Tafsir of Yusuf 12:18

{بدم كذب} (with false blood): Meaning, blood of falsehood. Or, it is described by the verbal noun as an exaggeration, as if it were the very essence and embodiment of falsehood, just as one says to a liar: "He is falsehood itself, and deceit in its very being," and the like. As in the verse: “In it is generosity, and in you is stinginess.”

It is also recited as (كذباً) in the accusative case as a state (hal), meaning they came with it while being liars. It is also permissible for it to be a maf‘ul lahu (causative object).

Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) recited it as (كدب) with an undotted dal, meaning "turbid" (kadar). It is also said to mean "fresh." Ibn Jinni said: Its origin is from al-kadb, which is the fawf—the white spots that appear on the nails of youths—as if it were blood that had left a mark on his shirt.

It is narrated that they slaughtered a kid and smeared the shirt with its blood, but they forgot to tear it. It is also narrated that when Ya‘qub heard the news of Yusuf, he cried out at the top of his voice and said, "Where is the shirt?" He took it, cast it upon his face, and wept until his face was stained with the blood of the shirt. He said, "By Allah, I have never seen a wolf more forbearing than this one; it ate my son yet did not tear his shirt."

It is said that there were three signs in Yusuf’s shirt: it was proof for Ya‘qub of their falsehood; when he cast it upon his face, he regained his sight; and it was proof of Yusuf’s innocence when it was torn from the back.

If you ask: What is the grammatical position of {على قميصه}? I say: Its position is in the accusative as an adverbial phrase (zarf), as if it were said: "They came upon his shirt with blood," just as you say: "He came upon his camels with loads."

If you ask: Is it permissible for it to be a preceding state (hal)? I say: No, because the state of a genitive object cannot precede it.

{سولت} (enticed/made easy): Derived from al-sawl, which is relaxation. Meaning: Your souls made easy for you {أمراً} (a matter)—a grave affair you committed against Yusuf—and made it seem light in your eyes. He inferred their action against him from what he knew of their envy and the intact state of the shirt, or it was revealed to him that they had targeted him.

{فصبر جميل} (so patience is beautiful): This is a predicate or a subject because it is qualified. Meaning: "My affair is beautiful patience," or "Beautiful patience is more appropriate." In the recitation of Ubayy, it is (فصبراً جميلاً).

Beautiful patience is mentioned in the marfu‘ hadith: (It is that in which there is no complaint to the creation.) Do you not see his saying: {إنما أشكو بثى وحزنى إلى الله} (I only complain of my anguish and my sorrow to Allah) [Yusuf: 86]?

It is also said: "I will not live among you with a gloomy face, but I will be to you as I was."

It is also said: Ya‘qub’s eyebrows fell over his eyes, so he would lift them with a headband. It was said to him, "What is this?" He replied, "The length of time and the abundance of sorrows." Allah the Exalted revealed to him: "O Ya‘qub, are you complaining about Me?" He said, "O Lord, it is a sin, so forgive me."

{والله المستعان} (And Allah is the One sought for help): Meaning, I seek His help {على} (against/in) bearing {ما تصفون} (what you describe) regarding the destruction of Yusuf and the patience required for the calamity regarding him.