Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (4/248)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

“But when the messenger came to him” and said, “Respond to the king,” Joseph refused to leave with the messenger until his innocence had been made manifest. Then he said to the messenger, “Return to your master”—meaning, the king—“and ask him about the women who cut their hands.” He did not explicitly mention the wife of al-Aziz, out of courtesy and respect.

The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “Had I remained in prison for as long as Joseph remained, I would have answered the caller.” (1)

“Indeed, my Lord is fully aware of their plot”: that is, Allah knows what they did. Joseph mentioned them after such a long time so that the king would not regard him with suspicion, but would receive him once all doubt concerning his case had been removed. The messenger therefore returned from Joseph to the king with his message, and the king summoned the women and the wife of al-Aziz.

“He said, ‘What was the matter with you when you sought to seduce Joseph?’ They said, ‘Allah forbid! We know no evil of him.’ The wife of al-Aziz said, ‘Now the truth has become clear: it was I who sought to seduce him, and he is certainly telling the truth.’ (51) ‘That is so that he may know that I did not betray him in his absence, and that Allah does not guide the schemes of the treacherous.’ (52)”

“He said to them, ‘What was the matter with you?’” That is, what was your situation and your affair, “when you sought to seduce Joseph?” He addressed them all, though what was intended was the wife of al-Aziz. It was also said that the wife of al-Aziz sought to seduce him, while the other women urged him to obey her; for this reason, he addressed them all.

“They said, ‘Allah forbid!’” That is, may Allah protect us. “We know no evil of him”—meaning, no betrayal.

“The wife of al-Aziz said, ‘Now the truth has become clear’”: that is, it had become manifest and evident. It was also said that the women turned to the wife of al-Aziz and pressed her for an admission, [and she confessed] (2). Another view is that she feared they would testify against her, so she confessed. “It was I who sought to seduce him, and he is certainly telling the truth”—in his statement, “She sought to seduce me.” When Joseph heard this, he said: (3)

“That is”: that is, my sending the king’s messenger back to him was so that al-Aziz might know that I did not betray him

(1) Narrated by al-Bukhari in Tafsir Surat Yusuf, chapter: “When the messenger came to him, he said, ‘Return ...’” 8:366. (2) Omitted in manuscript B. (3) This view, attributing the statement to Yusuf, was reported by Ibn Jarir and Ibn Abi Hatim, who mentioned no other view (see al-Tabari, 16:140; Ibn Kathir, 2:482). “The better known, more fitting, and more contextually appropriate view is that this was spoken by al-Aziz’s wife. She says: ‘I confessed this against myself only so that my husband might know that I did not betray him in his absence in reality, and that the greater feared matter did not occur. Rather, I merely tried to seduce this young man, but he refused. This is why I confessed: so that he might know that I am innocent ...’” (See Ibn Kathir, 2:482.) This interpretation was also mentioned by al-Mawardi. Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah defended it, saying: “All of this is from the speech of al-Aziz’s wife. Yusuf was then in prison and had not yet come before the king; he neither heard his speech nor saw him. Rather, his innocence became manifest in his absence, as al-Aziz’s wife said: ‘That he may know that I did not betray him in his absence,’ meaning: I did not betray him while he was absent from me, even though, while he was present, I tried to seduce him.” See Daqaiq al-Tafsir, 2:273; Tafsir al-Manar, 12:323-324.

