Yūsuf: (18) And they came with his shirt...

"And they came with his shirt [stained] with false blood." That is, blood possessive of falsehood, or it is a description using the infinitive for intensive emphasis, as if it were falsehood itself and its very essence. Just as one says to a liar: "He is falsehood itself and deceit in his very being." From this category is the saying: "Pour out upon your bachelors from your daughters, for there is nothing in the Book of Allah that forbids virtue, and among them is virtue whose place we have known; they possess generosity, and you possess stinginess." Some interpret kadhb (falsehood) as makdhūb fīhi (a thing in which a lie is told), for the infinitive may be interpreted as such. Zayd ibn Ali (may Allah be pleased with them both) recited kadhiban in the accusative case, which is explained as being in the state of a circumstantial qualifier (ḥāl) of the subject of jā’ū (they came), interpreted as "while being liars." It is also said that it relates to "blood," interpreted as "that in which a lie is told." However, this involves a circumstantial qualifier from an indefinite noun, which contradicts the standard rule. It has also been permitted to be a maf‘ūl min ajlihi (causative object), meaning: "They came with that for the sake of falsehood."

A’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) and al-Hasan recited it as kadb with an undotted dāl. This is not a permutation of the dhāl into a dāl, but rather another dialect meaning "turbid," "fresh," or "dried," making it one of the aḍdād (words with opposite meanings). The author of al-Lawāmi‘ said: The meaning is "possessing kadb," meaning a mark, because kadb is the whiteness that appears on the fingernails of youths and marks them, resembling a carving; this is called al-fawgh. Some investigators did not consider the estimate of the genitive construction and treated this as a form of "profound simile" or metaphor, for the blood on the shirt is likened to kadb in the aspect of its color contrasting with the color of that upon which it is placed.

His saying, Exalted is He: "upon his shirt," according to what Abu al-Baqa’ held, is a circumstantial qualifier of "blood." Regarding the permissibility of placing the circumstantial qualifier before its possessor when the latter is preceded by a non-redundant preposition, there is a dispute. The truth, as al-Safaqsi said, is its permissibility due to the frequency of this in their speech. In al-Lubāb, it is stated: "It does not precede its possessor if it is governed by a preposition, according to the more correct view, such as marartu jālisatan bi-Hind (I passed, while sitting, by Hind), unless the circumstantial qualifier is an adverbial expression of place." However, the truth is what Ibn Malik chose: the permissibility of fronting it absolutely. Al-Zamakhshari and his followers said: It is in the accusative case as an adverb of place, meaning "they came above his shirt," just as you say: "He came upon his camels with burdens." He intended, according to what is in al-Kashshāf, that ‘alā (upon) is in its literal sense of "being above," and it is an auxiliary adverb. In al-Baḥr, the possibility of the "coming" being the governor of it was forbidden, because it requires that the "above-ness" be an adverb for those who are coming. It was answered that the adverbial state is not in relation to the subject, but in relation to the object.

In some commentaries, it is stated: It is better to say: "They came, having taken control of his shirt." His saying, Exalted is He: "with blood" is a circumstantial qualifier of the shirt, making the meaning: "They took control of the shirt, while it was stained with blood," and they came. This, according to what is said, is better than "they came, having taken control," because of what has been established regarding taḍmīn (implication). The matter in this is simple, for if the implied is made the primary and the mentioned is made the circumstantial qualifier—or the reverse—both are permissible. When the context demands one of them, it is preferred. It is deemed most likely that it is an adverb for the transitive "coming," and the meaning is: They brought false blood upon his shirt. It is not hidden that this is sound. Then, that blood was a kid which they slaughtered and with whose blood they smeared the shirt, as is narrated from Ibn Abbas and Mujahid.

Ibn Abi Hatim and Abu al-Shaykh extracted from Qatadah that they took a gazelle, slaughtered it, and smeared the shirt with its blood. When they brought it, he began to kiss it, saying: "I do not see on it the mark of a fang or a claw; this wolf is merciful." In one narration, he took the shirt and cast it upon his face and wept until he dyed his face with the blood of the shirt and said: "By Allah, I have never seen a wolf more gentle than this today; it ate my son and did not tear his shirt!" It came to pass that he wept and cried out and fell down unconscious, so they poured water over him, but he did not move. They called him, but he did not answer. Judah placed his hand upon his breath passages, and he felt no breath nor did any vein move. He said: "Woe unto us from the Judge of the Day of Judgment; we have ruined our brother and killed our father." He did not recover until the coolness of dawn.

