• Joseph purchased in Egypt

• Joseph’s firmness in piety against the tempting attraction from his Mistress

• Joseph’s innocence proved by an argument

Yusuf (Joseph) Verses 21 – 29

وَقَالَ الَّذِي اشْتَرَاهُ مِنْ مِصْرَ لِامْرَأَتِهِ أَكْرِمِي مَثْوَاهُ عَسَىٰ أَنْ يَنْفَعَنَا أَوْ نَتَّخِذَهُ وَلَدًا وَكَذَٰلِكَ مَكَّنَّا لِيُوسُفَ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَلِنُعَلِّمَهُ مِنْ تَأْوِيلِ الْأَحَادِيثِ وَاللَّهُ غَالِبٌ عَلَىٰ أَمْرِهِ وَلَٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ

And he of Egypt who purchased him said unto his wife1“Give him an honourable place, maybe he may profit us, or we will adopt him as a son;” And thus did We establish Joseph in the land (Egypt); and that We may teach him the interpretation of events (dreams); And Verily God is Predominant over His affair, but most of mankind know not.” (12:21)

وَلَمَّا بَلَغَ أَشُدَّهُ آتَيْنَاهُ حُكْمًا وَعِلْمًا وَكَذَٰلِكَ نَجْزِي الْمُحْسِنِينَ

And when he (Joseph) attained his prime2(maturity) We gave him authority (apostle ship) and knowledge; And thus do We recompense the doers of good. (12:22)

وَرَاوَدَتْهُ الَّتِي هُوَ فِي بَيْتِهَا عَنْ نَفْسِهِ وَغَلَّقَتِ الْأَبْوَابَ وَقَالَتْ هَيْتَ لَكَ قَالَ مَعَاذَ اللَّهِ إِنَّهُ رَبِّي أَحْسَنَ مَثْوَايَ إِنَّهُ لَا يُفْلِحُ الظَّالِمُونَ

And she,3in whose house he was, sought to seduce him from his (pure) self; and she fastened the doors and said: “Now come on thou! Said he:4“(I seek) God’s refuge!” Verily He is my Lord! He made good my abode; Verily prosper not the unjust5ones.” (12:23)6

وَلَقَدْ هَمَّتْ بِهِ وَهَمَّ بِهَا لَوْلَا أَنْ رَأَىٰ بُرْهَانَ رَبِّهِ كَذَٰلِكَ لِنَصْرِفَ عَنْهُ السُّوءَ وَالْفَحْشَاءَ إِنَّهُ مِنْ عِبَادِنَا الْمُخْلَصِينَ

And indeed she7longed for him, and he (also) would have longed for her, had he not seen the evidence of his Lord; Thus8it was that We turn away from him evil and shameful deeds; Verily he was (one) of Our freed9servants. (12:24)10

وَاسْتَبَقَا الْبَابَ وَقَدَّتْ قَمِيصَهُ مِنْ دُبُرٍ وَأَلْفَيَا سَيِّدَهَا لَدَى الْبَابِ قَالَتْ مَا جَزَاءُ مَنْ أَرَادَ بِأَهْلِكَ سُوءًا إِلَّا أَنْ يُسْجَنَ أَوْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ

And raced they both to the door, and she rent his shirt from behind and they met her husband at the door. She said (cried); “What is the punishment for him who intendeth evil to thy wife save he be imprisoned or a painful torment?” (12:25)11

قَالَ هِيَ رَاوَدَتْنِي عَنْ نَفْسِي وَشَهِدَ شَاهِدٌ مِنْ أَهْلِهَا إِنْ كَانَ قَمِيصُهُ قُدَّ مِنْ قُبُلٍ فَصَدَقَتْ وَهُوَ مِنَ الْكَاذِبِينَ

He12said: “She (it was who) sought to seduce me from my (pure) self” and bore witness,13a witness of her own household; “If his shirt be rent from the front, she speaketh the truth and he is of the liars.”14(12:26)

وَإِنْ كَانَ قَمِيصُهُ قُدَّ مِنْ دُبُرٍ فَكَذَبَتْ وَهُوَ مِنَ الصَّادِقِينَ

“And if his shirt be rent from behind, she sayeth a lie and he15is of the truthful Ones.” (12:27)

فَلَمَّا رَأَىٰ قَمِيصَهُ قُدَّ مِنْ دُبُرٍ قَالَ إِنَّهُ مِنْ كَيْدِكُنَّ إِنَّ كَيْدَكُنَّ عَظِيمٌ

So when he16(the husband) saw the shirt rent from behind, said he:17“Verily it is a guile of ye women! Verily great is your guile!” (12:28)18

يُوسُفُ أَعْرِضْ عَنْ هَٰذَا وَاسْتَغْفِرِي لِذَنْبِكِ إِنَّكِ كُنْتِ مِنَ الْخَاطِئِينَ

“O’ Joseph! Leave19thou this affair, and thou (O’ my wife!) ask forgiveness for thy sin; Verily thou art of the guilty (ones).” (12:29)

Commentary

Verse 22

“And the Lord was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man, and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian.” Gen. 39/2.

