{99} "So when they entered upon Joseph..."

It is narrated that he (peace be upon him) provided supplies to his father—two hundred pack animals—so that he and those with him might prepare for the journey to him. In the Torah, it is mentioned that he (peace be upon him) gave each of his brothers a robe of honor; he gave Benjamin three hundred dirhams and five robes of honor; and he sent to his father ten donkeys laden with gifts and another ten laden with wheat and food.

It has been reported in some narrations that he (peace be upon him) went out with the King, accompanied by four thousand soldiers, the nobles, and all the people of Egypt to meet him. They met him while he (Jacob) was walking, leaning upon Judah. He looked at the horses and the people and said, "O Judah, is this the Pharaoh of Egypt?" He replied, "No, O father, but this is your son, Joseph." It had been said to him (Joseph), "He is coming," so he went out to receive him as you see. When he met him, Joseph (peace be upon him) intended to initiate the greeting, but he was prevented from doing so, in order that it might be known that Jacob was more honored by Allah the Exalted than he. So he embraced him, kissed him, and said, "Peace be upon you, O you who took away my sorrows." It is also narrated that he (peace be upon him) said to his father, "O father, you wept for me until your sight was gone. Did you not know that the Resurrection would gather us?" He replied, "Indeed, but I feared that your religion might be stripped from you, and thus a barrier would be placed between me and you."

There is an ellipsis in the speech. The implied meaning is: Jacob (peace be upon him) departed with his family, and they traveled until they reached Joseph. When they entered upon him—and it is said this was on the day of Ashura—"He sheltered his parents with himself," meaning he drew them close to him and embraced them. By "his parents," it is meant his father and his maternal aunt, Leah. It is also said it was Rachel, but that is not well-founded. A maternal aunt holds the status of a mother due to her compassion, just as a paternal uncle holds the status of a father. From this is the saying, "The God of your fathers, Abraham, Ishmael, and Isaac." It is also said that when he married her after his mother, she became a stepmother to Joseph (peace be upon him), and thus she held the status of a mother because she was like her in being the wife of the father and standing in her place; a stepmother is called "mother" even if she is not a maternal aunt. This is narrated from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both). Some say that what is meant is his father and his grandmother, his mother's mother; al-Zahrawi recounted this.

Al-Hasan and Ibn Ishaq said that his mother (peace be upon him) was still alive, so there is no need for such interpretation. However, the well-known opinion is that she died during the birth of Benjamin. A statement similar to this is narrated from al-Hasan and Ibn Ishaq, except they said that Allah the Exalted brought her back to life for him so that his vision might be confirmed. The apparent truth is that this is not established, for if such a thing were established, it would be widely known. In the codex of Abdullah, it reads: "He sheltered his parents and his brothers with himself."

"And he said, 'Enter Egypt...'" It is as if he (peace be upon him) had set up a tent at the meeting place outside the city and descended into it, so they entered upon him there. He sheltered them with himself, and then requested them to enter the city. Thus, there were two entries: one to him outside the city, and the second into the city itself. It is also said that they only entered upon him (peace be upon him) in Egypt, and by his saying, "Enter Egypt," he meant: take possession of it and settle therein, "if Allah wills, in security."

{99} "In security" means from famine and all other disliked things. As for the exception ("if Allah wills"), in al-Taysir, it is stated that it pertains to the state of security, not to the command to enter, because it is only appropriate in a promise, not in a command. In al-Kashshaf, it is stated that the will is linked to the entry qualified by security, because the intent is for them to be characterized by security upon their entry. It is as if it were said: "Enter and be secure in your entry, if Allah wills." The implication is: "Enter Egypt secure, if Allah wills; you entered secure," where the consequence is omitted due to the indication provided by the speech, and then the consequential sentence is interposed between the state and the subject of the state. It seems that by his saying, "It is as if it were said," he points to the fact that the construction carries the meaning of a supplication. The eminent scholar al-Tibi went to this view. In al-Kashf, he said: "It contains an indication that the manner is intended by the command, just as if you were to say, 'Enter prostrating yourself'; I would be commanding both." It does not contain an indication that the construction holds the meaning of a supplication, so the meaning is not that. The truth is with the eminent scholar (al-Tibi), as is not hidden. The author of al-Fara'id claimed that the implication is: "Enter Egypt if Allah wills; you have entered secure." Thus, "secure" is linked to the omitted consequence, and in that case, there is no need for transposition or for considering the consequential sentence as interposed. This was critiqued on the grounds that there is no doubt that this exception in the midst of speech is like the Basmala at the start of a task, for the sake of seeking blessing and favor; using it with the consequence is like an abrogated law, so its most appropriate place in the speech is for it to be interposed. So understand this.