12-30 And women in the city said: The chief’s wife seeks to seduce her slave. He has indeed affected her deeply with (his) love. Truly we see her in manifest error.a
وَقَالَ نِسْوَةٌۭ فِى ٱلْمَدِينَةِ ٱمْرَأَتُ ٱلْعَزِيزِ تُرَٰوِدُ فَتَىٰهَا عَن نَّفْسِهِۦ ۖ قَدْ شَغَفَهَا حُبًّا ۖ إِنَّا لَنَرَىٰهَا فِى ضَلَـٰلٍۢ مُّبِينٍۢ (۳۰)
12-30a: مَدِينَة – مَدَنَ بالمکان means stayed in the house and derived from it is مَدِينَة which means city. A fort that is made in the middle of a land is also called مَدِينَة and so is the land on which it is built. In particular this word is used as the name of the city to which the Holy Prophet migrated and anything belonging to that city is called مَدَنِّی. If مَدِينَة is used in its generic meaning of city, then anything attributed to the city is called مَدِینی.
ٱلْعَزِيز – عَزِيز means mighty and also king or ruler. It was the title of the kings of Egypt (T). The meaning here is not king because the king of Egypt is referred to in this narrative as مَلِك and instead the word is used here for a grand noble of the court of the king to whom it appears the business of the state was delegated. This is surmised from the same title being accorded to Yusuf when he was delegated the functioning of the state. In the Bible, this noble’s name is given as Potiphar and he was the captain of Pharoah’s guard.
شَغَف – شَغَاف is غلافُ القَلۡب or pericardium and the meaning of شَغَفَهَا حُبًّا is that love has entered her heart or has overtaken her heart (LA).
12-31 So when she heard of their device, she sent for them and prepared for them a repast, and gave each of them a knife, and said (to Joseph): Come out to them. So when they saw him, they deemed him great, and cut their hands (in amazement), and said: Holy Allah! This is not a mortal! This is but a noble angel.
فَلَمَّا سَمِعَتْ بِمَكْرِهِنَّ أَرْسَلَتْ إِلَيْهِنَّ وَأَعْتَدَتْ لَهُنَّ مُتَّكَـًۭٔا وَءَاتَتْ كُلَّ وَٰحِدَةٍۢ مِّنْهُنَّ سِكِّينًۭا وَقَالَتِ ٱخْرُجْ عَلَيْهِنَّ ۖ فَلَمَّا رَأَيْنَهُۥٓ أَكْبَرْنَهُۥ وَقَطَّعْنَ أَيْدِيَهُنَّ وَقُلْنَ حَـٰشَ لِلَّهِ مَا هَـٰذَا بَشَرًا إِنْ هَـٰذَآ إِلَّا مَلَكٌۭ كَرِيمٌۭ (۳۱)
12-31a: بِمَكْرِهِنَّ – مَكْر is a crafty scheme. The gossip of the women about the chief’s wife is called مَكْر because it was a crafty effort on their part to get to see Joseph. Another explanation why their backbiting and evil speech is called مَكْر is because these women and the chief’s wife were similarly adept at concealment. It is possible that by مَكْر is meant that these women may have conveyed to the chief’s wife a scheme to get Joseph to do her bidding and they were invited to fulfill this purpose. In this context, the purport of ضَلَـٰلٍۢ مُّبِينٍۢ (manifest error) at the end of the previous verse can be that the chief’s wife had not adopted the right strategy to achieve her purpose. For example, she should have approached Joseph indirectly through someone else to convince him to do her bidding.
مُتَّكَـًۭٔا – The meaning of تَوَکَّأ and اِتَّکَأ (root تکا ) is to lean against a support, as in هِىَ عَصَاىَ أَتَوَكَّؤُا۟ عَلَيْهَا (This is my staff I lean on it) (20:18); ٱلْأَرَآئِكِ مُتَّكِـُٔونَ (reclining on raised couches) (36:56). A pillow or cushion is also called مُتَّكَـًۭٔا and it is also another word for طعام or food because generally one leans back against a support while eating. Interestingly, this Ummah has been advised against eating while leaning back. Some have taken the meaning of مُتَّكَـًۭٔا as an assembly (LA). It also means citron (R). There are narratives in Ibn Jarir in line with the various meanings given here.
