Quran Universe
12:95

قَالُواْ تَٱللَّهِ إِنَّكَ لَفِي ضَلَٰلِكَ ٱلۡقَدِيمِ

Qaloo taAllahi innaka lafee dalalika alqadeemi

They said, "By Allah, indeed you are in your [same] old error."

Word by word
  1. قَالُواْThey said
  2. تَٱللَّهِBy Allah
  3. إِنَّكَindeed,you
  4. لَفِيsurely (are) in
  5. ضَلَٰلِكَyour error
  6. ٱلۡقَدِيمِold
Yusuf · 12:95Makkah

You are still in your old error, they said.

A harsh word to a grieving father

Their reply
Ya'qubI smell Yusuf
answered with
your old erroryou will never forget him
What they called it
errorlove that will not let go
faithabout to be proved right

Those around him said: by Allah, you are still in your old error. Qatadah said they meant: because of your love for Yusuf, you will never forget him. He added that this was a harsh word they should never have said to their father, nor to a Prophet of Allah.

Your elderly mum says something hopeful and the family laughs it off. Dad tells the same story again and you sigh loudly. A harsh word to a parent stays. Choose the gentle one.

It is only a small comment, they know I do not mean it.

Harsh words to a parent weigh heavily, especially when they are clinging to hope.

Try this

Call or sit with a parent or elder today and simply listen, without correcting them.

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.