It is related20 that Joseph was of thirty-three years when he was made the Vizier and at the age of forty he was commissioned with the apostleship of God and he lived for one hundred and twenty years.

Verse 23

Day by day the fire of love for Joseph in the heart of Zulaikha got inflamed, and every time she endeavoured to mislead him towards gaining her object of illegal union with him. Joseph strengthened himself seeking the protection from God.

The reader is invited to compare the language of the Holy Qur’an with that of the Bible referring to this event and note the grace with which the Holy Qur’an has given the narrative.

7. “And it came to pass after these things, that his master's wife cast her eyes upon Joseph, and she said, Lie with me.

8. “But he refused, and said unto his master's wife, Behold, my master gotteth not what is with me in the house, and he hath committed all that he hath to my hand.”

9. “There is none greater in this house than I, neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?”

10. “And it came to pass, as she spake to Joseph day by day, that he hearkened not unto her, to lie by her, or to be with her.”

11. “And it came to pass about this time, that Joseph went into the house to do his business, and there was none of the men of the house there within.

12. “And she caught him by his garment, saying. Lie with me: and he let his garment in her hand, and fled, and got him out.”

Gen. 39/7-12.

Verse 24

It was Zulaikha who made violent overtures and tried the worst to entangle Joseph into the sin of fornication but Joseph who was wholly pure, innocent and infallible, abstained himself.

Verse 25

A witness bearing the witness refers to the miraculous event that when Joseph pleaded that he was not guilty the Aziz asked ‘What is the proof?’ Joseph was inspired by God to point out to a baby of three- or six-months old belonging to one of the nearest relatives of Zulaikha. Aziz asked ‘How could the baby speak?’ Joseph replied, “My God is Omnipotent, thou only ask Him.’ When asked by Aziz the baby in clear language declared aloud, “O’ Aziz, If Joseph’s shirt be torn from the front, she (Zulaikha) speaketh the truth and Joseph is a liar and if it be torn from the hind, Joseph is true and she is a liar?” It had happened that when Zulaikha chased Joseph he ran towards the door and she came running and held him holding his shirt from behind and the shirt was torn in the hind.21

It is said that when Joseph was elevated to the high position Gabriel appeared and just then a young man clad in dirty clothes came to Joseph with something in his hand. Gabriel asked ‘Joseph’ Dost thou know who this man is?” Joseph said “He is my cook.” Gabriel said “O” Joseph! This is the one who while yet a baby bore witness to thy innocence in the case of Zulaikha”. Joseph took him out of the kitchen and held him in respect and regard as his Vizier.

• 1. Zulaikha.
• 2. At the age of 33 made the Vizier & at 40 received the commission of apostleship from the Lord. Minhaj as-Sadiqin (Tafsir – Persian) and Umdat al-Byan (commentary by Maulvi Syed Ammar Ali).
• 3. ‘Zulaikha’ the wife of the Aziz of Egypt.
• 4. Joseph.
• 5. The wrong doers.
• 6. Refer to verse 12:26. Refer to note on verse 12:25.
• 7. ‘Zulaikha’ the wife of the Aziz of Egypt.
• 8. By showing Joseph the evidence before hand.
• 9. Freed from temporal desires.
• 10. Refer to note on verse 12:25. Refer to verse 12:26.
• 11. O.T. Gen. 39/7-20. Refer to note on verse 12:25. Refer to verse 12:26.
• 12. Joseph.
• 13. Refer to note on verse 12:25.
• 14. a suckling babe in a cradle cried out in clear words the matter quoted in this verse and in the next.
• 15. Joseph.
• 16. Aziz.
• 17. Aziz.
• 18. The Bible is silent about the guiltless acquittal of Joseph and Qur’an has not allowed the false charge to go disproved to establish the excellence of the ideal purity of the conduct of Joseph the apostle of God.
• 19. To be silent about it - rather to keep it a secret.
• 20. Minhaj as-Sadiqin (Tafsir – Persian) and Umdat al-Byan (commentary by Maulvi Syed Ammar Ali).
• 21. Gen. 39/7-20.