Al-Kashshaf on Yusuf 12:27

Surah Yusuf 12:27

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ﲡ ﲢ ﲣ ﲤ ﲥ ﲦ ﲧ ﲨ ﲩ ﲪ

But if his shirt is torn from the back, then she has lied, and he is of the truthful."

{ واستبقا الباب } They raced to the door. This is an ellipsis of the preposition, connecting the verb directly to the object, similar to the verse: { واختار موسى قومه } (Al-A'raf: 155). Alternatively, it implies the meaning of "hastened" (ibtadara). Joseph fled from her, hastening toward the door to exit, and she hastened behind him to prevent his exit.

If you ask: How did he find the door when it was stated, { وغلقت الابواب } (Yusuf: 23)? I say: It refers to the outer door, which is the exit from the house and the escape from shame. Ka'b narrated that when Joseph fled, the locks began to fall away until he exited the doors.

{ وقدت قميصه من دبر } She pulled him from behind, and it tore. That is, it ripped when he fled from her toward the door and she followed him to stop him.

{ وألفيا سيدها } They encountered her master, who was Qitfir. A woman calls her husband "my master" (sayyidi). It is said that it did not say "their master" because Joseph’s ownership was not valid, so he was not truly his master. It is said they found him approaching to enter, or sitting with a cousin of the woman.

When her husband discovered her in that suspicious state—while she was enraged at Joseph for not yielding to her—she devised a scheme to achieve two goals: to clear her own reputation of suspicion before her husband, and to express her anger at Joseph, hoping to frighten him into yielding out of fear of her and her cunning, especially after she despaired of his voluntary compliance.

Do you not see her words: { ولئن لم يفعل ما ءامره ليسجنن } (Yusuf: 32)? The "ma" (in ma jaza'u) is negative: "His punishment is nothing but prison." It could also be interrogative: "What is the punishment for one who intends evil toward your wife, except prison?"—similar to saying, "Who is in the house except Zayd?"

If you ask: Why did she not explicitly mention Joseph or that he intended evil toward her? I say: She intended a generalization, implying that anyone who intends evil toward your wife deserves to be imprisoned or punished, as this is more effective in her goal of frightening Joseph. It is said that "painful punishment" refers to lashing.

When she incited him against Joseph and threatened him with prison and punishment, it became necessary for Joseph to defend himself, so he said: { هى راودتنى عن نفسى }. Were it not for that, he would have kept her secret.

{ وشهد شاهد من أهلها } It is said he was her cousin. God placed the testimony on the tongue of one of her own kin so that the argument against her would be more binding, the exoneration of Joseph more certain, and the suspicion against him more thoroughly removed. Others say he was the one sitting with her husband at the door, or a wise man whom the King consulted. It is possible he was a relative in the house who saw her without her knowing, and God moved him to anger for Joseph’s sake to testify and uphold the truth. It is also said he was an infant in the cradle. The Prophet (ﷺ) said: "Four spoke while they were young: the son of Pharaoh’s hairdresser, the witness of Joseph, the companion of Jurayj, and Jesus."

If you ask: Why is his statement called "testimony" when it is not in the form of a formal oath? I say: Because it performed the function of testimony by confirming Joseph’s claim and invalidating hers.

If you ask: How is the conditional sentence permissible after the verb "testified"? I say: Because it is a form of speech, or implies the intent of speech, as if it were said: "A witness testified, saying: 'If his shirt...'"

If you ask: If the tearing of the shirt from behind proves she is a liar and that she followed him and tore his garment, how does the tearing from the front prove she is truthful and that he was following her? I say: In two ways: First, if he was following her and she was defending herself, she would have torn his shirt from the front while pushing him away. Second, if he was rushing behind her to catch her, he might have stumbled on the front of his shirt, causing it to tear.

{ فلما رأى } Meaning Qitfir, when he realized Joseph’s innocence and truthfulness and her lie, { قال إنه }—meaning your statement { ما جزاء من أراد بأهلك سوءا } or the entire affair of her lust for Joseph—{ من كيدكن }. He addressed her and her kind. He magnified the "cunning of women" because, although it exists in men, women’s cunning is more subtle and their schemes more penetrating. They possess a refinement and gentleness in this that allows them to overcome men.

{ يوسف أعرض عن هاذا } The vocative particle is omitted because he is a near addressee, attentive to the conversation; this indicates his closeness and the gentleness of his status. { واستغفرى }—you—{ لذنبك إنك كنت من الخاطئين }. He used the masculine plural to include the feminine, as is common in Arabic. The Aziz was a forbearing man, and it is reported that he was not very jealous.

Tafsir of Yusuf 12:25-29

Al-Kashshaf

{ وقدت قميصه من دبر } She pulled him from behind, and it tore. That is, it ripped when he fled from her toward the door and she followed him to stop him.