سِكِّينًۭ – It is derived from سکن . It means knife because the knife is used to slaughter animals and the slaughter puts the animal in a condition of سکون (peace or rest) (LA).
أَكْبَرْن – اَکۡبَرتُ الشئَ means رَأیۡتُه‘ کبیرا (saw him as great) (R).
حَـٰشَ لِلَّهِ – It means بُعۡدًا منه and is often used in a sarcastic manner.
The cutting of the hands because of the sudden appearance of Joseph when the women were engaged in eating and had knives in their hands is not an event lacking credence. The cutting of the hands does not mean that the hands were severed, and the purport is simply that they received a cut or otherwise injured their hands. Most commentators have preferred this meaning and there is even a meaning traced to Akramah that it was not the hands that were cut but the sleeve. The statement cutting of the hand could also be metaphorical and similar to the saying, biting the fingers in rage, as in: عَضُّوا۟ عَلَيْكُمُ ٱلْأَنَامِلَ مِنَ ٱلْغَيْظِ ۚ(they bite (their) finger tips in rage) (3:119). Their saying: This is not a mortal but a noble angel is not only because Joseph was handsome but more so because of the strength of his character in remaining chaste. It is imaginable that Joseph did not even cast a glance at this assembly of pretty and beautiful women, and this must have amazed them. Another interpretation of this passage can be based on what is indicated in the explanation of the word مَكْر, namely that this was a well crafted plan under which these women had schemed with the chief’s wife to have a repast in which the women were provided with knives. When Joseph appeared, all or some of them purposely cut their hands and then pressured Joseph that their wounds would be used as evidence against him unless he conceded to the request of the chief’s wife. When Joseph did not concede to their threat, they cried out in amazement that he was not a mortal but an angel because he cared not for their threats. Under this interpretation, the words لُمْتُنَّنِى فِيهِ ۖ in the next verse would amount to saying: You used to rebuke me that I could not get him to agree but now you have tried too and failed. For further explanation see 12:23a.
These events are not mentioned in the Bible but the desired objective of showing Joseph’s high level of chastity and morality cannot be fulfilled unless it is shown that Joseph not only resisted the advance of one woman but that even a bevy of beautiful women from the noblest families of the city were not able to tempt Joseph to compromise on his chastity. Evey Muslim should aspire to reach this high level of morality. The Bible fails to impart this lesson from its narrative of the events.
12-32 She said: This is he about whom you blamed me. And certainly I sought to seduce him, but he was firm in continence. And if he do not what I bid him, he shall certainly be imprisoned, and he shall certainly be of the abject.a
قَالَتْ فَذَٰلِكُنَّ ٱلَّذِى لُمْتُنَّنِى فِيهِ ۖ وَلَقَدْ رَٰوَدتُّهُۥ عَن نَّفْسِهِۦ فَٱسْتَعْصَمَ ۖ وَلَئِن لَّمْ يَفْعَلْ مَآ ءَامُرُهُۥ لَيُسْجَنَنَّ وَلَيَكُونًۭا مِّنَ ٱلصَّـٰغِرِينَ (۳۲)
12-32a: ٱسْتَعْصَمَ – It means seeking a thing that will save him (R) or keep him chaste.
The wife of the chief threatened Joseph in front of the assemblage that if he did not satisfy her illegal wish then he would be reduced to an abject state and would be imprisoned. At the same time, she sought to get the sympathy of the women on her side by saying that this is he about whom you blamed me.
12-33 He said: My Lord, the prison is dearer to me than that to which they invite me. And if Thou turn not away their device from me, I shall yearn towards them and be of the ignorant.
