Jacob's Love for Joseph in Qurʾān 12:8, A Critical Review of Muslim Exegetical Literature

Qurʾān (12/8) mentions that Joseph's brothers accuse their father Jacob (AS) to show more attention toward Joseph, that is why they are jealous of him, and as we know this jealousy causes abundant difficulties in Joseph's life. In various interpretations of the Qurʾān, this report has been interpreted as saying that Jacob himself really discriminated between his children. Commentators have also given justifications to say that Jacob's behavior was moral. Therefore, it is questionable that to what extent the attributing such behavior to Jacob (AS) is justified and to what extent it can be supported based on Quranic evidence. The present study has been carried out with the aim of reviewing and criticizing these opinions and trying to understand this issue. By criticizing different interpretive opinions and showing the strengths and weaknesses of each one, we will defend this hypothesis that in the Holy Quran, Jacob (AS) is cleared of any accusation of discrimination against his children, and perhaps if a difference is felt between the children, It was rooted in the special family circumstances of Joseph (AS).