Tafsir Ibn Kathir -> Surah Yusuf -> Yusuf's Brothers feel Sorry and Regretful

This is when Yusuf's brothers said to their father, with humble- ness,

﴿قَالُواْ يأَبَانَا اسْتَغْفِرْ لَنَا ذُنُوبَنَآ إِنَّا كُنَّا خَـطِئِينَ - قَالَ سَوْفَ أَسْتَغْفِرُ لَكُمْ رَبِّى إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ ﴾

("O our father! Ask forgiveness (from Allah) for our sins, indeed we have been sinners.'' He said: "I will ask my Lord for forgiveness for you, verily, He! Only He is the Oft-Forgiving, the Most Merciful.'') and He forgives those who repent to Him. `Abdullah bin Mas`ud, Ibrahim At-Taymi, `Amr bin Qays, Ibn Jurayj and several others said that Prophet Ya`qub delayed fulfilling their request until the latter part of the night.

﴿فَلَمَّا دَخَلُواْ عَلَى يُوسُفَ ءَاوَى إِلَيْهِ أَبَوَيْهِ وَقَالَ ادْخُلُواْ مِصْرَ إِن شَآءَ اللَّهُ ءَامِنِينَ - وَرَفَعَ أَبَوَيْهِ عَلَى الْعَرْشِ وَخَرُّواْ لَهُ سُجَّدَا وَقَالَ يأَبَتِ هَـذَا تَأْوِيلُ رُؤْيَـى مِن قَبْلُ قَدْ جَعَلَهَا رَبِّى حَقًّا وَقَدْ أَحْسَنَ بَى إِذْ أَخْرَجَنِى مِنَ السِّجْنِ وَجَآءَ بِكُمْ مِّنَ الْبَدْوِ مِن بَعْدِ أَن نَّزغَ الشَّيْطَـنُ بَيْنِى وَبَيْنَ إِخْوَتِى إِنَّ رَبِّى لَطِيفٌ لِّمَا يَشَآءُ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْعَلِيمُ الْحَكِيمُ ﴾

(99. Then, when they came in before Yusuf, he took his parents to himself and said: "Enter Egypt, if Allah wills, in security.'') (100. And he raised his parents to the `Arsh and they fell down before him prostrate. And he said: "O my father! This is the interpretation of my dream aforetime! My Lord has made it come true! He was indeed good to me, when He took me out of the prison, and brought you (all here) out of the bedouin life, after Shaytan had sown enmity between me and my brothers. Certainly, my Lord is the Most Courteous and Kind unto whom He wills. Truly, He! Only He is the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.)