النص المفهرس

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Surah Yusuf : 12 : 24
evil and lewdness.' The hint implied here is that Sayyidna Yusuf
was, because of his great station of prophethood, already removed from
this sin as far as he was personally concerned, but evil and immodesty
had encircled him. So Allah broke that trap apart. These words of the
Holy Qur'an are also a testimony proving that Sayyidna Yusuf Seal did
not succumb to even the minor-most sin and the thought which went ac-
cross his heart was not included under sin, otherwise the relevant ex-
pression would have been: 'We saved Yusuf from sin' - and not: 'Turn
away from him evil and lewdness.'
Said in the last sentence is: ◌َإِنَّهُ مِنْ عِبَادِنَا الْمُخُلَصِيْن (Surely, he is among
Our chosen slaves). The word: eld (mukhlaşin) is the plural of
mukhlas which means chosen. It means that Sayyidna Yusuf Sell is
among the chosen servants of Allah who has been appointed to the mis-
sion of prophethood to work for the betterment of the creation of Allah.
Such people have Allah's own security shield around them so that they
would not fall a victim to any evil. The Shaytan has himself admitted
that he cannot touch the chosen servants of Allah. He said: podeValisi
That is, by Your honour and power, I shall put أَجْمَعِينَ إِلاَّ عِبَادَكَ مِنْهُمُ الْمُخْلَصِيْنَ
all those humans on the wrong track, except Your servants, the ones cho-
sen by You - 15:40.
In some readings (Qira'at), this word has appeared as: Jalt (mukh-
lișin) as well. Mukhlis means a person who obeys and worships Allah
with Ikhlas (for which there is no word in English. The nearest is sincer-
ity which must be genuine, unalloyed, pure and totally honest). Ikhlas
means that, in this obedience to Allah and in this worship of Him, there
should be no intrusion of worldly or personal desires, interests, love of
recognition and office and things like that. If so, the verse would mean:
Whoever is mukhlis (absolutely sincere) in his 'Amal (deed) and 'Ibadah
(worship), Allah Ta'ala will help him in remaining safe from sins.
In this verse, Allah Ta'ala has chosen to use two words: ~ (su') and:
lass (fahsha'). Literally, su' means evil and it refers to minor (saghirah)
sins. And fahsha' means lewdness or immodesty and refers to major (ka-
birah) sins. This tells us that Allah Ta'ala kept Sayyidna Yusuf el pro-
tected from both kinds of sins, saghirah and kabirah.
Also clarified here is that the 'hamm' or thought attributed to Sayyid-

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Surah Yusuf : 12 : 25 - 29
na Yusuf & in the Qur'an was simply a 'hamm' or thought at the level
of non-voluntary scruple, which is included neither under Kabirah sin,
nor under Saghirah - in fact, is excused.
Verses 25 - 29
وَاسْتَبَقَا الْبَابَ وَقَدَّتُ قَمِيُصَهُ، مِنُ دُبُر وَالْفَيَا سَيّدَهَا لَدَا الْبَابِ ﴾
قَالَتُ مَاجَزَآءُ مَنْ آَرَادَ بِأَهْلِكَ سُؤَّءٍ إِلاَّ أَنْ يُسُجَنَ أَوْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ
﴿٢٥﴾ قَالَ هِىَ رَاوَدَتْنِىُ عَنُ نَّفُسِىُ وَشَهِدَ شَاهِدٌ مِّنُ أَهْلِهَاء إِنُ كَانَ
قَمِيُصُهُ، قُدَّ مِنْ قُبُلٍ فَصَدَقَتُ وَ هُوَ مِنَ الْكَذِينَ ﴿٢﴾ وَإِنُ كَانَ
قَمِيُصُهُ، قُدَّ مِنُ دُبُر فَكَذَبَتُ وَهُوَ مِنَ الصَّدِقِيْنَ ﴿٢٧﴾ فَلَمَّا رَاقَمِيُصَه"
قُدَّ مِنُ دُبْرِ قَالَ إِنَّهُ مِنْ كَيْدِ كُنَّ﴿ إِنَّ كَيْدَ كُنَّ عَظِيمٌ ﴿٢﴾ يُوسُفُ
أَعْرِضُ عَنْ هُذَا سَ وَاسْتَغْفِرِىُ لِذَنْبِّكَ إِنَّكِ كُنْتِ مِنَ الْخُطِيْنَ
¿
٢٩٠
And they raced towards the door, and she tore his shirt
from behind, and they found her master by the door.
She said, "What can be the punishment of the one who
intended evil with your wife except that he be impri-
soned or (given) a painful chastisement?" [25] He said,
"It was she who sought to seduce me." And a witness
from her family observed that if his shirt was torn up
from the frontside, then she is true and he is a liar; [26]
and if his shirt was torn up from behind, then she is tell-
ing a lie and he is truthful. [27]
So, when he saw his shirt torn up from behind, he said,
"This is certainly a guile of yours, O women. Great is the
guile of you women indeed. [28] O Yusuf, ignore this mat-
ter, and you (O woman) seek forgiveness for your sin.
Surely, you were of the sinners." [29]
Commentary
Described in the previous verses was the time when the wife of the
Aziz of Mișr was busy enticing Sayyidna Yusuf & into sin, and he, on
his part, was trying to stay away from it. But, there was the natural

