Quran Universe
12:13

قَالَ إِنِّي لَيَحۡزُنُنِيٓ أَن تَذۡهَبُواْ بِهِۦ وَأَخَافُ أَن يَأۡكُلَهُ ٱلذِّئۡبُ وَأَنتُمۡ عَنۡهُ غَٰفِلُونَ

Qala innee layahzununee an thathhaboo bihi waakhafu an yakulahu alththibu waantum AAanhu ghafiloona

[Jacob] said, "Indeed, it saddens me that you should take him, and I fear that a wolf would eat him while you are of him unaware."

Word by word
  1. قَالَHe said
  2. إِنِّيIndeed,[I]
  3. لَيَحۡزُنُنِيٓit surely saddens me
  4. أَنthat
  5. تَذۡهَبُواْyou should take him
  6. بِهِۦyou should take him
  7. وَأَخَافُand I fear
  8. أَنthat
  9. يَأۡكُلَهُwould eat him
  10. ٱلذِّئۡبُa wolf
  11. وَأَنتُمۡwhile you
  12. عَنۡهُof him
  13. غَٰفِلُونَ(are) unaware
Yusuf · 12:13Makkah

It grieves me, and I fear a wolf while you are careless.

A father's love, and a fear spoken aloud

Yaqub's two feelings
sadnesseven a short parting
feara wolf, your carelessness
What happened to his words
a father's worryspoken in love
became
their excusethey used it later

Yaqub said it would sadden him to be apart from Yusuf even for a trip. Ibn Kathir notes his deep love for the boy. He feared a wolf while they were busy with the cattle. The brothers heard it and later used his own words.

You voice your worst fear to the wrong person, and later it comes back to you as their story. Not every fear needs to be spoken to everyone. Love is real even when it cannot stop what is coming.

Saying my fear aloud will help protect the people I love.

My worry is love, but I choose carefully who hears it.

Try this

Tell one fear about someone you love to Allah tonight, before you tell anyone else.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir

He (Ya'qub) said: "Truly, it saddens me that you should take him away. I fear lest a wolf should devour him, while you are careless of him. (13)They said: "If a wolf devours him, while we are 'Usbah (a group), then surely, we are the losers. (14)

Ya'qub's Answer to Their Request

Allah narrates to us that His Prophet Ya'qub said to his children, in response to their request that he send Yusuf with them to the desert to tend their cattle,

إِنِّي لَيَحْزُنُنِي أَن تَذْهَبُوا بِهِ

(Truly, it saddens me that you should take him away.) He said that it was hard on him that he be separated from Yusuf for the duration of their trip, until they came back. This demonstrates the deep love that Ya'qub had for his son, because he saw in Yusuf great goodness and exalted qualities with regards to conduct and physical attractiveness associated with the rank of prophethood. May Allah's peace and blessings be on him. Prophet Ya'qub's statement next,

وَأَخَافُ أَن يَأْكُلَهُ الذِّئْبُ وَأَنتُمْ عَنْهُ غَافِلُونَ

(I fear lest a wolf should devour him, while you are careless of him.) He said to them, 'I fear that you might be careless with him while you are tending the cattle and shooting, then a wolf might come and eat him while you are unaware.' They heard these words from his mouth and used them in their response for what they did afterwards. They also gave a spontaneous reply for their father's statement, saying,

لَئِنْ أَكَلَهُ الذِّئْبُ وَنَحْنُ عُصْبَةٌ إِنَّا إِذًا لَّخَاسِرُونَ

(If a wolf devours him, while we are an 'Usbah, then surely, we are the losers.) They said, 'If a wolf should attack and devour him while we are all around him in a strong group, then indeed we are the losers and weak.'