Ya'qub began with peace upon his son, saying: “Peace be upon you, O dispeller of sorrows.” And his saying “and I know from Allah that which you do not know” means: I know regarding the matter of Yusuf that which you do not know. This is because the station of Ya'qub is that of the Veil (al-Hijabiyyah); thus, there is nothing in the ranks of existence more exalted than it, save the station of his Mawla, the Meaning (al-Ma'na), Yusuf. His suffering and grief for him is a metonymy for the intensity of his infatuation and ecstatic love for him, for he is his Meaning and his ultimate goal. His knowledge of him is greater than all the people of the hierarchical ranks (ahl al-maratib), since he is the closest of all to him and the most exalted among them in his presence; for he burst forth from the light of his Essence, and from the Deity he overflowed and radiated.