Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (4/222)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

“And We inspired him: ‘You will surely one day inform them of this deed of theirs while they are unaware.’” The majority are of the view that Allah, exalted is He, inspired Joseph with this and sent Gabriel, peace be upon him, to comfort him, give him glad tidings of deliverance, and inform him that he would tell them what they had done and repay them for it while they were unaware (1).

Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said: Then they slaughtered a young goat and smeared its blood upon Joseph’s shirt, peace be upon him.

“And they came to their father in the evening, weeping. They said, ‘O our father, we went off racing one another and left Joseph with our belongings, and the wolf ate him. But you would not believe us, even if we were truthful.’ And they brought his shirt stained with false blood. He said, ‘Rather, your souls have enticed you to something. So beautiful patience is required, and Allah is the One whose help is sought against what you describe.’”

“And they came to their father in the evening, weeping.” The scholars of meaning said: They came in the darkness of evening so that they would be bolder in offering their false excuse. It is related that Jacob, peace be upon him, heard their cries and wailing, so he came out and said, “What is the matter with you, my sons? Has anything happened to your sheep?” They replied, “No.” He said, “Then what has happened to you, and where is Joseph?”

“They said, ‘O our father, we went off racing one another.’” That is, competing in shooting arrows and archery. Al-Suddi said: “We were running hard on foot.” “And we left Joseph with our belongings,” that is, with our clothes and garments. “And the wolf ate him. But you would not believe us,” meaning, you would not accept our word, “even if we were truthful”—that is, even if we truly were truthful.

If it is asked: How could they say to Jacob, “You do not believe one who is truthful?”

It is said: Its meaning is that you suspect us in this matter because you feared us from the outset and suspected us regarding him.

It was also said that it means: You will not believe us because we have no evidence to prove our truthfulness, even though we are truthful in the sight of Allah.

“And they brought his shirt stained with false blood,” that is, blood that was false, because it was not Joseph’s blood. It was also said: blood falsely attributed to him; the verbal noun is used here in place of an adjective.

The account relates that they smeared the shirt with blood but did not tear it. Jacob, peace be upon him, said, “How could the wolf have eaten him without tearing his shirt?” Thus, he suspected them.

He said, “Rather, your souls have enticed you to something. So beautiful patience is required.” That is: My course is beautiful patience, or my response is beautiful patience.

(1) Ibn Atiyyah said: “It is possible that the revelation to Yusuf at that time came through a messenger; it is also possible that it came by inspiration or in a dream. All of these views have been expressed.” Al-Hasan said: “Allah granted him prophethood in the well.” This is far-fetched. See: Al-Muharrar al-Wajiz, 4:453.

