Tafsir of Yusuf 12:53

Then, he intended to humble himself before Allah and diminish his own ego, so as not to be one who praises his own soul or feels pride and vanity regarding his integrity—just as the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "I am the master of the children of Adam, and I say this without pride."

He wished to clarify that the integrity he possessed was not by his own doing alone, but rather by the success, grace, and protection granted by Allah. Thus, he said: "And I do not acquit myself" of error, nor do I testify to its absolute innocence, nor do I purify it.

There are two possibilities here:

1. He refers to this specific incident: Regarding the "inclination" (hamm), which is a natural human impulse of desire, not a deliberate intention or firm resolve.
2. He refers to the general state of the soul: "Indeed, the soul is a persistent enjoiner of evil"—meaning the genus of the soul. It commands evil and drives toward it due to the desires within it, "except those upon whom my Lord has mercy"—except for the few whom my Lord has shown mercy through protection (ismah), like the angels.

It is also possible that "what" (ma) in "what my Lord has mercy" refers to time, meaning: "except at the time of my Lord’s mercy." This implies the soul is always commanding evil, except during the moments of divine protection.

It is also possible that it is an "interrupted exception" (istithna' munqati'), meaning: "But the mercy of my Lord is what diverts the evil," similar to His saying: "And they are not saved, except by mercy" (Ya-Sin: 43).

Alternative Interpretations:

• It is said: The meaning is: "That is so he may know that I did not betray him," because disobedience is a form of betrayal.
• It is said: This is the speech of the Aziz’s wife. She means: "That which I said was so Yusuf would know that I did not betray him or lie about him in his absence, and that I spoke the truth regarding what I was asked. Yet, I do not acquit myself of betrayal, for I did betray him when I slandered him and said, 'What is the recompense for one who intended evil for your wife but imprisonment?' and I had him thrown into prison." She is seeking to apologize for what she did. "Indeed, the soul is a persistent enjoiner of evil, except those upon whom my Lord has mercy"—meaning a soul that Allah has protected, like the soul of Yusuf. "Indeed, my Lord is Forgiving, Merciful"—she sought her Lord’s forgiveness and mercy for what she had committed.

If you ask: How is it valid to attribute this to Yusuf when there is no explicit evidence for it? I say: The meaning itself is sufficient evidence to lead one to attribute it to him. Similar to this is the verse: "The eminent among the people of Pharaoh said, 'Indeed, this is a learned magician who wants to drive you out of your land by his magic' (Al-A'raf: 109), then he said, 'So what do you advise?'" (Al-A'raf: 110)—and that is the speech of Pharaoh addressing them and consulting them.

Ibn Jurayj suggests this is a matter of the Quran’s precedence and postponement, arguing that "That is so he may know" (Yusuf: 52) is connected to His saying: "And the King said, 'Bring him to me.' So when the messenger came to him..." (Yusuf: 50).

As for the fabricators, they have concocted false narrations, claiming that when Yusuf said, "I did not betray him in his absence," Gabriel said to him, "Not even when you inclined toward her?" and the Aziz’s wife said to him, "Not even when you loosened your trousers, O Yusuf?" This is due to their eagerness to slander Allah and His messengers.

"And the King said, 'Bring him to me; I will appoint him exclusively for myself.' And when he spoke to him, he said, 'Indeed, you are today established [in position] and trusted.'"