Surah Yusuf • Ayah 50

The King investigates what happened between the Wife of the `Aziz, the Women in the City, and YusufAllah narrates to us that when the king was conveyed the interpretation of his dream, he liked Yusuf's interpretation and felt sure that it was true. He realized the virtue of Prophet Yusuf, recognized his knowledge in the interpretation of dreams and valued his good conduct with his subjects in his country. The king said,ائْتُونِى بِهِ(Bring him to me.) `Release him from prison and bring him to me.' When the king's emissary came to Yusuf and conveyed the news of his imminent release, Yusuf refused to leave the prison until the king and his subjects declare his innocence and the integrity of his honor, denouncing the false accusation that the wife of the `Aziz made against him. He wanted them to know that sending him to prison was an act of injustice and aggression, not that he committed an offense that warranted it. He said,ارْجِعْ إِلَى رَبِّكَ(Return to your lord (i.e. king...) The Sunnah of our Prophet praised Prophet Yusuf and asserted his virtues, honor, elevated rank and patience, may Allah's peace and blessings be on him. The Musnad and the Two Sahihs recorded that Abu Hurayrah said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,«نَحْنُ أَحَقُّ بِالشَّكِّ مِنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ إِذْ قَال»(We are more liable to be in doubt than Ibrahim when he said,)رَبِّ أَرِنِى كَيْفَ تُحْىِ الْمَوْتَى(My Lord! Show me how You give life to the dead. ..)«وَيَرْحَمُ اللهُ لُوطًا لَقَدْ كَانَ يَأْوِي إِلَى رُكْنٍ شَدِيدٍ، وَلَوْ لَبِثْتُ فِي السِّجْنِ مَا لَبِثَ يُوسُفُ لَأَجَبْتُ الدَّاعِي»(And may Allah send His mercy on Lut! He wished to have powerful support! If I were to stay in prison for such a long time as Yusuf did, I would have accepted the offer.) In another narration collected by Ahmad from Abu Hurayrah, the Prophet said about Yusuf's statement,فَاسْأَلْهُ مَا بَالُ النِّسْوَةِ الَّـتِى قَطَّعْنَ أَيْدِيَهُنَّ إِنَّ رَبِّى بِكَيْدِهِنَّ عَلِيمٌ("...and ask him, `What happened to the women who cut their hands Surely, my Lord (Allah) is Well-Aware of their plot."')«لَوْ كُنْتُ أَنَا، لَأَسْرَعْتُ الْإِجَابَةَ وَمَا ابْتَغَيْتُ الْعُذْر»(If it was me, I would have accepted the offer rather than await my exoneration first.) Allah said (that the king asked),قَالَ مَا خَطْبُكُنَّ إِذْ رَاوَدتُنَّ يُوسُفَ عَن نَّفْسِهِ(He said, "What was your affair when you did seek to seduce Yusuf") The king gathered those women who cut their hands, while being hosted at the house of the wife of the `Aziz. He asked them all, even though he was directing his speech at the wife of his minister, the `Aziz in particular. He asked the women who cut their hands,مَا خَطْبُكُنَّ(What was your affair...), what was your story with regards to,إِذْ رَاوَدتُنَّ يُوسُفَ عَن نَّفْسِهِ(when you did seek to seduce Yusuf) on the day of the banquetقُلْنَ حَاشَ للَّهِ مَا عَلِمْنَا عَلَيْهِ مِن سُوءٍ(The women said: "Allah forbid! No evil know we against him!") The women answered the king, `Allah forbid that Yusuf be guilty of this, for by Allah, we never knew him to do evil.' This is when,قَالَتِ امْرَأَتُ الْعَزِيزِ الَنَ حَصْحَصَ الْحَقُّ(The wife of the `Aziz said: "Now the truth has Hashasa...") or the truth is manifest to all, according to Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid and others. Hashasa also means, `became clear and plain',أَنَاْ رَوَدْتُّهُ عَن نَّفْسِهِ وَإِنَّهُ لَمِنَ الصَّـدِقِينَ(it was I who sought to seduce him, and he is surely of the truthful.) when he said,هِىَ رَاوَدَتْنِى عَن نَّفْسِى(It was she that sought to seduce me.)ذَلِكَ لِيَعْلَمَ أَنِّى لَمْ أَخُنْهُ بِالْغَيْبِ(in order that he may know that I betrayed him not in (his) absence. ) She said, `I admit this against myself so that my husband knows that I did not betray him in his absence and that adultery did not occur. I tried to seduce this young man and he refused, and I am admitting this so that he knows I am innocent,'وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ لاَ يَهْدِى كَيْدَ الْخَـئِنِينَوَمَآ أُبَرِّىءُ نَفْسِى(And, verily, Allah guides not the plot of the betrayers. And I free not myself (from the blame).) She said, `I do not exonerate myself from blame, because the soul wishes and lusts, and this is what made me seduce him,' for,النَّفْسَ لأَمَّارَةٌ بِالسُّوءِ إِلاَّ مَا رَحِمَ رَبِّى(Verily, the (human) self is inclined to evil, except when my Lord bestows His mercy (upon whom He wills).) whom Allah the Exalted wills to grant them immunity,إِنَّ رَبِّى غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ(Verily, my Lord is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.) This is the most viable and suitable understanding for the continuity of the story and the meanings of Arabic speech. Al-Mawardi mentioned this in his Tafsir, in support of it, it was also preferred by Imam Abu Al-`Abbas Ibn Taymiyyah who wrote about it in detail in a separate work. It was said Yusuf peace be upon him is the one who said,ذَلِكَ لِيَعْلَمَ أَنِّى لَمْ أَخُنْهُ(in order that he (the `Aziz) may know that I betrayed him not) with his wife,بِالْغَيْبِ(in (his) absence).) until the end of Ayah (53) He said, `I sent back the emissary, so that the king would investigate my innocence and the `Aziz be certain that,أَنِّى لَمْ أَخُنْهُ(I betrayed him not), with his wife,بِالْغَيْبِ وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ لاَ يَهْدِى كَيْدَ الْخَـئِنِينَ(in (his) absence. And, verily, Allah guides not the plot of the betrayers.)' This is the only explanation presented by Ibn Jarir At-Tabari and Ibn Abi Hatim, but the first view is stronger and more obvious because it is a continuation of what the wife of the `Aziz said in the presence of the king. Yusuf was not present at all during this time, for he was released later on and brought to the king by his order.

