and indecency altogether. Had he committed a minor sin, he would have repented of it, yet the Quran makes no mention of his repentance. If someone commits any kind of evil or indecency, it cannot be said that it was averted from him; rather, he committed it and Allah accepted his repentance for it. The Quran indicates the contrary here.

The women testified that they knew of no evil on his part. Had he engaged in these preliminaries, the woman would have seen them, and she was among the women who testified, saying, “We know of no evil on his part.” Moreover, she said:

“I did indeed try to seduce him, but he firmly resisted.”

She also said:

“I tried to seduce him, and he is indeed one of the truthful.”

The word “evil” is an indefinite noun in a negative construction, indicating that the woman had seen no evil on his part. She had no knowledge of the inclination within his heart. Even had she known of it, his abandoning it for Allah’s sake would have counted as a good deed. Had he simply abandoned it, it would have counted as neither a good deed nor a bad one, for such an inclination incurs no sin unless accompanied by speech or action.

As for the accounts of Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and others—may Allah bless them—their significance is greater, as is what took place on both sides. What these prophets did in calling people to Allah’s oneness, His worship, and His religion; making manifest His signs, commands, prohibitions, promises, and warnings; striving against those who denied them; and patiently enduring their abuse is greater in Allah’s sight. For this reason, they were superior to Joseph—may Allah bless them all. What they patiently endured, and what they patiently refrained from, was greater than what Joseph endured and refrained from. Their worship of Allah