood by ordinary people.
4. Superficial people usually pass by events easily. However thoughtful people follow events until their outcome in the Hereafter.
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(87) يا بَنِيَّ اذْهَبُوا فَتَحَسَّسُوا مِنْ يُوسُفَ وَ أَخيهِ وَ لا تَيْأَسُوا مِنْ رَوْحِ اللَّهِ إِنَّهُ لا يَيْأَسُ مِنْ رَوْحِ اللَّهِ إِلاَّ الْقَوْمُ الْكافِرُونَ
87. " O' my sons! Go and enquire about Yusuf and his brother, and never despair of Allah's Mercy. Verily none despairs of Allah's Mercy except the unbelieving people. "
Commentary :
The Arabic term/ tah assus/ means searching for something good by using one's senses, while the Arabic term/ tajassus/ means to search for bad things.
According to Raqib, both the terms/ rauh/ and/ rouh/ mean spirit, but the word/ rauh/ is used when there is a relief and favor in question. It seems, by the removal of difficulties a new and fresh spirit emerges in man. In Tafsir- i- Tibyan it is said that the word/ rouh/(spirit)is derived from/ rih/(wind). As man feels comfortable when the wind blows, he feels happy once he has the Divine Grace.
The famine, however, continued to strike hard in Egypt and in the surrounding areas, including Kan'an. Once again Ya'qoub ordered his sons to go to Egypt and procure the food supplies necessary; but this time, the search for Yusuf and his brother Benjamin were placed at the top of the list of priorities. Jacob said:
" O' my sons! Go and enquire about Yusuf and his brother, ..."
The brothers were sure that Yusuf was no longer alive, so the advice of their old father astonished them greatly. He reminded them that they should never despair of Divine grace
for that was a sign of unbelief. Allah's mercy can remove all difficulties. Ya'qoub continued saying:
"... and never despair of Allah's Mercy. Verily none despairs of Allah's Mercy except the unbelieving people. "
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(88) فَلَمَّا دَخَلُوا عَلَيْهِ قالُوا يا أَيُّهَا الْعَزيزُ مَسَّنا وَ أَهْلَنَا الضُّرُّ وَ جِئْنا بِبِضاعَةٍ مُزْجاةٍ فَأَوْفِ لَنَا الْكَيْلَ وَ تَصَدَّقْ عَلَيْنا إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَجْزِي الْمُتَصَدِّقينَ
88. " Then, when they entered unto him(Yusuf), they said: 'O' 'Aziz! Affliction has visited us and our family, and we have brought scanty merchandise. So pay us full measure and bestow you charity on us; verily Allah will reward the charitable ones'. "
