How Did Yaqoub Receive the News That His Sons Had Found Yusuf?
كيف تلقى يعقوب خبر أن أبناءه وجدوا أخاهم يوسف؟
First, when Yusuf pbuh told his brothers to go to their father with his shirt… Etc., they went out riding their caravans, and when their convoy moved away from its place in Egypt coming towards Palestine, Yaqoub pbuh smelled the scent of Yusuf, which is extraordinary, a power which Allah had given to His prophet Yaqoub, peace be upon him.
Secondly, Yaqoub pbuh told those around him about the scent he smelled with the breeze that blew, and he told them: “If you did not think that senility had overtaken me, you would have believed what I am telling you.”
Thirdly: those who were with him answered him as he had expected of them, and said to him, “You are still lost in the sea of love; you do not know what you are saying or what is happening around you.”
(When the caravan departed ˹from Egypt˺, their father said ˹to those around him˺, “You may think I am senile, but I certainly sense the smell of Joseph.” They replied, “By Allah! You are definitely still in your old delusion.”)
Fourth: Someone came to give the father the good news that his sons were alive, and he threw the shirt on Yaqoub’s face, and Allah gave him back his sight. Here Yaqoub pbuh reminded them of what he told them before they left to look for Yusuf and his brother, “Did I not tell you that I truly know from Allah what you do not know?”
Fifth: The brothers here admitted that they had hurt their father greatly, because they deprived him of his son and kept his son away from him, and they lied to him, and they said to him: “Ask for us forgiveness of our sins; indeed, we have been sinners.”
Yaqoub answered their request, “I will ask forgiveness for you from my Lord,” to show that he would keep asking forgiveness for them in the time to come, because he wanted to alert them to the gravity of the sin and the greatness of Allah the Exalted, and that he would repeat his prayer for their forgiveness in times to come; and my hope in Him is that He will forgive you, have mercy on you and cover you with His mercy.
“I will ask forgiveness for you from my Lord. Indeed, it is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful.” (Yusuf 12:98)
أولاً: لما قال يوسف لأخوته اذهبوا بالقميص…إلخ، خرجوا وارتحلوا بالقوافل، فلما ابتعدت قافلتهم عن مكانها في مصر مقبلة على فلسطين اشتم يعقوب رائحة يوسف، وهو أمر خارق للعادة أجراه الله لنبيه يعقوب-عليه السلام-
ثانيًا: حدث يعقوب من عنده بالريح الذي اشتمه، وقال لهم لولا أنكم تعتقدون أن الخرف قد أصابني لصدقتم ما أقوله لكم
ثالثًا: أجابه من كان عنده بما ظنه فيهم فقالوا له: لا تزال تائها في بحر الحبّ لا تدري ما تقول ولا تدري ما يحدث حولك
“وَلَمَّا فَصَلَتِ الْعِيرُ قَالَ أَبُوهُمْ إِنِّي لأجِدُ رِيحَ يُوسُفَ لَوْلا أَنْ تُفَنِّدُونِ * قَالُوا تَاللَّهِ إِنَّكَ لَفِي ضَلالِكَ الْقَدِيمِ”
رابعًا: حضر من يبشر الأب بوجود أبنائه، وألقى القميص على وجه يعقوب فرد الله عليه بصره، وهنا ذكرهم يعقوب بما قال لهم قبل أن يرحلوا للبحث عن يوسف وأخيه، “أَلَمْ أَقُلْ لَكُمْ إِنِّي أَعْلَمُ مِنَ اللَّهِ مَا لا تَعْلَمُونَ”
خامسًا: اعترف الإخوة هنا أنهم قد آذوا أباهم أذية عظيمة فحرموه من ولده ومنعوا ولده منه، وكذبوا عليه، فقالوا له: “اسْتَغْفِرْ لَنَا ذُنُوبَنَا إِنَّا كُنَّا خَاطِئِينَ”
قال لهم يعقوب مجيبًا لطلبهم “سوف أستغفر لكم ربي” وذلك للدلالة على أنه سيلازم الاستغفار لهم في الزمن المستقبل، وذلك لأنه أراد أن ينبههم إلى عظم الذنب، وعظمة الله تعالى، وأنه سيكرر الاستغفار لهم في أزمنة مستقبلة، ورجائي به أن يغفر لكم ويرحمكم، ويتغمدكم برحمته.
“قَالَ سَوْفَ أَسْتَغْفِرُ لَكُمْ رَبِّي إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ” (يوسف 12: 98)
1. The Same Scene, Seen Through the Brothers’ Eyes | نفس المشهد من منظور الإخوة
Yaqoub sensing Yusuf’s scent, being doubted, and regaining his sight the instant the shirt touched him are covered in full in how Yaqoub regained his sight. What this page adds is what happened immediately after: the conversation between Yaqoub and the sons who had wronged him.