تعبیر کی صداقت اور شاہ مصر کا یوسف علیہ السلام کو وزارت سونپنا ٭٭خواب کی تعبیر معلوم کر کے جب قاصد پلٹا اور اس نے بادشاہ کو تمام حقیقت سے مطلع کیا۔ تو بادشاہ کو اپنے خواب کی تعبیر پر یقین آ گیا۔ ساتھ ہی اسے بھی معلوم ہو گیا کہ یوسف علیہ السلام بڑے ہی عالم فاضل شخص ہیں۔ خواب کی تعبیر میں تو آپ علیہ السلام کو کمال حاصل ہے۔ ساتھ ہی اعلیٰ اخلاق والے حسن تدبیر والے اور خلق اللہ کا نفع چاہنے والے اور محض بےطمع شخص ہیں۔ اب اسے شوق ہوا کہ خود آپ علیہ السلام سے ملاقات کرے۔ اسی وقت حکم دیا کہ جاؤ یوسف علیہ السلام کو جیل خانے سے آزاد کر کے میرے پاس لے آؤ۔ دوبارہ قاصد آپ کے پاس آیا اور بادشاہ کا پیغام پہنچایا تو آپ علیہ السلام نے فرمایا میں یہاں سے نہ نکلوں گا جب تک کہ شاہ مصر اور اس کے درباری اور اہل مصر یہ نہ معلوم کر لیں کہ میرا قصور کیا تھا؟ عزیز کی بیوی کی نسبت جو بات مجھ سے منسوب کی گئی ہے اس میں سچ کہاں تک ہے اب تک میرا قید خانہ بھگتنا واقعہ کسی حقیقت کی بنا پر تھا؟ یا صرف ظلم و زیادتی کی بناء پر؟ تم اپنے بادشاہ کے پاس واپس جا کر میرا یہ پیغام پہنچاؤ کہ وہ اس واقعہ کی پوری تحقیق کریں۔ حدیث شریف میں بھی یوسف علیہ السلام کے اس صبر کی اور آپ کی اس شرافت و فضیلت کی تعریف آئی ہے۔ بخاری و مسلم وغیرہ میں ہے رسول اللہ صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم فرماتے ہیں کہ شک کے حقدار ہم بہ نسبت ابراہیم علیہ السلام کے بابت زیادہ ہیں جب کہ انہوں نے فرمایا تھا «وَإِذْ قَالَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ رَبِّ أَرِنِي كَيْفَ تُحْيِي الْمَوْتَىٰ قَالَ أَوَلَمْ تُؤْمِن قَالَ بَلَىٰ وَلَـٰكِن لِّيَطْمَئِنَّ قَلْبِي» [ 2-البقرہ: 260 ] ‏ میرے رب مجھے اپنا مردوں کا زندہ کرنا مع کیفیت دکھا اللہ تبارک و تعالیٰ نے فرمایا کیا تم نے [ اس بات کو ] ‏ باور نہیں کیا۔ انہوں نے کہا کیوں نہیں۔ لیکن [ میں دیکھنا ] ‏ اس لیے [ چاہتا ہوں ] ‏ کہ میرا دل اطمینان کامل حاصل کر لے۔ [ یعنی جب ہم اللہ کی اس قدرت میں شک نہیں کرتے تو ابراہیم علیہ السلام جلیل القدر پیغمبر کیسے شک کر سکتے تھے؟ پس آپ کی یہ طلب از روئے مزید اطمینان کے تھی نہ کہ ازرو ئے شک ] ‏۔ چنانچہ خود قرآن میں ہے کہ آپ نے فرمایا «قَالَ بَلَىٰ وَلَـٰكِن لِّيَطْمَئِنَّ قَلْبِ» یہ میرے اطمینان دل کے لیے ہے۔صفحہ نمبر4018۔ اللہ لوط علیہ السلام پر رحم کرے وہ کسی زور آور جماعت یا مضبوط قلعہ کی پناہ میں آنا چاہنے لگے۔ اور سنو اگر میں یوسف علیہ السلام کے برابر جیل خانہ بھگتے ہوئے ہوتا اور پھر قاصد میری رہائی کا پیغام لاتا تو میں تو اسی وقت جیل خانے سے آزادی منظور کر لیتا۔ [صحیح بخاری:3372] ‏ مسند احمد میں اسی آیت فاضلہ کی تفسیر میں منقول ہے کہ رسول اللہ صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم نے فرمایا اگر میں ہوتا تو اسی وقت قاصد کی بات مان لیتا اور کوئی عذر تلاش نہ کرتا۔ [مسند احمد:389/2:حسن] ‏ مسند عبدالرزاق میں ہے آپ فرماتے ہیں واللہ مجھے یوسف علیہ السلام کے صبر و کرم پر رہ رہ کر تعجب آتا ہے اللہ اسے بخشے دیکھو تو سہی بادشاہ نے خواب دیکھا ہے وہ تعبیر کے لیے مضطرب ہے قاصد آ کر آپ علیہ السلام سے تعبیر پوچھتا ہے آپ علیہ السلام فوراً بغیر کسی شرط کے بتا دیتے ہیں۔ اگر میں ہوتا تو جب تک جیل خانے سے اپنی رہائی نہ کرا لیتا ہرگز نہ بتلاتا۔ مجھے یوسف علیہ السلام کے صبر و کرم پر تعجب معلوم ہو رہا ہے۔ اللہ انہیں بخشے کہ جب ان کے پاس قاصد ان کی رہائی کا پیغام لے کر پہنچتا ہے تو آپ علیہ السلام فرماتے ہیں ابھی نہیں جب تک کہ میری پاکیزگی، پاک دامنی اور بے قصوری سب پر تحقیق سے کھل نہ جائے۔ اگر میں ان کی جگہ ہوتا تو میں تو دوڑ کر دروازے پر پہنچتا یہ روایت مرسل ہے۔صفحہ نمبر4019اب بادشاہ نے تحقیق کرنی شروع کی ان عورتوں کو جنہیں عزیز کی بیوی نے اپنے ہاں دعوت پر جمع کیا تھا اور خود اسے بھی دربار میں بلوایا۔ پھر ان تمام عورتوں سے پوچھا کہ ضیافت والے دن کیا گزری تھی؟ سب بیان کرو۔ انہوں نے جواب دیا کہ ماشا اللہ یوسف علیہ السلام پر کوئی الزام نہیں اس پر بے سرو پا تہمت ہے۔ واللہ ہم خوب جانتی ہیں کہ یوسف علیہ السلام میں کوئی بدی نہیں اس وقت عزیز کی بیوی خود بھی بول اُٹھی کہ اب حق ظاہر ہو گیا واقعہ کھل گیا۔ حقیقت نکھر آئی مجھے خود اس امر کا اقرار ہے۔ کہ واقعی میں نے ہی اسے پھنسانا چاہا تھا۔ اس نے جو بروقت کہا تھا کہ یہ عورت مجھے پھسلا رہی تھی اس میں وہ بالکل سچا ہے۔ میں اس کا اقرار کرتی ہوں اور اپنا قصور آپ بیان کرتی ہوں تاکہ میرے خاوند یہ بات بھی جان لیں کہ میں نے اس کی کوئی خیانت دراصل نہیں کی۔ یوسف علیہ السلام کی پاکدامنی کی وجہ سے کوئی شر اور برائی مجھ سے ظہور میں نہیں آئی۔ بدکاری سے اللہ تعالیٰ نے مجھے بچائے رکھا۔ میری اس اقرار سے اور واقعہ کے کھل جانے سے صاف ظاہر ہے اور میرے خاوند جان سکتے ہیں کہ میں برائی میں مبتلا نہیں ہوئی۔ یہ بالکل سچ ہے کہ خیانت کرنے والوں کی مکاریوں کو اللہ تعالیٰ فروغ نہیں دیا۔ ان کی دغا بازی کوئی پھل نہیں لاتی۔ الحمداللہ اللہ تعالیٰ کے فضل و کرم اور اس کے لطف و رحم سے بارہویں پارے کی تفسیر ختم ہوئی اللہ تعالیٰ قبول فرمائے۔ آمین۔صفحہ نمبر4020

آیت 50 وَقَالَ الْمَلِكُ ائْتُوْنِيْ بِهٖ بادشاہ اپنے خواب کی تعبیر اور پھر اس کی ایسی اعلیٰ تدبیر سن کر یقیناً بہت متاثر ہوا ہوگا اور اس نے سوچا ہوگا کہ ایسے ذہین فطین شخص کو جیل میں نہیں بلکہ بادشاہ کا مشیر ہونا چاہیے۔ چناچہ اس نے حکم دیا کہ اس قیدی کو فوراً میرے پاس لے کر آؤ۔فَلَمَّا جَاۗءَهُ الرَّسُوْلُ قَالَ ارْجِعْ اِلٰي رَبِّكَ بادشاہ کا پیغام لے کر جب قاصد آپ کے پاس پہنچا تو آپ نے اس کے ساتھ جانے سے انکار کردیا کہ میں اس طرح ابھی جیل سے باہر نہیں آنا چاہتا۔ پہلے پورے معاملے کی چھان بین کی جائے کہ مجھے کس جرم کی پاداش میں جیل بھیجا گیا تھا۔ اگر مجھ پر کوئی الزام ہے تو اس کی مکمل تفتیش ہو اور اگر میرا کوئی قصور نہیں ہے تو مجھے علی الاعلان بےگناہ اور بری قرار دیا جائے۔ چناچہ آپ نے اس قاصد سے فرمایا کہ تم اپنے بادشاہ کے پاس واپس جاؤ :اِنَّ رَبِّيْ بِكَيْدِهِنَّ عَلِيْمٌبادشاہ تک یہ بات پہنچی تو اس نے سب بیگمات کو طلب کرلیا۔

وَقَالَ الْمَلِكُ ائْتُونِي بِهِ (And the king said, 'Bring him to me.' ). It means that the king gave the order that Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) be taken out of the prison and be produced before him in his court. So, some emissary of the king arrived at the prison with the message of the king.Obviously, this was an occasion which should have been welcomed by Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) . He had been in the prison for a long time, restricted and helpless. He wished to be released. When the message of the king arrived at the prison that