Transliteration:( Wa laqad hammat bihee wa hamma bihaa law laaa ar ra-aa burhaana rabbih; kazaalika linasrifa 'anhu sooo'a walfahshaaa'; innahoo min 'ibaadi nal mukhlaseen )
"And no doubt, the woman desired him, and he would have desired her too if he had not seen the proof [50] of his Lord. Thus, We did this to avert [51] from him evil and indecency. Indeed, he is one of Our chosen servants."
This verse tells us that Hazrat Yusuf (on whom be peace) had not shown any desire towards Zuleikha. If he had, the Qur'an would have used the same gender for both of them, but it distinctly mentions his and her desires. This indicates that Hazrat Yusuf (on whom be peace) remained chaste and pure, despite the temptation. The proof of his Lord, which protected him, refers to the divine intervention that kept him steadfast and prevented him from falling into sin.
At the critical moment, Hazrat Yusuf (on whom be peace) saw a vision of his father Hazrat Yaqoob (on whom be peace) standing in front of him, pressing his finger on his teeth, and saying, "You are a son of a Prophet. Do not stain this pure white sheet." This vision provided divine protection and guidance in that moment of temptation. Several lessons emerge from this vision:
Hazrat Yaqoob (on whom be peace) was fully aware of the condition of his son, even though they were far apart. This shows the connection between pious servants of Allah, even across distances.
Pious servants of Allah Almighty keep a watchful eye on things that are concealed. They can see and understand what others cannot.
These pious servants provide assistance from afar, even when no one else can help. Just as Hazrat Yaqoob (on whom be peace) helped his son in Egypt, the angels too, act from different places to fulfill Allah’s commands.
The 'proof of his Lord' that Hazrat Yusuf (on whom be peace) saw was Hazrat Yaqoob (on whom be peace). In the Qur'an, Prophets are referred to as 'proofs', as Allah says, "Undoubtedly, a manifest argument has come to you from Allah" (S5:V175), referring to the Holy Prophet ﷺ as the proof.
Hazrat Yusuf (on whom be peace) was saved not only from the act of sin but also from the intention of sin. Allah Almighty’s guidance taught him to stay far away from evil and immorality. The intention of sin itself is considered sinful, and adultery is an immoral act. Allah protected Hazrat Yusuf (on whom be peace) from both the intention and the act of sin.
24. And indeed she did desire him, and he would have inclined to her desire, had he not seen the evidence of his Lord. Thus it was, that We might turn away from him evil and immoval sins. Surely, he was one of Our Mukhlasin servants.) This is about the thoughts that cross the mind, according to Al-Baghawi who mentioned this opinion from some of the analysts. Al-Baghawi next mentioned here a Hadith that he narrated from `Abdur Razzaq, from Ma`mar, from Hammam, from Abu Hurayrah, from the Messenger of Allah ,
(Allah the Exalted said, `If my slave intends to perform a good deed, then record it for him as one good deed; if he performs it, then record it for him multiplied ten folds. If he intends to commit an evil act but did not commit it, then record it for him as one good deed, if he left it for My sake. But if he commits it, then write it as one evil deed.’) This Hadith was also collected in the Two Sahihs using various wording, this is one of them. It was also reported that the Ayah means that Yusuf was about to beat her. As for the evidence that Yusuf saw at that moment, there are conflicting opinions to what it was. Ibn Jarir At-Tabari said, “The correct opinion is that we should say that he saw an Ayah from among Allah’s Ayat that repelled the thought that crossed his mind. This evidence might have been the image of Ya`qub, or the image of an angel, or a divine statement that forbade him from doing that evil sin, etc. There are no clear proofs to support any of these statements in specific, so it should be left vague, as Allah left it. Allah’s statement next,
(Thus it was, that We might turn away from him evil and immoral sins.) means, `Just as We showed him the evidence that turned him away from that sin, We save him from all types of evil and illegal sexual activity in all his affairs,’ because,
(Surely, he was one of Our Mukhlasin servants. ) meaning, chosen, purified, designated, appointed and righte- ous. May Allah’s peace and blessings be on him.”
(12:24) And she advanced towards him, and had Joseph not perceived a sign[22] from his Lord he too would have advanced towards her. Thus was Joseph shown a sign from his Lord that We might avert from him all evil and indecency,[23] for indeed he was one of Our chosen servants.
22. “Evidence of his Lord” means inspiration from Allah to rouse his conscience to the fact that it was not worthy of him to yield to the temptation by the woman. As regards to the question, “What was that evidence”, it has been stated in the preceding verse, that is: My Lord has shown much kindness towards me. Should I, then, misbehave like this? Such workers of iniquity never fare well. This was the divine evidence that saved Prophet Joseph in the prime of youth from that great temptation. The significance of “And he would have desired her, if it had not been that he saw the evidence (sign) of his Lord” is this: “Even a Prophet like Joseph could not have been able to save himself from sin, had not Allah guided him rightly with His evidence. Incidentally, this verse makes plain the nature of the immunity of Prophets from sin. It does not mean that a Prophet is infallible and incapable of committing any error, offense or sin or doing wrong or making a mistake. What it means is this: though a Prophet possesses passions, emotions, and carnal desires like other human beings, and is capable of committing a sin, he is so virtuous and God fearing that he never deliberately cherishes any evil intentions, for he is endowed with such great arguments from his Lord as do not allow the lusts of the flesh overpower the voice of his conscience. And if ever he succumbs inadvertently to any of the human weaknesses, Allah at once sends a revelation to him to set him on the right path. For the consequences of his error do not remain confined to his own person but react on the whole mankind, for even his slightest error might mislead the world to the most horrible sins.
23. “That We might turn away from him evil and lewdness” implies two things. First, it was because of Our grace that he could perceive Our evidence, and save himself from sin, for We willed to remove indecency and immodesty from Our chosen servant. The second meaning is rather deeper: This incident took place in the life of Joseph because this was essential for his spiritual training: It was Our will to pass him through this hard test so that he should become immune from indecency and immodesty, for he would have to apply all his powers of piety to withstand such a great temptation, and thus become really so strong as not to yield to such things in future as well. The importance and the need of such a hard training becomes quite obvious, if we keep in view the moral conditions of the Egyptian society of that period. We can have a glimpse of this from (Surah Yusuf, Ayat 30-32). It appears that the women in general and the ladies of high society in particular, enjoyed almost the same sexual freedom as is rampant today in the civilized West and in the Westernized East. Allah made arrangements for the special training of Prophet Joseph in the house of his master because he had to perform his divine mission in a perverted society, and that too as a ruler and not as a common man. It is thus obvious from the behavior of those ladies of high rank, who did not feel any shame nor modesty in openly admiring the beauty of the young slave and from that of the lady of the house who was not ashamed of confessing openly that she did her best to tempt him and would continue to do so, that they would have done all they could to allure the young handsome ruler. Thus Allah not only made Prophet Joseph strong enough to resist such temptations in future by passing him through the hard test, but also filled the ladies with despair of gaining any success in this matter.
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