"Then when the bearer of glad tidings came"

Mujahid said: "He is Judah." It is narrated that he said to his brothers: "You already know that I went to my father with the garment of grief, so let me go to him with the garment of joy." So they let him. In a narration from Ibn Abbas, it is Malik ibn Dhu'r, but the well-known narration from him is the former. The particle 'an (in falammā an jā’a) is supplementary; its inclusion after lammā is consistent and frequent. Ibn Mas’ud recited it without 'an, counting that as a definitive reading.

"And the bearer of glad tidings came from before the caravan."

"He cast it"—meaning the bearer of glad tidings cast the garment—"upon his face," that is, the face of Jacob (peace be upon him). It is also said that the subject of "cast" is the pronoun for Jacob (peace be upon him) himself. The first interpretation is more consistent with the verse "cast it upon the face of my father," as the alternative makes it improbable that the bearer of glad tidings was Malik, as is obvious. The second is said to be more in line with proper etiquette, and this is attributed to Farqad, who said: "He (peace be upon him) took it, smelled it, then placed it upon his sight."

"And he became seeing." It is apparent that the word "face" is intended to encompass the whole; it is a common custom that whenever a person finds something in which he believes there is a blessing, he wipes his face with it. It is said that "face" is an expression for the eyes because they are within it, and it is said that the whole is used to express the part.

"Became" (irtadda)—according to some—is like kāna, meaning "he turned into" (ṣāra), and "seeing" (baṣīran) is its predicate. Abu Hayyan confirmed that it is not among the sisters of kāna, and that "seeing" is a state (ḥāl). The meaning is that he returned to his initial state of restored sight.

Some have claimed that the discourse implies his sight became stronger than it was before, because fa’īl is a form of hyperbole, and one would not shift from the yaf’ulu form to this unless it were for this meaning. This is refuted by the fact that fa’īl here is not for hyperbole, as the hyperbolic form is that which is shifted from the fā’il form. As for baṣīr (seeing) here, it is an active participle from baṣara bi-l-shay’ (to see a thing), so it follows the analogy of fa’ula, such as ẓarufa (to be witty) becoming ẓarīf. Even if it were, as claimed, in the sense of mubṣir (one who sees), it would not be for hyperbole, as fa’īl in the sense of muf’il is not for hyperbole, such as alīm (painful) and samī’ (hearing). Regardless, the apparent meaning is that his return to sight through casting the garment upon his face is solely a matter of breaking the norm, and such a miracle is not unprecedented in this story.

It is also said that this occurred because he (peace be upon him) revived, strengthening his heart and natural heat, which then channeled its light to the brain and restored his sight. In this category falls the healing of lovers by the breeze that blows toward them from the land of the beloved, as one poet said: Indeed, I seek healing from every cloud That brings with it a breeze from the direction of your land. And another said: O morning breeze, what is the matter with you? Whenever you draw near us, your fragrance spreads with delight, As if Salima were informed of our sickness, And she gave you her scent, so you came as a physician. And other examples without count. This is close to what you heard earlier regarding the Imam.

It is narrated in some reports that he (peace be upon him) asked the bearer of glad tidings, "How is Joseph?" He replied, "He is the King of Egypt." He said, "What shall I do with kingship? Upon what religion did you leave him?" He said, "Upon Islam." He said, "Now the blessing is complete." Abu al-Shaykh extracted from al-Hasan, who said: "When the bearer of glad tidings came to him (peace be upon him), he said, 'We found nothing with us, and we have not baked for seven days, but may Allah the Exalted ease for you the agonies of death.' In one narration, he said to him, 'I know not how to reward you today,' and then prayed for him with that."

"He said, 'Did I not tell you...'" It is possible this is an address to those who were with him before—that is, "Did I not tell you that I perceive the scent of Joseph?" It is also possible that it is an address to his arriving sons—that is, "Did I not tell you not to despair of the mercy of Allah?" This is more consistent with his saying: "I know from Allah that which you do not know." The pivot of the prohibition is the knowledge granted to him by Allah the Exalted.

In both possibilities, the sentence is a new statement. In the latter, it may be the content of what was said; that is, "Did I not say to you, when I sent you to Egypt, ordered you to seek information, and forbade you from despairing of the spirit of Allah the Exalted, that I know from Allah what you do not know regarding the life of Joseph (peace be upon him)?" It is held in al-Baḥr that it is the content of the speech, and that is correct.