Hadith record

238. Ibn Mahboub, from hanaan Bin Sudeyr, who has said: I said to Abu Ja’far (asws), ‘Inform me about the words of Yaqoub (as) to his (as) sons: “[12:87] O my sons! Go and inquire respecting Yusuf and his brother”, Did he (as) know that he (as) was alive, and there was a separation of twenty years between them?’ He (asws) said: ‘Yes’. I said, ‘How did he (as) know?’ He (asws) said: ‘He (as) supplicated before dawn and asked Allah (azwj) Mighty and Majestic that he (azwj) should Send down to him (as) the Angel of Death. So Biryaal descended unto him (as), and he is the Angel of Death. So Biryaal said to him (as): ‘What is your (as) need, O Yaqoub (as)?’ He (as) said: ‘Inform me about the souls. Do you capture them altogether or separately?’ He said, ‘But, I capture them separately, soul by soul’. He (as) said to him: ‘So inform me, Did you come across the soul of Yusuf (as) in what you have passed by?’ He said: ‘No’. Thus Yaqoub (as) came to know that he (as) was alive. So, due to that he (as) said “[12:87] O my sons! Go and inquire respecting Yusuf and his brother”.

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar·Thaqalayn link·The Arabic above is the original.