Verse:30 Commentary - - - Verse:31 Commentary 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 سَمِعَتْ بِمَكْرِ‌هِنَّ أَرْ‌سَلَتْ إِلَيْهِنَّ (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: وَأَعْتَدَتْ لَهُنَّ مُتَّكَأً 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 relaxation.

Then, it was said: وَآتَتْ كُلَّ وَاحِدَةٍ مِّنْهُنَّ سِكِّينًا (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 purpose 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 (علیہ السلام) and would go on to cut their hands with the knife.

After having made all these arrangements, to Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) ، who was in some other quarter of the house, Zulaikha said: وَقَالَتِ اخْرُ‌جْ عَلَيْهِنَّ (come in before them). Since, Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) was not aware of her vain intention, he came out into this sitting.

That which happened then has been described in:

فَلَمَّا رَ‌أَيْنَهُ أَكْبَرْ‌نَهُ وَقَطَّعْنَ أَيْدِيَهُنَّ وَقُلْنَ حَاشَ لِلَّـهِ مَا هَـٰذَا بَشَرً‌ا إِنْ هَـٰذَا إِلَّا مَلَكٌ كَرِ‌يمٌ

So when they saw him, they found him great and [ were so 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 ].' Verse:32 Commentary Then, in verse 32, it was said:

قَالَتْ فَذَٰلِكُنَّ الَّذِي لُمْتُنَّنِي فِيهِ ۖ وَلَقَدْ رَ‌اوَدتُّهُ عَن نَّفْسِهِ فَاسْتَعْصَمَ ۖ وَلَئِن لَّمْ يَفْعَلْ مَا آمُرُ‌هُ لَيُسْجَنَنَّ وَلَيَكُونًا مِّنَ الصَّاغِرِ‌ينَ

` She [ Zulaikha ] said: 'So, [ see ] this is the one you blamed me for. Yes, I seduced him, but he abstained. And should he [ in future ] 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 (علیہ السلام) right before them. At that time, according to some commentators, all these women too started telling Sayyidna Yusuf علیہ السلام that Zulaikha was their benefactor, therefore, he should not oppose her. Verse:33 Commentary And some words of the Holy Qur'an which appear later (33) also support it, for example: يَدْعُونَنِي (yad unani: these women invite me) and: كَيْدَهُنَّ (kaidahunna: their guile) where the statement of some women has been mentioned in the plural form.

When Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) saw that these women were also supporting Zulaikha and there remained no other visible way to stay safe against their guile, he turned to his ultimate resort, to Allah jalla thana'uh, and before Him, he said:

رَ‌بِّ السِّجْنُ أَحَبُّ إِلَيَّ مِمَّا يَدْعُونَنِي إِلَيْهِ ۖ وَإِلَّا تَصْرِ‌فْ عَنِّي كَيْدَهُنَّ أَصْبُ إِلَيْهِنَّ وَأَكُن مِّنَ الْجَاهِلِينَ

My Lord, the prison is dearer to me than what these women invite me to. And unless You turn their guile away from me, I shall get inclined towards them and shall be among the ignorant.

Here, the statement of Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) 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 to face this temporal hardship as compared to that of falling in sin. Ac-cording to some narrations, when Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) was confined to the prison, a revelation from Allah Ta ala told him: You have put yourself into the prison by what you yourself had said: السِّجْنُ أَحَبُّ إِلَيَّ (the prison is dearer to me) and had you asked for wellbeing ('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 appropriate. Instead of doing that, one should, when under the threat of any hardship, problem or distress, pray to Allah Ta` ala for nothing but ` afiyah (wellbeing). Therefore, the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم prohibited a man from praying for sabr (patience) saying that sabr is done when one faces distress and hardship. So, rather praying to Allah for sabr, pray for ` afiyah. (Tirmidhi) The uncle of the Holy Prophet ", Sayyidna ` Abbs ؓ asked him: Teach me a prayer I should make. He said: Pray for ` afiyah (well-being) from your Rabb. Sayyidna ` Abbas says when he, after a period of time, once again asked him to be advised of some du 'he should be making, he said: Pray to Allah Ta` ala for ` afiyah in dunya and 'akhirah. (Mazhari from Tabarani)

As for the saying of Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) : ` 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 Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) had this desired cover by virtue of his being a prophet, yet he was compelled to make this du' 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. (Qurtubi) Verse:34 Commentary After that, said in verse 34 was:

فَاسْتَجَابَ لَهُ رَ‌بُّهُ فَصَرَ‌فَ عَنْهُ كَيْدَهُنَّ ۚ إِنَّهُ هُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ

So, his Lord accepted his prayer and turned their guile away 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 (علیہ السلام) 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 (علیہ السلام) into the prison for a certain period of time so that there remains no source of any doubt in the concerned family, and that the talk of the town too dies out in due course. Verse:35 Commentary So, said at the end of the verse (35) was:

ثُمَّ بَدَا لَهُم مِّن بَعْدِ مَا رَ‌أَوُا الْآيَاتِ لَيَسْجُنُنَّهُ حَتَّىٰ حِينٍ

Later on, even after having seen the signs, they [ the ` Aziz of Misr and his advisers ] deemed it proper [ or expedient ] to imprison him for a time.

Thus, to the prison he was sent.