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Surah Yusuf : 12 : 25 - 29
struggle with that non-voluntary thought too. So, to help his honourable
prophet, Allah Ta'ala showed a miracle, made something appear before
him which drove even that thought out from his heart - whether that
'thing' be the face of his father, Sayyidna Ya'qub &del, or some verse out
of the Divine revelation.
Told in the present verse (25) is that Sayyidna Yusuf Sel, once he
saw this 'proof from his Lord,' ran away from that private enclave and
dashed for the door to get out from there. The wife of the 'Aziz of Mişr
ran after him to hold him back and, by grabbing his shirt, she tried to
stop him from getting out. But, when he did not stop - being determined
not to - the shirt was torn from behind him. However, Sayyidna Yusuf
El did come out of the door, and so did Zulaikha behind him. Historical
accounts mention that the door was locked from the inside. When Sayyid-
na Yusuf Xce
ran and reached the door, this lock opened up by itself
and dropped down.
When they both came out of the door, they saw the 'Aziz of Mişr
standing face to face. His wife was unnerved. In order to wriggle out of
the awkward situation, and to put the blame on Sayyidna Yusuf Seal,
she said: What can be the punishment of the one who intended evil with
your wife except that he be imprisoned, or (given) a painful chastise-
ment?
Sayyidna Yusuf Mel, because of his prophetic gentleness, may not
have, perhaps, disclosed her secret. But, when she took the first step and
presented a charge sheet of false accusation against him, he was com-
pelled to tell the truth:هِىَ رَاوَدَتُنِىُ عَنُ نَّفُسِى ( It was she who sought to seduce
1
me).
The matter was dense and delicate. For the 'Aziz of Mişr, it was diffi-
cult to decide as to who should be taken as being true. That was no occa-
sion for evidence and proof. But, Allah, great is whose majesty, has His
own ways of saving His honourable servants from sin and keeping them
unaffected and protected from it. He would do the same for them during
their worldly life when He would arrange to save them from being dis-
graced, even if it would take a miracle to do that. Usually, on such occa-
sions, infant children have been chosen to unfold truth, infants who are
not expected to talk customarily. But, by giving them power of speech mi-

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Surah Yusuf : 12 : 25 - 29
raculously, Allah Ta'ala would arrange for the acquittal of His favoured
servants from accusations levelled against them. This happened when
people started accusing Sayyidah Maryam falsely. Allah Ta'ala gave a
day old infant, Sayyidna 'Isa Sua), the ability to speak and it was
through his tongue that He had the sanctity of his blessed mother mani-
fested - a very special manifestation of His power indeed. Similarly,
when another accusation of this nature was made under the umbrella of
a major conspiracy against Jurayj, a pious elder among the Bani Isra'il,
it was a new-born child who testified to his innocence. When Pharaoh
got suspicious about Sayyidna Musa Skal, the small daughter of the per-
sonal lady hair-styler of the wife of the Pharaoh was given the power of
speech and it was she who saved Sayyidna Musa & dl during his child-
hood from being hurt by the Pharaoh.
Similarly, in this event relating to Sayyidna Yusuf &el, according to
a narration of Sayyidna 'Abdullah ibn 'Abbas and Abu Hurairah
Allah Ta'ala bestowed that power of speech upon a small child - and that
too in one of the finest ways of wisdom. This small child was lying in a
cradle in this house. There was no way it could have occured to anyone
that this child would have watched their movements and understood
what they were doing - and then, would be able to even go on to describe
it in some manner. But, Allah is absolutely powerful. When He decides
to highlight the greatness of those who strive in the mission of their obe-
dience to Him, He is quite capable of demonstrating before the whole
world that every particle of this universe works as His secret service
which knows every criminal inside out and keeps a record of his or her
crime and when the time comes, it speaks out the truth. Think of the
Resurrection, the awesome plain of the Hashr when, at the time of the
accounting of deeds, human beings will, goaded by their old worldly hab-
it, refuse to admit their crimes, then, their very hands and feet and
skins and surroundings will be called upon to stand as witnesses against
them. Each such witness shall lay each and everything done by them
bare before the unimaginably huge multitude gathered together on that
fateful day of Al-Mahshar. That would be the time when human beings
will find out that their hands and feet and the walls and doors of their
homes inside, and the security arrangement outside these, none of them,
not even one, were their own. In fact, all of them were secret agents of Al-

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Surah Yusuf : 12 : 25 - 29
lah, the Rabb of all Power.
In sum, this small child, who was lying in the cradle oblivious of
everything in the world around him, was made to speak out - as a mira-
cle of Sayyidna Yusuf del - precisely at the time when the 'Aziz of Misr,
being on the horns of a dilemma, did not know what to do.
Furthermore, if this child could have only said that Sayyidna Yusuf
del is free of any blame and it is Zulaikha who is at fault, then, even
that much would have been no less than a miracle, and a formidable
proof of the innocence of Sayyidna Yusuf &Cel. But, Allah Ta'ala had this
child say something farsighted which would separate truth from false-
hood decisively. What the child said was: See the shirt of Sayyidna
Yusuf &del. If it is torn up from the front, then the word of Zulaikha is
true and that of Sayyidna Yusuf Sel could be otherwise. And if the shirt
is torn up from the back, then there remains just no other probability
but that Sayyidna Yusuf a)
was running away from her and Zulaikha
wanted to stop him.
Apart from being a miracle of speech manifested by a child, this was
something which could be understood by everyone around on its own. So,
when the direction was followed, it was observed that the shirt was torn
up from the back. Thus, the innocence of Sayyidna Yusuf Seal stood
proved openly from physical signs as well.
The explanation of the 'shahid' or witness of Sayyidna Yusuf Sel
given here - that he was a small child blessed with the power of speech
as a miracle - stands proved from a Hadith of the Holy Prophet 5. This
Hadith has been reported by Imam Ahmad in his Musnad, Ibn Hibban
in his Sahih and Hakim in Mustadrak. They have rated this Hadith as
Sahih (sound). In this Hadith, it is said: 'Allah Ta'ala has blessed four
children the power of speech while still in their cradle.' These four are
the same as mentioned earlier. (Mazhari) However, in some narrations,
other explanations of 'shahid' or witness have also been reported. But,
Tafsir authorities such as Ibn Jarir, Ibn Kathir and others have declared
the first Tafsir to be the weightier one.
Injunctions and Rulings
The following rules and guiding principles have been deduced from
the verses cited above:

