Copyright 2015 Al-Binaa Publishing

All Rights Reserved

No part of this publication may be reproduced in any language,

printed in any form or any electronic or mechanical means
including but not limited to photocopying, recording, or
otherwise, without specific verbal or written consent from AlBinaa Publishing. This may be freely distributed as an eBook for
the purpose of dawah.

Translator: Abu Ilyas Abdulali Jourari Al-Maghrebi

Publisher: Al-Binaa Publishing
Email: albinaapubs@gmail.com
info@albinaapublishing.com
Cover Design: Al-Binaa By Design
www.albinaapublishing.com

Allh, the Exalted, says:

And she, in whose house he was, sought to seduce him

(to do an evil act), she closed the doors and said: Come
on, O you.
He said: I seek refuge in Allh (or Allh forbid)! Truly, he
(your husband) is my master! He made my stay agreeable!
(So I will never betray him). Verily, the Zlimn (wrong
and evil-doers) will never be successful.
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
illegal sexual intercourse. Surely, he was one of Our
chosen, guided slaves. So they raced with one another to
the door, and she tore his shirt from the back. They both
found her lord (i.e. her husband) at the door. She said:
What is the recompense (punishment) for him who
intended an evil design against your wife, except that he
be put in prison or a painful torment?

He [Ysuf (Joseph)] said: It was she that sought to

seduce me, - and a witness of her household bore
witness (saying): If it be that his shirt is torn from the
front, then her tale is true and he is a liar! But if it be that
his shirt is torn from the back, then she has told a lie and
he is speaking the truth!
So when he (her husband) saw his [(Ysuf's (Joseph)]
shirt torn at the back; (her husband) said: Surely, it is a
plot of you women! Certainly mighty is your plot! O Ysuf
(Joseph)! Turn away from this! (O woman!) Ask
forgiveness for your sin. Verily, you were of the sinful.
And women in the city said: The wife of Al-'Azz is
seeking to seduce her (slave) young man, indeed she
loves him violently; verily we see her in plain error.
So when she heard of their accusation, she sent for them
and prepared a banquet for them; she gave each one of
them a knife (to cut the foodstuff with), and she said [(to
Ysuf (Joseph)]: Come out before them.
Then, when they saw him, they exalted him (at his
beauty) and (in their astonishment) cut their hands. They
said: How perfect is Allh (or Allh forbid)! No man is
this! This is none other than a noble angel!
She said: This is he (the young man) about whom you
did blame me (for his love), and I did seek to seduce him,
but he refused. And now if he refuses to obey my order,
he shall certainly be cast into prison, and will be one of
those who are disgraced.
He said: O my Lord! Prison is more to my liking than that
to which they invite me. Unless You turn away their plot
5|Page

from me, I will feel inclined towards them and be one (of
those who commit sin and deserve blame or those who
do deeds) of the ignorants.
So his Lord answered his invocation and turned away
from him their plot. Verily, He is the All-Hearer, the AllKnower.1

All praise is due to Allh, and I bear witness that no deity is

worthy of worship except Allh, alone and having no
partner. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and
messenger. May peace and blessings of Allh upon him, his
family and all his companions.
O Allh bestow upon us knowledge that will benefit us, and
benefit us with knowledge you have bestowed upon us,
and increase us in knowledge, and rectify our entire affair,
and do not entrust us to ourselves even for the mere
twinkling of an eye.
As for what follows, indeed these noble verses from the
surah of Ysuf contain a great lesson and admonition.
Allh relates the stories of the Prophets and other than
them in His Book for the tremendous lessons and deepreaching admonitions that lie therein. Hence Allh
concludes the surah of Ysuf with His saying:

Qurn, 12: 23-34


Indeed in their stories, there is a lesson for men of
understanding.2
Therefore, it is necessary for the Muslim while reading the
stories of the Qurn to seek to learn the lessons that they
contain and to heed to the warning and the reminder
therein and to attain benefit (therefrom). These truly
outstanding examples and patterns from the chosen ones
from the creations and the best slaves of Allh are the
greatest sections (in the Qurn) where one can seek
guidance, direction and can follow their blessed guidance
and straight course.

They are those whom Allh had guided. So follow their

guidance3.
When you reflect upon the story of Ysuf from the
beginning of the surah to the end of it, you find in it
important matters and magnificent areas for (one) to take
heed and to draw a lesson. From this is the section that we
have listened to in this blessed surah in the story of al-Azzs
wifes attempted seduction of Ysuf :
2
3

Qurn, 12: 111

Qurn, 6: 90

7|Page

And she, in whose house he was, sought to seduce him

(to do an evil act), she closed the doors and said: Come
on, O you.
He said: I seek refuge in Allh (or Allh forbid)!
Remember in this context the statement of the noble
Prophet in the hadth recorded in both sahh books
(wherein he says): Seven (people) will be shaded by Allh
in His Shade on the Day of Resurrection when there will be
no shade except His Shade. (They will be), a just ruler, a
young man who has been brought up in the worship of
Allh, a man whose heart is attached to mosques, two men
who love each other for Allhs Sake, a man who is called by
a charming lady of noble birth to commit illegal sexual
intercourse with her, and he says, I fear Allh, a man who
gives in charity so secretly that his left hand does not know
what his right hand has given and a man who remembers
Allh in seclusion and his eyes then overflow with tears.4
From the matters that were subject to the analysis of the
people of knowledge in the explanation of that hadth is
whether it is possible that these seven qualities be
collectively possessed by one person, and from what some
4

