قَالُوا۟ تَٱللَّهِ إِنَّكَ لَفِى ضَلَٰلِكَ ٱلْقَدِيمِ
“(Those around him) said: By Allah, lo! thou art in thine old aberration.” — M. M. Pickthall
According to Taberî, Jacob's sons expressed their father's old love for and sorrow over Joseph, whom he still remembered, as 'old error/deviation.' This has been characterized as harsh speech unsuitable to be directed at their father.
أي من حب يوسف لا تنساه ولا تسلاه، قالوا لوالدهم كلمة غليظة، لم يكن ينبغي لهم أن يقولوها لوالدهم ولا لنبي الله صلى الله عليه وسلمThis text indicates that the accusation 'you are in old deviation' directed by Jacob's children at him stems from his excessive love for Joseph, his constant remembrance of him, and his hope of being reunited with him; for according to them, Joseph was dead. Furthermore, it explains that the verb 'ألقاه' (threw it) could have two different subjects: either the bearer of glad tidings threw the shirt on Jacob's face, or Jacob himself placed the shirt (on his face).
في إفراط محبتك ليوسف ، ولهجك بذكره ، ورجائك للقائه ، وكان عندهم أنه قد مات { ألقاه } طرح البشير القميص على وجه يعقوب . أو ألقاه يعقوبAccording to Ibn Kathîr, this text states that the words 'you are in old confusion' spoken by Jacob's sons to their father are severe and inappropriate words; Ibn Abbas explained this as 'old error,' while Qatâda explained it as a state resulting from not forgetting Jacob's love for Joseph. It is stated that such words were not befitting either to be said to their father or to a prophet.
قالوا لوالدهم كلمة غليظة لم يكن ينبغي لهم أن يقولوها لوالدهم ولا لنبي الله صلى الله عليه وسلم وكذا قال السدي وغيرهAccording to Al-Bayḍâwî, when the caravan came out from Egypt, Jacob smelled the fragrance of Joseph, and he stated that Allah created this fragrance from the fragrance that had seeped into Joseph's shirt many years before (the fragrance that Jehozah brought from eighty farsakhs away). His sons, however, attributed this to the old confusion resulting from his excessive love for Joseph, his constant remembrance of him, and his hope of seeing him again.
لولا أن تفندون تنسبوني إلى الفند وهو نقصان عقل يحدث من هرم، ولذلك لا يقال عجوز مفندة لأن نقصان عقلها ذاتيIn this text, various views regarding the word 'dalâl' (deviation) are listed; according to Mukâtil, this means worldly hardship/distress and refers to the old hardship that the Prophet suffered due to the sorrows felt over Joseph. Furthermore, it is stated that the word 'dalâl' can mean affection, that is, the Prophet was filled with love and was guided to laws that brought him close to his beloved through this love. According to another view, it refers to being unaware of worldly matters and trade, after which he was guided to making profit in trade and Khadijah showing favor toward him.
قال مقاتل : يعني بالضلال ههنا الشقاءCommon ground
The common emphasis of the exegetes is that the expression 'you are in old confusion/error' spoken by the sons to their father reflects Jacob's deep love for Joseph and his not forgetting him, and that this speech carries a severe and unbecoming manner toward a prophet. Taberî, Ibn Kathîr, and Al-Bayḍâwî transmit this context in a similar manner.
Differences
While Taberî and Ibn Kathîr rely more on chains of transmission (Ibn Abbas, Qatâda, Suddî) in explaining the meaning and inappropriateness of the speech, Al-Zamakhsharî turns toward linguistic and rhetorical analysis by discussing the different possible subjects of the verb. While Al-Bayḍâwî addresses the event within the framework of a sensory miracle (smell perception), Fakhr al-Dîn al-Râzî examines in depth the different semantic layers of the word 'dalâl' (hardship, affection, unawareness of worldly matters) through linguistic analysis; this difference stems from the exegetes' methodological preferences (tradition-based exegesis/reasoning-based exegesis).
Historical context
Early-period exegetes (Taberî) were content with simple explanations based on transmission, while in later periods (Al-Zamakhsharî, Al-Râzî, Al-Bayḍâwî) linguistic analysis, pluralization of word meanings, and contextual-miraculous interpretations came to the fore. This shows that the tradition of exegesis evolved over time from transmission toward reasoning and linguistic deepening, although the fundamental meaning (familial love and speech manner) remained constant.
This verse can remind us that love and longing within the family can sometimes be misunderstood through harsh words, and that patience and forbearance in the family are important. Jacob's patience and his children's error in manner can make us reflect on the importance of using gentle language in family bonds in our time and how mutual understanding contributes to social peace in our society.
AI analysis — not a fatwa or ruling, not yet reviewed by a scholar