قَالُوا۟ يَٰٓأَبَانَا ٱسْتَغْفِرْ لَنَا ذُنُوبَنَآ إِنَّا كُنَّا خَٰطِـِٔينَ
“They said: O our father! Ask forgiveness of our sins for us, for lo! we were sinful.” — M. M. Pickthall
According to this scholar, the expression mentioned in the text indicates that people accept the treatment done to them and confess their sins. The transmitted statement is presented as a confession.
فيما فعلنا به، فقد اعترفنا بذنوبناAccording to this scholar, the text indicates that the word 'hâtiîn' means 'sinners/those who commit errors' and according to Ibn Âmir's reading of 'hataen' (with fatha), this means unintentional wrongdoing; according to this reading, the act of killing by the brothers was not a correct action. Furthermore, it is stated that Ibn Kesîr's reading of 'hıtâ' (with kasra and damma) is a different way of saying the same root, and this could be two dialectal differences like 'def' and 'difâ', 'lebs' and 'libâs'.
يقال : أخطأ يخطىء إخطاء وخطأ إذا أتى بما لا ينبغي من غير قصد ، ويكون الخطأ اسما للمصدر ، والمعنى : على هذه القراءة أن قتلهم ليس بصوابAccording to Ibn Kesîr, the statement in the verse about the acceptance of repentance indicates that the acceptance of the prayer of Prophet Jacob's sons was postponed until the time of dawn. It is stated as the view of names such as Ibn Mesud, Ibrahim at-Taymi, Amr b. Qays and Ibn Jurayj that Allah postponed them until the time of dawn. In this context, it is explained that a voice coming from Ibn Mesud's house was seeking repentance and forgiveness at the time of dawn, and this was connected with Jacob postponing his sons until the time of dawn.
أرجأهم إلى وقت السحر وقال ابن جرير حدثني أبو السائب حدثنا ابن إدريس سمعت عبد الرحمن بن إسحاق يذكر عن محارب بن دثار قال كان عمرو رضي الله عنه يأتي المسجد فيسمع إنسانا يقول اللهم دعوتني فأجبت وأمرتني فأطعت وهذا السحر فاغفر ليAccording to Beydâvî, Jacob accepted his sons' request for forgiveness but postponed his prayer to the time of dawn, the time of night prayer, or Friday night; the reason for this is to seek the time when prayer would be accepted. As another possibility, he may have waited to learn that Joseph made them lawful to him or that he forgave them, because the forgiveness of the wronged is a condition of forgiveness. This view is supported by reports that Jacob turned towards the qibla and prayed, that Joseph and his brothers stood behind him bowing their heads, and that Gabriel informed him that Allah accepted his prayer.
اخره إلى السحر أو إلى صلاة الليل أو إلى ليلة الجمعة تحريا لوقت الإجابة، أو إلى أن يستحل لهم من يوسف أو يعلم أنه عفا عنهم فإن عفو المظلوم شرط المغفرةCommon ground
All scholars agree that the verse narrates a scene where the brothers acknowledge and confess the mistake/sin they committed and request forgiveness; moreover, the connection between this confession/prayer and Jacob's reaction forms common ground.
Differences
While Taberî approaches the matter with contextual reading and focuses on the confession itself, Ar-Razi examines linguistic and recitation differences (the readings of hataen/hıtâ) and discusses whether the act was intentional or not. Ibn Kesîr employs a report-focused approach and supports the postponement of prayer acceptance to the time of dawn with the views of companions and successors; Beydâvî combines both linguistic-contextual interpretation, reports, and jurisprudential-theological inference (the condition that the wronged person's forgiveness constitutes forgiveness, the question of sin before prophethood) to provide a more comprehensive explanation. These differences reflect the transition from an early period method focused on reports to later methods that include linguistic analysis and jurisprudential-theological synthesis.
Historical context
Taberî's plain contextual and report-based reading evolved over time into linguistic/recitation refinement in Ar-Razi, report richness in Ibn Kesîr, and into a multifaceted synthesis in Beydâvî; while the basic narrative (confession-forgiveness-postponement) remained constant, the tools of interpretation and their depth diversified across periods.
This verse can be read as a reminder of the importance of sincerely acknowledging an error when it occurs and requesting forgiveness. Jacob's postponement of his prayer to the correct time rather than making it immediately can be evaluated as an example of patience and wisdom in seeking the right moment. Furthermore, the emphasis placed on the importance of the wronged person's forgiveness may point to the value of mutual forgiveness and solidarity in family and social relationships.
AI analysis — not a fatwa or ruling, not yet reviewed by a scholar