12:31 Yusuf (Joseph)

{ فَلَمَّا سَمِعَتْ بِمَكْرِهِنَّ أَرْسَلَتْ إِلَيْهِنَّ } تدعوهن إلى منزلها للضيافة. { وَأَعْتَدَتْ لَهُنَّ مُتَّكَأً } أي: محلا مهيأ بأنواع الفرش والوسائد، وما يقصد بذلك من المآكل اللذيذة، وكان في جملة ما أتت به وأحضرته في تلك الضيافة، طعام يحتاج إلى سكين، إما أترج، أو غيره، { وَآتَتْ كُلَّ وَاحِدَةٍ مِنْهُنَّ سِكِّينًا } ليقطعن فيها ذلك الطعام { وَقَالَتِ } ليوسف: { اخْرُجْ عَلَيْهِنَّ } في حالة جماله وبهائه. { فَلَمَّا رَأَيْنَهُ أَكْبَرْنَهُ } أي: أعظمنه في صدورهن، ورأين منظرا فائقا لم يشاهدن مثله، { وَقَطَّعْنَ } من الدهش { أَيْدِيَهُنَّ } بتلك السكاكين اللاتي معهن، { وَقُلْنَ حَاشَ لِلَّهِ } أي: تنزيها لله { مَا هَذَا بَشَرًا إِنْ هَذَا إِلَّا مَلَكٌ كَرِيمٌ } وذلك أن يوسف أعطي من الجمال الفائق والنور والبهاء، ما كان به آية للناظرين، وعبرة للمتأملين.

فلما سمعت بمكرهن " قال بعضهم بقولهن ذهب الحب بها وقال محمد بن إسحاق بل بلغهن حسن يوسف فأحببن أن يريه فقلن ليتوصلن إلى رؤية ومشاهدته فعند ذلك " أرسلت إليهن " أي دعتهن إلى منزلهـا لتضيفهن " وأعتدت لهن "متكأ " قال ابن عباس وسعيد بن جبير ومجاهد والحسن والسدي وغيرهم: هو المجلس المعد فيه مفارش ومخاد وطعام فيه ما يقطع بالسكاكين من أترج ونحوه ولهذا قال تعالى " وآتت كل واحدة منهن سكينا " وكان هذا مكيدة منها ومقابلة لهن في احتيالهن على رؤيته " وقالت اخرج عليهن " وذلك أنها كانت قد خبأته في مكان آخر فلما " خرج " و "رأينه أكبرنه " أي أعظمنه أي أعظمن شأنه وأجللن قدره وجعلن يقطعن أيديهن دهشة برؤيته وهن يظنن أنهن يقطعن الأترج بالسكاكين والمراد أنهن حززن أيديهن بها قاله غير واحد وعن مجاهد وقتادة: قطعن أيديهن حتى ألقينها فالله أعلم وقد ذكر غير واحد أنها قالت لهن بعد ما أكلن وطابت أنفسهن مم وضعت بين أيديهن أترجا وآتت كل واحدة منهن سكينا هل لكن في النظر إلى يوسف؟ قلن نعم فبعثت إليه تأمره أن اخرج إليهن فلما رأينه جعلن يقطعن أيديهن ثم أمرته آن يرجع ليرينه مقبلا ومدبرا فرجع وهن يحززن في أيديهن فلما أحسسن بالألم جعلن يولولن فقالت أنتن من نظرة واحدة فعلتن هذا فكيف ألام أنا؟ " فقلن حاش لله ما هذا بشرا إن هذا إلا ملك كريم " ثم قلن لها: وما نرى عليك من لوم بعد هذا الذي رأينا لأنهن لم يرين في البشر شبيهه ولا قريبا منه فإنه عليه السلام كان قد أعطي شطر الحسن كما ثبت ذلك في الحديث الصحيح في حديث الإسراء أن رسول الله صلي الله عليه وسلم مر بيوسف عليه السلام في السماء الثالثة قال فإذا هو قد أعطى شطر الحسن وقال حماد بن سلمة عن ثابت عن أنس قال: قال رسول الله صلي الله عليه وسلم أعطي يوسف وأمه شطر الحسن وقال سفيان الثوري عن أبي إسحاق عن أبي الأحوص عن عبد الله بن مسعود قال: أعطي يوسف وأمه ثلث الحسن وقال أبو إسحاق أيضا عن أبي الأحوص عن عبد الله قال: كان وجه يوسف مثل البرق وقالت المرأة إذا أتته لحاجة غطى وجهه مخافة أن تفتن به ورواه الحسن البصري مرسلا عن النبي صلي الله عليه وسلم أنه قال أعطي يوسف وأمه ثلث حسن أهل الدنيا وأعطي الناس الثلثين أو قال أعطى يوسف وأمه الثلثين والناس الثلث وقال سفيان عن منصور عن مجاهد عن ربيعه الجرشي قال: قسم الحسن نصفين فأعطي يوسف وأمه سارة نصف الحسن والنصف الآخر بين سائر الخلق وقال الإمام أبو القاسم السهيلي: معناه أن يوسف عليه السلام كان على النصف من حسن آدم عليه السلام فإن الله خلق آدم بيده على أكمل صورة وأحسنها ولم يكن في ذريته من يوازيه في جماله وكان يوسف قد أعطى شطر حسنه فلهذا قال هؤلاء النسوة عند رؤيته " حاش لله" قال مجاهد وغير واحد معاذ الله " ما هذا بشرا " وقرأ بعضهم ما هذا بشرى أي بمشترى بشراء.

The News reaches Women in the City, Who also plot against Yusuf

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 ﷺ 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 ﷺ 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.")

And when she heard of their machinations their backbiting of her she sent for them and prepared for them a repast muttaka’ is food that requires cutting with a knife since one leans upon it ittikā’ this repast was utruj ‘citron’. She then gave each one of them a knife and said to Joseph ‘Come out before them!’ And when they saw him they were in awe of they exalted him and cut their hands with the knives without feeling any pain because their hearts were so engrossed by Joseph and they exclaimed ‘God preserve us! — in exaltation of him — This namely Joseph is no human being this is but a noble angel!’ on account of his all-encompassing beauty which is a characteristic not usually found among humankind. In the Sahīh of al-Bukhārī it is reported that one half of all beauty was given to him.

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 ].'