Al-Bukhri (1423) and Muslim (1031)

people of knowledge have mentioned in the explanation of

that hadth that Ysuf encompassed all the seven
qualities together. His story with the wife of al-Azz was an
absolutely amazing one, for he faced many temptations
and various incitements, few of which would be enough to
get lots of people involved in forbidden acts and in falling
into that which is unlawful.
From those (temptations) is that the caller was (none other
than) the wife of al-Azz, who possessed a high status and
rank and beauty. So she had both the high status and
beauty. Third, she was the one that invited him and seduced
him, and when this is the case, falling into the forbidden act
(i.e. fornication) is more likely to occur, and it can make it
happen in no time, unlike the woman who has high status
and charm yet needs to be seduced (to succumb to that
unlawful act). He says:

And she, in whose house he was, sought to seduce him

(to do an evil act)
Fourth, she closed the doors, and closing the doors makes
a person feel that no one is aware of him or is seeing him.
Fifth, Ysuf was a young man at that time and during the
stage of youth the arousal and strength of sexual desire is
much more intense than when one is old. Sixth, Ysuf
9|Page

was (extraordinarily) handsome. He was given half of

beauty, upon him is peace and blessings. This too was from
the temptations. Seventh, he was a stranger (in that
land), not in his own town and being a foreigner might push
lots of people to compromise much of their values,
principles, and manners. Hence they say: O stranger, be
well-mannered.5 This is because a stranger due to him being
away from his homeland and family and acquaintances may
make concessions on lots of matters (i.e. give up much of
his uprightness). This is something well known. Eighth, al
Azzs wife did not restrict herself to seducing him only but
added to it threatening, coercing, and scaring (him) with
imprisonment. Ninth, this was not limited to her alone as
she was joined in her sexual desire by other women in the
city, and they were sexually attracted to him just as she
was. Tenth, she went so far as to threaten him with putting
him in jail:

And now if he refuses to obey my order, he shall certainly

be cast into prison.
Thus the threatening came to such a level that he was to
be cast into jail.

A famous Arabic saying.

Yet despite all these temptations, incitements, and

motives, he said:

He said: I seek refuge in Allh (or Allh forbid)!

He also said in the last part of that passage:

O my Lord! Prison is more to my liking than that to

which they invite me.
So he turned to Allh for refuge and asked Him for
preservation, safety and protection.

Unless You turn away their plot from me,

This is seeking refuge with Allh.

I will feel inclined towards them and be one (of those

who commit sin and deserve blame or those who do
deeds) of the ignorants.
So he sought recourse and refuge in Allh .

11 | P a g e

And whoever holds firmly to Allh, (i.e. follows Islm

Allh's Religion, and obeys all that Allh has ordered,
practically), then he is indeed guided to a Right Path.6
This is a great story which contains a deep-reaching moral
lesson. Hence whoever Allh has blessed to read these
noble verses ought to contemplate their content and
reflect upon their implications and ask his Lord to grant
him success in following them in the best manner, and in
emulating them in the most gracious manner, and in
adhering to them in the most thorough manner. Success is
in the Hand of Allh alone; He has no partner.
I ask Allh by His Beautiful Names and Lofty Attributes to
guide all of us to that which He loves and that which he is
pleased with from the correct speech and right actions and
to protect all of us from the evil speech, desires and
ailments and to rectify our entire affair and not to entrust
us to ourselves even for the mere twinkling of an eye. O
Allh, forgive us all our sins, the small and the great of them,
the first and the last of them, those which are apparent and
those which are hidden. O Allh bestow your forgiveness
upon us, our parents, our shaykhs, our leaders, the Muslim
men and women, the believing men and women, the living
among them as well as the dead. O Allh grant us security
in our lands and rectify our leaders and those placed in
6

Qurn, 3: 101

charge of our affairs and appoint as our leaders those who

fear You and are dutiful to You and seek your Pleasure, O
Lord of the universe! O Allh protect us and all the Muslims
wherever they are from all types of afflictions, those which
are apparent as well as those which are hidden. O Allh
protect us and all the Muslims wherever they are from all
types of afflictions, those which are apparent as well as
those which are hidden. O Allh grant our souls their piety,
and purify them; you are the best to purify them; you are
their Guardian and Master. O Allh! We ask you for
steadfastness in every affair and perseverance upon
guidance. O Allh, we ask you for that which warrants Your
Mercy, and the means to Your Forgiveness. We ask you to
allow us to be grateful (to You) for your blessing and to
worship you in the best manner. We ask you for a sound
heart and a truthful tongue. O Allh! Give us a share of fear
of You that will prevent us from disobeying You, and a share
of obedience to You that will make us attain Your Paradise,
and a share of certainty that will make easy for us the
calamities of the world. O Allh! Make us enjoy our hearing,
sight, and health as long as you allow us to live, and make
them our heirs (i.e. keep them intact until we die), and let
our revenge be on those who have oppressed us, and grant
us victory over those who hold enmity towards us, and do
not cause our calamity to be in our religion, and do not let
our worldly life be our greatest concern or the utmost of

13 | P a g e

our knowledge, and do not empower over us those who do

not have mercy on us.
Glory and Praise be to You, O Allh! I bear witness that no
deity is worthy of worship but You. I seek Your forgiveness
and I repent to You.
O Allah! Send your peace and blessings upon Your slave and
Messenger, our Prophet Muhammad and his family and
companions.