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Surah Yusuf : 12 : 25 - 29
1. From verse 25 begining with the words: ◌َوَاسْتَبَقًا البَاب (And they raced
towards the door ... ), we learn that a place where there is a danger of
getting involved in sin must be abandoned outright - as was practically
demonstrated by Sayyidna Yusuf Meel by running away from there.
2. In matters requiring obedience to Divine injunctions, one should
not, to the best of one's ability, let his efforts in that direction taper off -
even if a tangible result from them does not seem to be coming out. Re-
sults rest in the hands of Allah Ta'ala. One's job is to channel and devote
his or her effort and ability in the way of Allah - and proving one's iden-
tity as a servant of Allah is the purpose. This is what was done by Sayy-
idna Yusuf &H. All doors were closed, even locked, as reported in histor-
ical narrations. Yet, he spent out his maximum strength in running
towards the door. In a situation like that, help and support from Allah
jalla thana'uh is witnessed frequently when a servant of Allah has done
his best, it transpires that He would also arrange the causes for His ser-
vant to succeed. However, should the situation be otherwise and one
fails to achieve formal success as we know it, then, for a devoted servant
of Allah, even this failure is no less than success (for this is the prefer-
ence of his Lord).
It is said about a righteous elder confined to prison that he would, on
every Friday take his bath, wash his clothes, get ready for Jumu'ah pray-
er, walk upto the door of the prison, and once there, he would say: 'YaAl-
lah, this much was what was within my power. What is beyond that is in
Your control.' Who knows, given the limitless mercy of Allah Ta'ala, his
spiritual yearning would have caused the prison gate to open with the
command of Allah and he would have been enabled to perform the Salah
of Jumu'ah. But, Allah, in His wisdom, bestowed upon this righteous dev-
otee such high spiritual station as would pale out a thousand workings
of the supernatural (karamah). The gate of the prison did not open be-
cause of his continuous effort to offer his Salah of Jumu'ah. But, he did
not lose heart. He kept doing the same thing every Jumu'ah. This is spir-
itual fortitude called by Sufi masters as superior to Karamah.
3. It stands proved (from verse 26) that, should a person be accused
falsely by someone, speaking out in defence is the way of the prophets
(the Sunnah of the Anbiya'). Remaining silent at that time, and letting
oneself be declared to be a criminal, is no act of piety or trust in Allah

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Surah Yusuf : 12 : 25 - 29
(tawakkul).
4. The fourth problem concerns the word: Jol (shahid) (in verse 26).
When this word is used in common juristic matters and cases, it denotes
a person who relates an event as seen by him in a disputed case. In this
verse, the person who has been referred to by the word, 'shahid,' has not
related any event, or any personal observation about it - instead of that,
what has been hinted at is a sort of device to arrive at a decision. Techni-
cally, that could not be called a 'shahid' or witness.
But, it is obvious that all these terms have been employed by later
scholars and jurists for the convenience of understanding and teaching.
They are neither the terms of the Holy Qur'an, nor is it bound by them.
The Holy Qur'an has called this person a 'shahid' (witness) in the sense
that the way the statement of a 'witness makes it easy for a judge to ar-
rive at a decision, and proves that one of the parties in the case is in the
right, the same benefit became available through the statement of this
child. Initially, his miraculous speech itself was sufficient proof to ab-
solve Sayyidna Yusuf Se from the blame. Then, there were the signs
given by him. In the ultimate analysis, they too are nothing but the
proof of the absolvement of Sayyidna Yusuf & from the blame. There-
fore, saying that he appeared as a witness in favour of Sayyidna Yusuf
Scel will be correct - though, he did not declare Sayyidna Yusuf Seal to
be true, rather, had mentioned both probabilities. And, in addition to
that, he had even supposedly taken Zulaikha to be true in a situation in
which the likelihood of her being true was not certain - in fact, there ex-
isted the other probability too, because the possibility of the shirt being
torn from the front existed in both situations. And then, he had admitted
the truthfulness of Sayyidna Yusuf Seal only in a situation wherein
there could have been no other probability other than this. But, finally,
the outcome of this strategy was but to prove the innocence of Sayyidna
Yusuf Salı.
5. In arriving at judgements of disputed cases, circumstancial evi-
dence can be taken into consideration - as was demonstrated here when
this 'shahid' declared that the shirt torn from the backside was an evi-
dence that Sayyidna Yusuf Nye was running and Zulaikha was trying to
stop him. In this matter, there is an agreement of all jurists that signs
and indicators should definitely be used to determine the truth, as was

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Surah Yusuf : 12 : 25 - 29
done here. But, besides that, only signs and indicators cannot be given
the status of sufficient proof. In this event relating to Sayyidna Yusuf
Ell too, that which really proves the innocence of Sayyidna Yusuf Sel
is the miraculous speech of the child. As for the signs and indicators
which have been mentioned there, they serve to confirm the matter.
In the last two (28 & 29) of the verses cited above, it has been stated
that the 'Aziz of Mir had already realized by having heard the child
speak in the manner he did that some special supernatural situation
was there to demonstrate the innocence of Sayyidna Yusuf &&al. After
that, according to what the child had said, when he saw that the very
shirt of Sayyidna Yusuf See is really torn up from the back, he became
certain that it was Zulaikha who was at fault and it was Sayyidna Yusuf
el who was innocent. So, first he addressed Zulaikha and said:3.
that is, all this is a guile of yours whereby you wish to pass on your
wrongdoing to someone else. Then he said that great is the guile of
women for it is difficult to understand and not easy to get out from. The
reason is that they outwardly give the impression of being soft, delicate,
even weak. A non-discerning onlooker is likely to believe in what they
say. But, given a lack of wisdom and honesty, that could be a web of de-
ception. (Mazharī)
According to a narration of Sayyidna Abu Hurairah 4ee
appearing in
the Tafsir of Al-Qurtubi, the Holy Prophet
is reported to have said:
The guile of women is stronger than the guile of Shaytan - because,
about the guile of the Shaytan, Allah Ta'ala has said that it is weak: SI
إِنَّكَيُدَكُنَّ :and about the guile of women, it was said ;(4:76) كَبُدَ الشَّيْطِنِ كَانَ ضَعِيفًا
Che (great is the guile of you women - 12:28). And it is obvious that not
all women are meant here. Instead, meant here are only those of them
who are involved in practicing guiles and excuses. So, after having
pointed out to Zulaikha her error, the 'Aziz of Mișr said to Sayyidna
Yusuf يُوسُفُ أَعُرضُ عَنُ هذَا الَّيِلا :'O Yusuf, ignore this matter' - that is, do not
speak about it before others so there be no disgrace because of this. Then
he addressed Zulaikha and said: ◌َوَاسْتَغْفِرِىٌ لِذَنْبُكِ إِنَّكِ كُنُتٍ مِنَ الْخُطِئِين (and you [0
woman] seek forgiveness for your sin. Surely, you were of the sinners).
This obviously means that she should seek forgiveness from her hus-
band. And it could also mean that she should seek forgiveness from Sayy-
idna Yusuf Neal for it was she who made the error and put the blame on

