It has also been said that they helped her in her attempt to seduce him and reproached her for holding back. This is indicated by his words:

“Unless You turn their scheming away from me, I will incline toward them.”

And his words:

“Return to your master and ask him about the women who cut their hands. Surely my Lord knows their scheming well.”

This indicates that there was scheming on their part. The king had said to them:

“‘What was your purpose when you tried to seduce Joseph?’ They replied, ‘Allah forbid! We know of no evil on his part.’ The wife of al-‘Azīz said, ‘Now the truth has come to light. I tried to seduce him, and he is indeed telling the truth.’”

They were not trying to seduce him for themselves, since that was not possible while he was living in the woman’s house under her authority. Rather, they may have helped her obtain what she wanted.

If this is so concerning sexual immorality, other sins are graver still, such as committing grave injustice against people by killing someone whose life is inviolable, associating partners with Allah, or speaking about Allah without knowledge. Allah Most High says:

“Say, ‘My Lord has only forbidden shameful deeds, whether open or secret, sin, unjust aggression, associating with Allah that for which He has sent down no authority, and saying about Allah what you do not know.’”

These are the categories of prohibited acts that are never permissible under any circumstances or in any revealed law. Other acts, even if forbidden in one situation, may be permissible in another.