Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (4/282)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

It is related in the account that, when Allah restored his family circle and brought his parents and household to him, he longed to meet his Lord, glorified and exalted is He, and so uttered this supplication.

Al-Hasan said: He lived for many years after this. Others said: After making this statement, not even a week had passed before he died.

They differed concerning the length of Joseph’s absence from his father. Al-Kalbi said: Twenty-two years. It was also said: Forty years.

Al-Hasan said: Joseph was cast into the well when he was seventeen years old. He was absent from his father for eighty years, lived for twenty-three years after meeting Jacob, and died at the age of one hundred and twenty.

The Torah states that he died at the age of one hundred and ten. Joseph had three children by the wife of al-Aziz: Ephraim, Misha, and Rahmah, the wife of Job, who was tried with affliction, peace be upon him.

It was also said that Joseph lived for sixty years after his father; and it was said, even longer. The reports concerning this differ.

He died at the age of one hundred and twenty, and they buried him in the Nile in a marble coffin. This was because, when he died, the people disputed over him: the inhabitants of every district wanted him buried in their own district, hoping for his blessing, until they were on the verge of fighting. They therefore decided to bury him in the Nile, where its waters divide in Egypt, so that the water would flow over him and his blessing would reach them all.

Ikrimah said: He was buried on the right bank [187/b] of the Nile, and that bank became fertile while the other bank became barren. [He was then moved to the left bank, and that bank became fertile while the other bank became barren.] (1) They then buried him in its middle, determining this by means of a chain, whereupon both banks became fertile, until Moses brought him out and buried him near his forefathers in Syria. (2)

“That is from the accounts of the unseen which We reveal to you. You were not with them when they resolved upon their plan and were plotting. Yet most people, however eagerly you desire it, will not believe.” (102–103)

“That” is what I have mentioned; “from the accounts of the unseen which We reveal to you. You were not with them”—that is, O Muhammad, you were not present with the sons of Jacob—“when they resolved upon their plan,” meaning, when they determined to cast Joseph into the well, “and were plotting” against Joseph.

“Yet most people,” O Muhammad, “however eagerly you desire it, will not believe”—that is, however eager you are for them to believe.

It is related that the Jews and the Quraysh asked the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, about the story of Joseph. When he informed them of it in accordance with the Torah, they did not embrace Islam. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, was grieved, and he was told: They will not believe, even if you are eager for them to believe. (3)

(1) Omitted in “B.” (2) See the previous references. (3) Ibn al-Anbari said: “The Quraysh and the Jews asked the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, about the story of Joseph and his brothers. He explained it to them fully, hoping that this would lead to their acceptance of Islam. However, they proved contrary to his expectation, and the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, was grieved. Thereupon Allah Most High consoled him with this verse.” See Zad al-Masir, 4:293; al-Bahr al-Muhit, 5:350.

