"And he turned away from them," meaning he turned away from them. "And said, 'Oh, my sorrow for Yusuf!'" that is, oh, my grief. "And his eyes became white," meaning he became blind from grief. He knew, by what Allah had informed him through revelation, that Yusuf was alive and that he was a prophet, but he did not know his whereabouts. "And he was Kazīm (suppressing his grief)." Al-Kalbi said: meaning, he was filled with hidden anguish.
Muhammad said: "Kazīm" is like "Kāẓim." The "Kāẓim" is the one who holds back his grief, neither showing it nor complaining of it.
﴿وَتَوَلَّى عَنْهُم﴾ أَعْرَضَ عَنْهُمْ ﴿وَقَالَ يَا أَسَفَى على يُوسُف﴾ أَيْ: يَا حُزْنًا ﴿وَابْيَضَّتْ عَيناهُ﴾ أَيْ: عَمِيَ مِنَ الْحُزْنِ، وَقَدْ عَلِمَ بِمَا أَعْلَمَهُ اللَّهُ بِالْوَحْيِ أَنَّ يُوسُفَ حيٌّ، وَأَنَّهُ نَبِيٌّ، وَلَكِنَّهُ لَمْ يَعْلَمْ حَيْثُ هُوَ ﴿وَهُوَ كظيم﴾ قَالَ الْكَلْبِيُّ: أَيْ: كَمِيدٌ.
قَالَ محمدٌ: (كظيم) هُوَ مِثْلَ كَاظِمٌ، وَالْكَاظِمُ: الْمُمْسِكُ عَلَى حُزْنِهِ لَا يُظْهِرُهُ وَلا يشكوه.
