Tafseer Ibn Kathir of YUSUF [96]

96. Then, when the bearer of the good news arrived, he cast it (the shirt) over his face, and his vision returned. He said: ”Did I not say to you, `I know from Allah that which you know not''' 97. They said: ”O our father! Ask forgiveness (from Allah) for our sins, indeed we have been sinners.'' 98. He said: ”I will ask my Lord for forgiveness for you, verily, He! Only He is the Oft-Forgiving, the Most Merciful.'' Ibn `Abbas and Ad-Dahhak said;

(good news) means information. Mujahid and As-Suddi said that the bearer of good news was Yahudha, son of Ya`qub. As-Suddi added, ”He brought it (Yusuf's shirt) because it was he who brought Yusuf's shirt stained with the false blood. So he liked to erase that error with this good act, by bringing Yusuf's shirt and placing it on his father's face. His father's sight was restored to him.'' Ya`qub said to his children,

(Did I not say to you, `I know from Allah that which you know not'), that I know that Allah will return Yusuf to me and that,

(I do indeed feel the smell of Yusuf, if only you think me not senile.)   This is when Yusuf's brothers said to their father, with humble- ness,

(”O our father! Ask forgiveness (from Allah) for our sins, indeed we have been sinners.'' He said: ”I will ask my Lord for forgiveness for you, verily, He! Only He is the Oft-Forgiving, the Most Merciful.'') and He forgives those who repent to Him. `Abdullah bin Mas`ud, Ibrahim At-Taymi, `Amr bin Qays, Ibn Jurayj and several others said that Prophet Ya`qub delayed fulfilling their request until the latter part of the night.