Tafsir of Yusuf 12:87

"O my sons, go..."

"Go and seek information about Joseph and his brother" (i.e., search and inquire). This is a form of tafa''ul derived from al-hass, which, in its original sense, means perception through the senses. Likewise, the original meaning of tahassus is the seeking of sensation; its application to mean "inquiring" is a usage denoting the necessary consequence of its meaning. Close to this is tajassus (with a jim). It has been said that the latter is used for evil, while tahassus (with a ha) is used for good, but this is refuted by the fact that it was also recited here as fatajassasu (with a jim).

Al-Raghib said: The origin of al-jass is touching a vein to determine its pulse to judge health or illness. It is more specific than al-hass; for al-hass is the perception of what the senses can grasp, while al-jass is the investigation of the condition of that which is perceived.

"Of Joseph and his brother" (i.e., of their news). The third [brother] was not mentioned because his absence was voluntary, and it is not difficult to rectify; furthermore, the motive among them for seeking news of him—since he was their brother—was already strong, so there was no need to command them to do so. The prepositional phrase is connected to ‘indahum (in their possession), and it serves the function of 'an (about), based on what is reported from Ibn al-Anbari, who stated: "One does not say tahassastu min fulan (I sought information from so-and-so), but rather tahassastu 'anhu (I sought information about him)." It is also permitted that it be for partiality (tab'id), meaning: "Seek some news among the news of Joseph and his brother."

"And do not despair of the mercy (rawh) of Allah" (i.e., do not lose hope in His relief and easing of distress). The original meaning of rawh (with a fatha), as Al-Raghib said, is breath (tanafus). It is said: "A person found arah (relief/breath) when they breathed." Then it was borrowed to mean relief, as one says: "He has tanfis (relief) from the soul."

Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz, al-Hasan, and Qatada recited ruh (with a damma), and it was interpreted as "mercy," as it is a metaphor from its well-known meaning because mercy is the cause of life, just like the soul (ruh). Its attribution to Allah is because it originates from Him, Glorified be He. Ibn Atiyyah said: "It is as if the meaning of this recitation is: 'Do not despair of a living being who possesses the spirit (ruh) of Allah, which He has granted,' for everyone whose soul remains is an object of hope." From this is the saying: "And regarding anyone whom the earth has not yet concealed, have hope." And the saying of Ubayd ibn al-Abras: "Every absent person returns, but the one absent due to death does not return." Ubayi recited it as "of the mercy of Allah," and Abdullah [ibn Mas'ud] as "of the bounty of Allah." According to Abu Hayyan, both are interpretations, not recitations. It has also been recited as ta'yasu, and al-A'raj recited tay'asu with a kasra on the ta.

The command and prohibition, according to what has been said, are guidance to them regarding some of what was kept vague in his statement: "And I know from Allah what you do not know." Furthermore, he (peace be upon him) warned them against neglecting to act upon his prohibition by saying:

"Indeed, no one despairs of the mercy (rawh) of Allah except the disbelieving people."

This is because of their lack of knowledge of Allah, the Exalted, and His attributes; for the one who truly knows [Allah] never despairs in any circumstances. Or, this serves as a confirmation of what they [already] know of that. Ibn Abbas said: "The believer is always in a state of good regarding Allah; he hopes for it in times of trial and praises Him in times of ease." The Imam stated that despair does not occur unless a person believes that the Deity is not capable of perfection, or is not aware of all information, or is not generous. Belief in any of these three necessitates disbelief. Thus, since despair only occurs when one of these is present, and each of them is disbelief, it is proven that despair only occurs to one who is a disbeliever.

Some of our companions have used this verse as proof that despairing of the mercy of Allah is disbelief, and claimed that the verse is manifest regarding this. Al-Shihab said: "There is no proof in it for that; rather, it is established by other evidence." The majority of jurists hold that despair is a major sin (kabirah), and that the implication of the verse is that despair is among the attributes of disbelievers, not that the one who commits it becomes a disbeliever by that act. The notion that it only occurs when one of the aforementioned acts of disbelief is present is open to objection. It is possible for one to despair of Allah's mercy toward oneself—despite believing in the universality of His power, the encompassment of His knowledge, and the greatness of His generosity—simply due to the perception of the magnitude of one's own sins, for instance, and the belief that one is unworthy of Allah's mercy, without even a grain of those evil beliefs that necessitate disbelief crossing one's mind. This does not require more than the implication that despairing is a characteristic of disbelief, not that the act itself constitutes disbelief. This is what has been said. It has also been said: The better approach is to accept that despair may coexist with faith, and that the assertion that it only occurs through one of the aforementioned beliefs is neither evident nor demonstrated.

Indeed, that it is a major sin is a matter beyond doubt. It is even reported from Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that it is the greatest of major sins, as are qunut (despair/hopelessness) and su' al-zann (evil assumption about Allah). They differentiate between them: Ya's (despair) is the lack of hope for the occurrence of any type of mercy for oneself. Qunut is that, with the addition of a state that is more intense in its resolve that [relief] will not happen. Su' al-zann is that, with the additional belief that, along with [Allah] not showing him mercy, He will intensify his punishment, as He does with the disbelievers.

Ibn Nujaym mentioned in some of his treatises a way to reconcile the disagreement between those who say despair is disbelief and those who say it is a major sin, by considering it a verbal difference. He said: "The jurists have listed among the major sins 'feeling secure from the plan of Allah' and 'despair of His mercy.' And in the books of Creed, 'despair of the mercy of Allah is disbelief.' Thus, reconciliation is needed." The answer is: What is meant by "despair" [as disbelief] is the denial that mercy can encompass sins, and what is meant by "feeling secure" [as disbelief] is the belief that there is no "plan" of Allah. The "despair" intended by the jurists is despair due to the perceived magnitude of one's sins and the deeming of forgiveness as improbable. The "feeling secure" intended by the jurists is feeling secure due to the dominance of hope, to the extent that one has entered into the state of feeling secure. He then said: "What is most consistent with the Sunnah is the way of the jurists," due to the Hadith of al-Daraqutni, narrated from Ibn Abbas in marfu' form, where he counted it among the major sins and linked it to associating partners with Allah. This is a precious clarification; so let it be understood.