Allah states that the news of what happened between the wife of the `Aziz and
Yusuf spread in the city, that is, Egypt, and people talked about it,
[وَقَالَ نِسْوَةٌ
فِى الْمَدِينَةِ]
(And women in the city said...), such as women of chiefs and princes said,
while admonishing and criticizing the wife of the `Aziz,
[امْرَأَتُ
الْعَزِيزِ تُرَاوِدُ فَتَـهَا عَن نَّفْسِهِ]
(The wife of the `Aziz is seeking to seduce her (slave) young man,), she is
luring her servant to have sex with her,
[قَدْ شَغَفَهَا
حُبًّا]
(indeed she loves him violently;), her love for him filled her heart and
engulfed it,
[إِنَّا لَنَرَاهَا
فِى ضَلَـلٍ مُّبِينٍ]
(verily, we see her in plain error.), by loving him and trying to seduce him.
[فَلَمَّا سَمِعَتْ
بِمَكْرِهِنَّ]
(So when she heard of their accusation,) especially their statement, "indeed
she loves him violently.'' Muhammad bin Ishaq commented, "They heard of Yusuf's
beauty and wanted to see him, so they said these words in order to get a look at
him. '' This is when,
[أَرْسَلَتْ
إِلَيْهِنَّ]
(she sent for them), invited them to her house,
[وَأَعْتَدَتْ
لَهُنَّ مُتَّكَئًا]
(and prepared a banquet for them.) Ibn `Abbas, Sa'id bin Jubayr, Mujahid,
Al-Hasan, As-Suddi and several others commented that she prepared a sitting room
which had couches, pillows [to recline on] and food that requires knives to cut,
such as citron. This is why Allah said next,
[وَءَاتَتْ كُلَّ
وَاحِدَةٍ مَّنْهُنَّ سِكِّينًا]
(and she gave each one of them a knife), as a part of her plan of revenge for
their plot to see Yusuf,
[وَقَالَتِ اخْرُجْ
عَلَيْهِنَّ]
(and she said [to Yusuf]: "Come out before them.''), for she had asked him to
stay somewhere else in the house,
[فَلَمَّآ]
(Then, when) he went out and,
[رَأَيْنَهُ
أَكْبَرْنَهُ]
(they saw him, they exalted him) they thought highly of him and were
astonished at what they saw. They started cutting their hands in amazement at
his beauty, while thinking that they were cutting the citron with their knives.
Therefore, they injured their hands with the knives they were holding, according
to several reports of Tafsir. Others said that after they ate and felt
comfortable, and after having placed citron in front of them, giving each one of
them a knife, the wife of the `Aziz asked them, "Would you like to see Yusuf''
They said, "Yes.'' So she sent for him to come in front of them and when they
saw him, they started cutting their hands. She ordered him to keep coming and
going, so that they saw him from all sides, and he went back in while they were
still cutting their hands. When they felt the pain, they started screaming and
she said to them, "You did all this from one look at him, so how can I be blamed
[وَقُلْنَ حَاشَ
للَّهِ مَا هَـذَا بَشَرًا إِنْ هَـذَآ إِلاَّ مَلَكٌ كَرِيمٌ]
(They said: "How perfect is Allah! No man is this! This is none other than a
noble angel!'') They said to her, "We do not blame you anymore after the sight
that we saw.'' They never saw anyone like Yusuf before, for he, peace be upon
him, was given half of all beauty. An authentic Hadith stated that the Messenger
of Allah passed by Prophet Yusuf, during the Night of Isra' in the third heaven
and commented,
«فَإِذَا هُوَ قَدْ
أُعْطِيَ شَطْرَ الْحُسْن»
(He was given a half of all beauty.) Mujahid and others said [they said]: "We
seek refuge from Allah,''
[مَا هَـذَا
بَشَرًا]
(No man is this!) They said next,
[إِنْ هَـذَآ إِلاَّ
مَلَكٌ كَرِيمٌقَالَتْ فَذلِكُنَّ الَّذِى لُمْتُنَّنِى فِيهِ]
("This is none other than a noble angel!'' She said: "This is he (the young
man) about whom you did blame me...'') She said these words to them so that they
