Transliteration:( Wa jaaa'oo 'alaa qameesi hee bidamin kazib qaala bal sawwalat lakum anfusukum amraa; fasabrun jameel; wallaahul musta'aanu 'alaa maatasifoon )
"And they brought his shirt stained with false blood [31]. He said, 'Your souls have made something seem fair to you [32]. Patience is most fitting, and Allah is the only source of help against what you describe.'"
The brothers of Hazrat Yusuf (on whom be peace) staged their lie by slaughtering a sheep and dipping Hazrat Yusuf's (on whom be peace) shirt in its blood. Hazrat Yaqoob (on whom be peace) placed the shirt on his eyes and cried intensely, noting that the wolf must have been very strange — it ate his son but did not tear his shirt. This flaw exposed their lie, as they had forgotten to tear the shirt, revealing the falsehood in their claim.
From this, it is clear that Hazrat Yaqoob (on whom be peace) fully believed that the brothers were lying. A Prophet’s body cannot be devoured by an animal or even the sand in the grave, as Prophets are divinely protected. Hazrat Yaqoob (on whom be peace) had already understood from Hazrat Yusuf's (on whom be peace) dream that, in time, he would become a Prophet. This divine understanding led him to say, "You have most certainly fabricated this story", and he knew that they did not actually go in pursuit of Hazrat Yusuf (on whom be peace) into the jungle.
Hazrat Yaqoob (on whom be peace) was fully aware of the Divine secrets, but he chose not to reveal them at that time. His patience and trust in Allah as the ultimate source of help against the lies of his sons reflected his deep faith.
The tafsir of Surah Yusuf verse 18 by Ibn Kathir is unavailable here.
Please refer to Surah Yusuf ayat 16 which provides the complete commentary from verse 17 through 18.
(12:18) And they brought Joseph’s shirt, stained with false blood. Seeing this their father exclaimed: “Nay (this is not true); rather your evil souls have made it easy for you to commit a heinous act. So I will bear this patiently, and in good grace.[13] It is Allah’s help alone that I seek against your fabrication.”[14]
13. The literal meaning of “patience in grace” which implies a patience that enables one to endure all kinds of troubles and afflictions in a calm, self possessed and unemotional manner, without complaining or crying or weeping, as is worthy of great minds.
14. Prophet Jacob’s reaction to the news of Joseph’s death, as depicted in the Quran, is also different from that given in the Bible and the Talmud. According to them he was upset by the sad news and behaved like an ordinary father. The Bible says: And Jacob rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his loins. And mourned for his son many days. (Gen. 37: 34). And the Talmud says that at the sad news Jacob gave himself up to the abandonment of grief, and lay with his face to the ground and refused to be comforted, and cried: Some wild beast has devoured Joseph and I shall never see him more; and he mourned for Joseph for many years. (The Talmud, H. Polano, pp. 78, 79).
When we contrast this picture with the one depicted in the Quran, we clearly see that the Quranic picture is that of a dignified and great personality. He is not upset in the least at hearing the sad news of his beloved son but at once gets to the bottom of the matter, and tells the envious brothers: Your tale is false and fabricated. Then he shows good patience as a Prophet should and puts his trust in the help of God.
[588]- They had stained Joseph's shirt with the blood of a lamb but had forgotten to tear it, thereby arousing their father's suspicion.
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