Tafsir of Yusuf 12:28

"So when he saw his shirt" — that is, the master, and it is said: the witness. The verb here denotes either visual observation or knowledge of the heart, meaning: when he realized, "his shirt was torn from the back," he said, "Indeed, it is of your cunning" — meaning: originating from your deceit and guile, O women, and caused by it. This is a refutation of her and a confirmation of him—peace be upon him—in the most subtle manner. It is as if it were said: You are the one who attempted to seduce him, but he did not respond and fled, so you pulled him, tearing his shirt; therefore, he is the truthful one in attributing the seduction to you, and you are the liar in attributing evil to him.

It is also said that the pronoun refers to the matter in which the dispute occurred, which is the expression of the intention of evil attributed to Joseph—peace be upon him—and the planning of his punishment by her saying, "What is the recompense of one who intended evil for your wife?" and so on; meaning: this is of the nature of your guile and deceit. Others say it refers to the "evil" itself; although it is not in itself a deception, it is inseparable from it. Al-Mawardi said: It refers to this affair, which is her craving for Joseph—peace be upon him—treating it as a metaphor for cunning, similar to the preceding view. Al-Zajjaj said: It refers only to her statement, "What is the recompense..." and so on. The scholar Abu al-Saud chose the first view and labored to support it with various arguments, while objecting to the subsequent views as he did.

Perhaps what we have mentioned is more in line with refined taste and requires less burden than what was labored for. Regardless, the address is general to all women, and the view that it was directed specifically to her and her servants is not significant. Generalizing the address serves to point out that cunning is an ingrained trait of theirs: Do not think Hind is the only one with treachery; it is the natural disposition of every captivating woman.

"Indeed, your cunning is great." This is more subtle, more engaging to the heart, and more profound in its effect on the soul; and because it may bequeath such disgrace as the cunning of men does not. Among them, the ladies of the palaces have the highest share in this, because they are more idle than others, with a greater frequency of suitors coming to them; thus, they are the collectors and masters of it. Because of the greatness of women's cunning, Iblis—may he be cursed—adopted them as a means to seduce those whom he found difficult to seduce. It is stated in a report: "Satan does not despair of anyone except that he approaches him through women." It is narrated from some scholars that he said: "I fear from women what I do not fear from Satan, for the Almighty says: 'Indeed, the cunning of Satan is ever weak,' while He said of women: 'Indeed, your cunning is great.'" This is because Satan whispers stealthily, while they confront one with it. It is not hidden that the derivation of evidence from these two verses is based on their apparent, unrestricted meaning. For such matters—which the soul recoils from or embraces—this level is sufficient, and it does not harm the argument that the weakness of Satan's cunning is in relation to the cunning of Allah, or that the greatness of their cunning is in relation to the cunning of men. As for the claim that what was mentioned, being a narration from Potiphar, cannot be used as evidence in any way, it is invalid; for the Almighty related it without disapproval, so there is no harm in using it as evidence, as is clear.