Tafseer of Joseph · Yusuf · 12:86
He said, "I only complain of my suffering and my grief to Allah, and I know from Allah that which you do not know.
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
The discourse on the explanation of the saying of Allah the Exalted: قَالَ إِنَّمَا أَشْكُو بَثِّي وَحُزْنِي إِلَى اللَّهِ وَأَعْلَمُ مِنَ اللَّهِ مَا لا تَعْلَمُونَ (He said: I complain of my anguish and my grief only to Allah, and I know from Allah what you do not know) (86)
Abū Jaʿfar said: Allah the Exalted says: Yaʿqūb said to those of his sons who had said to him: تَاللَّهِ تَفْتَأُ تَذْكُرُ يُوسُفَ حَتَّى تَكُونَ حَرَضًا أَوْ تَكُونَ مِنَ الْهَالِكِينَ (By Allah, you will not cease remembering Yūsuf until you are worn out or become one of the perished): I do not complain of my anguish and my grief to you; I complain of that only to Allah.
By his saying: (I complain of my anguish (bathī)) he means: I complain of my worry and my grief only to Allah.
In accordance with what we have said about this, the exegetes spoke.
Mention of who said that:
19709 - Al-Qāsim related to us, saying: Al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj: (I complain of my anguish) — Ibn ʿAbbās said: "bathī" means my worry.
19710 - Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, saying: Salama related to us, on the authority of Ibn Isḥāq, who said: Yaʿqūb said, out of his knowledge about Allah: (I complain of my anguish and my grief only to Allah, and I know from Allah what you do not know) — after he had seen their roughness, harshness, and ill choice of words toward him: I do not complain of that to you. (And I know from Allah what you do not know.)
19711 - Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, saying: Abū Usāma related to us, on the authority of ʿAwf, on the authority of al-Ḥasan: (I complain of my anguish and my grief only to Allah) — he said: my need and my grief to Allah.
19712 - Al-Ḥasan ibn Muḥammad related to us, saying: Hawdha ibn Khalīfa related to us, saying: ʿAwf related to us, on the authority of al-Ḥasan — similarly.
It is said that "al-bath" is the most severe sorrow. In my opinion it comes from "baththa al-ḥadīth" (to spread the news); the meaning is: I complain only of my affair to Allah, the worry that I carry, and I communicate my news and my grief only to Allah.
19713 - Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to me, saying: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, saying: Yaḥyā ibn Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of ʿAwf, on the authority of al-Ḥasan: (I complain of my anguish) — he said: my grief.
19714 - Ibn Bashshār related to us, saying: Yaḥyā ibn Saʿīd related to me, on the authority of ʿAwf, on the authority of al-Ḥasan: (I complain of my anguish and my grief) — he said: my need.
As for his saying (and I know from Allah what you do not know) — Ibn ʿAbbās used to say about this, according to what is related from him, the following:
19715 - Muḥammad ibn Saʿd related to me, saying: My father related to me, saying: My uncle related to me, saying: My father related to me, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, concerning his saying: (and I know from Allah what you do not know) — he says: I know that the dream of Yūsuf is true, and that I will prostrate to him.
19716 - Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, saying: ʿAmr related to us, on the authority of Asbāṭ, on the authority of al-Suddī, who said: (I complain of my anguish and my grief only to Allah, and I know from Allah what you do not know) — he said: When they informed him about the summons of the king, the soul of Yaʿqūb sensed something and he said: There is no truthful one (ṣiddīq) on earth unless he is a prophet! And he held out hope and said: Perhaps it is Yūsuf.
19717 - Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda: (He said: I complain of my anguish and my grief only to Allah) — the entire verse. It has been related to us that the prophet of Allah Yaʿqūb, whenever he was struck by a trial, would afterward see his good expectation of Allah confirmed.
19718 - Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, saying: Ḥakkām related to us, on the authority of ʿĪsā ibn Yazīd, on the authority of al-Ḥasan, who said — it was asked: how much grief did Yaʿqūb bear over his son? He said: the grief of seventy mothers who have lost their children. It was asked: and what was his reward for that? He said: the reward of a hundred martyrs. And he did not harbor for a single moment of day or night an evil thought about Allah.
19719 - This Ibn Ḥumayd related to us once more, saying: Ḥakkām related to us, on the authority of Abū Muʿādh, on the authority of Yūnus, on the authority of al-Ḥasan, on the authority of the Prophet ﷺ — similarly.
