ﱁ ﱂ ﱃ ﱄ ﱅ ﱆ ﱇ ﱈ ﱉ ﱊ ﱋ ﱌ ﱍ ﱎ ﱏ ﱐ ﱑ ﱒ ﱓ ﱔ ﱕ ﱖ ﱗ ﱘ ﱙ ﱚ
And she, in whose house he was, sought to seduce him. She closed the doors and said, "Come, you." He said, "[I seek] the refuge of Allah. Indeed, he is my master, who has made good my residence. Indeed, wrongdoers will not succeed."
Tafsir
Verse range: 12:23
Know that Joseph (peace be upon him) was of the utmost beauty and handsomeness. When the woman saw him, she became desirous of him. It is also said that her husband was impotent.
The phrase "raawadahu" (he desired/solicited him) is used when one tries to gain access to another for sexual intercourse. Similarly, "raawadathu hiya 'an nafsihi" (she solicited him for herself) means each one sought sexual intercourse from the other.
{And she locked the doors}
The reason for this is that such an act is only done in concealed places, especially if it is forbidden. Despite the intense fear, she said: {And she locked the doors}. Al-Wāḥidī said: The origin of "ghallaqat" (she locked) is from the saying regarding anything that clings tightly to something, it is said to have "ghaliqa" (stuck fast). It is said: "He is stuck fast in falsehood" or "stuck fast in his anger." Similarly, "ghalaq al-rahn" (the pledge/mortgage is held fast). Then, it is made transitive with an alif (A-form) to say: "Aghlaqa al-bāb" (he locked the door), meaning he made it difficult to open. The commentators said that ghallaqat (feminine singular past tense) was used because she locked seven doors. Then she invited him to herself.
Then the Almighty said: {And she said, "Come to me!"}
Regarding this, there are several issues:
Al-Wāḥidī said: "Hayta lak" is a verbal noun, similar to ruwayda (gently), ṣah (silence!), and mah (be quiet!). Its meaning, according to all linguists, is "Come hither" (halam). Al-Akhfash read it as hayta lak (with fatḥa on the hā’ and tā’). It is also permissible to have a kasra on the tā’ or a ḍamma on the tā’.
Al-Wāḥidī said: Abū al-Faḍl al-Mundhirī informed me that Ibn al-Tibrīzī narrated from Abū Zayd that the original word in Hebrew is hīlākh, meaning "come." The Qur'an Arabized it. Al-Farrā’ said it is a dialect of the people of Ḥawrān that reached Mecca, and they began speaking it. Ibn al-Anbārī said this aligns with the dialect of Quraysh and the people of Ḥawrān, just as the dialect of the Arabs and the Romans agreed on al-qisṭās (the scale), the Arabs and the Persians on al-sijjīl (baked clay), the Arabs and the Turks on al-ghassāq (foul exudation), and the Arabs and the Abyssinians on nāshi’at al-layl (the rising part of the night).
Nāfi‘ and Ibn ‘Āmir, in the narration of Ibn Dhakwān, recited it as hīta lak (with kasra on the hā’ and fatḥa on the tā’). Ibn Kathīr recited it as haytu lak (like haythu). Hishām ibn ‘Ammār, from Abū ‘Āmir, recited it as aḥlala lak (with kasra on the hā’, hamza on the yā’, and ḍamma on the tā’), similar to ji’tu (I came), meaning "I prepared myself for you." The rest recited it with fatḥa on the hā’, sukūn on the yā’, and fatḥa on the tā’.
Then the Almighty stated that when the woman said this, Joseph (peace be upon him) said: {May Allah forbid! Indeed, my Lord has treated me with good treatment}.
His statement {May Allah forbid!} means: I seek refuge with Allah as a refuge (ma‘ādh). The pronoun in {Indeed, my Lord} refers to the matter/situation (al-sha’n). {has treated me with good treatment} means: My Lord, my Master, and my Owner has treated me well when he commanded you: "Honor his lodging." It is therefore not fitting for a rational person to repay that kindness with this ugly treachery. {Indeed, the wrongdoers do not succeed}, meaning those who repay good with evil. It is also said that he meant adulterers, as they wrong themselves, or because their action involves putting something in a place other than its proper place.
Here are some questions:
Joseph (peace be upon him) was a free man, not a slave to anyone. So, saying {Indeed, my Lord} would be a lie, which is a sin and a major offense.
Answer: He (peace be upon him) spoke these words according to outward appearances and in line with what they believed about him—that he was her slave. Furthermore, he truly nurtured him and bestowed many favors upon him. Thus, by "my Lord" (rabbī), he meant "my nurturer" (murabbī). This is an example of good ma‘āriḍ (allusion/euphemism). Those who judge by outward appearances take it to mean he was his master, whereas he meant he was his nurturer and benefactor.
Answer: Yes, it clearly indicates it. His statement, "I seek refuge with Allah as a refuge," is a request to God to protect him from that act. This seeking of refuge is not merely a request for the granting of ability, intellect, means, the removal of excuses, the elimination of obstacles, or the performance of subtle graces (al-luṭf). This is because everything God is capable of in this regard has already been done. If it were a request for what is already present, it would be seeking the realized; if it were for what is impossible, it would be absurd.
Therefore, we know that the refuge Joseph sought from God Almighty has no meaning other than that God should create in him a decisive inclination towards obedience and remove from his heart the inclination towards sin. This is the desired outcome. The proof for this is what is narrated that when the Prophet (peace be upon him) looked at Zaynab, he said: "O Turner of Hearts, keep my heart firm upon Your religion." What was meant was the strengthening of the inclination towards obedience and the removal of the inclination towards sin. Similarly, his saying (peace be upon him): "The heart of the believer is between two fingers of the fingers of the Most Merciful." The two fingers refer to the inclination to act and the inclination to refrain. These two inclinations can only occur through God's creation; otherwise, they would require another inclination, leading to an infinite regress (tasalsul). Thus, Joseph's statement {May Allah forbid!} is one of the strongest proofs for our position. And Allah knows best.
What is the connection between these parts of the response?
Answer: This arrangement is exquisitely beautiful. Obedience to God's command and obligation is the most important matter due to the abundance of His favors and graces upon the servant.
{7 < < And she desired him, and he desired her, had it not been that he saw the proof of his Lord. Thus, that We might turn away from him evil and immorality. Indeed, he was of Our chosen servants. > 7 !}
