Joseph — Verse 92

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!)

He said ‘There shall be no reproach no blame on you this day — he specifically mentions this day because it was the day when they expected to be reproached although any other day would have been more appropriate for them to be reproached on. God will forgive you and He is the Most Merciful of the merciful.

As for his words, 'There shall be no reproach on you this day - since these [faculties] are innately disposed to the acts of [physical] nature [which they commit]. And his words, God will forgive you: an allusion to their exoneration from sin upon being illumined by the light of virtue and being subject to His command upon perfection.

As for his words, 'There shall be no reproach on you this day - since these [faculties] are innately disposed to the acts of [physical] nature [which they commit]. And his words, God will forgive you: an allusion to their exoneration from sin upon being illumined by the light of virtue and being subject to His command upon perfection.

قال لهم يوسف: لا تأنيب عليكم اليوم، يغفر الله لكم، وهو أرحم الراحمين لمن تاب من ذنبه وأناب إلى طاعته.

" قال لا تثريب عليكم اليوم " يقول أي لا تأنيب عليكم ولا عتب عليكم اليوم ولا أعيد عليكم ذنبكم في حقي بعد اليوم ثم زادهم الدماء لهم بالمغفرة فقال " يغفر الله لكم وهو أرحم الراحمين " قال السدي اعتذروا إلى يوسف فقال " لا تثريب عليكم اليوم " يقول لا أذكر لكم ذنبكم وقال ابن إسحاق والثوري " لا تثريب عليكم " أي لا تأنيب عليكم اليوم عندي فيما صنعتم " يغفر الله لكم " أي عليكم فيما فعلتم " وهو أرحم الراحمين ".

فرد عليهم يوسف - عليه السلام - بقوله : ( قَالَ لاَ تَثْرِيبَ عَلَيْكُمُ اليوم يَغْفِرُ الله لَكُمْ وَهُوَ أَرْحَمُ الراحمين ) .والتثريب : التعبير والتوبيخ والتأنيب . وأصله كما يقول الآلوسى : من الثرب ، وهو الشحم الرقيق فى الجوف وعلى الكرش . . . فاستعير للتأنيب الذى يمزق الأعراض ويذهب بهاء الوجه ، لأنه بإزالة الشحم يبدو الهزال ، كما أنه بالتأنيب واللوم تظهر العيوب ، فالجامع بينهما طريان النقص بعد الكمال .أى : قال يوسف لإِخوته على سبيل الصفح والعفو يا إخوتى : لا لوم ولا تأنيب ولا تعيير عليكم اليوم ، فقد عقوت عما صدر منكم فى حقى وفى حق أخى من أخطاء وآثام وأرجو الله - تعالى - أن يغفر لكم ما فرط منكم من ذنوب وهو - سبحانه - أرحم الراحمين بعباده .وقوله ( لاَ تَثْرِيبَ ) اسم لا النافية للجنس ، و ( عَلَيْكُمُ ) متعلق بمحذوف خبر لا ، و ( اليوم ) متعلق بذلك الخبر المحذوف .أى : لا تقريع ولا تأنيب ثابت أو مستقر عليكم اليوم .وليس التقييد باليوم لإِفادة أن التقريع ثابت فى غيره ، بل المراد نفيه عنهمفى كل ما مضى من الزمان ، لأن الإِنسان إذا لم يوبخ صاحبه فى أول لقاء معه على أخطائه فلأن يترك ذلك بعد أول لقاء أولى .

