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wa-rāwadathu llatī huwa fī baytihā ʿan nafsihī wa-ghallaqati l-ʾabwāba wa-qālat hayta laka qāla maʿādha llāhi ʾinnahū rabbī ʾaḥsana mathwāya ʾinnahū lā yufliḥu ẓ-ẓālimūna
The woman in whose house he was, solicited him. She closed the doors and said, ‘Come!!’ He said, ‘God forbid! Indeed He is my Lord; He has given me a good abode. Indeed the wrongdoers are not felicitous.’
— Ali Quli Qarai
Surah Yusuf - Verse 23
23. “And the woman, in whose house he was, sought to seduce him from his self and she closed the doors and said: ‘Come here’. He said ‘I seek refuge in Allah! Verily He is my Lord. He made good my abode. Verily the unjust do not prosper’.”
Two possibilities have been advanced for the interpretation of the Qur’anic phrase: /’innahu rabbi ’ahsana mawaya/ (verily He is my Lord. He made good my abode). A- It is the Almighty, my Lord, Who has honored my position and I seek refuge in Him. B- The ‘Aziz is my lord who has honored me as his guest and he told you about me to give me a good abode, and I will not betray him. Both possibilities have their own advocates which they support with their own documentations.
We are of the opinion that the first theory is more acceptable, for Yusuf did not commit sin because of his Divinely bestowed virtue, and not simply because he was staying in the palace of ‘Aziz and that being indebted to him, he could not violate the wife of ‘Aziz. Such a scenario requires much less virtue that that required for the fear of Allah. Certainly, we see allusions made several times to the word /rabbika/ in this Surah which refers to the ‘Aziz. However, the use of the term /rabbi/, which is used in this sentence refers to Allah.
Moreover, it is not in consonance with Yusuf’s position and character to lower himself to such an extent to call the ‘Aziz /rabbi/ “my lord”. Not only had Yusuf attracted the ‘Aziz to himself with his Divine beauty and conduct, but he had also completely conquered the heart of his wife, Zulaykha, as well. With the passage of time, her love for him grew to great heights but Yusuf, who was righteous and self–abstaining, thought of no one but Allah, and his heart was always filled with the love of Allah.
Other factors also helped to inflame Zulaykha’s burning desire for him. On the one hand, she was childless and lived a luxurious and aristocratic life, and on the other hand, she had no domestic conflicts or problems in her life which left her with ample time to engage in fantasy and plan schemes. Her weak faith and lack of ethical virtues left her in the grip of her satanic lust and passions which eventually led her to decide to take action in order to realize the pleasure she was seeking.
So, to obtain her wish and reaching her aim, she applied all means and methods she could. By asking and requesting him, she tried to gain his heart and make him agree, as the Qur’an says:
“And the woman in whose house he was, sought, to seduce him from his self...”
Finally, it came to her one day to entrap him in a secluded place in the house. She used every possible means to tempt and excite him, putting on the most attractive clothing, make up and the best scented perfumes. She set the scene so that to bring Yusuf to his knees. The Qur’an says that she locked all the doors securely, telling him to come and take her. The verse says:
“…and she closed the doors and said: ‘Come here.’...”
Here was this very attractive woman, alone with him in a locked room, with no one else aware of what was going on. Or so she thought that, by this circumstance, she might make him understand that no one was able to penetrate into inside and he would not be worry. Yusuf saw the whole thing was wrong and sinful from the beginning, he was trapped, it seemed that he had no other option open to him. To her insistent demands, when all seemed lost, he simply replied,
“I seek refuge in Allah.”
By saying this he both confessed to the oneness of Allah, and to the practical aspect of this belief. All things being equal, how could he possibly have submitted to such a request, while he was still living in the house of the ‘Aziz and eating from his generous pocket, and who provided him with many favors regarding him in great esteem? The verse says:
“…Verily He is my Lord. He made good my abode...”
Yusuf continues saying whether that was not a manifest injustice and a treachery and certainly the unjust will not be prosperous. The verse says:
“…Verily the unjust do not prosper.”
Messages
1. Do not leave young men alone in the houses where there are forbidden women who are not virtuous, since the situation may result in a passionate involvement with each other.
2. Capital sins first begin gradually with lax rules of social intercourse and free association. Therefore, shun association between forbidden men and women in secluded places as it paves the way for sinful behavior.
3. The sin of adultery has been established as a sin throughout history, and it was for this reason that Zulaykha securely fastened all the doors to the room.
4. The best kind of Islamic virtue is to keep oneself from committing sin for the sake of the favor, affection and right of Allah, and not because of the fear of scandal in this world or out of the fear of Hell Fire in the Hereafter.
5. Every door might often be closed but the door for those seeking shelter with Allah always remains open.
6. Keeping Allah in mind is a factor that hinders us from committing sin and error.
7. Adultery, fornication and conspiring against innocent youth are considered as tyranny against oneself, one’s own spouse and the members of society.
8. One must not obey any authority of any rank if it orders us to commit sins, because the immaculate Imam (as) said:
“Do not obey a created (man) in disobeying the Creator.” 1
9. One moment’s sin puts a great distance between man and salvation.
Footnotes