Did Yusuf Take Revenge on His Brothers When He Had the Power To?
هل انتقم يوسف عليه السلام من إخوته حين قدر عليهم؟
No! He forgave them, and he attributed the mishap to Shaitan (the devil) who was to blame for what his brothers did.
Forgiveness is not easy for someone who had been treated badly, and humiliated, separated from his parents at an early age. To forgive requires a big heart and deep faith. To forgive brings peace to one’s heart and mind.
(They admitted, “By Allah! Allah has truly preferred you over us, and we have surely been sinful.” Yusuf pbuh said, “There is no blame on you today. May Allah forgive you! He is the Most Merciful of the merciful!”) Yusuf 12: 91-92
كلا، لم يعاقبهم، بل سامحهم ونسب مسؤولية الفعل الذي فعله إخوته إلى الشيطان.
المسامحة ليست سهلة، ولا سيما إذا كان الشخص عومل معاملة سيئة وتفرق عن أهله في سنّ صغيرة. والتسامح يحتاج إلى قلب كبير وإيمان عميق. والتسامح يجلب الطمأنينة إلى القلب والنفس.
قال الله تعالى: (قَالُوا تَاللَّـهِ لَقَدْ آثَرَكَ اللَّـهُ عَلَيْنَا وَإِن كُنَّا لَخَاطِئِينَ
قَالَ لَا تَثْرِيبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الْيَوْمَ يَغْفِرُ اللَّـهُ لَكُمْ وَهُوَ أَرْحَمُ الرَّاحِمِينَ) يوسف 12: 91-92
1. Blaming the Act, Not the Person | ذمّ الفعل لا الفاعل
Rather than framing what his brothers did as proof of who they fundamentally were, Yusuf attributed the wrongdoing itself to Shaitan’s influence. Scholars point to this as a distinction between condemning an act and condemning a person, one that made genuine forgiveness possible instead of a grudge dressed up as mercy.
لم يجعل يوسف عليه السلام ما صنعه إخوته دليلًا على حقيقة أنفسهم، بل نسب الإساءة نفسها إلى نزغ الشيطان. ويرى العلماء في ذلك تفريقًا بين ذمّ الفعل وذمّ الفاعل، وهو ما جعل العفو صادقًا، لا ضغينةً تلبس ثوب الرحمة.
2. “No Blame on You Today” | لا تثريب عليكم اليوم
Yusuf’s declaration is direct and unconditional, closing the matter rather than leaving it open with vague reassurance. Commentators note this as a complete, decisive release of the wrong done to him, not a partial forgiveness held in reserve to be brought up again later.
جاء قول يوسف عليه السلام: (لَا تَثْرِيبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الْيَوْمَ ۖ يَغْفِرُ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ ۖ وَهُوَ أَرْحَمُ الرَّاحِمِينَ) (يوسف 12: 92) صريحًا غير مشروط، فطوى الأمر ولم يتركه معلّقًا بتطمين مبهم. ويرى المفسرون فيه إبراءً تامًّا قاطعًا مما لحقه من أذى، لا عفوًا منقوصًا يُدّخر ليُثار من جديد.
3. A Confession That Came First | اعترافٌ سبق العفو
Before Yusuf speaks a word of forgiveness, his brothers acknowledge on their own that Allah had favored him over them and that they had been sinful. Their forgiveness follows an honest admission of wrong, not a demand Yusuf placed on them or a pardon extended before they owned what they had done.
قبل أن ينطق يوسف عليه السلام بكلمة عفو، أقرّ إخوته من تلقاء أنفسهم بأن الله آثره عليهم وأنهم كانوا خاطئين: (تَاللَّهِ لَقَدْ آثَرَكَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْنَا وَإِن كُنَّا لَخَاطِئِينَ) (يوسف 12: 91). فجاء العفو بعد اعتراف صادق بالخطأ صدر منهم طوعًا، لم يفرضه يوسف عليهم، ولم يصفح عنهم قبل إقرارهم بما صنعوا.
4. Mercy From a Position of Real Power | عفوٌ مع القدرة
By this point Yusuf held real authority in Egypt and could have used it against the very brothers who had once thrown him in a well. That the forgiveness came from someone who genuinely had the power to punish, and not from someone with no other option, is part of why scholars treat this moment as one of the clearest examples of forgiveness in the Quran.
كان يوسف عليه السلام قد صار ذا سلطان حقيقي في مصر، وكان في وسعه أن يبطش بإخوته الذين ألقوه يومًا في البئر. وصدور العفو ممن يقدر على العقوبة حقًّا، لا ممن لا يملك غير العفو، من أسباب عدّ العلماء هذا الموقف من أوضح أمثلة العفو في القرآن الكريم.
5. A Pattern Later Echoed by His Father | نهجٌ تكرر عند أبيه
The same combination Yusuf shows here, taking wrongdoing seriously while still extending mercy, appears again when Yaqoub (peace be upon him) answers the brothers’ later confession (see how Yaqoub received the news that his sons had found Yusuf). Father and son each respond to the same family’s sin with a mercy that neither excuses nor abandons the ones who wronged them.
وهذا الجمع الذي ظهر من يوسف عليه السلام، بين عدم التهوين من شأن الإساءة وبذل الرحمة، يظهر مرة أخرى حين أجاب يعقوب عليه السلام اعتراف أبنائه بعد ذلك، كما بيّنا في جواب: كيف تلقّى يعقوب عليه السلام خبر عثور أبنائه على يوسف؟ فكلٌّ من الأب والابن قابل ذنب الأسرة نفسها برحمة لا تبرّر الإساءة، ولا تتخلى عن المسيئين.
Frequently Asked Questions | الأسئلة الشائعة
Did Yusuf take revenge on his brothers?
No, he forgave them completely once they confessed their wrongdoing.
Who did Yusuf blame for what his brothers did to him?
He attributed it to Shaitan rather than treating it as proof of their true character.
Did the brothers apologize before Yusuf forgave them?
Yes, they admitted on their own that Allah had favored him over them and that they had been sinful.
What exactly did Yusuf say to them?
He told them there was no blame on them that day and prayed that Allah would forgive them.
Which verses of the Quran record this forgiveness?
Surah Yusuf 12:91-92.