Tafsir of Yusuf 12:67

"And he said, 'O my sons...'"

He forbade them from entering through a single gate only because they were men of splendor and fine appearance. The people of Egypt knew them for their closeness to the King and the special honor they received, which no one else enjoyed. They were likely to draw the gaze of all who saw them among the delegations, and for fingers to point at them, saying: "These are the King’s guests; look at them, what fine young men they are! How worthy they are of honor! There must be a reason the King has honored them, brought them near, and favored them over all others."

He feared that if they entered as a single group, they would be envied for their beauty and the majesty of their status, and that something harmful might befall them. He did not advise them to disperse the first time because they were then unknown and unnoticed among the people.

If you ask: Is there a valid basis for the "affliction of the evil eye"? I say: It is possible that God Almighty, when someone looks at a thing and admires it, creates a deficiency or flaw in it as a trial and test for His servants. This is to distinguish the investigators of truth from the superficialists. The investigator says: "This is the act of God," while the superficialist says: "This is the effect of the eye," just as the Almighty said: "And We have not made their number except as a trial for those who disbelieve" (Al-Muddaththir: 31).

It is narrated from the Prophet (peace be upon him) that he used to seek refuge for Al-Hasan and Al-Husayn, saying: "I seek refuge for you both in the perfect words of God, from every harmful eye, and from every devil and poisonous creature."

"And it would not avail you against Allah at all" Meaning: If God intends evil for you, the advice I gave you to disperse will neither benefit you nor ward it off. It will strike you inevitably.

"The decision is only for Allah"

"And when they entered from where their father had ordered them" That is, dispersed.

"It did not avail them against Allah at all" Jacob’s opinion and their entering separately did not avail them in the slightest, for they were struck by what distressed them despite their dispersal: the accusation of theft, the resulting scandal, the seizure of their brother upon finding the measuring cup in his pack, and the compounding of the tragedy for their father.

"Except for a need" This is an istithna' munqati' (disjunctive exception), meaning: "But it was a need in the soul of Jacob which he fulfilled." This was his compassion for them, which he expressed through what he said and advised them.

"And indeed, he was a possessor of knowledge" Meaning his statement, "It would not avail you against Allah," and his knowledge that caution cannot avert the decree of God.

"And when they entered upon Joseph, he took his brother to himself; he said, 'Indeed, I am your brother, so do not be distressed by what they were doing.'"