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Surah Yusuf : 12 : 25 - 29
him.
Special Note
At this point, it is very surprising that a husband, who finds out an
open proof of such immodesty and breach of trust on the part of his wife,
would not be agitated, rather, go on talking with perfect peace of mind -
unusual indeed, given the compulsion of human nature in such circum-
stances. Imam Al-Qurtubi has said that one of the reasons for this may
be that the 'Aziz of Mir was someone lacking that kind of a sense of
shame. And it is also possible that the way Allah Ta'ala supernaturally
arranged to save Sayyidna Yusuf See first from sin and then from dis-
grace - in the same way, it was also a part of this arrangement that He
did not let the 'Aziz of Misr become all agitated in anger. Otherwise, as
customary, this would have been an occasion where one is likely to go to
physical assault without bothering to investigate first, not to say much
about verbal aggression, which would be rather elementary. If the 'Aziz
of Misr, affected by common human response, were to be enraged, it is
possible that he might have committed something, physically or verbal-
ly, something which would have been against the august status of Sayy-
idna Yusuf XCel. These are the wonders of Divine Power which openly
prove how those who stand steadfast in obedience to their most true
Lord are protected at every step they take in His way. And the honour of
creating what is there at its best goes only to Allah.
In the verses which will follow, mentioned there is another event
which is connected with the story narrated earlier. There it has been
said that this event, despite the effort to keep it concealed, spread
around among women in the families of the courtiers. These women
started blaming the wife of the 'Aziz of Misr. Some commentators have
said that these were five women, all wives of officials close to the "Aziz of
Mişr. (Qurțubi, Mazhari)
These women were talking among themselves. They were saying:
Look, how regretable it is that the wife of the 'Aziz of Misr, despite enjoy-
ing a status so high, had become enamoured with her young slave and
was looking for the fulfillment of what she wanted from him. In this, we
think, she is in a grave error. The word used in the verse (30) is: ÚŰ (fata
ha: translated as 'her youthful slave'). Fata' denotes someone youthful.
In customary usage, a boy slave when small is called a ghulam. If in his

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Surah Yusuf : 12 : 30 - 35
youth, the boy is called fata, and the girl, fatah. Here, Sayyidna Yusuf
El has been referred to as the slave of Zulaikha either because that
which is owned by the husband is also customarily called as that which
is owned by the wife; and/or because Zulaikha had taken Sayyidna
Yusuf See from her husband as gift. (Qurtubi)
Verses 30 - 35
وَقَالَ نِسُوَةٌ فِى الْمَدِيْنَةِ امْرَاتُ الْعَزِيْزِ تُرَاوِدُ فَتْهَا عَنُ نَّفُسِهِ ◌َ قَدْ
شَغَفَهَا حُبَّاء ◌ِنَّا لَنَرْبِهَا فِىٌ ضَلْلٍ مُبِيْنٍ ﴿٢﴾ فَلَمَّا سَمِعَتُ بِمَكْرِهِنَّ
أَرُسَلَتُ إِلَيْهِنَّ وَأَعْتَدَتُ لَهُنَّ مُتَّكَاً وَّ أَتَتُ كُلَّ وَاحِدَةٍ مِّنُهُنَّ سِكِيْنًا
وَّقَالَتِ اخْرُجُ عَلَيْهِنَّ، فَلَمَّا رَأَيْنَهَّ أَكْبَرُنَهُ، وَقَطَّعُنَ آَيْدِيَهُنَّ، وَقُلْنَ
حَاشَ لِلَّهِ مَاهَذَا بَشَرًّاء ◌ِنْ هُذَا إِلَّ مَلَكٌ كَرِيُمٌ ﴿٣١﴾ قَالَتُ فَذَلِكُنَّ
الَّذِىُ لُمُتُنَّنِىُ فِيهِ ، وَلَقَدُ رَاوَدْتُّه، عَنُ نَّفُسِهِ فَاسْتَعُصَمَ ، وَلَبِنُ لَّمُ
يَفْعَلُ مَآ أُمُرُهُ لَيُسُجَنَنَّ وَلَيَكُوْنًا مِّنَ الصُّغِرِينَ ﴿٢٧﴾ قَالَ رَبِّ
السِّحْنُ أَحَبُّ إِلَىَّ مِمَّا يَدُعُوْنَنِىُ إِلَيْهِ وَإِلاَّ تَصْرِفُ عَنِّىُ كَيُدَهُنَّ
أَصْبُ إِلَيْهِنَّ وَاَكُنُ مِّنَ الْجُهِلِيْنَ ﴿٢﴾ فَاسْتَحَابَ لَهْ رَبُّه، فَصَرَفَ
عَنْهُ كَيْدَهُنَّ﴿ إِنَّهُ هُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيُمُ ﴿٤﴾ ثُمَّ بَدَالَهُمُ مِّنُ" بَعُدِ مَا
رَأَوُا الْأَيْتِ لَيَسُجُنُنَّهُ، حَتَّى حِينٍ (٥)
And women in the city said, "The wife of the governor is
seducing her youthful slave. The love for him has ar-
rested her. Surely, we see her in open error." [30] So,
when she heard of their crafty comments, she extended
an invitation to them and arranged for them a comfort-
able place (to sit and dine) and gave everyone a knife
and said (to Yusuf): "come in before them." So when
they saw him, they found him great and (were so bewil-
dered that they) cut their hands and said, "Oh God! He
is no human being. He is but a noble angel.' [31] She said,
"This is he you blamed me for. Yes, I seduced him, but
he abstained. And should he not follow my command, he
shall be imprisoned and will be disgraced." [32] He said,

