Allah, exalted is He, says: “Had he not seen the proof of his Lord...” The response to “had he not” is omitted; its implied meaning is: Had he not seen the proof of his Lord, he would have committed the sin.
“Thus did We avert from him evil and sexual immorality.” Evil means sin. It is also said that evil means that which is vile, while sexual immorality means unlawful sexual intercourse.
“Indeed, he was among Our chosen servants.” The reciters of Medina and Kufa read mukhlaṣīn with the lām pronounced with a fatḥah wherever it occurs, provided that it is not followed by a mention of religion. The Kufans also read mukhlaṣan in Surah Maryam with a fatḥah.
The meaning of mukhlaṣīn ⦗181/b⦘ is: those chosen for prophethood, as indicated by His saying: “Indeed, We chose them for an exclusive quality” (Sad—146).
The other reciters read it with the lām pronounced with a kasrah, meaning: those who sincerely devote obedience and worship to Allah.
“And they both raced to the door, and she tore his shirt from behind, and they found her master at the door. She said, ‘What is the recompense for one who intended evil for your wife, except that he be imprisoned or suffer a painful punishment?’ (25) He said, ‘It was she who sought to seduce me.’ And a witness from her family testified: ‘If his shirt is torn from the front, then she has told the truth, and he is among the liars.’ (26)”
“And they both raced to the door”: when Joseph saw the proof, he rose and hastened toward the door of the house, fleeing. The woman followed him in order to hold the door so that Joseph could not leave. Joseph reached it first, but the woman caught up with him and clung to his shirt from behind, pulling him toward herself so that he would not leave.
“And she tore his shirt,” that is, she ripped it, “from behind,” that is, from the back. When they came out, they encountered al-Aziz, as stated in His words:
“And they found her master at the door,” meaning that they found the woman’s husband, Qitfir, seated at the door with a cousin of Ra'il. When she saw him, she was afraid of him, and she spoke first to her husband: “What is the recompense for one who intended evil for your wife?” That is, unlawful sexual intercourse. Then she feared that he might kill Joseph, so she said: “Except that he be imprisoned,” that is, detained, “or suffer a painful punishment,” meaning, a flogging with whips. When Joseph heard what she said,
he said, “It was she who sought to seduce me,” meaning: She solicited sexual immorality from me, but I refused and fled.
It is also said that Joseph did not wish to mention it; but when the woman said, “What is the recompense for one who intended evil for your wife?” he mentioned it and said, “It was she who sought to seduce me.”
“And a witness testified,” that is, a judge gave his ruling, “from her family.” They differed concerning that witness.
Sa'id ibn Jubayr and al-Dahhak said: He was an infant in the cradle whom Allah, exalted is He, caused to speak (1), and this is the narration of al-'Awfi from