القول في تأويل قوله تعالى : قَالَ لا تَثْرِيبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الْيَوْمَ يَغْفِرُ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ وَهُوَ أَرْحَمُ الرَّاحِمِينَ (92)قال أبو جعفر: يقول تعالى ذكره:قال يوسف لإخوته: ( لا تثريب ) يقول:لا تعيير عليكم (25) ولا إفساد لما بيني وبينكم من الحرمة وحقّ الأخوة ، ولكن لكم عندي الصفح والعفو .* * *وبنحو الذي قلنا في ذلك قال أهل التأويل .*ذكر من قال ذلك:19795- حدثنا بشر قال، حدثنا يزيد ، قال، حدثنا سعيد ، عن قتادة قوله: ( لا تثريب عليكم ) ، لم يثرِّب عليهم أعمالهم.19796- حدثني المثنى قال، حدثنا إسحاق ، قال، حدثنا عبد الله بن الزبير ، قوله: ( لا تثريب عليكم اليوم ) ، قال:قال سفيان:لا تعيير عليكم.19797- حدثنا ابن حميد ، قال، حدثنا سلمة ، عن ابن إسحاق: ( قال لا تثريب عليكم اليوم ) :، أي لا تأنيب عليكم اليوم عندي فيما صنعتم.19798- وحدثنا ابن وكيع ، قال، حدثنا عمرو ، عن أسباط ، عن السدي قال، اعتذروا إلى يوسف فقال: ( لا تثريب عليكم اليوم، ) يقول:لا أذكر لكم ذنبكم.* * *وقوله: ( يغفر الله لكم وهو أرحم الراحمين ) ، وهذا دعاء من يوسف لإخوته بأن يغفر الله لهم ذنبهم فيما أتوا إليه وركبوا منه من الظلم ، يقول:عفا الله لكم عن ذنبكم وظلمكم ، فستره عليكم ، ( وهو أرحم الراحمين ) ، يقول:والله أرحم الراحمين لمن تاب من ذنبه، (26) وأناب إلى طاعته بالتوبة من معصيته . كما:-19799- حدثنا ابن حميد ، قال، حدثنا سلمة ، عن ابن إسحاق: ( يغفر الله وهو أرحم الراحمين ) حين اعترفوا بذنبهم.----------------------الهوامش:(25) في المطبوعة والمخطوطة :" تغيير" ، بالغين ، والصواب ما أثبته بالعين المهملة ، وهو صريح اللغة . وقد صححته في كل موضع يأتي بعد هذا .(26) في المطبوعة والمخطوطة :" ممن تاب" ، وصواب الكلام ما أثبت .

( قال ) يوسف وكان حليما ( لا تثريب عليكم اليوم ) لا تعيير عليكم اليوم ، ولا أذكر لكم ذنبكم بعد اليوم ( يغفر الله لكم وهو أرحم الراحمين ) .فلما عرفهم يوسف نفسه سألهم عن أبيه ، فقال : ما فعل أبي بعدي قالوا : ذهبت عيناه فأعطاهم قميصه ، وقال :

ولذلك أعلمهم بأن الذنب قد غفر فرفع عنهم الذم فقال : { لا تثريب عليكم }.والتثريب : التوبيخ والتقريع . والظاهر أن منتهى الجملة هو قوله : { عليكم } ، لأن مثل هذا القول مِمّا يجري مجرى المثل فيُبنى على الاختصار فيكتفي ب { لا تثريب } مثل قولهم : لا بأس ، وقوله تعالى : { لا وزر } [ القيامة : 11 ].وزيادة { عليكم } للتأكيد مثل زيادة { لَك } بعد ( سقياً ورعياً ) ، فلا يكون قوله : { اليوم } من تمام الجملة ولكنه متعلق بفعل { يغفر الله لكم }.وأعقب ذلك بأن أعلمهُم بأن الله يغفر لهم في تلك الساعة لأنها ساعة توبة ، فالذنب مغفور لإخبار الله في شرائعه السالفة دون احتياج إلى وحي سوى أن الوحي لمعرفة إخلاص توبتهم .وأطلق { اليوم } على الزمن ، وقد مضى عند قوله تعالى : { اليوم يئس الذين كفروا من دينكم } في أول سورة العقود ( 3 ).

فـ { قَالَ } لهم يوسف عليه السلام، كرما وجودا: { لَا تَثْرِيبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الْيَوْمَ } أي: لا أثرب عليكم ولا ألومكم { يَغْفِرُ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ وَهُوَ أَرْحَمُ الرَّاحِمِينَ } فسمح لهم سماحا تاما، من غير تعيير لهم على ذكر الذنب السابق، ودعا لهم بالمغفرة والرحمة، وهذا نهاية الإحسان، الذي لا يتأتى إلا من خواص الخلق وخيار المصطفين.