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Surah Yusuf : 12 : 30 - 35
"My Lord, the prison is dearer to me than what these
women invite me to. And unless You do not turn their
guile away from me, I shall get inclined towards them
and shall be among the ignorant." [33] So, his Lord ac-
cepted his prayer and turned their guile away from him.
Surely, He is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing. [34] Later
on, even after having seen the signs, they deemed it
proper to imprison him for a time. [35]
Commentary
Having explained the linkage of verse before the beginning of the pre-
sent verses, we can now turn to the explanation of individual verses.
Said in verse 32 was: ◌َّفَلَمَّا سَمِعَتُ بِمَكْرِهنَّ أَرُسَلَتُ اليهن (So, when she heard of
their crafty comments, she extended an invitation to them).
Here, Zulaikha refers to the talking of women as their 'makr' or
craftiness - though they had obviously planned no trick against her. But,
since they spoke ill about her secretly, it was identified as 'makr.' As for
the expression: ◌ًوَاعْتَدَتُ لَهُنَّ مُتَكّا which follows immediately and has been
translated as 'and arranged for them a comfortable place' is inclusive of
the comfort of special pillows for hand and back rest placed there for re-
laxation.
Then, it was said: وَأنّتُ كُلَّ وَاحِدَةٍ مِّنُهُنَّ سِكِينًا (and gave everyone a knife). It
means when these women came in and sat down, different foods and
fruits were served, some of which needed a knife to peel and cut, there-
fore, also given to each one of them was a sharp knife. The obvious pur-
pose of this was to cut fruits. But, concealed in her heart was what
comes next - that is, these women will lose their senses at the sight of
Sayyidna Yusuf Seal and would go on to cut their hands with the knife.
After having made all these arrangements, to Sayyidna Yusuf Seal,
وَقَالَتِ اخْرُجُ عَلَيهنَّ :who was in some other quarter of the house, Zulaikha said
(come in before them). Since, Sayyidna Yusuf Me was not aware of her
vain intention, he came out into this sitting.
That which happened then has been described in:
فَلَمَّا رَأَيْنَهَ اكُبَرْنَهُ، وَقَطَّعْنَ آَيْدِيَهُنَّ وَقُلْنَ حَاشَ لِلّهِ مَا هُذَا بَشَرًا ﴿ إِنْ هُذَّا إِلاَّ مَلَكٌ
کرِيمٌ
'So, when they saw him, they found him great and [were so

75
Surah Yusuf : 12 : 30 - 35
bewildered that they] cut their hands [that is, when cutting
their fruit, they saw this object of wonder, the knife uncon-
sciously ran over their hand - as it occasionally happens when
one's thought is diverted to something else] and said, 'Oh God!
He is no human being. He is but a noble angel.' [by which they
meant that one exuding such light can only be an angel].'
Then, in verse 32, it was said:
قَالَتْ فَذْلِكُنَّ الَّذِىُ لُمُنَِّىُ فِيْهِ * وَلَقَدُ رَاوَدُنُّهُ عَنُ نَّفُسِهِ فَاسْتَعُصَمَ ﴿ وَلَبِنُ لَّمُ يَفْعَلُ مَّآ
أمُرُهُ لَيُسْجَنَنَّ وَلَيَكُوْنًا مِّنَ الصُّغِرِيْنَ
'She [Zulaikha] said: 'So, [see] this is the one you blamed me
for. Yes, I seduced him, but he abstained. And should he [in fu-
ture] not follow my command, he shall be [surely] imprisoned
and shall be disgraced [too].'
When Zulaikha realized that her secret lay disclosed before those
women anyway, she started threatening Sayyidna Yusuf Seal right be-
fore them. At that time, according to some commentators, all these
women too started telling Sayyidna Yusuf See that Zulaikha was their
benefactor, therefore, he should not oppose her.
And some words of the Holy Qur'an which appear later (33) also sup-
كَيُدَهُنَّ:yad'unant: these women invite me) and) يَدُعُوُنَنِى :port it, for example
(kaidahunna: their guile) where the statement of some women has been
mentioned in the plural form.
When Sayyidna Yusuf Se
saw that these women were also support-
ing Zulaikha and there remained no other visible way to stay safe
against their guile, he turned to his ultimate resort, to Allah jalla tha-
na'uh, and before Him, he said:
رَبِّ السِّحُنُ أَحَبُّ إِلَىَّ مِمَّا يَدُعُوْنَنِىَّ إِلَيْهِ وَإِلاَّ تَصْرِفُ عَنِّىُ كَيُدَهُنَّ أَصْبُ إِلَيْهِنَّ
وَأَكُنُ مِّنَ الْجُهِلِيْنَ
My Lord, the prison is dearer to me than what these women in-
vite me to. And unless You turn their guile away from me, I
shall get inclined towards them and shall be among the ignor-
ant.
Here, the statement of Sayyidna Yusuf el
that 'the prison is dearer
to me' does not reflect any desire or wish to be detained in a prison, in-
stead of that, it is an expression which shows that he would find it easier

