Yusuf 12:31–36

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 لِلَّهِ مَا هَٰذَا بَشَرً‌ا إِنْ هَٰذَا 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 ].'

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.

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 ﷺ 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)

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.

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.

Commentary

Mentioned in the verses cited above is a supplementary event relating to the story of Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) . It has been repeatedly stressed that the Holy Qur’ an is no book of history, or of stories and tales. When a story or historical event is mentioned in it, the sole objective is to pro-vide some lesson, good counsel or crucial guidance on various facets of human life. In the entire Qur’ an and throughout the events relating to many prophets, it is the story of Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) alone which has been described by the Qur’ an continuously - otherwise, it has considered it sufficient to mention some necessary part of an historical event wherever appropriate.

If you would look at the story of Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) from the beginning to the end, there are hundreds of lessons to learn, good advices to heed to and important elements of guidance to follow during various stages of human life. This supplementary story too has its graces of guidance in abundance.

The event as it took shape was that, despite the complete absolvement of Sayyidna Yusuf علیہ السلام from the blame, and the strong establishment of his moral integrity, it was to put an end to the disgrace of people talking about them that the ` Aziz of Misr and his wife decided to send Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) to the prison for some time - which, in reality, was the fulfillment of the du'a' and wish of Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) ، because, for him, it had become extremely difficult to defend his chastity while living in the home of the ` Aziz of Misr.

When Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) arrived at the prison, two other sentenced criminals were also admitted there. One of them was the cup-bearer of the king while the other was a cook. Citing major Tafsir authorities, Ibn Kathir has written that these two were arrested on the charge that they had tried to poison the king through food or drink. The case was under investigation, therefore, they were kept in prison.

When Sayyidna Yusuf علیہ السلام came into the prison, it was because of his prophetic morals, mercy and affection that he used to show concern about all of his fellow inmates and took care of them whenever needed. If anyone became sick, he would call on him and do whatever had to be done for him. For anyone he found sad or distressed, he would have appropriate words of comfort. To lift his spirits, he would gently tell him to observe patience and made the hope of freedom come alive into his heart. He would think of bringing comfort to others at the cost of his own discomfort. For whole nights he would remain engaged in the ` Ibadah (worship) of Allah Ta ala. Seeing his endearing ways, all inmates of the prison became convinced of his high spiritual status. Even the officer-in-charge of the prison was impressed. He said: Had it been in my power, I would have let you go. Now, this much I can do that you will face no inconvenience here.

Some Notes to Wonder About

When the officer-in-charge of the prison, or some of the inmates, told Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) that they loved him very much, he said: For God's sake, do not love me - because whenever I have been loved by anyone, I have suffered one way or the other. When I was a child, my paternal aunt loved me. As a result, I was blamed for theft. Then, my father loved me. This made me do a term of detention in a well at the hands of my brothers, then came slavery and expulsion from home country. When the wife of the ` Aziz loved me, I landed into this prison. (Ibn Kathir, Mazhari)

These two prisoners who went to the prison along with Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) said to him one day that they thought he was a man of piety and good deeds, therefore, they would like to ask him to give an interpretation of their dream. Sayyidna Ibn ` Abbas ؓ and some other leading authorities in Tafsir have said that they had really seen these dreams.

Sayyidna ` Abdullah ibn Mas’ ud ؓ has said that there was no dream. They had simply made it up to test the spiritual excellence and veracity of Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) .

However, one of them, that is, the royal cup-bearer, said: ` I have seen myself (in dream) pressing wine,' and the other, that is, the cook, said: ` I have seen myself carrying bread on my head of which the birds are eating.' Then, they requested him to interpret the dreams for them.