إحساس يعقوب برائحة يوسف، وشكوك من حوله فيه، واستعادة بصره فور لمس القميص، كلها تناولناها بالكامل في مقال كيف استرجع يعقوب بصره. وما تضيفه هذه الصفحة هو ما حدث مباشرة بعد ذلك: الحوار بين يعقوب وأبنائه الذين أخطأوا في حقه.
2. An Honest Confession at Last | اعتراف صادق أخيرا
Having already admitted their wrong to Yusuf (peace be upon him) (12:91), the brothers now state plainly to their father that they had sinned, without softening it or shifting blame elsewhere. This stands in direct contrast to the false account and staged evidence they had once brought their father about Yusuf, and marks the clearest sign yet of the sincere change the surah has been tracing in them since the episode with the king’s cup.
بعد أن أقروا بخطئهم أمام يوسف (يوسف 12: 91)، يصرّح الإخوة الآن لأبيهم بوضوح بأنهم أذنبوا، دون تلطيف أو إلقاء اللوم على غيرهم. ويقف هذا على طرف نقيض تام مع الرواية الكاذبة والدليل الملفق الذي أحضروه يوما لأبيهم بشأن يوسف، ويمثل أوضح إشارة حتى الآن على التغير الصادق الذي ما فتئت السورة تتبعه فيهم منذ حادثة صواع الملك.
3. Asking Their Father to Ask on Their Behalf | طلبوا من أبيهم أن يستغفر لهم
Rather than only asking Allah for forgiveness themselves, the brothers specifically ask their father to seek it for them. Turning to a righteous parent to intercede in supplication, rather than treating personal repentance and a loved one’s prayer as competing options, fits what the Prophet ﷺ said: “Three supplications are answered, there is no doubt about them: the supplication of the parent, the supplication of the traveler, and the supplication of the oppressed” (Sunan Abu Dawud 1536, hasan per al-Albani).
بدلا من الاكتفاء بطلب المغفرة من الله بأنفسهم، طلب الإخوة تحديدا من أبيهم أن يستغفر لهم. واللجوء إلى والد صالح ليتوسط بالدعاء، بدلا من معاملة التوبة الشخصية ودعاء الأحبة خيارين متنافسين، يوافق قول النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم: “ثلاث دعوات مستجابات لا شك فيهن: دعوة الوالد، ودعوة المسافر، ودعوة المظلوم” (سنن أبي داود 1536، وحسنه الألباني).
4. “I Will Ask,” Not a Refusal | “سوف أستغفر” لا رفض
Yaqoub does not say he already forgives them, nor does he decline their request. He answers with a promise to ask on their behalf, in the future tense, neither dismissing what they had done nor abandoning them to it. Ibn Kathir reports from Ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him), Ibrahim al-Taymi, ‘Amr ibn Qays, Ibn Jurayj and others that he delayed it to the time just before dawn.
لا يقول يعقوب إنه يسامحهم بالفعل، ولا يرفض طلبهم. بل يجيب بوعد أن يستغفر لهم، بصيغة المستقبل، فلا يستهين بما فعلوه ولا يتخلى عنهم فيه. وينقل ابن كثير عن ابن مسعود وإبراهيم التيمي وعمرو بن قيس وابن جريج وغيرهم أنه أرجأهم إلى وقت السحر.
5. A Family Being Rebuilt Before It Is Reunited | أسرة تُبنى من جديد قبل أن تجتمع
This confession and Yaqoub’s response happen before the family physically reunites in Egypt. The relationship is repaired through honesty, apology, and a promise of prayer first, showing that for this family, being brought back together in one place came after first being honest with one another about what had happened.
يحدث هذا الاعتراف ورد يعقوب قبل أن تجتمع الأسرة فعليا في مصر. وتُصلح العلاقة بالصدق والاعتذار ووعد الدعاء أولا، مما يبين أن لم شمل هذه الأسرة في مكان واحد جاء بعد الصدق المتبادل أولا حول ما حدث.
Frequently Asked Questions | الأسئلة الشائعة
What did the brothers say to their father after his sight returned?
They admitted outright that they had sinned and asked him to seek Allah’s forgiveness for them.
Did Yaqoub forgive them immediately?
He did not say he already forgave them himself, but promised to ask Allah’s forgiveness for them.
Why did the brothers ask their father to pray for them instead of just repenting themselves?
They wanted their righteous father’s supplication for them specifically, alongside their own repentance.
What did Yaqoub mean by promising to ask forgiveness for them later?
Ibn Kathir reports from Ibn Mas’ud and others that he delayed his prayer for them to the time just before dawn, while still promising it.
Which verses of the Quran record this confession?
Surah Yusuf 12:97-98.