Tafsir of Yusuf 12:33-34

"He said: 'My Lord, the prison...'"

It is read as al-sajan (with a fatha on the sīn), functioning as the verbal noun (masdar).

He said, "They invite me" (attributing the invitation to all of them), because they all advised him and adorned the act of compliance for him. They said to him, "Beware of casting yourself into prison and disgrace."

Upon that, he sought refuge in his Lord and said: "My Lord, entering prison is more beloved to me than committing the sin."

If you ask: Entering prison is a severe hardship for the soul, while what they invited him to is a great pleasure; how could the hardship be more beloved to him than the pleasure?

I say: It was more beloved and preferred by him based on his consideration of the excellence of patience in enduring it for the sake of Allah, the ugliness of the sin, and the consequences of each—not based on the desires or aversions of the soul.

"And if You do not avert their plot from me": He fled from this to the kindness and protection of Allah, as is the custom of the prophets and the righteous regarding what they have resolved and prepared their souls for in terms of patience. It does not mean he was asking to be forced into chastity or compelled toward it.

"I might incline toward them": I might lean toward them. Sabwa is an inclination toward passion. From this comes al-saba (youth/childhood), because souls incline toward it due to its pleasant breeze and spirit. It is also read as asubbu ilayhinna (from sabāba—intense longing).

"And be of the ignorant": Of those who do not act upon what they know. For he whose knowledge is of no benefit is the same as one who does not know. Or, it means "of the foolish," because a wise person does not commit an ugly act.

The response is mentioned even though the prayer did not explicitly precede it, because his saying, "And if You do not avert from me," contains the meaning of requesting the averting and praying for divine kindness.

"The All-Hearing": Of the supplications of those who seek refuge in Him. "The All-Knowing": Of their conditions and what is best for them.

"Then it appeared to them, after they had seen the signs, that they should surely imprison him for a time."