19720 - Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, saying: Salama related to us, on the authority of al-Mubārak ibn Mujāhid, on the authority of a man of the tribe of Azd, on the authority of Ṭalḥa ibn Muṣarrif al-Iyāmī, who said: Three things you should not mention and should avoid mentioning: do not complain of your illness, do not complain of your misfortune, and do not extol yourself. — He said: And I have been informed that a neighbor of Yaʿqūb ibn Isḥāq visited him and said to him: O Yaʿqūb, why do I see you so sunken and wasted away, while you have not yet reached the age of your father? He said: The worry over Yūsuf and his remembrance has made me sunken and wasted away — thus has Allah tried me! Then Allah revealed to him: O Yaʿqūb, do you complain of Me to My creatures? He said: O Lord, it is a fault that I have committed, forgive me for it! He said: I have forgiven you. And thereafter, whenever anything was asked of him, he said: (I complain of my anguish and my grief only to Allah, and I know from Allah what you do not know.)
19721 - ʿAmr ibn ʿAlī related to us, saying: Muʾammal ibn Ismaʿīl related to me, saying: Sufyān related to us, on the authority of Ḥabīb ibn Abī Thābit, who said: I have been informed that Yaʿqūb grew so old that his eyebrows hung over his cheeks, so that he had to lift them with a cloth. A man asked him: What has brought you to this state? He said: The long years and the much grief. Then Allah revealed to him: O Yaʿqūb, do you complain of Me? He said: A fault, forgive it for me.
19722 - Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, saying: Yaḥyā ibn Wāḍiḥ related to us, saying: Thawr ibn Yazīd related to us, who said: Yaʿqūb visited Pharaoh, while his eyebrows hung over his eyes. Pharaoh said: What has brought you to this point, O Ibrāhīm? They said: He is Yaʿqūb. Pharaoh said: What has brought you to this point, O Yaʿqūb? He said: The long years and the much grief. Then Allah said: O Yaʿqūb, do you complain of Me? He said: O Lord, a fault that I have committed, forgive it for me.
19723 - ʿAmr ibn ʿAlī related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Wahhāb related to us, saying: Hishām related to us, on the authority of Layth ibn Abī Sulaym, who said: Jibrīl visited Yūsuf in the prison. Yūsuf recognized him and said: O angel with the fair countenance, the delightful scent, the lofty rank with his Lord — will you not tell me about Yaʿqūb, is he still alive? He said: Yes. He said: O angel with the fair countenance, the delightful scent, the lofty rank with his Lord — how great was his grief? He said: the grief of seventy mothers who have lost their children. He said: O angel with the fair countenance, the delightful scent, the lofty rank with his Lord — does he have a reward for that? He said: the reward of a hundred martyrs.
19724 - Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, saying: Salama related to us, on the authority of Ibn Isḥāq, on the authority of Layth ibn Abī Sulaym, on the authority of Mujāhid, who said: I have been informed that Jibrīl visited Yūsuf ﷺ in Egypt in the form of a man. When Yūsuf saw him, he recognized him and rose toward him. He said: O angel with the pure scent, the clean garments, the lofty rank with his Lord — do you have knowledge about Yaʿqūb? He said: Yes! He said: O angel with the clean garments, the lofty rank with his Lord — how is he? He said: His sight has gone. He said: O angel with the clean garments, the lofty rank with his Lord — by what has his sight gone? He said: Through the grief over you. He said: O angel with the pure scent, the clean garments, the lofty rank with his Lord — what has he received for that? He said: the reward of seventy martyrs.
19725 - Yūnus ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Abū Shurayḥ said: I heard someone relate that Yūsuf asked Jibrīl: How great was the grief of Yaʿqūb? He said: the grief of seventy mothers who have lost their children. He said: And how great was his reward? He said: the reward of seventy martyrs.
19726 - [isnād incomplete in the source] — he said: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Nāfiʿ ibn Yazīd informed me, on the authority of ʿUbayd Allah ibn Abī Jaʿfar, who said: Jibrīl visited Yūsuf in the well or in the prison. Yūsuf said to him: O Jibrīl, how great was the grief of my father? He said: the grief of seventy mothers who have lost their children. He said: and how great was his reward with Allah? He said: the reward of a hundred martyrs.
