Tafsir al-Sadi - Abd al-Rahman al-Sadi’ - (397)

Tafsir al-SadiAbd al-Rahman al-Sadi’

“When she heard of their cunning, she sent for them and prepared a reception for them. She gave each of them a knife and said, ‘Come out before them.’ When they saw him, they were awestruck by him and cut their hands. They exclaimed, ‘Glory be to Allah! This cannot be a human being; he can only be a noble angel!’ * She said, ‘There he is—the one for whom you blamed me. I certainly sought to seduce him, but he firmly resisted. If he does not do what I command him, he will surely be imprisoned and will certainly be among the humiliated.’ * He said, ‘My Lord, prison is dearer to me than what they are inviting me to. Unless You turn their cunning away from me, I may incline toward them and become one of the ignorant.’ * His Lord answered his prayer and turned their cunning away from him. He alone is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing. * Then, after they had seen the signs, it occurred to them that they should imprison him for a time.”

“When she heard of their cunning, she sent for them,” inviting them to her home as guests.

“And prepared a reception for them”—that is, a place furnished with various kinds of bedding and cushions, together with the delicious foods served on such an occasion. Among the things she brought and served at that reception was food requiring a knife, whether citron or something else. “She gave each of them a knife” with which to cut that food, and said to Joseph, “Come out before them,” displaying his beauty and splendor.

“When they saw him, they were awestruck by him.” That is, they held him in tremendous esteem and beheld an extraordinary sight the like of which they had never seen. In their astonishment, “they cut their hands” with the knives they were holding, and exclaimed, “Glory be to Allah!”—thereby declaring Allah free of every imperfection—“This cannot be a human being; he can only be a noble angel!” This was because Joseph had been granted such surpassing beauty, radiance, and splendor that he was a sign for those who beheld him and a lesson for those who reflected.

Once Joseph’s outward beauty had become firmly established in their minds, had impressed them immensely, and had led them to offer abundant excuse for the high official’s wife, she wished to show them his inward beauty: his perfect chastity. She therefore openly proclaimed it and disclosed her intense love for him without concern, for the women had ceased blaming her: “I certainly sought to seduce him, but he firmly resisted.” That is, he refused, while she persisted in seeking to seduce him. The passage of time only increased her restlessness and love, her yearning to be united with him, and her longing.

She therefore said to him in their presence, “If he does not do what I command him, he will surely be imprisoned and will certainly be among the humiliated,” intending by this threat to compel him to give her what she wanted. At that point, Joseph sought refuge in his Lord and appealed to Him for help against their cunning. He said, “My Lord, prison is dearer to me than what they are inviting me to.” This indicates that the women began urging Joseph to comply with his mistress and scheming against him to that end.

He thus preferred imprisonment and worldly suffering to an immediate pleasure that would incur severe punishment. “Unless You turn their cunning away from me, I may incline toward them.” That is, I may yield to them, for I am weak and powerless unless You ward evil away from me. “And become”—if I incline toward them—“one of the ignorant.” This would indeed be ignorance, for it would mean choosing a little, tainted pleasure over unending pleasures and varied delights in the Gardens of Bliss. Who could be more ignorant than one who prefers the former to the latter?! Knowledge and reason call for giving precedence to the greater of two benefits and the greater of two pleasures, and for choosing that whose outcome is praiseworthy.

“His Lord answered his prayer” when he called upon Him, “and turned their cunning away from him.” She continued trying to seduce him and enlisted against him every means within her power until she lost all hope of succeeding, and Allah turned her cunning away from him. “He alone is the All-Hearing” of the supplicant’s prayer, “the All-Knowing” of his righteous intention and the frailty of his nature, which called for Him to sustain him with His aid and gracious care.

This, then, is how Allah saved Joseph from this overwhelming temptation and severe ordeal. As for his masters, once the affair had become widely known and exposed, and people were divided over it—some excusing her, others blaming her, and still others denouncing her—