76
Surah Yusuf : 12 : 30 - 35
to face this temporal hardship as compared to that of falling in sin. Ac-
cording to some narrations, when Sayyidna Yusuf el
was confined to
the prison, a revelation from Allah Ta'ala told him: You have put your-
self into the prison by what you yourself had said: ◌َّالسِّحُنُ أَحَبُّ إِلَى (the pri-
son is dearer to me) and had you asked for well-being ('afiyah), you
would have been blessed with perfect well-being. From here we come to
know that, to stay safe from a major hardship, saying in prayer that one
better be subjected to some minor hardship in lieu of it is not appropri-
ate. Instead of doing that, one should, when under the threat of any
hardship, problem or distress, pray to Allah Ta'ala for nothing but 'afiy-
ah (well-being). Therefore, the Holy Prophet # prohibited a man from
praying for sabr (patience) saying that sabr is done when one faces dis-
tress and hardship. So, rather praying to Allah for sabr, pray for 'afiyah.
(Tirmidhi) The uncle of the Holy Prophet , Sayyidna 'Abbas 4ee asked
him: Teach me a prayer I should make. He said: Pray for 'afiyah (well-be-
ing) from your Rabb. Sayyidna 'Abbas
says when he, after a period of
time, once again asked him to be advised of some du'a'he should be mak-
ing, he said: Pray to Allah Ta'ala for 'afiyah in dunya and 'akhirah.
(Mazharī from Țabarānī)
As for the saying of Sayyidna Yusuf : 'And unless you do not turn
their guile away from me, I shall get inclined towards them,' this is not
contrary to the concept of the 'Ismah of prophethood (a prophet's state of
being Divinely protected from sin) - because the very outcome of 'Ismah
is that Allah Ta'ala would, by arranging to keep a person safe from sin
as a creational imperative, protect him from falling into it. Though Sayy-
idna Yusuf Sa had this desired cover by virtue of his being a prophet,
yet he was compelled to make this du'a' because of the great awe he had
for Him in his heart. This also tells us that no one can, without the help
and support of Allah Ta'ala, stay safe from sin. And it also makes it
clear that every act of sin is caused by ignorance (jahalah), the opposite
of which is knowledge ('ilm), and 'Ilm (knowledge) demands abstention
from sins. (Qurțubi)
After that, said in verse 34 was:
فَاسْتَجَابَ لَهُ رَبُّهُ فَصَرَفَ عَنْهُ كَيْدَهُنَّ﴿ إِنَّهُ هُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيُمُ
So, his Lord accepted his prayer and turned their guile away

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Surah Yusuf : 12 : 36 - 42
from him. Surely, He is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing.
To protect him from the guile of these women, Allah Ta'ala made his
own wise arrangements. Though the 'Aziz of Misr and his inner circle
was already convinced of the great spiritual qualities of Sayyidna Yusuf
¿El, his piety, fear of Allah and chastity, but rumours of the incident
had started circulating in the city. To put a check on this, they found it
expedient to confine Sayyidna Yusuf SCell into the prison for a certain pe-
riod of time so that there remains no source of any doubt in the con-
cerned family, and that the talk of the town too dies out in due course.
So, said at the end of the verse (35) was:
ثُمَّبَدَا لَهُمُ مِّنْ بَعُدِ مَا رَأَ وُا الْأَيْتِ لَيَسُجُنَّهُ، حَتَّى حِيْنٍ
Later on, even after having seen the signs, they [the 'Aziz of
Misr and his advisers] deemed it proper [or expedient] to impri-
son him for a time.
Thus, to the prison he was sent.
Verses 36 - 42
وَدَخَلَ مَعَهُ السِّحُنَ فَتَيْنِ ﴾ قَالَ آَحَدُهُمَا إِنِّىَّ أَرْبِىِّ أَعُصِرُ حَمُرًا»
وَقَالَ الْأُخَرُ إِنِّىَّ أَرْبِىُ أَحْمِلُ فَوْقَ رَأْسِىُ خُبْزًّا تَأْكُلُ الطَّيْرُ مِنْهُ "
نَبِّئُنَا بِتَأُويُلِه ◌ِنَّانَرَىكَ مِنَ الْمُحُسِنِيْنَ ﴿٢٢﴾ قَالَ لاَ يَأْتِيُّكُمَا طَعَامٌ
تُرْزَقٌِّ إِلَّ نَبََّتُكُمَا بِتَأْوِيْلِهِ قَبْلَ أَنْ يَّأْتِيَكُمَاء ذُلِكُمَا مِمَّا عَلَّمَنِىُ رَبِّىٌ*
إِىُ تَرَكْتُ مِلَّةَ قَوْمٍ لِأَيُ مِنُونَ بِاللّهِ وَهُمْ بِالْآخِرَةِ هُمْ كُفِرُونَ ﴿٢٧)
وَبَعُتُ مِلَّةَ أَبَّآءِىِّ ◌ِبُرْهِيُمَ وَإِسْحُقَ وَيَعْقُوُبَ ﴿ مَا كَانَ لَنَّ أَنْ تُشْرِكَ
بِاللهِ مِنْ شَىْءٍ* ذَلِكَ مِنْ فَضْلِ اللهِ عَلَيْنَا وَعَلَى النَّاسِ وَلَكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ
النَّاسِ لاَيَشْكُرُوُنَ ﴿٣٨) يُصَاحِبَىِ السِّحُنِ ءَ أَرْبَابٌ مُتَفَرِّقُونَ خَيْرٌ أَمٍ
اللّهُ الْوَاحِدُ الْقَهَّارُ ﴿٢٩﴾ مَاتَعْبُدُوْنَ مِنْ دُونِةٍ إِلَّ أَسْمَاءٌ سَمَّيْتُمُوُهَاً
أَنْتُمُ وَآبَاؤُكُمُ مَّ أَنْزَلَ اللهُ بِهَا مِنُ سُلُطْنٍ * إِنِ الْحُكُمُ إِلاَّ لِلْهِ ءَ آَمَرَ

