Who Was the Prophet Whose Eyes Turned White Due to Grief? Which Ayah Mentions That?
مَن النبي الذي ابيضت عيناه من الحزن، وفي أي آية ذُكر ذلك؟
Yaqoub, peace be upon him.
(“And his eyes turned white out of the grief he suppressed.”) (Yusuf 12:84)
سيدنا يعقوب عليه السلام.
قال الله تعالى: (وَابْيَضَّتْ عَيْنَاهُ مِنَ الْحُزْنِ فَهُوَ كَظِيمٌ) (يوسف 12: 84)
1. Turning Away From His Sons | إعراضه عن بنيه
The same ayah opens with the moment: “He turned away from them, lamenting, ‘Alas, poor Joseph!'” Ibn Kathir explains that Yaqoub (peace be upon him) turned away from his sons and spoke “remembering the old grief for Yusuf.” This was many years after Yusuf was first lost, and the sorrow was still fresh enough to cost him his eyesight, a physical toll from a wound he had carried for years.
قال الله تعالى في صدر الآية نفسها: (وَتَوَلَّىٰ عَنْهُمْ وَقَالَ يَا أَسَفَىٰ عَلَىٰ يُوسُفَ) (يوسف 12: 84). قال ابن كثير: “أي: أعرض عن بنيه وقال متذكرًا حزن يوسف القديم الأول”. وكان ذلك بعد سنين طويلة من فقد يوسف عليه السلام، وبقي حزنه حيًّا حتى ذهب ببصره، فكان ذلك أثرًا في بدنه لما كابده سنين.
2. Suppressed Grief, Not Absent Patience | حزنٌ مكتوم لا صبرٌ مفقود
The ayah calls him “kazim,” one who suppresses and contains what he feels rather than releasing it outwardly. This matches his own earlier words, “So I am left with nothing but beautiful patience!” (Yusuf 12:83), said right after his sons brought him news of Yusuf’s brother. His whitened eyes were not a sign that his patience had failed; they were the visible cost of holding an enormous grief in check for years rather than a moment of losing composure.
وصفه الله تعالى في الآية بأنه (كَظِيمٌ) (يوسف 12: 84)، والكظيم هو الذي يكتم ما يجده في نفسه ولا يُظهره. ويوافق هذا قوله قبل ذلك: (فَصَبْرٌ جَمِيلٌ) (يوسف 12: 83)، وقد قاله بعد أن جاءه بنوه بخبر شقيق يوسف عليه السلام. فلم يكن ابيضاض عينيه علامة على ضعف صبره، بل كان أثرًا ظاهرًا لكتمان حزن عظيم سنين طويلة، ولم يكن جزعًا في ساعة ضعف.
3. Where He Directed His Complaint | إلى مَن وجّه شكواه
His sons responded harshly, telling him he would not stop remembering Yusuf “until you lose your health or even your life” (Yusuf 12:85). Yaqoub’s answer defines the whole episode: “I complain of my anguish and sorrow only to Allah, and I know from Allah what you do not know” (Yusuf 12:86). He never complained to people, only to Allah. Ibn Kathir reports that Ibn Abbas explained this knowledge as his certainty that Yusuf’s dream was true and that Allah would surely fulfil it.
ردّ عليه بنوه بقسوة، فقالوا إنه لن يكف عن ذكر يوسف عليه السلام (حَتَّىٰ تَكُونَ حَرَضًا أَوْ تَكُونَ مِنَ الْهَالِكِينَ) (يوسف 12: 85). فأجابهم يعقوب عليه السلام جوابًا يلخص القصة كلها: (إِنَّمَا أَشْكُو بَثِّي وَحُزْنِي إِلَى اللَّهِ وَأَعْلَمُ مِنَ اللَّهِ مَا لَا تَعْلَمُونَ) (يوسف 12: 86). فلم يشكُ إلى الناس، بل إلى الله تعالى وحده. ونقل ابن كثير عن ابن عباس رضي الله عنهما أن المراد: “رؤيا يوسف أنها صدق وأن الله لا بد أن يظهرها”.
Frequently Asked Questions | الأسئلة الشائعة
Which prophet’s eyes turned white from grief?
Prophet Yaqoub, over the loss of his son Yusuf.
Which ayah records Yaqoub’s eyes turning white from grief?
Surah Yusuf 12:84 records that Yaqoub turned away from his sons, grieving for Yusuf, and that his eyes turned white with sorrow.
What does “kazim” mean in this ayah?
One who suppresses and contains grief internally rather than releasing it outwardly.
Who did Yaqoub complain to about his grief?
Only to Allah, as he told his sons directly in Yusuf 12:86.