﴿فَلَمَّا سَمِعَتْ بِمَكْرِهِنَّ أَرْسَلَتْ إِلَيْهِنَّ وَأَعْتَدَتْ لَهُنَّ مُتَّكَأً وَآتَتْ كُلَّ وَاحِدَةٍ مِنْهُنَّ سِكِّينًا وَقَالَتِ اخْرُجْ عَلَيْهِنَّ فَلَمَّا رَأَيْنَهُ أَكْبَرْنَهُ وَقَطَّعْنَ أَيْدِيَهُنَّ وَقُلْنَ حَاشَ لِلَّهِ مَا هَذَا بَشَرًا إِنْ هَذَا إِلا مَلَكٌ كَرِيمٌ * قَالَتْ فَذَلِكُنَّ الَّذِي لُمْتُنَّنِي فِيهِ وَلَقَدْ رَاوَدْتُهُ عَنْ نَفْسِهِ فَاسْتَعْصَمَ وَلَئِنْ لَمْ يَفْعَلْ مَا آمُرُهُ لَيُسْجَنَنَّ وَلَيَكُونًا مِنَ الصَّاغِرِينَ * قَالَ رَبِّ السِّجْنُ أَحَبُّ إِلَيَّ مِمَّا يَدْعُونَنِي إِلَيْهِ وَإِلا تَصْرِفْ عَنِّي كَيْدَهُنَّ أَصْبُ إِلَيْهِنَّ وَأَكُنْ مِنَ الْجَاهِلِينَ * فَاسْتَجَابَ لَهُ رَبُّهُ فَصَرَفَ عَنْهُ كَيْدَهُنَّ إِنَّهُ هُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ * ثُمَّ بَدَا لَهُمْ مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا رَأَوُا الآيَاتِ لَيَسْجُنُنَّهُ حَتَّى حِينٍ﴾ . ﴿فَلَمَّا سَمِعَتْ بِمَكْرِهِنَّ أَرْسَلَتْ إِلَيْهِنَّ﴾ تدعوهن إلى منزلها للضيافة. ﴿وَأَعْتَدَتْ لَهُنَّ مُتَّكَأً﴾ أي: محلا مهيأ بأنواع الفرش والوسائد، وما يقصد بذلك من المآكل اللذيذة، وكان في جملة ما أتت به وأحضرته في تلك الضيافة، طعام يحتاج إلى سكين، إما أترج، أو غيره، ﴿وَآتَتْ كُلَّ وَاحِدَةٍ مِنْهُنَّ سِكِّينًا﴾ ليقطعن فيها ذلك الطعام ﴿وَقَالَتِ﴾ ليوسف: ﴿اخْرُجْ عَلَيْهِنَّ﴾ في حالة جماله وبهائه. ﴿فَلَمَّا رَأَيْنَهُ أَكْبَرْنَهُ﴾ أي: أعظمنه في صدورهن، ورأين منظرا فائقا لم يشاهدن مثله، ﴿وَقَطَّعْنَ﴾ من الدهش ﴿أَيْدِيَهُنَّ﴾ بتلك السكاكين اللاتي معهن، ﴿وَقُلْنَ حَاشَ لِلَّهِ﴾ أي: تنزيها لله ﴿مَا هَذَا بَشَرًا إِنْ هَذَا إِلا مَلَكٌ كَرِيمٌ﴾ وذلك أن يوسف أعطي من الجمال الفائق والنور والبهاء، ما كان به آية للناظرين، وعبرة للمتأملين. فلما تقرر عندهن جمال يوسف الظاهر، وأعجبهن غاية، وظهر منهن من العذر لامرأة العزيز، شيء كثير - أرادت أن تريهن جماله الباطن بالعفة التامة فقالت معلنة لذلك ومبينة لحبه الشديد غير مبالية، ولأن اللوم انقطع عنها من النسوة: ﴿وَلَقَدْ رَاوَدْتُهُ عَنْ نَفْسِهِ فَاسْتَعْصَمَ﴾ أي: امتنع وهي مقيمة على مراودته، لم تزدها مرور الأوقات إلا قلقا ومحبة وشوقا لوصاله وتوقا. ولهذا قالت له بحضرتهن: ﴿وَلَئِنْ لَمْ يَفْعَلْ مَا آمُرُهُ لَيُسْجَنَنَّ وَلَيَكُونًا مِنَ الصَّاغِرِينَ﴾ لتلجئه بهذا الوعيد إلى حصول مقصودها منه، فعند ذلك اعتصم يوسف بربه، واستعان به على كيدهن و ﴿قَالَ رَبِّ السِّجْنُ أَحَبُّ إِلَيَّ مِمَّا يَدْعُونَنِي إِلَيْهِ﴾ وهذا يدل على أن النسوة، جعلن يشرن على يوسف في مطاوعة سيدته، وجعلن يكدنه في ذلك. فاستحب السجن والعذاب الدنيوي على لذة حاضرة توجب العذاب الشديد، ﴿وَإِلا تَصْرِفْ عَنِّي كَيْدَهُنَّ أَصْبُ إِلَيْهِنَّ﴾ أي: أمل إليهن، فإني ضعيف عاجز، إن لم تدفع عني السوء، ﴿وَأَكُنْ﴾ إن صبوت إليهن ﴿مِنَ الْجَاهِلِينَ﴾ فإن هذا جهل، لأنه آثر لذة قليلة منغصة، على لذات متتابعات وشهوات متنوعات في جنات النعيم، ومن آثر هذا على هذا، فمن أجهل منه؟!! فإن العلم والعقل يدعو إلى تقديم أعظم المصلحتين وأعظم اللذتين، ويؤثر ما كان محمود العاقبة. ﴿فَاسْتَجَابَ لَهُ رَبُّهُ﴾ حين دعاه ﴿فَصَرَفَ عَنْهُ كَيْدَهُنَّ﴾ فلم تزل تراوده وتستعين عليه بما تقدر عليه من الوسائل، حتى أيسها، وصرف الله عنه كيدها، ﴿إِنَّهُ هُوَ السَّمِيعُ﴾ لدعاء الداعي ﴿الْعَلِيمُ﴾ بنيته الصالحة، وبنيته الضعيفة المقتضية لإمداده بمعونته ولطفه. فهذا ما نجى الله به يوسف من هذه الفتنة الملمة والمحنة الشديدة،.وأما أسياده فإنه لما اشتهر الخبر وبان، وصار الناس فيها بين عاذر ولائم وقادح.