It is related that when Joseph, peace be upon him, entered upon the king after leaving prison, and the woman confessed, Joseph said: “That he may know that I did not betray him in his absence.” Gabriel said to him, “Not even when you desired her, Joseph?” Thereupon Joseph said: “Yet I do not absolve myself”—to the end of the verse. (1)
Al-Hasan al-Basri said: “Allah, exalted is He, did not mention the sins of the prophets, peace be upon them, in the Quran in order to reproach them for them. Rather, He mentioned them in order to make clear the extent of His favor upon them, and so that no one would despair of His mercy.” (2)
It was also said: He tested them with sins so that He alone would possess absolute purity and might, and so that all creatures would meet Him on the Day of Resurrection humbled by their sins.
And it was said: so that He might make them leaders for those who sin, in hoping for mercy and abandoning despair of forgiveness and pardon.
Some of those versed in spiritual realities said: Desire is of two kinds: a settled desire, accompanied by determination, firm resolve, and acceptance—such as the desire of the wife of al-Aziz—for which a servant is held accountable; and a passing desire, consisting of a fleeting thought or inner self-talk, without choice or determination—such as Joseph’s desire, peace be upon him—for which a servant is not held accountable unless he speaks of it or acts upon it.
Abu Ali Hassan ibn Said al-Mani'i informed us; Abu Tahir Muhammad ibn Muhammad Mahmish al-Ziyadi informed us; Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn al-Husayn al-Qattan narrated to us; Ahmad ibn Yusuf al-Sulami narrated to us; Abd al-Razzaq narrated to us; Ma'mar narrated to us from Hammam ibn Munabbih, who said: Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated to us that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: “Allah, exalted is He, says: If My servant contemplates doing a good deed, I record it for him as one good deed as long as he has not done it; but if he does it, I record it for him tenfold,”
(1) This was not spoken by Yusuf, peace be upon him; rather, it was spoken by the wife of al-Aziz, as the Quran clearly and unmistakably indicates to anyone who reflects upon it. Allah says: “The king said, ‘Bring him to me.’ But when the messenger came to him, he said, ‘Return to your master and ask him about the women who cut their hands. Indeed, my Lord is fully aware of their plot.’ He said, ‘What was your affair when you sought to seduce Yusuf?’ They said, ‘Allah forbid! We knew no evil of him.’ The wife of al-Aziz said, ‘Now the truth has become manifest. I sought to seduce him, and he is certainly among the truthful. That he may know that I did not betray him in his absence, and that Allah does not guide the scheme of the treacherous. Yet I do not absolve myself; indeed, the soul constantly commands evil, except those upon whom my Lord has mercy. Indeed, my Lord is Forgiving, Merciful.’”
This is the speech of the wife of al-Aziz. At that time, Yusuf was in prison; he had not yet come before the king, nor had he heard or seen him. However, once his innocence had been established in his absence, as the wife of al-Aziz said, “That he may know that I did not betray him in his absence” - that is, I did not betray him while he was absent from me, even though I sought to seduce him while he was present - then “the king said, ‘Bring him to me, so that I may appoint him for myself.’ And when he spoke with him, he said, ‘Today you are established and trusted in our presence.’”
Many exegetes maintained that this was spoken by Yusuf, and some mentioned no other view. This opinion is profoundly unsound and has no evidence to support it; rather, the evidence indicates its opposite. See Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, Daqaiq al-Tafsir, 3:273.
(2) Allah does not mention that Yusuf, peace be upon him, committed any sin. Whenever He mentions a sin of any prophet, He also mentions that prophet’s seeking forgiveness for it. Yet He does not mention that Yusuf sought forgiveness for these words, just as He does not mention that Yusuf sought forgiveness for any preliminary act leading to indecency. It is therefore known that he committed no sin in either matter. Rather, what he did consisted of accepted righteous deeds and praiseworthy efforts. See Daqaiq al-Tafsir, 3:262, 280.