So it is as if it were said: He has made clear to them his matter. This is because no king like him has grown up among them, nor has he followed their conditions, and he is not one of them. This inquiry is not appropriate, especially since it has been narrated that when he said this, he smiled. In his smile, there was something of beauty that is not unknown to anyone who has seen him, even if just once. Did they recognize him? It was said: They thought of him with a predominant thought. Therefore, they said, inquiring: 'Are you indeed Joseph?' And they confirmed with their saying: 'Surely, you are Joseph.'

And when it was expected from one like him, regarding the greatness he is in, that he would reward them for their evil deeds towards him, he began to clarify his generosity and said: ﴿He said, I am Yusuf﴾. And he added to them his words: ﴿And this is my brother﴾, meaning Benjamin, my full brother, for mentioning him to them in his words ﴿And his brother﴾ [Yusuf: 89]. And to increase their knowledge of him, he confirmed this in his matter by affirming it to him during the time he stayed with them, and to build upon it his saying: ﴿Indeed, Allah has bestowed favor upon us﴾, meaning the One who has majesty and honor, ﴿by gathering us together in a good state﴾. Then, there is a reason for this in his saying: ﴿Indeed, whoever fears﴾, and it is in the jussive mood because it is a conditional verb. And Qanbal has affirmed the 'ya' in both cases, treating it as a correct form, indicating the description of piety with complete correctness and additional capability, which is always associated with it in every situation. ﴿And let him be patient﴾, meaning Allah will grant him his reward for his goodness. ﴿For indeed, Allah﴾, meaning the One who encompasses the attributes of perfection, ﴿does not waste﴾, meaning He does not allow the slightest waste of his reward. Thus was the original, but he expressed it in a way that he knows that piety and patience are from goodness. So he said: ﴿The reward of the doers of good﴾. And piety is the repulsion of calamity by following the path of guidance; and patience is the restraint of the soul by enduring the bitterness of deprivation from what it desires. And perhaps he concealed his matter from them to this extent because if he had sent to his father to inform him before the king, he would not have been safe from the plotting of his brothers. And if he had introduced himself to them afterwards or at the first moment he saw them, he would not have been safe from their hearts being cut off at the surprise of their uncovering of the matter while he is in what he is in of honor. For they acted towards him as a killer without any sin he had committed against them. They do not doubt that if he were to overpower them, he would destroy them for the evil they had previously done to him. And depending on their safety, they do not trust him even if he is generous towards them. For great matters, if they are not gradual, their danger is great, and their harm extends. If he had sent them to bring their father, he feared that they would betray their father to the king of Egypt and treat him well by removing him from his land, so they would go to where he does not know. And if he had sent trustworthy people with them, he would not have been safe from the possibility of evil among them. And if he imprisoned them and sent to his father someone to bring him, that would not be a good position for that from his father, and he would experience loneliness from the imprisonment of his children. And there would be great talk among the people of Egypt and others about that. So he did with them what was mentioned earlier to show them his goodness, justice, religion, and kindness, and to refrain from them and forgive them for their actions gradually. And they would witness that from him in word and deed from his brother whom he raised with them, and they were familiar with him and accustomed to him, so their fear would settle, and their slip would become light. And among what indicates this is that when he denied from his brother Benjamin what they were described with, he introduced himself to him when he came to him and forbade him from informing them of the reality of the matter. And he began to extend this so that the causes he intended would be firmly established. So when he thought that the matter had reached its limit, he gestured to them, and they recognized him, and he had made them forget his good intellect, his exquisite beauty, his remarkable appearance, and his wonderful words and actions. So it was a place of fear and shame, and a place of despair and hope. Thus, the desired outcome was achieved according to the right guidance - and Allah is the Grantor of success; and that is a reminder for those who were addressed at the beginning of the surah.

﴿Perhaps you will understand﴾ [Yusuf: 2] regarding following the actions of the rightly guided leaders in being patient and deliberate, and entrusting matters to the Wise One. And that they should not rush Him in any matter, and that they should know that His divine tradition has established that difficult matters are not accomplished except through perseverance, so that the causes may be arranged gradually in a precise manner. In this, there are benefits for which the trial of the first of obedience and disobedience is intended - as will be indicated at the end of the surah by His saying; ﴿Until when the messengers despair﴾ [Yusuf: 110] and Allah knows best.