Quran Universe
12:94

وَلَمَّا فَصَلَتِ ٱلۡعِيرُ قَالَ أَبُوهُمۡ إِنِّي لَأَجِدُ رِيحَ يُوسُفَۖ لَوۡلَآ أَن تُفَنِّدُونِ

Walamma fasalati alAAeeru qala aboohum innee laajidu reeha yoosufa lawla an tufannidooni

And when the caravan departed [from Egypt], their father said, "Indeed, I find the smell of Joseph [and would say that he was alive] if you did not think me weakened in mind."

Word by word
  1. وَلَمَّاAnd when
  2. فَصَلَتِdeparted
  3. ٱلۡعِيرُthe caravan
  4. قَالَtheir father said
  5. أَبُوهُمۡtheir father said
  6. إِنِّيIndeed,I
  7. لَأَجِدُ[I] find
  8. رِيحَ(the) smell
  9. يُوسُفَۖ(of) Yusuf
  10. لَوۡلَآif not
  11. أَنthat
  12. تُفَنِّدُونِyou think me weakened in mind
Yusuf · 12:94Makkah

I smell Yusuf, if you do not call me senile.

A father senses the good news before it arrives

Far away
the caravanleaves Egypt
the wind carries
Yusuf's scentto Ya'qub
do not call me senilehe says
What hope looks like
foolishnessto the people around him
really
the first signof relief on its way

As the caravan left Egypt, Ya'qub said: I find the smell of Yusuf, if you do not think me senile. Ibn 'Abbas said a wind carried the scent of the shirt to him from eight days' distance. He knew people might laugh at him.

You tell your family you feel things are about to turn, the job, the health, the marriage. They roll their eyes. Hope sometimes senses relief before anyone else can see it.

If others think my hope is foolish, maybe it is.

Real hope can feel relief coming before the evidence arrives.

Try this

Write down one good thing you are hoping for, and date it.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (shared passage from 12:93)

"Go with this shirt of mine, and cast it over the face of my father, his vision will return, and bring to me all your family. (93)And when the caravan departed, their father said: "I do indeed sense the smell of Yusuf, if only you think me not senile). (94)They said: "By Allah! Certainly, you are in your old Dalal (error). (95)

Ya'qub finds the Scent of Yusuf in his Shirt!

Yusuf said, 'Take this shirt of mine,

فَأَلْقُوهُ عَلَىٰ وَجْهِ أَبِي يَأْتِ بَصِيرًا 

(and cast it over the face of my father, his vision will return),' because Ya'qub had lost his sight from excessive crying,

وَأْتُونِي بِأَهْلِكُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ

(and bring to me all your family.) all the children of Ya'qub.

وَلَمَّا فَصَلَتِ الْعِيرُ

(And when the caravan departed) from Egypt,

قَالَ أَبُوهُمْ

(their father said...), Ya'qub, peace be upon him, said to the children who remained with him,

إِنِّي لَأَجِدُ رِيحَ يُوسُفَ ۖ لَوْلَا أَن تُفَنِّدُونِ

(I do indeed feel the smell of Yusuf, if only you think me not senile.), except that you might think me senile because of old age.' 'Abdur-Razzaq narrated that Ibn 'Abbas said, "When the caravan departed [from Egypt], a wind started blowing and brought the scent of Yusuf's shirt to Ya'qub. He said,

إِنِّي لَأَجِدُ رِيحَ يُوسُفَ ۖ لَوْلَا أَن تُفَنِّدُونِ

(I do indeed feel the smell of Yusuf , if only you think me not senile.) He found his scent from a distance of eight days away!" Similar was also reported through Sufyan Ath-Thawri and Shu'bah and others reported it from Abu Sinan. Ya'qub said to them,

لَوْلَا أَن تُفَنِّدُونِ

(if only you think me not senile.) Ibn 'Abbas, Mujahid, 'Ata, Qatadah and Sa'id bin Jubayr commented, "If only you think me not a fool!" Mujahid and Al-Hasan said that it means, "If only you think me not old." Their answer to him was,

إِنَّكَ لَفِي ضَلَالِكَ الْقَدِيمِ

(Certainly, you are in your old Dalal.) meaning, 'in your old error,' according to Ibn 'Abbas. Qatadah commented, "They meant that, 'because of your love for Yusuf you will never forget him.' So they uttered a harsh word to their father that they should never have uttered to him, nor to a Prophet of Allah." Similar was said by As-Suddi and others.