Tafsir of Yusuf 12:58

They arrived to procure provisions, for what had afflicted the land of Canaan and the Levant had also afflicted Egypt. The family of Ya’qub (peace be upon him) had suffered the same fate as the people of those lands. Thus, he called his sons—excluding Binyamin—and said to them: "O my sons, it has reached me that there is a righteous king in Egypt who sells food; so prepare yourselves, go to him, and purchase from him what you need." They departed until they arrived in Egypt, {and they entered upon him} (peace be upon him) while he was in the assembly of his authority.

{And he recognized them}—due to the strength of his intellect, the fact that their previous state had not deviated from their state on the day of their parting, as he had parted from them when they were men, and their appearance and attire remained similar in both instances. Furthermore, his concern was fixed upon them and on knowing their conditions, especially during the time of famine. Perhaps he (peace be upon him) had been anticipating their arrival, knowing the interpretation of his vision.

It is narrated that they identified themselves upon seeking permission to enter, so he recognized them and ordered that they be lodged. This is why al-Hasan said: "He did not recognize them until they identified themselves to him." This was countered in al-Intisaf by arguing that the placement of the letter fa (implying immediate sequence) between their entering upon him and his recognizing them refutes the statement of al-Hasan, indicating that their mere entry upon him was followed by his recognition without delay—though there is room for reflection in this.

{While they were to him strangers}—meaning, they were in a state of not recognizing him. This was due to their forgetting him over the long passage of time, the disparity between his two states regarding his person, his status, and his attire, and their belief that he had perished. It has been said that they did not recognize him because he (peace be upon him) placed them in the position of those in need, standing far from him, and spoke to them through an intermediary. It is also said that this was purely because Allah the Exalted did not create recognition in their hearts, in fulfillment of His decree that he would inform them of their affair while they perceived not; thus, this was a miracle for him (peace be upon him).

The recognition is contrasted here with denial (inkar), according to common usage. Al-Raghib states: "Recognition (ma'rifa and irfan) is knowing a thing by reflecting upon its trace, making it more specific than knowledge ('ilm). Its origin is from 'I knew/sensed the scent,' meaning I reached its aroma." Denial is the opposite of recognition, just as ignorance is the opposite of knowledge. Since their denial of him (peace be upon him) was a continuous state—both in his presence and absence—the information about it was conveyed through a nominal sentence, unlike his (peace be upon him) recognition of them.