In The Name of Allah, The Most Merciful, The Bestower of Mercy.

Allah, The Most High, informed us in the story of Prophet Yusuf, peace be upon him, and his brothers:

قَالَ هَلْ عَلِمْتُم مَّا فَعَلْتُم بِيُوسُفَ وَأَخِيهِ إِذْ أَنتُمْ جَٰهِلُونَ

قَالُوٓا۟ أَءِنَّكَ لَأَنتَ يُوسُفُ قَالَ أَنَا۠ يُوسُفُ وَهَٰذَآ أَخِى قَدْ مَنَّ ٱللَّهُ عَلَيْنَآ إِنَّهُۥ مَن يَتَّقِ وَيَصْبِرْ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يُضِيعُ أَجْرَ ٱلْمُحْسِنِينَ

قَالُوا۟ تَٱللَّهِ لَقَدْ ءَاثَرَكَ ٱللَّهُ عَلَيْنَا وَإِن كُنَّا لَخَٰطِـِٔينَ

قَالَ لَا تَثْرِيبَ عَلَيْكُمُ ٱلْيَوْمَ يَغْفِرُ ٱللَّهُ لَكُمْ وَهُوَ أَرْحَمُ ٱلرَّٰحِمِينَ

He (Yusuf) said: “Do you know what you did with Yusuf and his brother when you were ignorant?” They said: “Are you indeed Yusuf?” He said: “I am Yusuf, and this is my brother (Benjamin). Allah has indeed been gracious to us. Verily, he who fears Allah with obedience to Him (by abstaining from sins and evil deeds, and by performing righteous good deeds), and is patient, then surely, Allah makes not the reward of the Muhsinun (good-doers) to be lost.” They said: “By Allah! Indeed Allah has preferred you above us, and we certainly have been sinners.”  He said: “No reproach on you this day, may Allah forgive you, and He is the Most Merciful of those who show mercy!  [Yusuf 89-92]

They said: “By Allah! Indeed Allah has preferred you above us, and we certainly have been sinners.”

Meaning: “You have been given virtue over us due to your noble character and commendable traits, while we have wronged you to the utmost degree, striving to inflict harm upon you and to distance you from your father. (But) Allah, The Exalted, grant you gave you precedence by way of the status you desire”.

وَإِنْ كُنَّا لَخَاطِئِينَ

And we certainly have been sinners.

This serves as a complete admission of the wrongdoing they committed against Yusuf. So, Yusuf, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said to them out of kindness and generosity:

“No reproach on you this day”, in other words,  neither will you be reproached nor blamed. “May Allah forgive you, and He is the Most Merciful of those who show mercy!”

He granted them complete forgiveness without any reference to their previous wrongdoing, and he supplicated for their pardon and mercy. This exemplifies the highest form of benevolence, which is only achievable by the most distinguished of the creation and the chosen ones.

An Excerpt from Tafsir As-Sadi