Allah states that Ya`qub went to Yusuf in Egypt. Yusuf had asked his brothers
to bring all of their family, and they all departed their area and left Kana`an
to Egypt. When Yusuf received news of their approach to Egypt, he went out to
receive them. The king ordered the princes and notable people to go out in the
receiving party with Yusuf to meet Allah's Prophet Ya`qub, peace be upon him. It
is said that the king also went out with them to meet Ya`qub. Yusuf said to his
family, after they entered unto him and he took them to himself,
[وَقَالَ ادْخُلُواْ
مِصْرَ إِن شَآءَ اللَّهُ ءَامِنِينَ]
(and said: "Enter Egypt, if Allah wills, in security.'') He said to them,
`enter Egypt', meaning, `reside in Egypt', and added, `if Allah wills, in
security', in reference to the hardship and famine that they suffered. Allah
said next,
[ءَاوَى إِلَيْهِ
أَبَوَيْهِ]
(and he took his parents to himself) As-Suddi and `Abdur-Rahman bin Zayd bin
Aslam said that his parents were his father and maternal aunt, as his mother had
died long ago. Muhammad bin Ishaq and Ibn Jarir At-Tabari said, "His father and
mother were both alive.'' Ibn Jarir added, "There is no evidence that his mother
had died before then. Rather, the apparent words of the Qur'an testify that she
was alive.'' This opinion has the apparent and suitable meaning that this story
testifies to. Allah said next,
[وَرَفَعَ أَبَوَيْهِ
عَلَى الْعَرْشِ]
(And he raised his parents to Al-'Arsh) he raised them to his bedstead where
he sat, according to Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid and several others. Allah said,
[وَخَرُّواْ لَهُ
سُجَّدَا]
(and they fell down before him prostrate.) Yusuf's parents and brothers
prostrated before him, and they were eleven men,
[وَقَالَ يأَبَتِ
هَـذَا تَأْوِيلُ رُؤْيَـى مِن قَبْلُ]
(And he said: "O my father! This is the Ta'wil (interpretation) of my dream
aforetime...''), in reference to the dream that he narrated to his father
before,
[إِنِّى رَأَيْتُ
أَحَدَ عَشَرَ كَوْكَبًا]
(I saw (in a dream) eleven stars...) In the laws of these and previous
Prophets, it was allowed for the people to prostrate before the men of
authority, when they met them. This practice was allowed in the law of Adam
until the law of `Isa, peace be upon them, but was later prohibited in our law.
Islam made prostration exclusively for Allah Alone, the Exalted and Most
Honored. The implication of this statement was collected from Qatadah and other
scholars. When Mu`adh bin Jabal visited the Sham area, he found them prostrating
before their priests. When he returned (to Al-Madinah), he prostrated before the
Messenger of Allah , who asked him,
«مَا هَذَا يَا
مُعَاذُ؟»
(What is this, O, Mu`adh) Mu`adh said, "I saw that they prostrate before
their priests. However, you, O Messenger of Allah, deserve more to be prostrated
before.'' The Messenger said,
«لَوْ كُنْتُ آمِرًا
أَحَدًا أَنْ يَسْجُدَ لِأَحَدٍ، لَأَمَرْتُ الْمَرْأَةَ أَنْ تَسْجُدَ لِزَوْجِهَا
لِعِظَمِ حَقِّهِ عَلَيْهَا»
(If I were to order anyone to prostrate before anyone else (among the
creation), I would have ordered the wife to prostrate before her husband because
of the enormity of his right on her.) Therefore, this practice was allowed in
previous laws, as we stated. This is why they (Ya`qub and his wife and eleven
sons) prostrated before Yusuf, who said at that time,
[يأَبَتِ هَـذَا
تَأْوِيلُ رُؤْيَـى مِن قَبْلُ قَدْ جَعَلَهَا رَبِّى حَقًّا]
(O my father! This is the Ta'wil of my dream aforetime! My Lord has made it
come true!) using the word, `Ta'wil', to describe what became of the matter,
later on. Allah said in another Ayah,
[هَلْ يَنظُرُونَ
إِلاَّ تَأْوِيلَهُ يَوْمَ يَأْتِى تَأْوِيلُهُ]
(Await they just for its Ta'wil On the Day the event is finally
fulfilled...), meaning, on the Day of Judgement what they were promised of good
or evil will surely come to them. Yusuf said,
[قَدْ جَعَلَهَا
رَبِّى حَقًّا]
(My Lord has made it come true!) mentioning that Allah blessed him by making
his dream come true,
[وَقَدْ أَحْسَنَ بَى
إِذْ أَخْرَجَنِى مِنَ السِّجْنِ وَجَآءَ بِكُمْ مِّنَ الْبَدْوِ]
(He was indeed good to me, when He took me out of the prison, and brought you
(all here) out of the bedouin life,) out of the desert, for they lived a bedouin
life and raised cattle, according to Ibn Jurayj and others. He also said that
they used to live in the Arava, Ghur area of Palestine, in Greater Syria. Yusuf
said next,
[مِن بَعْدِ أَن
نَّزغَ الشَّيْطَـنُ بَيْنِى وَبَيْنَ إِخْوَتِى إِنَّ رَبِّى لَطِيفٌ لِّمَا
يَشَآءُ]
(after Shaytan had sown enmity between me and my brothers. Certainly, my Lord
is the Most Courteous and Kind unto whom He wills.) for when Allah wills
something, He brings forth its reasons and elements of existence, then wills it
into existence and makes it easy to attain,
[إِنَّهُ هُوَ
الْعَلِيمُ]
(Truly, He! Only He is the All-Knowing.) what benefits His servants,
[الْحَكِيمُ]
(the All-Wise.) in His statements, actions, decrees, preordain- ment and what
He chooses and wills.
[رَبِّ قَدْ
آتَيْتَنِى مِنَ الْمُلْكِ وَعَلَّمْتَنِى مِن تَأْوِيلِ الاٌّحَادِيثِ فَاطِرَ
السَّمَـوَتِ وَالاٌّرْضِ أَنتَ وَلِىِّ فِى الدُّنُيَا وَالاٌّخِرَةِ تَوَفَّنِى
مُسْلِمًا وَأَلْحِقْنِى بِالصَّـلِحِينَ ]
(101. "My Lord! You have indeed bestowed on me of the sovereignty, and taught
me something of the interpretation of dreams - the (Only) Creator of the heavens
and the earth! You are my Wali in this world and in the Hereafter. Cause me to
die as a Muslim, and join me with the righteous.'')