He said: "Nay, your souls have made something look fair to you"—meaning they decorated and facilitated a matter, a reprehensible thing that cannot be described or known. The root of taswīl (making fair/suggesting) is the estimation of something in the soul along with a covetous desire to complete it. Al-Raghib said: It is the soul decorating what it craves, and portraying the ugly in the form of the beautiful.

Al-Azhari said: It is as if taswīl is from suwāl (the request) of a man, which is his wish that he seeks, so falsehood is decorated for the seeker. Its root is hamzated. It is said: It is from al-sawl (with two fatḥas), which is a relaxation in the nerves and the like, as if the one whose soul is suggested to feels his nerves relax due to the intensity of his greed. In the speech, there is an elision, according to what is in al-Baḥr, meaning: "The wolf did not eat him, rather [your souls] suggested to you..." etc. His (peace be upon him) knowledge of their lie, it is said, was obtained from the shirt’s being free from tearing. This is one of three signs of the shirt: the second is Jacob’s return to sight by casting it upon his face, and the third is its being torn from the back, for it was a proof of Joseph’s innocence. Added to this is his standing by the vision, which indicated his reaching a lofty rank beneath which the stars bow. It is also said [he knew] from their contradictions, for it is narrated that when he (peace be upon him) said what was mentioned before from Qatadah, some of them said: "No, thieves killed him." He replied: "How did they kill him and leave his shirt, when they were more in need of his shirt than they were of killing him?" Perhaps, even with this knowledge, he (peace be upon him) grieved because he feared for him the hateful things and hardships other than death. It is said: He only grieved for his separation, and the separation of loved ones is something that cannot be endured. Therefore it was said: "Were it not for the separation of loved ones, death would have found no paths to our souls." It is not objectionable to say: He was grieved by his separation and the fear that some harm might befall him.

"So patience is most fitting"—meaning: My affair is a most fitting patience, or my patience is a most fitting patience, as Qutrub said; or what I do is that, as al-Khalil said; or it is patience, etc., as al-Farra’ said. "Patience" in all these cases is the predicate of an omitted subject. Or "Patience is most fitting" is better and more beautiful, on the basis that it is a subject whose predicate is omitted. Whether the omission in such a case is mandatory or permissible is a matter of dispute. Similarly, they differed: if it is valid in one speech to consider the omission of the subject and the keeping of the predicate, and to consider the reverse, which of the two considerations is better?

Ubayy, al-Ashhab, and Isa ibn Umar recited ṣabran jamīlan (in the accusative). This is also in the codex of Anas ibn Malik, and it is narrated from al-Kisa’i. It is explained as: the estimation is "be patient with a beautiful patience," on the basis that "be patient" (iṣbir) is an imperative verb attributed to the pronoun of the first person. This is countered by the fact that the accusative is not elegant in such a case except with an imperative. Some insisted on estimating it here such that he (peace be upon him) turned to address his own soul, saying: ṣabran jamīlan, meaning: "Be patient, O my soul, with a beautiful patience." "Beautiful patience," according to what al-Hasan narrated from the Prophet (peace be upon him), is that which has no complaint in it—that is, to the creation—otherwise Jacob (peace be upon him) said: "I only complain of my grief and my sorrow to Allah." It is said that his (peace be upon him) eyebrows had fallen over his eyes, so he would lift them with a bandage. When asked the reason for that, he said: "The length of time and the abundance of sorrows." Allah, Exalted is He, revealed to him: "Do you complain to other than Me?" He said: "My Lord, it is a sin, so forgive it."

It is also said: The meaning of his saying "So patience is most fitting" is that I shall make for you, in my patience, a display so that I do not associate with you with a mournful face or a frowning brow; rather, I remain as I was with you. This is highly contrary to the apparent meaning.

