Overview (Verses 92 - 98)

A Long Awaited Piece of Good News
 
They also acknowledged what they realized to be aspects of God’s grace bestowed on Joseph, giving him high position, and qualities of forbearance, piety and benevolence. Joseph replied to their acknowledgement of guilt with charitable forgiveness that ended the need for them to feel ashamed of themselves. This shows that Joseph came through his trial with affluence and power as successfully as he came through the earlier trials with hardship and imprisonment.
 
Joseph is very charitable to his brothers. He replies to their statement by waiving all reproach: “None shall reproach you today. May God forgive you. He is indeed the Most Merciful of those who show mercy.” (Verse 92) He thus shows that the events of the past have left no lingering bitterness in him. He prays to God to forgive his brothers and turns tie conversation to matters that need attention, such as his father whose sorrow was unabated, and whose eyes had become white with grief. Joseph wants to speed up the process of giving him the good news and to meet him as soon as possible. Most urgent of all, he wanted to remove his distress and to help him regain his strength and his eyesight. Hence he tells his brothers: “Now go and take this shirt of mine and lay it over my father’s face, and he will recover his sight. Then come back to me with all your family.” (Verse 93)
 
How did Joseph know that his father would regain his eyesight once he received his lost son’s scent? That is part of what God had taught him. Sudden surprise may produce miraculous effects. Besides, why should there not be a miracle when both Joseph and Jacob are prophets whom God had chosen to be His messengers?
 
From now on, the narrative takes us from one surprise to another, until it concludes with the realization of the young Joseph’s dream which he related to his father at the opening of the sūrah.
 
“As the caravan set out, their father said [to the people around him]: I feel the breath of Joseph, though you will not believe me.” (Verse 94) Smelling Joseph’s breath! Anything is easier to believe than this. No one could even think Joseph was alive after all those long years, and that his smell would be recognized by someone weakened by old age. Hence he qualifies his statement by saying that they will think he has gone crazy.  If they had only credited him with what was his due, they would have believed that he really felt the smell of his long departed son.
 
How could Jacob smell Joseph’s breath as soon as the caravan departed? And from which place of departure? Some commentators on the Qur’ān say that he sensed the scent from Joseph’s shirt right from the point of the caravan’s departure from Egypt. But there is no evidence to support this. It is reasonable to say that the Qur’ānic statement refers to the caravan’s crossing a certain point in the land of Kanaan, heading towards Jacob’s quarters. We do not say this to deny that a miracle could happen to a prophet like Jacob involving a prophet like Joseph. All that we propose is to limit ourselves to the exact meaning of the text, unless it is further explained by an authentic ĥadīth. We do not have such a report in this case, and the Qur’ānic statement itself does not support what the commentators say.
 
Those who were with Jacob did not have the same position with their Lord, and they could not smell Joseph’s shirt. Hence they say to him: “By God! You are still lost in your old illusions.” (Verse 95) They describe all Jacob’s feelings about Joseph’s return as mere illusions. To them Joseph had gone the way of no return.
 
But the great surprise is realized, followed by another surprise: “But when the bearer of good news arrived [with Joseph’s shirt], he laid it over his face; and he regained his sight.” (Verse 96) The first surprise relates to the shirt, which is evidence of Joseph’s existence and that Jacob would soon meet him. The other surprise is that of Jacob recovering his eyesight after he lost it as a result of his enduring grief. At this point Jacob refers to the fact that he has true knowledge imparted to him by God. He mentioned this to them earlier, but they could not understand him. “He said: ‘Did I not say to you that I know from God something that you do not know?” (Verse 96)
 
Jacob’s sons said: “Father, pray to God to forgive us our sins, for we were sinners indeed.” (Verse 97) We notice here that Jacob still held something in his heart against his sons. He had not yet fully forgiven them. Yet he promises to pray to God to forgive them after he had a chance to recover. His reply suggests that. “He said: ‘I shall pray to God to forgive you. He is certainly Most Forgiving, Most Merciful.’“ (Verse 98) That he promises to pray for their forgiveness at a future point in time comes from a heart that has been hurt.