قوله تعالى : قال لا تثريب عليكم اليوم أي قال يوسف - وكان حليما موفقا : لا تثريب عليكم اليوم وتم الكلام . ومعنى " اليوم " : الوقت . والتثريب التعيير والتوبيخ ، أي لا [ ص: 225 ] تعيير ولا توبيخ ولا لوم عليكم اليوم ; قال سفيان الثوري وغيره ; ومنه قوله - عليه السلام - : إذا زنت أمة أحدكم فليجلدها الحد ولا يثرب عليها أي لا يعيرها ; وقال بشر :فعفوت عنهم عفو غير مثرب وتركتهم لعقاب يوم سرمدوقال الأصمعي : ثربت عليه وعربت عليه بمعنى إذا قبحت عليه فعله . وقال الزجاج : المعنى لا إفساد لما بيني وبينكم من الحرمة ، وحق الإخوة ، ولكم عندي العفو والصفح ; وأصل التثريب الإفساد ، وهي لغة أهل الحجاز . وعن ابن عباس أن رسول الله - صلى الله عليه وسلم - أخذ بعضادتي الباب يوم فتح مكة ، وقد لاذ الناس بالبيت فقال : الحمد لله الذي صدق وعده ونصر عبده وهزم الأحزاب وحده ثم قال : 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 " فقال عمر - رضي الله عنه - : ففضت عرقا من الحياء من قول رسول الله - صلى الله عليه وسلم - ذلك أني قد كنت قلت لهم حين دخلنا مكة : اليوم ننتقم منكم ونفعل ، فلما قال رسول الله - صلى الله عليه وسلم - ما قال استحييت من قولي .يغفر الله لكم مستقبل فيه معنى الدعاء ; سأل الله أن يستر عليهم ويرحمهم . وأجاز الأخفش الوقف على " عليكم " والأول هو المستعمل ; فإن في الوقف على " عليكم " والابتداء ب اليوم يغفر الله لكم جزما بالمغفرة في اليوم ، وذلك لا يكون إلا عن وحي ، وهذا بين . وقال عطاء الخراساني : طلب الحوائج من الشباب أسهل منه من الشيوخ ; ألم تر قول يوسف : لا تثريب عليكم اليوم يغفر الله لكم وقال يعقوب : سوف أستغفر لكم ربي .

When the truth came out into the open, Joseph’s brothers acknowledged Joseph’s greatness and freely admitted their guilt. In the same way, Joseph also showed such broadmindedness as a true God-worshipper is expected to show on such occasions. He did not condemn his brothers. He completely forgot and forgave the bitter experiences of the past and once again entered into fraternal relations with his brothers. In this incident there is an example of a combination of divine and human help. And through this incident, circumstances were created which favoured the Children of Israel leaving Palestine and reaching Egypt where they attained a position of honour and prosperity. It was during the time of Joseph that the family of Jacob shifted to Egypt and for the next five hundred years they lived there with dignity and honour. According to the Bible, the number of members of Jacob’s family who went to Egypt was sixty seven.

