Anwar Al-Quran

Verses 23–30

12. Yusuf · Joseph

Makkan111 verses

وَرَٰوَدَتْهُ ٱلَّتِى هُوَ فِى بَيْتِهَا عَن نَّفْسِهِۦ وَغَلَّقَتِ ٱلْأَبْوَٰبَ وَقَالَتْ هَيْتَ لَكَ ۚ قَالَ مَعَاذَ ٱللَّهِ ۖ إِنَّهُۥ رَبِّىٓ أَحْسَنَ مَثْوَاىَ ۖ إِنَّهُۥ لَا يُفْلِحُ ٱلظَّٰلِمُونَ

12:23The woman in whose house he was, solicited him. She closed the doors and said, ‘Come!!’ He said, ‘God forbid! Indeed He is my Lord; He has given me a good abode. Indeed the wrongdoers are not felicitous.’1

وَلَقَدْ هَمَّتْ بِهِۦ ۖ وَهَمَّ بِهَا لَوْلَآ أَن رَّءَا بُرْهَٰنَ رَبِّهِۦ ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ لِنَصْرِفَ عَنْهُ ٱلسُّوٓءَ وَٱلْفَحْشَآءَ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ مِنْ عِبَادِنَا ٱلْمُخْلَصِينَ

12:24She certainly made for him; and he would have made for her [too] had he not beheld the proof of his Lord. So it was, that We might turn away from him all evil and indecency. He was indeed one of Our dedicated servants.

وَٱسْتَبَقَا ٱلْبَابَ وَقَدَّتْ قَمِيصَهُۥ مِن دُبُرٍۢ وَأَلْفَيَا سَيِّدَهَا لَدَا ٱلْبَابِ ۚ قَالَتْ مَا جَزَآءُ مَنْ أَرَادَ بِأَهْلِكَ سُوٓءًا إِلَّآ أَن يُسْجَنَ أَوْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌۭ

12:25They raced to the door, and she tore his shirt from behind, and they ran into her husband at the door. She said, ‘What is to be the requital of him who has evil intentions for your wife except imprisonment or a painful punishment?’2

قَالَ هِىَ رَٰوَدَتْنِى عَن نَّفْسِى ۚ وَشَهِدَ شَاهِدٌۭ مِّنْ أَهْلِهَآ إِن كَانَ قَمِيصُهُۥ قُدَّ مِن قُبُلٍۢ فَصَدَقَتْ وَهُوَ مِنَ ٱلْكَٰذِبِينَ

12:26He said, ‘It was she who solicited me.’ A witness of her own household testified [thus]: ‘If his shirt is torn from the front, she tells the truth and he lies.

وَإِن كَانَ قَمِيصُهُۥ قُدَّ مِن دُبُرٍۢ فَكَذَبَتْ وَهُوَ مِنَ ٱلصَّٰدِقِينَ

12:27But if his shirt is torn from behind, then she lies and he tells the truth.’

فَلَمَّا رَءَا قَمِيصَهُۥ قُدَّ مِن دُبُرٍۢ قَالَ إِنَّهُۥ مِن كَيْدِكُنَّ ۖ إِنَّ كَيْدَكُنَّ عَظِيمٌۭ

12:28So when he saw that his shirt was torn from behind, he said, ‘This is [a case] of you women’s guile! Your guile is indeed great!

يُوسُفُ أَعْرِضْ عَنْ هَٰذَا ۚ وَٱسْتَغْفِرِى لِذَنۢبِكِ ۖ إِنَّكِ كُنتِ مِنَ ٱلْخَاطِـِٔينَ

12:29Joseph, let this matter alone, and you, woman, plead for forgiveness for your sin, for you have indeed been erring.’

۞ وَقَالَ نِسْوَةٌۭ فِى ٱلْمَدِينَةِ ٱمْرَأَتُ ٱلْعَزِيزِ تُرَٰوِدُ فَتَىٰهَا عَن نَّفْسِهِۦ ۖ قَدْ شَغَفَهَا حُبًّا ۖ إِنَّا لَنَرَىٰهَا فِى ضَلَٰلٍۢ مُّبِينٍۢ

12:30Some of the townswomen said, ‘The chieftain’s wife has solicited her slave boy! He has captivated her love. Indeed we see her to be in manifest error.’

Tafsir

Commentary on this passage

Verse 23

1.No doubt that this state of affairs was so strange that commentators got chance to narrate lengthy stories. These all are imaginary and not at all trustworthy. The original incidents are stated in the Holy Quran.

Verse 24

2.The argument of truth and falsehood. lawful and unlawful are always remaining with the holy people because they are sinless. The Holy Quran states that we know the seriousness of the state of affairs that there was no deficiency left, only an argument of Allah stands in between, otherwise no man can control his feelings.

Verse 26

3.It is said there was a child who testified, but there is no evidence in the Holy Quran. but it is sure that he was from the family of Zulaikha and this type of testimony has more significance whether he was a grown up and wise or not. In the traditions it is mentioned that the witness was in the cradle. It is clarified also from this evidence that in some places the decision can be taken finally by positive convincing proof, instead of two witnesses, just as the King of Misr had given his decision in the case of Yusuf (a.s.) and ruled his wife, Zulaikha guilty.

Footnotes

Explanations of words and phrases in these verses

  1. Benefit

    According to majority of commentators the word ‘Lord’ in 23rd ayat denotes the Aziz of Egypt who was a nourishcr in a metaphorical sense. In the 24th ayat the reference is to Allah who had made Icnowledge, piety, infallibility and Prophethood a proof and gave it to Yusuf (a.s.).

  2. 1

    Warawada is to behave nicely in order to deceive and gain benefits. Hayyat means “Come on, hurry up”. Coming from a woman this sentence denotes that the elegance of Yusuf (a.s.) had made her crazy and she had kept aside shame and restraint. The reply of Yusuf (a.s.) proves the character of a prophet and how he propagated. That when he is so much fearful of his master why he should not be in awe of Allah. Or that when he is so much thankful of the favours of her husband how can he betray his trust.

  3. 2

    The statement of Zulaikha shows that the great power of the present age have not progressed in the thinking process and how they blame innocent people for crimes they have not committed. It was a great cunning of Zulaikha that instead of presenting her case she demanded punishment and in this also, instead of being content with imprisonment she mentioned a painful chastisement so that no one pays attention to the actual crime that is why the Aziz of Egypt considered it a great deceit and proved that Zulaikha was blameworthy, although he was not harsh with her because rich people do not have much shame.