﴿وَأَوْحَيْنَا إِلَيْهِ لَتُنَبِّئَنَّهُمْ بِأَمْرِهِمْ هَذَا﴾ الْأَكْثَرُونَ عَلَى أَنَّ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى أَوْحَى إِلَيْهِ بِهَذَا وَبَعَثَ إِلَيْهِ جِبْرِيلَ ﵇ يُؤْنِسُهُ وَيُبَشِّرُهُ بِالْخُرُوجِ، وَيُخْبِرُهُ أَنَّهُ يُنَبِّئُهُمْ بِمَا فَعَلُوهُ وَيُجَازِيهِمْ عَلَيْهِ وَهُمْ لَا يَشْعُرُونَ (١) . قَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ ﵄: ثُمَّ إِنَّهُمْ ذَبَحُوا سَخْلَةً وَجَعَلُوا دَمَهَا عَلَى قَمِيصِ يُوسُفَ ﵇. ﴿وَجَاءُوا أَبَاهُمْ عِشَاءً يَبْكُونَ (١٦) قَالُوا يَا أَبَانَا إِنَّا ذَهَبْنَا نَسْتَبِقُ وَتَرَكْنَا يُوسُفَ عِنْدَ مَتَاعِنَا فَأَكَلَهُ الذِّئْبُ وَمَا أَنْتَ بِمُؤْمِنٍ لَنَا وَلَوْ كُنَّا صَادِقِينَ (١٧) وَجَاءُوا عَلَى قَمِيصِهِ بِدَمٍ كَذِبٍ قَالَ بَلْ سَوَّلَتْ لَكُمْ أَنْفُسُكُمْ أَمْرًا فَصَبْرٌ جَمِيلٌ وَاللَّهُ الْمُسْتَعَانُ عَلَى مَا تَصِفُونَ (١٨) ﴾ . ﴿وَجَاءُوا أَبَاهُمْ عِشَاءً يَبْكُونَ﴾ قَالَ أهل المعاني: جاؤوا فِي ظُلْمَةِ الْعِشَاءِ لِيَكُونُوا أَجْرَأَ عَلَى الِاعْتِذَارِ بِالْكَذِبِ. وَرُوِيَ أَنَّ يَعْقُوبَ ﵇ سَمِعَ صِيَاحَهُمْ وَعَوِيلَهُمْ فَخَرَجَ وَقَالَ: مَا لَكُمْ يَا بَنِيَّ هَلْ أَصَابَكُمْ فِي غَنَمِكُمْ شَيْءٌ؟ قَالُوا: لَا. قَالَ: فَمَا أَصَابَكُمْ وَأَيْنَ يُوسُفُ؟؟. ﴿قَالُوا يَا أَبَانَا إِنَّا ذَهَبْنَا نَسْتَبِقُ﴾ أَيْ: نَتَرَامَى وَنَنْتَضِلُ، وَقَالَ السُّدِّيُّ: نَشْتَدُّ عَلَى أَقْدَامِنَا. ﴿وَتَرَكْنَا يُوسُفَ عِنْدَ مَتَاعِنَا﴾ أَيْ: عِنْدَ ثِيَابِنَا وَأَقْمِشَتِنَا. ﴿فَأَكَلَهُ الذِّئْبُ وَمَا أَنْتَ بِمُؤْمِنٍ لَنَا﴾ بِمُصَدِّقٍ لَنَا، ﴿وَلَوْ كُنَّا﴾ وَإِنْ كُنَّا ﴿صَادِقِينَ﴾ . فَإِنْ قِيلَ: كَيْفَ قَالُوا لِيَعْقُوبَ أَنْتَ لَا تُصَدِّقُ الصَّادِقَ؟. قِيلَ: مَعْنَاهُ إِنَّكَ تَتَّهِمُنَا فِي هَذَا الْأَمْرِ لِأَنَّكَ خِفْتَنَا فِي الِابْتِدَاءِ وَاتَّهَمْتَنَا فِي حَقِّهِ. وَقِيلَ: مَعْنَاهُ لَا تُصَدِّقُنَا لِأَنَّهُ لَا دَلِيلَ لَنَا عَلَى صِدْقِنَا وَإِنْ كُنَّا صَادِقِينَ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ. ﴿وَجَاءُوا عَلَى قَمِيصِهِ بِدَمٍ كَذِبٍ﴾ أَيْ: بِدَمٍ هُوَ كَذِبٌ، لِأَنَّهُ لَمْ يَكُنْ دَمَ يُوسُفَ. وَقِيلَ: بِدَمٍ مَكْذُوبٍ فِيهِ، فَوَضَعَ الْمَصْدَرَ مَوْضِعَ الِاسْمِ. وَفِي الْقِصَّةِ: أَنَّهُمْ لَطَّخُوا الْقَمِيصَ بِالدَّمِ وَلَمْ يَشُقُّوهُ، فَقَالَ يَعْقُوبُ ﵇: كَيْفَ أَكَلَهُ الذِّئْبُ وَلَمْ يَشُقَّ قَمِيصَهُ؟ فَاتَّهَمَهُمْ. ﴿قَالَ بَلْ سَوَّلَتْ﴾ زَيَّنَتْ، ﴿لَكُمْ أَنْفُسُكُمْ أَمْرًا فَصَبْرٌ جَمِيلٌ﴾ مَعْنَاهُ: فَأَمْرِي صَبْرٌ جَمِيلٌ أَوْ فِعْلِي صَبْرٌ جَمِيلٌ.

(١) قال ابن عطية: ويحتمل أن يكون الوحي حينئذ إلى يوسف برسول، ويحتمل أن يكون بإلهام أو نوم، وكل ذلك قد قيل. وقال الحسن: أعطاه الله النبوة في الجب. وهذا بعيد. انظر: المحرر الوجيز: ٤ / ٤٥٣.