you did to me what you did.”

Another example is that, had he said, “I fear that Allah will punish me,” or something similar, she would have said: “You are only setting aside my wishes for the sake of your own wish to be saved. I am your mistress, so you ought to put my wishes before your own.” But when he said:

“Indeed, he is my master, who has treated me well,”

he based his refusal on his master’s rights, which both he and she were obliged to respect.

Section

Joseph’s words contain two lessons:

“He said, ‘My Lord, prison is dearer to me than what they invite me to. Unless You turn their plotting away from me, I may incline toward them and become one of the ignorant.’”

The first is choosing imprisonment and affliction over sins and acts of disobedience. The second is asking Allah and supplicating Him to keep the heart firm upon His religion and turn it toward obedience to Him. For unless He keeps the heart firm, it will incline toward those who urge it to sin and become one of the ignorant. This entails trusting in Allah and seeking His help to keep the heart firm in faith and obedience. It also entails patiently enduring the trials, afflictions, and harm that result from remaining steadfast in faith and obedience.