Tafsir of Surah Yusuf - Verse 91

Yusuf reveals His True Identity to His Brothers and forgives Them

Allah says, when Yusuf's brothers told him about the afflictions and hardship, and shortages in food they suffered from in the aftermath of the drought that struck them, and he remembered his father's grief for losing his two children, he felt compassion, pity and mercy for his father and brothers. He felt this way, especially since he was enjoying kingship, authority and power, so he cried and revealed his true identity to them when he asked them,

هَلْ عَلِمْتُمْ مَّا فَعَلْتُم بِيُوسُفَ وَأَخِيهِ إِذْ أَنتُمْ جَـهِلُونَ

(Do you know what you did with Yusuf and his brother, when you were ignorant) meaning, `when you separated between Yusuf and his brother,'

إِذْ أَنتُمْ جَـهِلُونَ

(when you were ignorant) He said, `What made you do this is your ignorance of the tremendous sin you were about to commit.' It appears, and Allah knows best, that Yusuf revealed his identity to his brothers only then by Allah's command, just as he hid his identity from them in the first two meetings, by Allah's command. When the affliction became harder, Allah sent His relief from that affliction, just as He said He does,

فَإِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْراً - إِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْراً

(Verily, along with every hardship is relief. Verily, along with every hardship is relief.)94:5-6 This is when they said to Yusuf,

أَءِنَّكَ لاّنتَ يُوسُفُ

(Are you indeed Yusuf), in amazement, because they had been meeting him for more than two years while unaware of who he really was. Yet, he knew who they were and hid this news from them. Therefore, they asked in astonishment,

أَءِنَّكَ لاّنتَ يُوسُفُ قَالَ أَنَاْ يُوسُفُ وَهَـذَا أَخِى

(Are you indeed Yusuf He said: "I am Yusuf, and this is my brother...") Yusuf said next,

قَدْ مَنَّ اللَّهُ عَلَيْنَآ

`(Allah has indeed been gracious to us.) by gathering us together after being separated all this time,'

إِنَّهُ مَن يَتَّقِ وَيِصْبِرْ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ لاَ يُضِيعُ أَجْرَ الْمُحْسِنِينَقَالُواْ تَاللَّهِ لَقَدْ آثَرَكَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْنَا

("Verily, he who has Taqwa, and is patient, then surely, Allah makes not the reward of the gooddoers to be lost." They said: "By Allah! Indeed Allah has preferred you above us.") They affirmed Yusuf's virtue above them, being blessed with beauty, conduct, richness, kingship, authority and, above all, prophethood. They admitted their error and acknowledged that they made a mistake against him,

قَالَ لاَ تَثْرَيبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الْيَوْمَ

(He said: "No reproach on you this day.") He said to them, `There will be no blame for you today or admonishment, and I will not remind you after today of your error against me.' He then multiplied his generosity by invoking Allah for them for mercy,

يَغْفِرُ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ وَهُوَ أَرْحَمُ الرَحِمِينَ

(may Allah forgive you, and He is the Most Merciful of those who show mercy!)

Now the brothers of Yusuf (علیہ السلام) had no choice left with them but to confess the wrongs they had done and admit the grace and excellence of Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) . So, in one voice, they all said: تَاللَّـهِ لَقَدْ آثَرَ‌كَ اللَّـهُ عَلَيْنَا وَإِن كُنَّا لَخَاطِئِينَ : ` By God, Allah has given to you preference over us [ which you deserved ], and we were surely in error [ in whatever we did - and so, forgive us in the name of Allah ].' To this in reply, Sayyidna Yusuf' (علیہ السلام) said what a prophet of his stature would say:

When the truth came out into the open, Joseph’s brothers acknowledged Joseph’s greatness and freely admitted their guilt. In the same way, Joseph also showed such broadmindedness as a true God-worshipper is expected to show on such occasions. He did not condemn his brothers. He completely forgot and forgave the bitter experiences of the past and once again entered into fraternal relations with his brothers. In this incident there is an example of a combination of divine and human help. And through this incident, circumstances were created which favoured the Children of Israel leaving Palestine and reaching Egypt where they attained a position of honour and prosperity. It was during the time of Joseph that the family of Jacob shifted to Egypt and for the next five hundred years they lived there with dignity and honour. According to the Bible, the number of members of Jacob’s family who went to Egypt was sixty seven.