﴿فَلَمَّا جَاءَهُ الرَّسُولُ﴾ وَقَالَ لَهُ: أَجِبِ الْمَلِكَ، أَبَى أَنْ يَخْرُجَ مَعَ الرَّسُولِ حَتَّى تَظْهَرَ بَرَاءَتُهُ ثُمَّ ﴿قَالَ﴾ لِلرَّسُولِ: ﴿ارْجِعْ إِلَى رَبِّكَ﴾ يَعْنِي: سَيِّدَكَ الْمَلِكَ، ﴿فَاسْأَلْهُ مَا بَالُ النِّسْوَةِ اللَّاتِي قَطَّعْنَ أَيْدِيَهُنَّ﴾ وَلَمْ يُصَرِّحْ بِذِكْرِ امْرَأَةِ الْعَزِيزِ أَدَبًا وَاحْتِرَامًا. قَالَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ: "لَوْ لَبِثْتُ فِي السِّجْنِ طُولَ مَا لَبِثَ يُوسُفُ لَأَجَبْتُ الدَّاعِيَ" (١) . ﴿إِنَّ رَبِّي بِكَيْدِهِنَّ عَلِيمٌ﴾ أَيْ: إِنَّ اللَّهَ بِصَنِيعِهِنَّ عَالِمٌ، وَإِنَّمَا أَرَادَ يُوسُفُ بِذِكْرِهِنَّ بَعْدَ طُولِ الْمُدَّةِ حَتَّى لَا يَنْظُرَ إِلَيْهِ الْمَلِكُ بِعَيْنِ التُّهْمَةِ، وَيَصِيرَ إِلَيْهِ بَعْدَ زَوَالِ الشَّكِّ عَنْ أَمْرِهِ، فَرَجَعَ الرَّسُولُ إِلَى الْمَلِكِ مِنْ عِنْدِ يُوسُفَ بِرِسَالَتِهِ، فَدَعَا الْمَلِكُ النِّسْوَةَ وَامْرَأَةَ الْعَزِيزِ. ﴿قَالَ مَا خَطْبُكُنَّ إِذْ رَاوَدْتُنَّ يُوسُفَ عَنْ نَفْسِهِ قُلْنَ حَاشَ لِلَّهِ مَا عَلِمْنَا عَلَيْهِ مِنْ سُوءٍ قَالَتِ امْرَأَةُ الْعَزِيزِ الْآنَ حَصْحَصَ الْحَقُّ أَنَا رَاوَدْتُهُ عَنْ نَفْسِهِ وَإِنَّهُ لَمِنَ الصَّادِقِينَ (٥١) ذَلِكَ لِيَعْلَمَ أَنِّي لَمْ أَخُنْهُ بِالْغَيْبِ وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَهْدِي كَيْدَ الْخَائِنِينَ (٥٢) ﴾ . ﴿قَالَ﴾ لَهُنَّ ﴿مَا خَطْبُكُنَّ﴾ مَا شَأْنُكُنَّ وَأَمْرُكُنَّ، ﴿إِذْ رَاوَدْتُنَّ يُوسُفَ عَنْ نَفْسِهِ﴾ خَاطَبَهُنَّ وَالْمُرَادُ امْرَأَةُ الْعَزِيزِ، وَقِيلَ: إِنَّ امْرَأَةَ الْعَزِيزِ رَاوَدَتْهُ عَنْ نَفْسِهِ وَسَائِرُ النِّسْوَةِ أَمَرْنَهُ بِطَاعَتِهَا فَلِذَلِكَ خَاطَبَهُنَّ. ﴿قُلْنَ حَاشَ لِلَّهِ﴾ معاذ لِلَّهِ، ﴿مَا عَلِمْنَا عَلَيْهِ مِنْ سُوءٍ﴾ خِيَانَةٍ. ﴿قَالَتِ امْرَأَةُ الْعَزِيزِ الْآنَ حَصْحَصَ الْحَقُّ﴾ ظَهَرَ وَتَبَيَّنَ. وَقِيلَ: إِنَّ النِّسْوَةَ أَقْبَلْنَ عَلَى امْرَأَةِ الْعَزِيزِ فَقَرَّرْنَهَا [فَأَقَرَّتْ] (٢) ، وَقِيلَ: خَافَتْ أَنْ يَشْهَدْنَ عَلَيْهَا فَأَقَرَّتْ. ﴿أَنَا رَاوَدْتُهُ عَنْ نَفْسِهِ وَإِنَّهُ لَمِنَ الصَّادِقِينَ﴾ فِي قَوْلِهِ: هِيَ رَاوَدَتْنِي عَنْ نَفْسِي، فَلَمَّا سَمِعَ ذَلِكَ يُوسُفُ قَالَ (٣) : ﴿ذَلِكَ﴾ أَيْ: ذَلِكَ الَّذِي فَعَلْتُ مِنْ رَدِّي رَسُولَ الْمَلِكِ إِلَيْهِ، ﴿لِيَعْلَمَ﴾ الْعَزِيزُ، ﴿أَنِّي لَمْ أَخُنْهُ﴾

(١) أخرجه البخاري في تفسير يوسف، باب (فلما جاءه الرسول قال ارجع ... ) : ٨ / ٣٦٦. (٢) ساقط من "ب". (٣) هذا القول عن يوسف حكاه ابن جرير وابن أبي حاتم، ولم يذكرا غيره (انظر: الطبري ١٦ / ١٤٠، ابن كثير: ٢ / ٤٨٢) . "والأشهر والأليق والأنسب بسياق القصة ومعاني الكلام: أن ذلك من قول امرأة العزيز، تقول: إنما اعترفت بهذا على نفسي ليعلم زوجي أني لم أخنه بالغيب في نفس الأمر، ولا وقع المحذور الأكبر، وإنما راودت هذا الشاب مراودة فامتنع، فلهذا اعترفت ليعلم أني بريئة ... " (انظر: ابن كثير: ٢ / ٤٨٢) . وهذا التفسير ذكره الماوردي، وانتدب لنصره شيخ الإسلام ابن تيمية فقال: "هذا كله من كلام امرأة العزيز، ويوسف إذ ذاك في السجن لم يحضر بعد إلى الملك، ولا سمع كلامه ولا رآه. ولكن ظهرت براءته في غيبته كما قالت امرأة العزيز: (ذلك ليعلم أني لم أخنه بالغيب) أي: لم أخنه في حال مغيبه عني وإن كنت في حال شهوده راودته". انظر: دقائق التفسير: (٢ / ٢٧٣) ، تفسير المنار: (١٢ / ٣٢٣-٣٢٤) .