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Surah Yusuf : 12 : 36 - 42
آلاَّ تَعْبُدُوًّا إِلاَّ إِيَّهُ ذَلِكَ الدِّيْنُ الْقَيّمُ وَلَكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لاَ يَعْلَمُونَ
﴿٤﴾ يُصَاحِبَىِ السِّحُنِ آَمَّ أَحَدُكُمَا فَيَسْقِىُ رَبَّهُ خَمْرَّاء وَمَّا الْآخَرُ
فَيُصُلَبُ فَتَأكُلُ الطَّيْرُ مِنْ رَّسِهِ ، قُضِىَ الْأَمْرُ الَّذِىُ فِيْهِ تَسْتَقْتِيْنِ
﴿٤﴾ وَقَالَ لِّلَّذِى ظَنَّ أَنَّهُ نَاجٍ مِّنْهُمَا اذْكُرُنِىُ عِنْدَرَّبِّكَ : فَأَنْسُهُ
الشَّيْطِنُ ذِكْرَ رَبِّهِ فَلَبِثَ فِى السِّحُنِ بِضُعَ سِنِيْنَ ﴿٤٢﴾
And two men entered the prison with him. One of them
said, "I have seen myself (in dream) pressing wine." And
the other said, "I have seen myself carrying bread on my
head of which the birds are eating. Let us know its inter-
pretation. We see you are a man of good deeds." [36]
He said, "No food provided for you shall come to you,
but I can give you its description before it comes to you.
This is the knowledge my Lord has given me. I have
abandoned the way of those who do not believe in Allah,
and who are deniers of the Hereafter, [37] and I have fol-
lowed the way of my fathers, Ibrahim, Ishaq and Ya'qub.
It is not for us that we associate any partners with Al-
lah. All this is of the favour of Allah upon us and upon
the people, but most of the people are not grateful. [38] O
my fellow prisoners, are different gods better or Allah,
the One, the All-Dominant? [39] Whatever you worship,
other than Him, are nothing but names you have coined,
you and your fathers. Allah has sent down no authority
for them. Sovereignty belongs to none but Allah. He has
ordained that you shall not worship anyone but Him.
This is the only right path. But most of the people do not
know." [40]
O my fellow prisoners, one of you will serve wine to his
master, while the other will be crucified and birds will
eat from his head. Destined is the matter you are asking
about." [41]
And he (Yusuf) said to the one whom he believed likely
to be released out of the two, "Mention me before your
master.' Then, the Satan made him forget to mention
him to his master. So, he (Yusuf) remained in prison for
a few years. [42]

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Surah Yusuf : 12 : 36 - 42
Commentary
Mentioned in the verses cited above is a supplementary event relat-
ing to the story of Sayyidna Yusuf &Cel. It has been repeatedly stressed
that the Holy Qur'an is no book of history, or of stories and tales. When
a story or historical event is mentioned in it, the sole objective is to pro-
vide some lesson, good counsel or crucial guidance on various facets of
human life. In the entire Qur'an and throughout the events relating to
many prophets, it is the story of Sayyidna Yusuf &Se alone which has
been described by the Qur'an continuously - otherwise, it has considered
it sufficient to mention some necessary part of an historical event where-
ver appropriate.
If you would look at the story of Sayyidna Yusuf Sua from the begin-
ning to the end, there are hundreds of lessons to learn, good advices to
heed to and important elements of guidance to follow during various
stages of human life. This supplementary story too has its graces of guid-
ance in abundance.
The event as it took shape was that, despite the complete absolve-
ment of Sayyidna Yusuf Ses from the blame, and the strong establish-
ment of his moral integrity, it was to put an end to the disgrace of people
talking about them that the 'Aziz of Misr and his wife decided to send
Sayyidna Yusuf & to the prison for some time - which, in reality, was
the fulfillment of the du'a' and wish of Sayyidna Yusuf Seal, because, for
him, it had become extremely difficult to defend his chastity while living
in the home of the 'Aziz of Mişr.
When Sayyidna Yusuf & arrived at the prison, two other sen-
tenced criminals were also admitted there. One of them was the
cup-bearer of the king while the other was a cook. Citing major Tafsirau-
thorities, Ibn Kathir has written that these two were arrested on the
charge that they had tried to poison the king through food or drink. The
case was under investigation, therefore, they were kept in prison.
When Sayyidna Yusuf Scel came into the prison, it was because of
his prophetic morals, mercy and affection that he used to show concern
about all of his fellow inmates and took care of them whenever needed. If
anyone became sick, he would call on him and do whatever had to be
done for him. For anyone he found sad or distressed, he would have ap-

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Surah Yusuf : 12 : 36 - 42
propriate words of comfort. To lift his spirits, he would gently tell him to
observe patience and made the hope of freedom come alive into his
heart. He would think of bringing comfort to others at the cost of his own
discomfort. For whole nights he would remain engaged in the 'Ibadah
(worship) of Allah Ta'ala. Seeing his endearing ways, all inmates of the
prison became convinced of his high spiritual status. Even the offic-
er-in-charge of the prison was impressed. He said: Had it been in my
power, I would have let you go. Now, this much I can do that you will
face no inconvenience here.
Some Notes to Wonder About
When the officer-in-charge of the prison, or some of the inmates, told
Sayyidna Yusuf See that they loved him very much, he said: For God's
sake, do not love me - because whenever I have been loved by anyone, I
have suffered one way or the other. When I was a child, my paternal
aunt loved me. As a result, I was blamed for theft. Then, my father loved
me. This made me do a term of detention in a well at the hands of my
brothers, then came slavery and expulsion from home country. When the
wife of the 'Aziz loved me, I landed into this prison. (Ibn Kathir, Mazhari)
These two prisoners who went to the prison alongwith Sayyidna
Yusuf Nell said to him one day that they thought he was a man of piety
and good deeds, therefore, they would like to ask him to give an interpre-
tation of their dream. Sayyidna Ibn 'Abbas 4
and some other leading
authorities in Tafsir have said that they had really seen these dreams.
Sayyidna 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud 44% has said that there was no dream.
They had simply made it up to test the spiritual excellence and veracity
of Sayyidna Yusuf Nell.
However, one of them, that is, the royal cup-bearer, said: 'I have seen
myself (in dream) pressing wine,' and the other, that is, the cook, said: 'I
have seen myself carrying bread on my head of which the birds are eat-
ing.' Then, they requested him to interpret the dreams for them.
Here, Sayyidna Yusuf
l has been requested to interpret the
dreams. But he, before answering this question, and following his intrin-
sic prophetic way, begins with the task of Tabligh and invitation to be-
lieve and have faith. And by following the principle of Da'wah and by act-
ing wisely, he first tried to create in their hearts a base of confidence in

