Yūsuf

قَالَ سَوْفَ أَسْتَغْفِرُ لَكُمْ رَبّي إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ

98. “He said: ‘Soon I will ask forgiveness for you from my Lord; He is the Forgiving, the Merciful’.”

The great old man, who possessed a magnanimous spirit and with immense generosity, refrained from blaming them; instead he promised them that he would soon ask forgiveness for them from Allah. The verse says:

“He said: ‘Soon I will ask forgiveness for you from my Lord;...”

It has been mentioned in some Islamic traditions that Ya‘qub’s (as) aim was to postpone acting upon their request until dawn the next Friday when would have been a more appropriate time for the acceptance of prayers and repentance. Ya‘qub hoped that Allah would accept their repentance and overlook their sins, for Allah is Compassionate and Kind as the verse states:

“…He is the Forgiving, the Merciful’.”

This verse and the verse before it show that asking a third party to ask forgiveness from Allah for oneself not only is not incompatible with monotheism, but also provides a way to merit Allah’s approbation. Otherwise, how would it be possible that prophet Ya‘qub (as) could accept his sons’ request to seek forgiveness for them from Allah? There is a light at the end of the tunnel. These verses teach us that no matter how hard and painful one’s difficulties might be, and how limited and insufficient the apparent means and the possibilities might seem, one must not feel removed from hope in Allah’s grace and favor.

In this story, Allah made a blind man regain his eyesight with a shirt and made the smell of that shirt travel a long distance, He enabled someone lost to return home after long years of separation, and healed the wounds of broken hearts can also remove the grave pains and difficulties. Yes, in this story and historical event, there lies the great lesson of Unity and theology proving that nothing is difficult and complicated for the Will of Allah.