Tabari

Tafseer of Joseph · Yusuf · 12:91

قَالُوا۟ تَٱللَّهِ لَقَدْ ءَاثَرَكَ ٱللَّهُ عَلَيْنَا وَإِن كُنَّا لَخَٰطِـِٔينَ

They said, "By Allah, certainly has Allah preferred you over us, and indeed, we have been sinners."

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.

Tabari (1 passage)

  1. Full Dutch translation of Tabari's text

    The discourse on the explanation of the saying of Allah the Exalted: قَالُوا تَاللَّهِ لَقَدْ آثَرَكَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْنَا وَإِنْ كُنَّا لَخَاطِئِينَ (They said: By Allah, Allah has truly preferred you above us, and we were indeed sinners) (91)

    Abū Jaʿfar said: Allah the Exalted says: The brothers of Yūsuf said to him: By Allah, Allah has preferred you above us and raised you above us through knowledge, forbearance, and excellence. (and we were indeed sinners) — He says: and in our deed which we committed against you — by separating you from your father and your brother and through all the rest that we did against you — we were only sinners; they meant: people who had committed a fault.

    * * *

    One says: "khaṭiʾa fulānun yakhṭaʾu khaṭaʾan wa-khiṭʾan, wa-akhṭaʾa yukhṭiʾu ikhṭāʾan" — he failed and he erred. To this usage belongs the saying of Umayya ibn al-Askar:

    "Indeed, two emigrants who surrounded him — by the life of Allah, they committed a fault and sinned."

    * * *

    In accordance with what we have said concerning this, the exegetes spoke.

    Mention of those who said that:

    19793 - Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, saying: ʿAmr related to us, on the authority of Asbāṭ, on the authority of al-Suddī, who said: When Yūsuf had said to them: أَنَا يُوسُفُ وَهَذَا أَخِي (I am Yūsuf and this is my brother), they excused themselves to him and said: (By Allah, Allah has truly preferred you above us, and we were indeed sinners) in what we did against you.

    19794 - Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, concerning his saying: (By Allah, Allah has truly preferred you above us) — this was after he had disclosed his identity to them. He says: Allah has made you a man of forbearance and excellence.

    Show original Arabic
    القول في تأويل قوله تعالى : قَالُوا تَاللَّهِ لَقَدْ آثَرَكَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْنَا وَإِنْ كُنَّا لَخَاطِئِينَ (91) قال أبو جعفر: يقول جل ثناؤه: قال إخوة يوسف له: تالله لقد فضلك الله علينا، وآثرك بالعلم والحلم والفضل ، ( وإن كنا لخاطئين ) ، يقول:وما كنا في فعلنا الذي فعلنا بك، في تفريقنا بينك وبين أبيك وأخيك وغير ذلك من صنيعنا الذي صنعنا بك ، إلا خاطئين ، يعنون: مخطئين. * * * يقال منه: " خَطِئَ فلان يَخْطَأ خَطَأ وخِطْأً ، وأخطأ يُخْطِئُ إِخْطاءً"، (23) ومن ذلك قول أمية بن الأسكر: وَإنَّ مُهَـــــاجِرَيْنِ تَكَنَّفَـــــاهُ لَعَمْــرُ اللــهِ قَــدْ خَطِئـا وحَابَـا (24) * * * وبنحو الذي قلنا في ذلك قال أهل التأويل . *ذكر من قال ذلك: 19793- حدثنا ابن وكيع ، قال، حدثنا عمرو ، عن أسباط ، عن السدي قال: لما قال لهم يوسف: أَنَا يُوسُفُ وَهَذَا أَخِي اعتذروا إليه وقالوا: ( تالله لقد آثرك الله علينا وإن كنا لخاطئين ) فيما كنا صنعنا بك. 19794- حدثنا بشر ، قال، حدثنا يزيد ، قال، حدثنا سعيد ، عن قتادة ، قوله: ( تالله لقد آثرك الله علينا ) وذلك بعد ما عرَّفهم أنفسهم ، يقول:جعلك الله رجلا حليمًا. * * * ---------------------- الهوامش: (23) انظر تفسير" خطيء" فيما سلف 2 : 110 / 6 : 134 . (24) مضى البيت وتخريجه وتصويب روايته فيما سلف 2 : 110 / 7 : 529 ، ويزاد عليه ، مجاز القرآن 1 : 113 ، 318 ، وكان في المطبوعة والمخطوطة هنا أيضًا" وخابا" بالخاء ، وقد فسره أبو جعفر في 7 : 529 ، بمعنى : أثما ، من" الحوب" وهو الإثم ، وهو الصواب المحض إن شاء الله .