His saying, exalted and majestic is He: "And he turned away from them and said, 'O my sorrow for Joseph!' And his eyes became white from grief, for he was suppressing [his anger]." "They said, 'By Allah, you will never cease to remember Joseph until you become fatally ill or become of those who perish.'" "He said, 'I only complain of my grief and sorrow to Allah, and I know from Allah that which you do not know.'" The meaning is that when he had a bad opinion of them and did not believe their words, but rather he doubted them, "And he turned away from them" means he turned his face away from them and began to lament and express his sorrow. Al-Hasan said: This nation has been distinguished by the expression of grief, do you not see Jacob's saying: "O my sorrow"? Qadi Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: The intended meaning is: O my sorrow! But this is the language of one who replaces the added 'ya' with an 'alif', like: O father and O boy. And he called out in sorrow meaning: be present, for this is one of your times. It was said that his saying: "O my sorrow" is in the manner of lamentation, and the omission of the 'ha' which is in lamentation is a sign of exaggeration in grief, as a show of endurance from him, peace be upon him, as he had committed himself to beautiful patience. It was said that his saying: "O my sorrow" is a call that contains a plea for help. Qadi Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: It is not far-fetched that both "the expression of grief" and "O my sorrow" come together for this nation and for Jacob, peace be upon him. "And his eyes became white from grief" means: from the constant weeping which is the fruit of grief. It has been narrated that Jacob, peace be upon him, grieved with the grief of seventy bereaved mothers, and he was given the reward of a hundred martyrs, and he never had a bad opinion of Allah at all, narrated by Al-Hasan from the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him. Ibn Abbas and Mujahid read: "the grief" with a fatha on the 'ha' and 'za', and Qatadah read it with a damma on both, while the majority read it with a damma on the 'ha' and a sukoon on the 'za'. "And he was suppressing [his anger]" means: one who suppresses, as He said: "and those who suppress anger" [Aali 'Imran: 134]. He described Jacob with this because he did not complain to anyone, but rather he was suppressing within himself and holding back his concern in his chest, and he was suppressing it, meaning he was returning it to his heart and not releasing it with complaint, anger, or annoyance. Some people said: "suppressing" means: filled with grief. And Allah, exalted is He, described Yunus, peace be upon him, as filled with grief in His saying: "when he called out while he was filled with grief" [Al-Qalam: 48]. This is only applicable on the assumption that he was filled with his grief, so it is as if he suppressed his complaint in his chest. The usage of "suppressing" in the form of "one who suppresses" is clearer, and some interpreted "the suppressor" as the distressed and the troubled, and all of this is closely related. Al-Mundhir ibn Sa'id said: Sorrow, when it is from someone lesser than a person, is anger, and from it is Allah's saying: "So when they angered us, we took revenge on them" [Az-Zukhruf: 55], and from it is the saying of the man whose sheep from the flock went missing: "So I was angry and I struck it." And when it is from a source that he cannot bear, it is worry and grief. Qadi Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: The clarification of this matter is that sorrow is said in anger and it is said in grief, and each one of these two will determine the state in which it is said.

And His saying, glorified and exalted is He: "They said, 'By Allah, you will not cease'". The meaning is: 'By Allah, you will not cease', so the 'no' is omitted in this place from the oath due to the indication of the speech upon it. From that is the saying of Imru' al-Qais:

'So I said, 'By the oath of Allah, I will not cease sitting' ∗∗∗ 'Even if they cut off my head and my limbs.'

And from it is the saying of another:

'By Allah, he will remain through the days, one of pride ∗∗∗ ∗∗∗ with the flowers and the myrtle.'

He meant: he will not cease, and he will not remain. And Al-Zajjaji said: 'And the 'what' can also be omitted in this place, and some grammarians have corrected him.' And among the places where 'no' has been omitted and the speech indicates it is the saying of the poet:

'And by my father, Dahma, she did not cease to be dear ∗∗∗ ∗∗∗ to her people as long as the spark did not cut.'

