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Towards Understanding the Quran
With kind permission: Islamic Foundation UK
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 Surah Yusuf 12:30-32 [4/12] ↕
  
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Verse Summary -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
۞ وَقَالَAnd said
نِسْوَةٌwomen
فِىin
ٱلْمَدِينَةِthe city,
ٱمْرَأَتُ"The wife of
ٱلْعَزِيزِAziz
تُرَٲوِدُ(is) seeking to seduce
فَتَـٰهَاher slave boy
عَنabout
نَّفْسِهِۦ‌ۖhimself;
قَدْindeed,
شَغَفَهَاhe has impassioned her
حُبًّا‌ۖ(with) love.
إِنَّاIndeed, we
لَنَرَٮٰهَا[we] surely see her
فِىin
ضَلَـٰلٍan error
مُّبِينٍclear."
﴿٣٠﴾
فَلَمَّاSo when
سَمِعَتْshe heard
بِمَكْرِهِنَّof their scheming,
أَرْسَلَتْshe sent
إِلَيْهِنَّfor them
وَأَعْتَدَتْand she prepared
لَهُنَّfor them
مُتَّكَــًٔاa banquet
وَءَاتَتْand she gave
كُلَّeach
وَٲحِدَةٍone
مِّنْهُنَّof them
سِكِّينًاa knife
وَقَالَتِand she said,
ٱخْرُجْ"Come out
عَلَيْهِنَّ‌ۖbefore them."
فَلَمَّاThen when
رَأَيْنَهُۥٓthey saw him
أَكْبَرْنَهُۥthey greatly admired him,
وَقَطَّعْنَand cut
أَيْدِيَهُنَّtheir hands,
وَقُلْنَthey said,
حَـٰشَ"Forbid
لِلَّهِAllah,
مَاnot
هَـٰذَا(is) this
بَشَرًاa man
إِنْnot
هَـٰذَآ(is) this
إِلَّاbut
مَلَكٌan angel
كَرِيمٌnoble."
﴿٣١﴾
قَالَتْShe said,
فَذَٲلِكُنَّ"That
ٱلَّذِى(is) the one,
لُمْتُنَّنِىyou blamed me
فِيهِ‌ۖabout him.
وَلَقَدْAnd certainly
رَٲوَدتُّهُۥI sought to seduce him,
عَن[from]
نَّفْسِهِۦ[himself]
فَٱسْتَعْصَمَ‌ۖbut he saved himself,
وَلَئِنand if
لَّمْnot
يَفْعَلْhe does
مَآwhat
ءَامُرُهُۥI order him,
لَيُسْجَنَنَّsurely, he will be imprisoned
وَلَيَكُونًاand certainly will be
مِّنَof
ٱلصَّـٰغِرِينَthose who are disgraced."
﴿٣٢﴾

وَقَالَ نِسۡوَةٌ فِى الۡمَدِيۡنَةِ امۡرَاَتُ الۡعَزِيۡزِ تُرَاوِدُ فَتٰٮهَا عَنۡ نَّـفۡسِهٖ​ۚ قَدۡ شَغَفَهَا حُبًّا​ ؕ اِنَّا لَـنَرٰٮهَا فِىۡ ضَلٰلٍ مُّبِيۡنٍ‏   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  قَالَتۡ فَذٰلِكُنَّ الَّذِىۡ لُمۡتُنَّنِىۡ فِيۡهِ​ؕ وَ لَـقَدۡ رَاوَدْتُّهٗ عَنۡ نَّـفۡسِهٖ فَاسۡتَعۡصَمَ​ؕ وَلَـئِنۡ لَّمۡ يَفۡعَلۡ مَاۤ اٰمُرُهٗ لَـيُسۡجَنَنَّ وَلَيَكُوۡنًا مِّنَ الصّٰغِرِيۡنَ‏ 
Translation
(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
Commentary

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.