the unbelievers—meaning: never despair of relief after hardship. No one loses hope in the comfort and deliverance Allah brings, or in the escape He ordains when matters are tight, except a people who are disbelievers.
“So when they entered his presence they said, ‘O noble governor, hardship has befallen us and our families, and we have brought but paltry goods. Grant us full measure and be charitable to us; indeed Allah rewards those who give charity’ (88).
He said, ‘Do you realize what you did to Joseph and his brother when you were ignorant?’ (89).
They exclaimed, ‘Is it really you—Joseph?’ He answered, ‘I am Joseph, and this is my brother. Allah has truly been gracious to us. Whoever is mindful of Allah and patient—surely Allah never lets the reward of those who excel go to waste’ (90).
They said, ‘By Allah, Allah has indeed preferred you above us, and we were certainly at fault’ (91).
He replied, ‘No reproach shall be upon you today. May Allah forgive you; He is the Most Merciful of the merciful’ (92).
‘Take this shirt of mine, cast it over my father’s face and he will regain his sight. Then bring me all your family, every last one’ (93). [Yūsuf 88-93]
The Almighty here recounts how Joseph’s brothers returned to him, came into his court, and, eager for the grain he dispensed, pleaded for charity by having their brother Benjamin restored to them.
“When they entered his presence they said, ‘O noble governor, hardship has afflicted us and our household’”—that is, famine, straitened circumstances, and many dependents—“‘and we have brought merchandise of little worth,’” meaning goods so poor that none would ordinarily accept them unless indulgence were shown.
Some said the goods were debased coins; others, that they were only a few in number; others still, that they consisted of pine nuts, pistachio kernels, and similar items. Ibn ʿAbbās said they were worn-out sacks (1), ropes, and the like. “So give us full measure and be charitable to us—indeed Allah rewards those who give charity,” that is, either by accepting the meager goods, as al-Suddi held, or by sending our brother back with us, as Ibn Jurayj understood. Sufyān ibn ʿUyaynah remarked that charity was made unlawful only for our Prophet Muḥammad—peace and blessings be upon him—and he cited this very verse, as related by Ibn Jarīr.
When Joseph saw the state they were in, and that what they had brought was all that remained to them of their scant wealth, he disclosed his identity and took pity on them. By Allah’s command—and after lifting the veil from his noble brow, revealing the distinguishing beauty-mark they knew full well—he said, “Do you know what you did to Joseph and his brother when you were ignorant?” They marveled beyond measure, for though they had come before him many times they had never realized who he was. “Is it really you—Joseph?” “I am Joseph, and this is my brother,” meaning: I am the very Joseph with whom you dealt as you did and towards whom you were remiss. His words “and this is my brother” reinforce the point and allude to the envy they had concealed for the two and the schemes they had devised against them.
“That,” he continued, “is because Allah has favored us”—by His benevolence, generosity, sheltering care, and the firm hold of our present honor—all of it a reward for our obedience to our Lord, the patience we showed toward what you inflicted on us, our dutiful treatment of our father, and his deep affection and compassion for us. “Whoever is mindful of Allah and patient, Allah will never squander the reward of those who do good.” (90)
They replied, “By Allah, Allah has indeed preferred you over us and we were in error,” acknowledging that He had granted Joseph a bounty denied to them and confessing their wrongdoing. Standing before him they heard him say, “No reproach shall be upon you today”—I shall not punish you for what is past—and he went further still: “May Allah forgive you; He is the Most Merciful of the merciful.”