قَالَ بَلْ سَوَّلَتْ لَكُمْ أَنفُسُكُمْ أَمْرًا فَصَبْرٌ جَمِيلٌ عَسَى ٱللَّهُ أَن يَأْتِيَنِى بِهِمْ جَمِيعًا إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ ٱلْعَلِيمُ ٱلْحَكِيمُ
“(And when they came unto their father and had spoken thus to him) he said: Nay, but your minds have beguiled you into something. (My course is) comely patience! It may be that Allah will bring them all unto me. Lo! He, only He, is the Knower, the Wise.” — M. M. Pickthall
Taberî9-10. c.✓ Citation verified
According to Taberî, in this verse there is a portion omitted in the narration (metathesis): Yusuf's brothers returned to their father, Rubîl (Rûbil) remained behind and they informed him of what happened; when news came that one of the brothers was accused of theft, Ya'kub compared this situation to what they had done to Yusuf and accused them, expressing his deep sorrow. Furthermore, the attribute 'al-Hakîm' points to Allah's wisdom in managing His creation, and to the fact that the beginnings and outcomes of matters do not remain hidden from Him.
في الكلام متروك، وهو: فرجع إخوة بنيامين إلى أبيهم، وتخلف روبيل، فأخبروه خبره، فلما أخبروه أنه سرق قال: بوحدتي وبفقدهم وحزني عليهم، وصدق ما يقولون من كذبه {الحكيم } في تدبيره خلقه.
Fahreddin er-Râzî12-13. c.✓ Citation verified
According to this exegete, Ya'kub (peace be upon him) did not verify what his sons told him about Bünyamin—just as in the story of Yusuf—and by saying 'bel sawwalat,' he accused them again of a lie or suggestion. Râzî also transmits an explanation regarding the number of his twelve sons who returned from Egypt: he states that nine people returned as a result of Yusuf's disappearance and Bünyamin also being detained. He also explains the attributes 'alîm' and 'hakîm' at the end of the verse as Allah's knowledge of all possible matters and the fact that His deeds are free from futility and falsehood, being wise.
اعلم أن يعقوب عليه السلام لما سمع من أبنائه ذلك الكلام لم يصدقهم فيما ذكروا كما في واقعة يوسف فقال : وفيه مسائل : المسألة الأولى : قال بعضهم إن قوله : لأنهم حين ذهبوا بيوسف كانوا إثني عشر فضاع يوسف وبقي أحد عشر ، ولما أرسلهم إلى مصر عادوا تسعة لأن بنيامين حبسه يوسف
Kurtubî13. c.✓ Citation verified
According to Kurtubî, Ya'kub did not believe that Yusuf had died, but only that he had lost contact with him; because Yusuf was sold as a slave, then purchased by the ruler and hidden in his house, then imprisoned, and when he had the opportunity he tried to send news to his father. Ya'kub did not send a messenger because he was afraid the brothers would learn of this news, and therefore the news could not reach him.
وإنما غاب عنه خبره لأن يوسف حمل وهو عبد لا يملك لنفسه شيئا ثم اشتراه الملك فكان في داره لا يظهر للناس ثم حبس فلما تمكن احتال في أن يعلم أبوه خبره ولم يوجه برسول لأنه كره من إخوته أن يعرفوا ذلك فلا يدعوا الرسول يصل إليه
İbn Kesîr14. c.✓ Citation verified
Ibn Kesîr explains the attributes 'Alîm' and 'Hakîm' in the verse as Allah's knowledge of the conditions of His servants, and His consideration of the interests of His servants in His works, judgment, and decree. He then transmits different narrations regarding the period that elapsed between Yusuf's dream and its fulfillment, the years Ya'kub suffered from the pain of separation, and the numbers of the Children of Israel's entries and exits to Egypt.
قال أبو عثمان النهدي عن سليمان كان بين رؤيا يوسف وتأويلها أربعون سنة قال عبد الله بن شداد وإليها ينتهي أقصى الرؤيا رواه ابن جرير
Beydâvî13. c.✓ Citation verified
According to Beydâvî, Ya'kub said 'bel sawwalat,' implying that the story his sons told was not true and that they had easily fabricated it; because it would not be possible for the king to know that the one who stole would be taken. Ya'kub's attitude is to show patience and to entrust the matter to Allah; his particular sorrow for Yusuf is because his loss was the first misfortune and deeply affected his heart, and because he had confidence that his other two sons were alive. The whitening of his eyes resulted from excessive weeping, and the expression 'kezîm' means carrying inside him his anger and sorrow without revealing them.
لكم أنفسكم أمرا أردتموه فقدرتموه، وإلا فما أدرى الملك أن السارق يؤخذ بسرقته. فصبر جميل أي فأمري صبر جميل، أو فصبر جميل أجمل.
Comparison
Common ground
All exegetes read the verse within the flow of the story of Yusuf and emphasize that Ya'kub approached what his sons told him with suspicion (through the expression 'bel sawwalat'); moreover, they agree that the attributes 'Alîm' and 'Hakîm' at the end of the verse point to Allah's knowledge and wisdom in watching over the conditions and interests of His servants.
Differences
While Taberî details the events through transmission and ellipsis (îcâz) analysis and fills in narrative gaps such as Rubîl's remaining behind, Râzî inclines toward numerical details (the nine people who returned) and name analysis. Kurtubî explains the matter entirely through narrative logic and argues that Ya'kub believed not that Yusuf had died but only that his news had been cut off; Ibn Kesîr takes a transmission-heavy approach and lists different narrations; Beydâvî centers on linguistic and rhetorical analysis (teslîl, esef, kezîm words) and places Ya'kub's psychological state and patience at the forefront.
Historical context
From Taberî to Beydâvî, there is a visible trend shifting from transmission-heavy approaches gradually toward linguistic, rhetorical, and rational/contextual analysis; however, the emphasis on Ya'kub's patience in the verse, his suspicion, and the attributes of Allah's knowledge and wisdom have remained constant throughout all periods—only the methods of explanation and the transmitted details have become more enriched.
Modern connection
These different readings remind us of the value of enduring in the face of difficulty and lack of information, of carrying sorrow in a mature manner (the state of kezîm), and of refraining from immediately judging events but rather entrusting them to Allah. Furthermore, the attempt by exegetes to understand the text through different methods using the scientific accumulation of their own times can be considered an example of harmony between knowledge and faith, and of approaching interpretive diversity with tolerance.
AI analysis — not a fatwa or ruling, not yet reviewed by a scholar