قَالَ رَبِّ ٱلسِّجْنُ أَحَبُّ إِلَىَّ مِمَّا يَدْعُونَنِىٓ إِلَيْهِ ۖ وَإِلَّا تَصْرِفْ عَنِّى كَيْدَهُنَّ أَصْبُ إِلَيْهِنَّ وَأَكُن مِّنَ ٱلْجَـٰهِلِينَ (۳۳)
12-33a: أَصْب – The meaning of صَبَاءَ is نَزَعَ وَ فَعَل فِعۡلَ الصِبۡیان that is to be drawn to a particular thing, to become desirous of it and to do what the boys do. صَبِی means a boy.
The women pressured Joseph: All the details of the conversation that the women had among themselves is not given in the Quran nor of what they said to Joseph but مِمَّا يَدْعُونَنِىٓ إِلَيْهِ (that to which they invite me) and كَيْدَهُنَّ (their devices) shows clearly that these women had put a proposal before Joseph and had initiated some crafty scheme which caused Joseph consternation. Now the seductress was not just one woman and her plan but a conspiracy with many actors all of whom were in some way pushing Joseph to do the bidding of the chief’s wife. It appears that these women were active assistants in fulfilling the purpose of the chief’s wife and attributed the cutting of their hands to an assault by Joseph on their chastity because of which they had sustained injuries. So, despite the chief being convinced that it was his wife who had initiated the seduction, Joseph was imprisoned. On the other hand, we see that when orders were sent to the jail to set Joseph free, he chose to stay in jail until he was exonerated. He does not ask for exoneration from the charge brought by the chief’s wife but instead says: مَا بَالُ ٱلنِّسْوَةِ ٱلَّـٰتِى قَطَّعْنَ أَيْدِيَهُنَّ ۚ إِنَّ رَبِّى بِكَيْدِهِنَّ عَلِيمٌۭ (what is the case of the women who cut their hands. Surely my Lord knows their device) (12:50). This shows that the incident of cutting hands was either part of a plan or that it was used as an excuse. The reply of these women: مَا عَلِمْنَا عَلَيْهِ مِن سُوٓءٍۢ ۚ(We know of no evil on his part) (12:51) exonerates Joseph and shows that they had made a fraudulent charge. This elucidation by the Quran clearly shows that the women had either purposely cut their hands or that if the hands were cut accidently in amazement, they leverage this to bring charges against Joseph.
Jail preferred to committing sin: It was made clear to Joseph on this occasion that if he did not concede to the wishes of the chief’s wife, he would be incarcerated. So Joseph pleaded with Allah: رَبِّ ٱلسِّجْنُ أَحَبُّ إِلَىَّ مِمَّا يَدْعُونَنِىٓ إِلَيْهِ (My Lord, the prison is dearer to me than that to which they invite me). Allah desires to establish every Muslim on this belief where sin is seen as as a greater catastrophe than going to jail.
12-34 So his Lord accepted his prayer and turned away their device from him. Surely He is the Hearer, the Knower.
فَٱسْتَجَابَ لَهُۥ رَبُّهُۥ فَصَرَفَ عَنْهُ كَيْدَهُنَّ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ ٱلسَّمِيعُ ٱلْعَلِيمُ (۳۴)
12-35 Then it occurred to them after they had seen the signs that they should imprison him till a time.
ثُمَّ بَدَا لَهُم مِّنۢ بَعْدِ مَا رَأَوُا۟ ٱلْـَٔايَـٰتِ لَيَسْجُنُنَّهُۥ حَتَّىٰ حِينٍۢ (۳۵)
12-35a: By ايَـٰت or signs is meant the sign of Joseph’s exoneration. All the circumstantial evidence favored Joseph but because the contention became one of Egyptian versus a non-Egyptian, the national bias won, and Joseph was imprisoned.
Bayan-ul-Quran 