of sin—an explanation offered by mentioning its cause. Her words,

“It was I who sought to seduce him, and he is indeed telling the truth,”

contain an acknowledgment of sin. Her words,

“I do not absolve myself. Indeed, the soul persistently urges evil,”

correspond to her statement, “It was I who sought to seduce him”: that is, I acknowledge my sin; I do not absolve myself. She then explained the cause, saying:

“Indeed, the soul persistently urges evil.”

My own soul is no exception, so it is not surprising that this should have come from me. She then mentioned what calls for seeking forgiveness and mercy, saying:

“Indeed, my Lord is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.”

If it is said, “These are the words of someone who acknowledges that fornication is a sin and that Allah may forgive the one who commits it,” I say: Yes. The Quran indicates this, for her husband said:

“Joseph, overlook this. And you, seek forgiveness for your sin.”

His command that she seek forgiveness for her sin proves that they regarded it as a sin and sought forgiveness for it, even though they were also polytheists. The Arabs, too, were polytheists, yet they prohibited sexual immoralities and sought Allah’s forgiveness for them. Indeed,

“When the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, took from Hind bint ʿUtba ibn Rabīʿa the pledge required of women—that she would associate nothing with Allah, would not steal, and would not commit fornication—she said, ‘Would a free woman commit fornication?’”

Among them, fornication was known to occur among slave women. This is why, in their language, freedom came predominantly to mean the opposite of slavery, whereas the original meaning of