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Surah Yusuf : 12 : 36 - 42
him. To achieve this, he talked about his particular miracle through
which he tells them about the food which they receive from their homes,
or from somewhere else, and much before it arrives, he is able to tell
them the kind, the taste, the quantity and the time of arrival of the food
ذَلِكُمَا مِمَّا عَلَّمَنِىُ رَبّى :and that the food turns out to be exactly as predicted -
(This is of the knowledge my Lord has given me). He is saying that this
has nothing to do with the art of divination through computation of fig-
ures and lines ('ilm al-jafr and 'ilm al-raml - not Jafar and Ramal, sooth-
saying or any other occult act of conjuring). Instead of all that, this is
what my Rabb tells me - and I pass on the information. And this was an
open miracle which is proof positive of prophethood and a major cause of
confidence. After that, he declares his abhorence for disbelief and his dis-
engagement from the community of disbelievers. Then, with it, he also
stresses that he is a member of the House of Prophets and it is their
Community that he adheres to and that he is a scion of the House of
Ibrahim, Ishaq and Ya'qub &gel. We mentioned confidence a little earli-
er. Customarily, this kind of inherited nobility, a common family trait, is
also a source of creating confidence in a person. After that he said: And
it is not for us that we associate any partners with Allah. Then, he said
that the Taufiq of following a true religion ('the favour of Allah upon us
and upon all people') was nothing but the Fadl or grace of Allah Ta'ala,
for it was He who, by giving proper understanding, made the acceptance
of truth easy on us. But, most of the people do not appreciate this bless-
ing and do not show their gratitude for it. After having said that, he
asked the same prisoners to tell him if it was better that human beings
should be worshiping many gods, or was it better that one becomes a ser-
vant of one Allah alone - whose subduing power is all-dominant. Then he
referred to idol worship from a different angle. He told them that their
fathers and forefathers have taken some idols as their Lord. As for them,
they are no more than a lot of names which they have coined on their
own. They have no personal attributes which could become deserving of
assigning to them the least fund of power - because all of them are inert.
This is something one can see with one's own eyes. The only other meth-
od through which they could have been taken as true objects of worship
would be that Allah Ta'ala sends down specific injunctions or command-
ments to worship them. So, in that case, even if observation and reason
had not been willing to accept their godhood but, because of the Divine

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Surah Yusuf : 12 : 36 - 42
command, we would have left our observation and reason aside and
would have obeyed the command of Allah. But, this is not there either -
because Allah Ta'ala did not send down any argument or proof for their
worship. Instead of that, what He said was but that Law and Sovereign-
ty belonged to Allah Ta'ala with no one having a right in it; and the com-
mand He gave was no other but that we should not worship anyone or
anything other than Allah. Finally, he said: 'This is the only right path -
which was bestowed on my forefathers by Allah Ta'ala, but most of the
people do not know this reality.'
After having made his call to truth, Sayyidna Yusuf See
turned to
the dreams mentioned by two of his prison mates declaring that one of
the two of them will get his release, return to his job and keep serving
wine to his master. As for the other, the crime against him will stand
proved and he will be crucified and birds will eat from his head.
An Example of Prophetic Compassion
Ibn Kathir has said: Though the dreams of both these prisoners were
separate, and fixed was the interpretation of each, and also fixed was
the fate that the royal cup-bearer will be acquitted and return to his job
and the cook will be crucified. But, because of his prophetic compassion
and clemency, he did not specifically mention as to who among the two
will be hanged so that the person concerned may be spared from becom-
ing obsessed by the very thought of it right from that time. Instead of
that, he made a general statement saying that one of them will be re-
leased and the other will be crucified.
At the end, he told them that the interpretation of their dreams
given by him was not arrived at by conjecture. It was Divine decree
which cannot be averted. Commentators who have called the dreams de-
scribed by these people as false and made-up, they have also said: When
Sayyidna Yusuf &Cel interpreted their dreams, they came up with the re-
mark that they had just not seen any dream. They had simply made it
up. Thereupon, Sayyidna Yusuf الطَّيْهِا said: قُضِىَ الْأَمُرُ الَّذِىُ فِيْهِ تَسْتَفْتِين (Destined
is the matter you are asking about). In other words, it would mean:
Whether you saw this dream, or did not, now the event will come to be
as described - the purpose of which is that this is the punishment of the
sin, of making up a false dream, committed by you, a punishment which
has been identified in the interpretation of the dream.

83
Surah Yusuf : 12 : 36 - 42
After that, to the person about whom Sayyidna Yusuf del had gath-
ered from the interpretation of his dream that he would be released, he
said: When you are released from the prison, mention me before your
master as the innocent person who is still languishing in the prison. But,
once released, this person forgot about this message of Sayyidna Yusuf
, as a result of which, his freedom was further delayed and he had to
stay in prison for a few more years. The word used in the Qur'an is: a
Se (bid'a sinin: a few years). This word holds good for a figure between
three to nine. Some commentators have said that he had to live in the
prison for a period of seven more years.
Injunctions and Rulings
Worth pondering on are many Ahkam, Masa'il, useful lessons and
elements of guidance that emerge from the verses under reference. They
are as given below:
1. Consider the confinement of Sayyidna Yusuf
into a prison
which is the notorious turf of criminals and bad characters. But, he treat-
ed them too with his characteristic good morals and social graces, as a re-
sult of which, all of them became enamoured with him. This tells us that
it is the duty of reformers that they should, by dealing with sinners and
criminals with compassion and concern, bring them closer, let them be-
come familiar, connected, and reliant on them. Also necessary is that
they should not betray any attitude of hatred or distaste for them at any
step.
2. From the statement: ◌َإِنَّا نَرَىكَ مِنَ الْمُحُسِنِين (We see you are a man of good
deeds), we find out that the interpretation of a dream should be sought
particularly from persons one trusts in as righteous, good in deeds and
sympathetic.
3. The third thing we learn here is about the ideal conduct of those
who carry the da'wah of truth and serve people by working for their
moral and social betterment. In this connection, their first duty is to
bring round people created by Allah to put their trust in them through
their good morals and conduct, and their intellectual and practical excel-
lences - whether they have to unfold and express some of those excel-
lences, as was done by Sayyidna Yusuf Seel on this occasion when he not
only talked about his miracle but also mentioned his being a member of