Surah Yusuf (12) — Ayah 94

(Ayah94) ➊ {وَ لَمَّا فَصَلَتِ الْعِيْرُ …:} From this, one can estimate the knowledge granted by Allah Almighty to the Prophets, and also the reality of how much knowledge they themselves possess. It was this very shirt, it came by this very route, yet the beloved son lying a few miles away in the well could not be known, nor was his scent perceived; and when Allah Almighty informed, the scent of Yusuf (peace be upon him) began to be sensed as soon as the caravan departed. This incident is one clear proof among countless evidences that the Prophets are not all-knowing of the unseen; yes, whatever is conveyed to them through revelation, they come to know, and this is the difference between an ordinary person and a Prophet: the Prophet receives divine revelation, while others are deprived of this blessing. Sheikh Saadi has beautifully composed this point in "Gulistan":
One asked the father who had lost his son,
"O noble, wise elder!
From Egypt you sensed the scent of his shirt,
Why did you not see him in the well of Canaan?"
He replied, "Our (the Prophets') states are like a flash of lightning in the world,
At one moment manifest, and the next moment hidden.
Sometimes we sit on the highest throne,
Sometimes we do not see what is on the back of our own foot."
That is, someone asked the one who lost his son, "O noble lineage, wise elder! You sensed the scent of his shirt from Egypt, why did you not see him in the well of Canaan?" He said, "Our (the Prophets') states are like a flashing lightning, at one moment they appear, and the next moment they are hidden. Sometimes we are seated at the highest and most exalted place, sometimes we do not see what is on the back of our own foot." In the first hemistich of the last verse, there is an allusion to the Mi'raj of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and in the second, to the incident when Jibril (peace be upon him) came during prayer to inform that impurity was on the Prophet's (peace and blessings be upon him) shoe, so the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) removed his shoes during the prayer itself.

➋ { لَوْ لَاۤ اَنْ تُفَنِّدُوْنِ:} That is, if it were not that you would say that due to old age and love for Yusuf, my mind has become disturbed.

94. 1. On one side, the caravan departed with this shirt from Egypt, and on the other side, as a miracle from Allah, Prophet Yaqub (عليه السلام) began to sense the fragrance of Prophet Yusuf (عليه السلام). This was, in fact, a declaration that even Allah’s Prophet remains unaware until Allah conveys the information, even if the son is in a well in his own city. And when Allah arranges it, then even from a distant land like Egypt, the fragrance of the son reaches him.

94. When the caravan departed (from Egypt), their father Ya‘qub said, “If you do not think that I have lost my mind due to old age, (then know that) I truly sense the scent of Yusuf [91].”

[91]
Sayyiduna Ya'qub (ؑ) Informing His Sons of Yusuf (ؑ) Being Alive and Their Mockery:

As the caravan departed from Egypt, Sayyiduna Ya'qub (ؑ), hundreds of miles away in Canaan, began to sense the scent of his separated son Yusuf (ؑ). However, when Yusuf (ؑ) was lying in a well in their own village, he was not aware of it at that time, from which it is understood that Allah grants the knowledge of the unseen to the Prophets only as much as He wills and when He wills. In all the events of Sayyiduna Yusuf’s (ؑ) life, only the will of Allah is seen to be at work. Allah Almighty thoroughly tested Sayyiduna Ya'qub (ؑ) in patience, endurance, and trust in Allah. Then, when the time came for the fruit of this test after his success, even before the meeting, a spiritual state was cast upon Sayyiduna Ya'qub (ؑ), or he was informed through revelation. Yet, he hesitated to openly express this state to his family, and when he did speak, he said it in such a manner: “If you do not start saying that, due to old age, I have begun to utter strange things, then the fact is that today I sense the scent of Yusuf (ؑ), and the difficulty is that this matter will not be understood by you.” Accordingly, the family members said exactly what he feared. They said: “You often mention Yusuf anyway; his love, the belief in his being alive, and the certainty of meeting him again have taken root in your heart. These are the same old things that are coming to your mind as the scent of Yusuf (ؑ). Your passionate love for Yusuf takes various forms of imagination in your heart, and it is those very imaginations that you begin to tell us.”