Al-Qur'an Surah Yusuf Verse 84

Mufti Taqi Usmani

He turned away from them and said, “How sad I am about Yūsuf!” and his eyes turned white with sorrow and he was suppressing (his anger and grief).

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

He turned away from them, lamenting, “Alas, poor Joseph!” And his eyes turned white out of the grief he suppressed.[[ Jacob (ﷺ) cried for so long that he became very weak-sighted. Some scholars suggest that he lost his sight completely. This does not contradict Jacob’s beautiful patience because he did not complain to anyone, but expressed his sorrow only to Allah. ]]

Ruwwad Translation Center

He turned away from them and said, “O my sorrow for Joseph!” And his eyes turned white because of suppressing his grief.

A. J. Arberry

And he turned away from them, and said, 'Ah, woe is me for Joseph!' And his eyes turned white because of the sorrow that he choked within him.

Abdul Haleem

and he turned away from them, saying, ‘Alas for Joseph!’ His eyes went white with grief and he was filled with sorrow.

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

And he turned away from them, and said: O my grief for Yusuf! and his eyes whitened with grief, while he was filled with suppressed sorrow.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

And he turned away from them, and said; "How great is my grief for Joseph!" And his eyes became white with sorrow, and he fell into silent melancholy.

Abul Ala Maududi

Then he turned his back to them, and said: "O my grief for Joseph!" His eyes whitened with grief and he was choked up with sorrow trying to suppress his grief.

Ahmed Ali

He turned away from them and cried: "Alas for Joseph!" And his eyes turned white with grief which he bore in silence.

Ahmed Raza Khan

And he turned away from them and said, “Alas – the separation from Yusuf!” and his eyes turned white with sorrow, he therefore kept suppressing his anger.

Ali Quli Qarai

He turned away from them and said, ‘Alas for Joseph!’ His eyes had turned white with grief, and he choked with suppressed agony.

Ali Ünal

He turned away from them and said: "Alas, my grief for Joseph!" And his eyes turned white because of the grief. And he was restraining (any resentment toward his other sons, never displaying it to them).

Amatul Rahman Omar

And he turned away from them and said, `O my grief for Joseph!´ and his eyes were drowned (with tears) for the pangs of grief and he was suppressing (his sorrow).

English Literal

And he turned away from them, and he said: "Oh my sorrow, on Joseph," and his two eyes whitened, from the sadness/grief, and he is suppressed .

Faridul Haque

And he turned away from them and said, "Alas - the separation from Yusuf!" and his eyes turned white with sorrow, he therefore kept suppressing his anger.

Hamid S. Aziz

He (their father when had heard this) said, "Nay, your souls have beguiled (tempted, diverted, deceived) you to something (that serves you). But patience is fitter for me. It may be that Allah will bring them all to me. Verily, He is Knower, Wise."

Hilali & Khan

And he turned away from them and said: "Alas, my grief for Yusuf (Joseph)!" And he lost his sight because of the sorrow that he was suppressing.

Maulana Mohammad Ali

He said: Nay, your souls have contrived an affair for you, so patience is good. Maybe Allah will bring them together to me. Surely He is the Knowing, the Wise.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

And he turned away from them, and said: O my sorrow for Yusuf! and his eyes became white on account of the grief, and he was a repressor (of grief).

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

And he turned away from them and said: Alas, my grief for Joseph! And his eyes were whitened with the sorrow that he was suppressing.

Muhammad Sarwar

(Jacob) turned away from them saying, "Alas, Joseph is lost!" He wept continuously in his grief until, in suppressing his anger, his eyes turned white.

Qaribullah & Darwish

And he turned away and said: 'Alas for Joseph' His eyes turned white with the grief he repressed within him.

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

And he turned away from them and said: "Alas, my grief for Yusuf!" And he lost his sight because of the sorrow that he was suppressing.

Wahiduddin Khan

And he turned away from them, crying, "Alas for Joseph!" His eyes went white with grief, and he was filled with sorrow.

Talal Itani

Then he turned away from them, and said, “O my bitterness for Joseph.” And his eyes turned white from sorrow, and he became depressed.

Tafsir jalalayn

And he turned away from them, no longer addressing them, and said, `Alas, my grief for Joseph!' (y asaf; the [final] alif [of asaf] has taken the place of the [possessive] y' of genitive annexation [sc. y asaf], in other words [it means] y huzn [`O my sorrow']). And his eyes turned white, their dark colour was effaced and became white on account of his tears, with grief, for him, such that he was [filled] with suppressed agony, anguished and grief-stricken, but not manifesting his grief.

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

وَتَوَلَّى عَنْهُمْ وَقَالَ يَا أَسَفَى عَلَى يُوسُفَ

وَابْيَضَّتْ عَيْنَاهُ مِنَ الْحُزْنِ فَهُوَ كَظِيمٌ



And he turned away from them and said;"Alas, my grief for Yusuf!"

He turned away from his children and remembered his old grief for Yusuf,

يَا أَسَفَى عَلَى يُوسُفَ

Alas, my grief for Yusuf!

The new grief, losing Binyamin and Rubil, renewed his old sadness that he kept to himself.

Abdur-Razzaq narrated that Ath-Thawri said that Sufyan Al-Usfuri said that Sa`id bin Jubayr said,

"Only this nation (the following of Prophet Muhammad) were given Al-Istirja'. Have you not heard the statement of Yaqub, peace be upon him,

يَا أَسَفَى عَلَى يُوسُفَ وَابْيَضَّتْ عَيْنَاهُ مِنَ الْحُزْنِ فَهُوَ كَظِيمٌ



"Alas, my grief for Yusuf !" And he lost his sight because of the sorrow that he was suppressing."

According to Qatadah and other scholars,

Yaqub suppressed his sorrow and did not complain to a created being,

Ad-Dahhak also commented,

"Yaqub was aggrieved, sorrowful and sad."

Yaqub's children felt pity for him and said, while feeling sorrow and compassion,