"And Allah is the One sought for help"—that is, the One from whom help is requested. This is an initiation from him (peace be upon him) of continuous seeking of help.

"against that which you describe."

This is related to "the One sought for help." Description is the mention of a thing with its attribute, and it may be true and it may be false. The intent here is the latter, as in His saying, Exalted is He: "Exalted is your Lord, the Lord of Might, above what they describe." Indeed, it is said that the form has become dominant in that. The meaning of his (peace be upon him) seeking help from Allah, Exalted is He, against their lie is his requesting from Him, Exalted is He, to manifest that it is a lie through the safety of Joseph (peace be upon him) and the reunion with him. So the mention of seeking help here is similar to: "It may be that Allah will bring them all back to me" after his later saying: "So patience is most fitting." In some narrations, it is stated that A’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her), on the day of the Slander, said: "By Allah, if I were to swear, you would not believe me, and if I were to offer an excuse, you would not excuse me. My likeness and yours is as the likeness of Jacob and his sons: 'And Allah is the One sought for help against that which you describe.'" Then Allah, Exalted is He, revealed concerning her excuse what He revealed. It is said the meaning is: He, Exalted is He, is the One sought for help in bearing what you describe of Joseph’s destruction. It is as if he (peace be upon him), after saying: "Patience is most fitting," sought help from Him, Exalted is He, for patience. This is because the psychic impulses call for the manifestation of alarm, and they are strong, while the spiritual impulses call for beautiful patience. It is as if a battle occurred between the two qualities, and unless help is obtained from Him, Majestic is His Grace, victory is not attained. Thus his saying "So patience is most fitting" functions like "You [alone] we worship," and "And Allah is the One sought for help against that which you describe" functions like "And You [alone] we ask for help." Perhaps the first is safer from debate.

For Imam al-Razi (may Allah have mercy on him), there is a discussion in this context: Patience over the decree of Allah, Exalted is He, is mandatory. As for patience over the injustice of the oppressors and the plotting of the plotters, it is not mandatory; rather, what is mandatory is to remove it, especially regarding the harm that reverts to others. So what was fitting for Jacob (peace be upon him) was investigation and striving to rescue Joseph (peace be upon him) from the calamity and hardship if he were alive, and to establish the punishment if it were true that they killed him. Indeed, it might be said: the mandatory, clear duty upon him was striving to seek and rescue him, because the apparent meaning is that he knew he was alive and safe, due to his saying: "And thus will your Lord choose you and teach you the interpretation of [events/dreams]." For the apparent meaning is that he only said this based on revelation. Furthermore, he (peace be upon him) was of great standing, majestic in status, honored in souls, and famous in the horizons; if he had exaggerated in searching and investigating, that would have appeared and become famous, and the cause for confusion would have vanished. What then is the reason for his (peace be upon him) abandoning the investigation despite his extreme desire for Joseph’s presence and the extremity of his love for him? And is patience in this context anything but blameworthy by reason and by Law? Then he said: "The answer is: we say there is no answer to that except to say that He, Exalted is He, prevented him from seeking, to intensify the trial and thicken the matter. Also, perhaps he knew through the circumstantial evidence that his children were powerful and that they would not allow him to seek and investigate, and that if he had exaggerated in the search, they might have proceeded to harm and kill him. Also, perhaps he (peace be upon him) knew that Allah, Exalted is He, guards Joseph from calamity and trial and that his affair would become great in the end. Then he did not want to tear the veil of his children and was not pleased with casting them onto the tongues of people. This is because when one of two sons oppresses the other, the father falls into severe torment; for if he does not take revenge, his heart burns for the oppressed son, and if he takes revenge, he burns for the son from whom he takes revenge." The poet pointed to something similar to this in his saying: "My people are they who killed Umaym, my brother; so if I shoot, my own arrow strikes me. If I forgive, I forgive for a grave matter, and if I strike, I weaken my own bones." When Jacob (peace be upon him) fell into this confusion, he saw that what was most correct was patience, silence, and entrusting the affair entirely to Allah, Exalted is He, especially if we say: He (peace be upon him) knew that what had occurred could not be remedied until the Book reaches its term.