لَا تَثْرِ‌يبَ عَلَيْكُمُ (No reproach upon you), that is, ` not to say much about taking a revenge of your injustices against me, on this day, I would not even blame you for it.' This much was the good news of forgiveness from his side which he let them hear. Then, he prayed for them before Allah Ta’ ala: يَغْفِرُ‌ اللَّـهُ لَكُمْ ۖ وَهُوَ أَرْ‌حَمُ الرَّ‌احِمِينَ (May Allah forgive you, and He is the most merciful of all the merciful). After that, he said: اذْهَبُوا بِقَمِيصِي هَـٰذَا فَأَلْقُوهُ عَلَىٰ وَجْهِ أَبِي يَأْتِ بَصِيرً‌ا وَأْتُونِي بِأَهْلِكُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ : ` Go with this shirt of mine and put it over the face of my father, and he will turn into a sighted man [ which will enable him to come here ]. And bring to me all your family [ so that all of us can get together, be happy, enjoy the blessings given by Allah and be grateful to Him ].' Points of Guidance We come to know of many injunctions, rulings, as well as guidelines, which are good to have in life: 1. First of all, the use of the expression: تَصَدَّقْ عَلَيْنَا (` tasaddaq ` alaina': be charitable to us) in verse 88 raises a question as to how would Sadaqah and Khairat (charity) become Halal (lawful) for the brothers of Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) who are the progeny of prophets? Secondly, even if Sadaqah could be taken as Halal, how would the act of asking for it become Halal? Even if the brothers of Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) were no prophets, he himself certainly was. Why did he not warn them against this error? A clear enough answer to this is that the word Sadaqah used here does not mean the real Sadaqah. In fact, the request for a concession in the transaction has been given the name of Sadaqah and Khairat - because, they had just never asked for a free supply of grains. Instead, they had offered ` a capital of very little worth.' And the essence of their request was that this ` capital of very little worth' be accepted in the spirit of remission given in such hard circumstances. Moreover, it is also possible that the unlawfulness of Sadaqah and Khairat (charity) for the progeny of prophets may be exclusive to the Ummah of the Holy Prophet ﷺ - as held by Mujahid from among Tafsir authorities. (Bayan a1-Qur'an) 2. The last sentence of verse 88: إِنَّ اللَّـهَ يَجْزِي الْمُتَصَدِّقِينَ (Surely, Allah rewards the charitable) tells us that Allah Ta` ala gives good return to those who spend in Sadaqah and Khairat (charity). But, there are details to it, that is, there is a general return for Sadaqah and Khairat which is received by everyone, believer or disbeliever, right here in the present world. That return comes in the form of the removal of disasters and hardships. Then, there is the return which is particularly attached to the 'Akhirah (Hereafter), that is, the Jannah (Paradise). That is for the believers only. Since the addressee here is the ` Aziz of Misr - and the brothers of Yusuf (علیہ السلام) did not know at that time whether or not he was a believer - therefore, they opted for a sentence which was general, and which included the return of the present world, as well as that of the Hereafter. (Bayan al-Qur'an) Besides, this being an address to the ` Aziz of Misr, the occasion obviously demanded that the address in this sentence should have been direct, as: ` Allah will give you the best of return.' But, as his being a believer was not known, therefore, the form of address used was general, and any special return for him was not mentioned. (Qurtubi) 3. The sentence: قَدْ مَنَّ اللَّـهُ عَلَيْنَا (Allah has been very kind to us) in verse 90 proves that, should one be in some distress or hardship, then, Allah Ta’ ala delivers one from these and showers him or her with his blessings, now, after that, such a person should not talk about his past hardships anymore. Instead, one should remember nothing but this blessing and favour of Allah Ta` ala which one now has. After having been delivered from distress, and after having been blessed by Divine rewards, to continue crying over past hardships is ingratitude. Such an ungrateful person has been called: کَنُود (kanud) in the Holy Qur'an: إِنَّ الْإِنسَانَ لِرَ‌بِّهِ لَكَنُودٌ (Truly, man is to his Lord, ungrateful - 100:6). The word, kanud, refers to a person who does not remember favours received, but does remember hardships faced. Therefore, Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) made no mention at this time of the hardships he had to undergo for a long time due to the actions of his brothers. Instead of that, he mentioned the blessings of Allah only. 4. The last sentence: إِنَّهُ مَن يَتَّقِ وَيَصْبِرْ‌, (Surely, whoever fears Allah and observes patience, then Allah does not waste the reward of the good-doers) in verse 90 tells us that Taqwa, that is, abstention from sins, and Sabr, that is, patience and fortitude, are two qualities which deliver one from every disaster and distress. The Holy Qur'an has said at several places that a person's prosperity and success depend on these two qualities, for example: وَإِن تَصْبِرُ‌وا وَتَتَّقُوا لَا يَضُرُّ‌كُمْ كَيْدُهُمْ شَيْئًا ، that is, ` if you keep patience and fear Allah, their cunning shall not harm you at all - 3:120.' A surface view of the verse here may suggest that Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) is claiming to be God-fearing and patient in the sense that it was because of his Taqwa and Sabr that he was blessed with deliverance from difficulties and rewarded with high ranks. But, no one can claim Taqwa for himself. It is prohibited by definite statements in the Holy Qur'an, for example: فَلَا تُزَكُّوا أَنفُسَكُمْ ۖ هُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِمَنِ اتَّقَىٰ (Therefore do not claim purity for yourself: He knows best who it is that guards against evil - 53:32). But, in reality, there is no claim here. Instead, this is a confession of the blessings and favours of Allah Ta’ ala, for He first gave him the Taufiq of Sabr and Taqwa and then, through it, came all blessings from Him. The declaration: لَا تَثْرِ‌يبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الْيَوْمَ (No reproach upon you today) in verse 92 has been made from the highest level of good morals whereby the oppressor was not only forgiven, but spared from reproach too.

(He said) Joseph said to them: (Have no fear this day!) he says: I will not reproach you today. (May Allah forgive you) for what you did, (and He is the Most Merciful of those who show mercy) He is more Merciful than one's own parents.