Here, Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) has been requested to interpret the dreams. But he, before answering this question, and following his intrinsic prophetic way, begins with the task of Tabligh and invitation to believe and have faith. And by following the principle of Da'wah and by acting wisely, he first tried to create in their hearts a base of confidence inhim. To achieve this, he talked about his particular miracle through which he tells them about the food which they receive from their homes, or from somewhere else, and much before it arrives, he is able to tell them the kind, the taste, the quantity and the time of arrival of the food - and that the food turns out to be exactly as predicted:

Injunctions and Rulings

Worth pondering on are many Ahkam, Masa'il, useful lessons and elements of guidance that emerge from the verses under reference. They are as given below:

1. Consider the confinement of Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) into a prison which is the notorious turf of criminals and bad characters. But, he treated them too with his characteristic good morals and social graces, as a result of which, all of them became enamoured with him. This tells us that it is the duty of reformers that they should, by dealing with sinners and criminals with compassion and concern, bring them closer, let them be-come familiar, connected, and reliant on them. Also necessary is that they should not betray any attitude of hatred or distaste for them at any step.

2. From the statement: إِنَّا نَرَ‌اكَ مِنَ الْمُحْسِنِينَ (We see you are a man of good deeds), we find out that the interpretation of a dream should be sought particularly from persons one trusts in as righteous, good in deeds and sympathetic.

3. The third thing we learn here is about the ideal conduct of those who carry the da'wah of truth and serve people by working for their moral and social betterment. In this connection, their first duty is to bring round people created by Allah to put their trust in them through their good morals and conduct, and their intellectual and practical excel-lences - whether they have to unfold and express some of those excellences, as was done by Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) on this occasion when he not only talked about his miracle but also mentioned his being a member of the House of Prophets. Such a statement of personal excellence - if it is based on the intention to serve people to become better and not to prove one's personal rank - will not be considered as the ` self-praise' which has been prohibited in the Holy Qur'an: فَلَا تُزَكُّوا أَنفُسَكُمْ that is, do not talk about the purity of your own self. (Tafsir Mazhari)

4. Pointed to here is an important principle of communication and correction (Tabligh and Irshad). It is the duty of the carrier of a Call (Da` i) and reformer (Muslih) that he should, at all times and under all circumstances, keep his constant mission of Da'wah and Tabligh come first of all he does. In other words, if someone comes to him for something, he should not forget his real mission - as was done by Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) when these prisoners came to him to ask for an interpretation of their dreams. At that time, before answering their request for the interpretation of their dreams, he gave them the gift of right guidance through his Tabligh and Irshad. Please do not take Da'wah and Tabligh as something which takes place in a conference, or on a pulpit or stage alone. This job is done far more effectively through personal contacts and private exchanges.

5. Another aspect of this very effort of telling people what is right and seeking their betterment through it (Irshad and Islah) is: Whatever is said in this connection should be said with the strategy of wisdom in a way that it goes into the heart of the addressee. This is how it was done by Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) . He succeeded in showing to them that the excellences he had were the direct outcome of his disengagement with disbelief and adoption of Islam as his faith. After that he described the draw-backs and shortcomings of Kufr and Shirk in a soft manner which appeals to the heart.

6. Another problem resolved here is about how bad news should be handled. If, that which has to be communicated to an addressee happens to be painful or repugnant, yet it be necessary that it be disclosed, then, it should be presented before the addressee, as far as possible, in a way that it brings the least discomfort to him. This is as it was when the death of one person was destined as interpreted on the basis of his dream, but Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) kept it ambiguous. He did not make it precise and fixed by telling him that he will be the one to be hanged. (Ibn Kathir, Mazhari)

7. It will be recalled that Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) had sought his release from the prison when he asked the acquitted prisoner: Mention me before your master. This tells us that making someone a medium of effort in order to get out of some difficulty is not against the principle of Tawakkul (Trust in Allah).

Another view of this problem is that Allah Ta` ala does not like His great prophets making efforts to achieve everything permissible and go on to make a human being the medium of their release. This is so because the absence of any medium between them and Allah Ta ala spells out the true identity of prophets. Perhaps, that was why this prisoner forgot about the message given by Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) which made him stay in the prison for many more years. In a Hadith too, the Holy Prophet has pointed out in this direction.