And his saying: 'as long as the spark did not cut' necessitates that the omitted word is 'no', and not 'what'.

And 'fa'ti'a' is equivalent to 'zal' and 'barah' in meaning and function. You say: 'By Allah, I will not cease sitting' just as you say: 'I did not cease and I did not depart.' And from it is the saying of Aws ibn Hajir:

'And she did not cease until it was as if her dust ∗∗∗ ∗∗∗ was a canopy on a windy day.'

And 'al-haradh' is that which has been weakened by old age, love, or sorrow to the state of the corruption of the members, body, and senses. And on this meaning is the reading of the majority: 'haradhan' with the opening of the 'ra' and 'ha'. Al-Hasan ibn Abi al-Hasan read it with the 'ra' and 'ha' being pronounced. And a group read: 'huradhan' with the 'ha' being pronounced and the 'ra' being silent. And all of this source can be described with the masculine and feminine, singular and plural, with one word, like 'adl' and 'aduww'. And it has been said in the reading of Al-Hasan: that it is the fragments of the bones, meaning: old and crumbling. And it is said from this meaning, which is the burden of worry and old age: 'A man is haridh.' This construction can be dualized, pluralized, feminized, and masculinized. And from this meaning is the saying of the poet:

'Indeed, I am a man whom love has made haridh ∗∗∗ ∗∗∗ until I have become worn out and until sickness has afflicted me.'

And it has been heard from the Arabs: 'A man is muhridh.' The poet, who is Imru' al-Qais, said:

'I see the man with the swords becoming muhridh ∗∗∗ ∗∗∗ like the muhridh of a sick young camel in the homes.'

And 'al-haradh' in general is that which has decayed and is near death. Mujahid said: 'Al-haradh is what is below death.' Qatadah said: 'Al-haradh is the old and worn out.' And Al-Dahhak and Al-Hasan said similarly. And Al-Hasan said: 'haradhan' means: corrupt, having no mind. So it is as if they said in a manner of reproach to him: 'You do not cease to mention Yusuf until you are close to destruction or to death.' So Jacob, peace be upon him, responded to them, saying: 'I am not among those who despair and become impatient, deserving of reproach. Rather, I complain of my grief and sorrow to Allah.'

And 'al-bath' is what is in the chest of a person that he is determined to express and spread. And 'al-bath' is mostly used in the context of what is disliked. And Abu Ubaidah and others said: 'Al-bath is the most intense sorrow.' And 'al-bath' can also be used in the context of the hidden in general. And from it is the saying of the woman in the story of 'Umm Zar': (And let not the hand enter to know the bath), and from it is their saying: 'I will express to you my story.'

And Isa read: 'and my sorrow' with the opening of the 'ha' and 'za'.

Al-Tabari narrated with a chain that Ya'qub entered upon Fir'awn, and his eyebrows had fallen over his eyes due to old age. Fir'awn said to him: What has brought you to this, O Ibrahim? They said: Indeed, he is Ya'qub. Fir'awn then said: What has brought you to this, O Ya'qub? He said to him: The length of time and the abundance of sorrows. So Allah revealed to him: O Ya'qub, are you complaining to My creation? He said: O Lord, I have sinned, so forgive me. Al-Tabari also narrated from Al-Hasan that there were eighty years between Yusuf's departure from Ya'qub and Ya'qub's entry upon Yusuf. During that time, sorrow did not leave his heart, and he continued to weep until his sight was lost. And there was no one on earth that day more honored by Allah than Ya'qub.

And His saying: ﴿I know from Allah what you do not know﴾ [Yusuf: 96] may imply that he referred to his good opinion of Allah and the beautiful custom of Allah with him. It may also imply that he referred to the awaited vision or to what had occurred in his heart regarding the saying of the king of Egypt: Indeed, I pray for him to see his son before death. And this is the good opinion that we have presented.