19727 - Al-Muthannā related to me, saying: Isḥāq related to us, saying: Ismaʿīl ibn ʿAbd al-Karīm related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Ṣamad ibn Maʿqil related to me, saying: I heard Wahb ibn Munabbih say: Jibrīl brought Yūsuf the glad tidings in the prison. He said: Do you recognize me, O truthful one (ṣiddīq)? He said: I see a pure appearance and a pure spirit that does not resemble the spirits of the sinners. He said: I am the messenger of the Lord of the worlds, and I am the Trustworthy Spirit. He said: What brought you to the dwelling of the sinners, while you are the purest of the pure, the chief of those brought near, and the confidant of the Lord of the worlds? He said: Do you not know, O Yūsuf, that Allah purifies the houses through the purity of the prophets, and that the earth they tread is the purest of earths, and that through you Allah has purified the prison and its surroundings, O purest of the pure and son of the pure? Indeed, it is purified only by the gift of your purity and the purity of your righteous, chosen forefathers! He said: How can I lay claim to the name of the righteous, while you count me among the chosen, yet I was brought to the dwelling of the sinners and placed in the row of the straying and the corrupt? He said: Your heart was not led into temptation, and you did not obey your mistress in disobedience to your Lord; therefore Allah named you in the row of the righteous and counted you among the chosen and joined you to your righteous forefathers. He said: Do you have knowledge about Yaʿqūb, O Trustworthy Spirit? He said: Yes, Allah granted him beautiful patience and tried him with the grief over you, so that he restrains his pain. He said: And how great was his grief? He said: the grief of seventy mothers who have lost their children. He said: And what does he have as reward for that, O Jibrīl? He said: the reward of a hundred martyrs.
19728 - Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, saying: Jarīr related to us, on the authority of Layth, on the authority of Thābit al-Bunānī, who said: Jibrīl visited Yūsuf in the prison. Yūsuf recognized him. He rose and greeted him. He said: O angel with the delightful scent, the clean garments, the lofty rank with his Lord — do you have knowledge about Yaʿqūb? He said: Yes. He said: O angel with the delightful scent, the clean garments, the lofty rank with his Lord — do you know what has happened to him? He said: His eyes have turned white. He said: O angel with the delightful scent, the clean garments, the lofty rank with his Lord — from what is that? He said: From the grief over you. He said: O angel with the delightful scent, the clean garments, the lofty rank with his Lord — how great was his grief? He said: the grief of seventy mothers who have lost their children. He said: O angel with the delightful scent, the clean garments, the lofty rank with his Lord — does he have a reward for that? He said: Yes, the reward of a hundred martyrs.
19729 - Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, saying: ʿAmr related to us, on the authority of Asbāṭ, on the authority of al-Suddī, who said: Jibrīl visited Yūsuf in the prison and greeted him. He had come in the form of a man with a fair countenance, a delightful scent, and pure garments. Yūsuf said to him: O angel with the fair countenance, the lofty rank with his Lord, the delightful scent — tell me how Yaʿqūb fares. He said: He grieves over you with intense grief. He said: And how great was his grief? He said: the grief of seventy mothers who have lost their children. He said: And how great was his reward? He said: the reward of seventy or a hundred martyrs. Yūsuf asked: To whom did he turn after me? He said: To your brother Binyāmīn. He said: Do you think I will ever meet him? He said: Yes. Yūsuf wept over what his father had experienced after him, and then said: I do not care what I have gone through if Allah lets me see him.
19730 - [isnād incomplete in the source] — he said: ʿAmr ibn Muḥammad related to us, on the authority of Ibrāhīm ibn Yazīd, on the authority of ʿAmr ibn Dīnār, on the authority of ʿIkrima, who said: Jibrīl visited Yūsuf in the prison and greeted him. Yūsuf said to him: O angel with the lofty rank with his Lord, the delightful scent, the pure garments — do you have knowledge about Yaʿqūb? He said: Yes, how intense is his grief! He said: O angel with the lofty rank with his Lord, the delightful scent, the pure garments — what does he have as reward for that? He said: the reward of seventy martyrs. He said: Do you think I will meet him? He said: Yes. Yūsuf's soul was gladdened by this.
19731 - Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, saying: Jarīr related to us, on the authority of Layth, on the authority of Saʿīd ibn Jubayr, who said: When Yaʿqūb visited the king while his eyebrows hung over his eyes, the king said: What is this? He said: The years and the sorrows, or: the worries and the sorrows. Then his Lord said: O Yaʿqūb, do you complain of Me to My creatures? Have I not done this and that for you?
19732 - Al-Ḥasan ibn Yaḥyā related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Razzāq informed us, saying: Al-Thawrī informed us, on the authority of ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Ziyād, on the authority of Muslim ibn Yasār, tracing this back to the Prophet ﷺ, who said: Whoever broadcasts his anguish has not been patient — and he then recited: (I complain of my anguish and my grief only to Allah).
19733 - ʿAmr ibn ʿAbd al-Ḥamīd al-Āmulī related to me, saying: Abū Usāma related to us, on the authority of Hishām, on the authority of al-Ḥasan, who said: From the moment Yūsuf left Yaʿqūb until the day he returned, eighty years passed, and grief did not leave his heart for a single moment; he wept until his sight had gone. Al-Ḥasan said: By Allah, there was on that day no creature on earth more noble before Allah than Yaʿqūb ﷺ.