excuse her behavior, for a man who looks this beautiful and perfect, is worthy
of being loved, she thought. She said,
[وَلَقَدْ
رَاوَدتُّهُ عَن نَّفْسِهِ فَاسَتَعْصَمَ]
(and I did seek to seduce him, but he refused) to obey me. Some scholars said
that when the women saw Yusuf's beauty, she told them about his inner beauty
that they did not know of, being chaste and beautiful from the inside and
outside. She then threatened him,
[وَلَئِن لَّمْ
يَفْعَلْ مَآ ءَامُرُهُ لَيُسْجَنَنَّ وَلَيَكُونًا مِّن الصَّـغِرِينَ]
(And now if he refuses to obey my order, he shall certainly be cast into
prison, and will be one of those who are disgraced.) This is when Prophet Yusuf
sought refuge with Allah from their evil and wicked plots,
[قَالَ رَبِّ
السِّجْنُ أَحَبُّ إِلَىَّ مِمَّا يَدْعُونَنِى إِلَيْهِ]
(He said: "O my Lord! Prison is dearer to me than that to which they invite
me...'') illegal sexual acts,
[وَإِلاَّ تَصْرِفْ
عَنِّى كَيْدَهُنَّ أَصْبُ إِلَيْهِنَّ]
(Unless You turn away their plot from me, I will feel inclined towards them)
Yusuf invoked Allah: If You abandon me and I am reliant on myself, then I have
no power over myself, nor can I bring harm or benefit to myself, except with
Your power and will. Verily, You are sought for each and everything, and our
total reliance is on You Alone for each and everything. Please, do not abandon
me and leave me to rely on myself, for then,
[أَصْبُ إِلَيْهِنَّ
وَأَكُن منَ الْجَـهِلِينَفَاسْتَجَابَ لَهُ رَبُّهُ]
("I will feel inclined towards them and be one of the ignorant.'' So his Lord
answered his invocation) Yusuf, peace be upon him, was immune from error by
Allah's will, and He saved him from accepting the advances of the wife of the
`Aziz'. He preferred prison, rather than accept her illicit call. This indicates
the best and most perfect grade in this case, for Yusuf was youthful, beautiful
and full of manhood. His master's wife was calling him to herself, and she was
the wife of the `Aziz of Egypt. She was also very beautiful and wealthy, as well
as having a great social rank. He refused all this and preferred prison, for he
feared Allah and hoped to earn His reward. It is recorded in the Two Sahihs that
the Messenger of Allah said,
«سَبْعَةٌ
يُظِلُّهُمُ اللهُ فِي ظِلِّهِ يَوْمَ لَا ظِلَّ إِلَّا ظِلُّهُ: إِمَامٌ عَادِلٌ،
وَشَابٌّ نَشَأَ فِي عِبَادَةِ اللهِ، وَرَجُلٌ قَلْبُهُ مُعَلَّقٌ بِالْمَسْجِدِ
إِذَا خَرَجَ مِنْهُ حَتَّى يَعُودَ إِلَيْهِ، وَرَجُلَانِ تَحَابَّا فِي اللهِ،
اجْتَمَعَا عَلَيْهِ وَتَفَرَّقَا عَلَيْهِ، وَرَجُلٌ تَصَدَّقَ بِصَدَقَةٍ
فَأَخْفَاهَا حَتَّى لَا تَعْلَمَ شِمَالُهُ مَا أَنْفَقَتْ يَمِينُهُ، وَرَجُلٌ
دَعَتْهُ امْرَأةٌ ذَاتُ مَنْصِبٍ وَجَمَالٍ فَقَالَ: إِنِّي أَخَافُ اللهَ،
وَرَجُلٌ ذَكَرَ اللهَ خَالِيًا فَفَاضَتْ عَيْنَاه»
(Allah will give shade to seven, on the Day when there will be no shade but
His: A just ruler, a youth who has been brought up in the worship of Allah, a
man whose heart is attached to the Masjid, from the time he goes out of the
Masjid until he gets back to it, two persons who love each other only for
Allah's sake and they meet and part in Allah's cause only, a man who gives
charitable gifts so secretly that his left hand does not know what his right
hand has given, a man who refuses the call of a charming woman of noble birth
for illicit intercourse with her and says: "I am afraid of Allah, and a person
who remembers Allah in seclusion and his eyes are then flooded with tears.'')
[ثُمَّ بَدَا لَهُمْ
مِّن بَعْدِ مَا رَأَوُاْ الآيَـتِ لَيَسْجُنُنَّهُ حَتَّى حِينٍ ]
(35. Then it occurred to them, after they had seen the proofs (of his
innocence), to imprison him for a time.)
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