قَالُوا۟ يَـٰٓأَبَانَا ٱسْتَغْفِرْ لَنَا ذُنُوبَنَآ إِنَّا كُنَّا خَـٰطِـِٔينَ 97
Translations
They said, "O our father, ask for us forgiveness of our sins; indeed, we have been sinners."
Transliteration
Qaloo ya abana istaghfir lana dhunobana inna kunna khati'een
Tafsir (Explanation)
The brothers of Prophet Yusuf (Joseph) ask their father Prophet Ya'qub (Jacob) to seek forgiveness for them from Allah for their sins, acknowledging they were wrongdoers. This verse represents a moment of sincere repentance and humility, as they confess their grave transgression of throwing Yusuf into the well years earlier. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir emphasize that this request demonstrates the importance of seeking intercession through righteous people and the power of sincere repentance combined with humble confession.
Revelation Context
This ayah occurs in the climactic resolution of Surah Yusuf, after Yusuf has been reunited with his family in Egypt and has revealed his identity to his brothers. The brothers, now humbled by the recognition of who Yusuf truly is and the consequences of their past cruelty, turn to their aged father seeking his prayers for their forgiveness—a thematic resolution showing the cyclical nature of sin, consequence, and redemption.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) said: 'The one who repents from sin is like one who has no sin' (Jami' at-Tirmidhi 2327). Also relevant is the hadith: 'Allah is more pleased with the repentance of His servant than one of you would be pleased to find his lost camel in the desert' (Sahih Bukhari 6309).
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches us that true repentance requires sincere acknowledgment of wrongdoing and humility before both Allah and those we have harmed, and that seeking the prayers of the righteous is a means of drawing closer to Allah's forgiveness. It reminds us that no sin is too great to be forgiven when one turns to Allah with a genuine heart.
Related Ayahs
فَإِن لَّمْ تَأْتُونِى بِهِۦ فَلَا كَيْلَ لَكُمْ عِندِى وَلَا تَقْرَبُونِ
But if you do not bring him to me, no measure will there be [hereafter] for you from me, nor will you approach me."
ٱرْجِعُوٓا۟ إِلَىٰٓ أَبِيكُمْ فَقُولُوا۟ يَـٰٓأَبَانَآ إِنَّ ٱبْنَكَ سَرَقَ وَمَا شَهِدْنَآ إِلَّا بِمَا عَلِمْنَا وَمَا كُنَّا لِلْغَيْبِ حَـٰفِظِينَ
Return to your father and say, 'O our father, indeed your son has stolen, and we did not testify except to what we knew. And we were not witnesses of the unseen.
قَالَ قَآئِلٌ مِّنْهُمْ لَا تَقْتُلُوا۟ يُوسُفَ وَأَلْقُوهُ فِى غَيَـٰبَتِ ٱلْجُبِّ يَلْتَقِطْهُ بَعْضُ ٱلسَّيَّارَةِ إِن كُنتُمْ فَـٰعِلِينَ
Said a speaker among them, "Do not kill Joseph but throw him into the bottom of the well; some travelers will pick him up - if you would do [something]."
قَالُوا۟ وَأَقْبَلُوا۟ عَلَيْهِم مَّاذَا تَفْقِدُونَ
They said while approaching them, "What is it you are missing?"