Tafheem ul Quran
Surah 12 Yusuf, Ayat 30-32
وَقَالَ نِسۡوَةٌ فِى الۡمَدِيۡنَةِ امۡرَاَتُ الۡعَزِيۡزِ تُرَاوِدُ فَتٰٮهَا عَنۡ نَّـفۡسِهٖۚ قَدۡ شَغَفَهَا حُبًّا ؕ اِنَّا لَـنَرٰٮهَا فِىۡ ضَلٰلٍ مُّبِيۡنٍ
﴿12:30﴾
فَلَمَّا سَمِعَتۡ بِمَكۡرِهِنَّ اَرۡسَلَتۡ اِلَيۡهِنَّ وَاَعۡتَدَتۡ لَهُنَّ مُتَّكَـاً وَّاٰتَتۡ كُلَّ وَاحِدَةٍ مِّنۡهُنَّ سِكِّيۡنًا وَّقَالَتِ اخۡرُجۡ عَلَيۡهِنَّ ۚ فَلَمَّا رَاَيۡنَهٗۤ اَكۡبَرۡنَهٗ وَقَطَّعۡنَ اَيۡدِيَهُنَّ وَقُلۡنَ حَاشَ لِلّٰهِ مَا هٰذَا بَشَرًا ؕ اِنۡ هٰذَاۤ اِلَّا مَلَكٌ كَرِيۡمٌ
﴿12:31﴾
قَالَتۡ فَذٰلِكُنَّ الَّذِىۡ لُمۡتُنَّنِىۡ فِيۡهِؕ وَ لَـقَدۡ رَاوَدْتُّهٗ عَنۡ نَّـفۡسِهٖ فَاسۡتَعۡصَمَؕ وَلَـئِنۡ لَّمۡ يَفۡعَلۡ مَاۤ اٰمُرُهٗ لَـيُسۡجَنَنَّ وَلَيَكُوۡنًا مِّنَ الصّٰغِرِيۡنَ
﴿12:32﴾
(12:30) And some ladies in the city began to say: "The chief's wife, violently
in love with her houseboy, is out to tempt him. We think she is clearly mistaken."
(12:31) Hearing of their sly talk the chief's wife sent for those ladies,
and arranged for them a banquet, and got ready couches,26 and gave
each guest a knife. Then, while they were cutting and eating the fruit, she
signalled Joseph: "Come out to them." When the ladies saw him they were so struck
with admiration that they cut their hands, exclaiming: "Allah preserve us. This
is no mortal human. This is nothing but a noble angel!" (12:32) She said: "So now you see! This is the one regarding whom you reproached
me. Indeed I tried to tempt him to myself but he held back, although if he were
not to follow my order, he would certainly be imprisoned and humiliated."27
Notes
26. The ancient Egyptians used to place pillows and cushions in such feasts
for the guests to recline. And this is confirmed by the archaeological remains
in Egypt.
There is no mention at all of this banquet in the Bible but it has been described
in the Talmud in a way quite different from that of the Quran. Needless to say
that while this narrative in the Quran is natural, life like and teaches moral
lessons, the one in the Talmud lacks all these things.
27. This open demonstration of her love and declaration of her immoral designs
show that the moral condition of the higher class of the Egyptian society had
declined to the lowest ebb. It is quite obvious that the women whom she had
invited must have been ladies belonging to the upper most stratum of the society.
The very fact that she presented her beloved before them without any hesitation,
in order to convince them of his beauty and youth that had urged her to fall
in love with him, shows that there was nothing uncommon in this demonstration.
Then these ladies did not reproach her but themselves practically demonstrated
that, in those circumstances, they themselves would have done the same that
she did. Above all, the hostess did not feel that it was immodest to declare
openly: No doubt, I sought to seduce him and he succeeded in escaping from me.
Yet I am not going to give him up. If he will not do as I bid him, he shall
be cast into prison and humbled and disgraced.