وَفِي الْقِصَّةِ: لَمَّا جَمَعَ اللَّهُ شَمَلَهُ وَأَوْصَلَ إِلَيْهِ أَبَوَيْهِ وَأَهْلَهُ اشْتَاقَ إِلَى رَبِّهِ ﷿ فَقَالَ هَذِهِ الْمَقَالَةَ. قَالَ الْحَسَنُ: عَاشَ بَعْدَ هَذَا سِنِينَ كَثِيرَةً. وَقَالَ غَيْرُهُ: لَمَّا قَالَ هَذَا الْقَوْلَ لَمْ يَمْضِ عَلَيْهِ أُسْبُوعٌ حَتَّى تُوُفِّيَ. وَاخْتَلَفُوا فِي مُدَّةِ غَيْبَةِ يُوسُفَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ، فَقَالَ الْكَلْبِيُّ: اثْنَتَانِ وَعِشْرُونَ سَنَةً. وَقِيلَ: أَرْبَعُونَ سَنَةً. وَقَالَ الْحَسَنُ: أُلْقِيَ يُوسُفُ فِي الْجُبِّ وَهُوَ ابْنُ سَبْعَ عَشْرَةَ سَنَةً، وَغَابَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ ثَمَانِينَ سَنَةً، وَعَاشَ بَعْدَ لِقَاءِ يَعْقُوبَ ثَلَاثًا وَعِشْرِينَ سَنَةً، وَمَاتَ وَهُوَ ابْنُ مِائَةٍ وَعِشْرِينَ سَنَةً. وَفِي التَّوْرَاةِ مَاتَ وَهُوَ ابْنُ مِائَةٍ وَعَشْرِ سِنِينَ، وَوُلِدَ لِيُوسُفَ من امرأة العزير ثَلَاثَةُ أَوْلَادٍ: أَفْرَائِيمُ وَمِيشَا وَرَحْمَةُ امْرَأَةُ أَيُّوبَ الْمُبْتَلَى ﵇. وَقِيلَ: عَاشَ يُوسُفُ بَعْدَ أَبِيهِ سِتِّينَ سَنَةً. وَقِيلَ: أَكْثَرُ. وَاخْتَلَفَتِ الْأَقَاوِيلُ فِيهِ. وَتُوُفِّيَ وَهُوَ ابْنُ مِائَةٍ وَعِشْرِينَ سَنَةً، فَدَفَنُوهُ فِي النِّيلِ فِي صُنْدُوقٍ مِنْ رُخَامٍ، وَذَلِكَ أَنَّهُ لَمَّا مَاتَ تَشَاحَّ النَّاسُ فِيهِ فَطَلَبَ أَهْلُ كُلِّ مَحِلَّةٍ أَنْ يُدْفَنَ فِي مَحِلَّتِهِمْ رَجَاءَ بَرَكَتِهِ، حَتَّى هَمُّوا بِالْقِتَالِ، فَرَأَوْا أَنْ يَدْفِنُوهُ فِي النِّيلِ حَيْثُ يَتَفَرَّقُ الْمَاءُ بِمِصْرَ لِيَجْرِيَ الْمَاءُ عَلَيْهِ وَتَصِلَ بَرَكَتُهُ إِلَى جَمِيعِهِمْ. وَقَالَ عِكْرِمَةُ: دُفِنَ فِي الجانب الأيمن ١٨٧/ب مِنَ النِّيلِ، فَأَخْصَبَ ذَلِكَ الْجَانِبُ وَأَجْدَبَ الْجَانِبُ الْآخَرُ، [فَنُقِلَ إِلَى الْجَانِبِ الْأَيْسَرِ فَأَخْصَبَ ذَلِكَ الْجَانِبُ وَأَجْدَبَ الْجَانِبُ الْآخَرُ] (١) ، فَدَفَنُوهُ فِي وَسَطِهِ وَقَدَّرُوا ذَلِكَ بِسِلْسِلَةٍ فَأَخْصَبَ الْجَانِبَانِ جَمِيعًا إِلَى أَنْ أَخْرَجَهُ مُوسَى فَدَفَنَهُ بِقُرْبِ آبَائِهِ بِالشَّامِ (٢) . ﴿ذَلِكَ مِنْ أَنْبَاءِ الْغَيْبِ نُوحِيهِ إِلَيْكَ وَمَا كُنْتَ لَدَيْهِمْ إِذْ أَجْمَعُوا أَمْرَهُمْ وَهُمْ يَمْكُرُونَ (١٠٢) وَمَا أَكْثَرُ النَّاسِ وَلَوْ حَرَصْتَ بِمُؤْمِنِينَ (١٠٣) ﴾ . ﴿ذَلِكَ﴾ الَّذِي ذَكَرْتُ، ﴿مِنْ أَنْبَاءِ الْغَيْبِ نُوحِيهِ إِلَيْكَ وَمَا كُنْتَ لَدَيْهِمْ﴾ أَيْ: مَا كُنْتَ يَا مُحَمَّدُ عِنْدَ أَوْلَادِ يَعْقُوبَ، ﴿إِذْ أَجْمَعُوا أَمْرَهُمْ﴾ أَيْ: عَزَمُوا عَلَى إِلْقَاءِ يُوسُفَ فِي الْجُبِّ، ﴿وَهُمْ يَمْكُرُونَ﴾ بِيُوسُفَ. ﴿وَمَا أَكْثَرُ النَّاسِ﴾ يَا مُحَمَّدُ، ﴿وَلَوْ حَرَصْتَ بِمُؤْمِنِينَ﴾ عَلَى إِيمَانِهِمْ. وَرُوِيَ أَنَّ الْيَهُودَ وَقُرَيْشًا سَأَلُوا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ عَنْ قِصَّةِ يُوسُفَ، فَلَمَّا أَخْبَرَهُمْ عَلَى مُوَافَقَةِ التَّوْرَاةِ لَمْ يُسْلِمُوا، فَحَزِنَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ، فَقِيلَ لَهُ: إِنَّهُمْ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ وَإِنْ حَرَصْتَ عَلَى إِيمَانِهِمْ (٣) .

(١) ساقط من "ب". (٢) انظر المراجع السابقة. (٣) قال ابن الأنباري: إن قريشا واليهود سألت رسول الله ﷺ عن قصة يوسف وإخوته، فشرحها شرحا شافيا وهو يؤمِّل أن يكون ذلك سببا لإسلامهم، فخالفوا ظنَّه، فحزن رسول الله ﷺ، فعزاه الله تعالى بهذه الآية. انظر: زاد المسير: ٤ / ٢٩٣، البحر المحيط: ٥ / ٣٥٠.