he was wanted by the king, he should have welcomed it and got himself ready to go. But, Allah Ta` ala bestows upon His Messengers a very high moral station which other people just cannot comprehend.The answer he gave to the emissary of the king was:قَالَ ارْ‌جِعْ إِلَىٰ رَ‌بِّكَ فَاسْأَلْهُ مَا بَالُ النِّسْوَةِ اللَّاتِي قَطَّعْنَ أَيْدِيَهُنَّ إِنَّ رَ‌بِّي بِكَيْدِهِنَّ عَلِيمٌ'Go back to your lord and ask him, ` What about the women who cut their hands?' Surely, my Lord knows their guile well.'Here, by asking this question, the objective is to find out if he is still held in doubt about what had happened then and if he is still taken to be at some fault in that matter.Also noteworthy at this stage is that Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) is, in the present context, talking about the women who had cut their hands - he has not mentioned the wife of the ` Aziz who was the main cause of what had happened. In this conduct of his, there was consideration for the right of his master's house where he lived and where he was brought up, something elementally respected by a person of natural gentleness in him. (Qurtubi)Then, not any less important was his real purpose, the need to be exonerated from blame conclusively. If proof was needed, it could have come from those women as well. And it would have not brought much of a disgrace on them. Had they confessed to what was the truth, they would have been, at the most, charged for having given false advice only. This would have been contrary to the case of the wife of the ` Aziz for, if she was made a target of the investigations, it would have proved far more disgraceful for her. And, along with this, Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) said: إِنَّ رَ‌بِّي بِكَيْدِهِنَّ عَلِيمٌ (Surely, my Lord knows their guile well). He said this so that the king too will get to know the truth of the matter - which is a delicate approach to register his innocence in it.On this occasion, reported in the Sahih of Al-Bukhari and the Jami' of Tirmidhi, following a narration of Sayyidna Abu Hurairah ؓ ، there is a Hadith of the Holy Prophet ﷺ in which he said: If I had been in a prison for so long, as Yusuf (علیہ السلام) had been, and had I then been summoned for release, I would have accepted it immediately.And in a report from Imam al-Tabari, the words are: The patience, forbearance and many other noble traits of his character are astonishing. When he was asked to give an interpretation of the dream of the king while still being in prison, had I been in his place, I would have, before giving the interpretation, placed a condition that I should be taken out of the prison before I could give an interpretation of that dream. Again, when the emissary of the king brought in the message of his re-lease, had I been in his place, I would have immediately started walking towards the gate of the prison. (Qurtubi)It should be noted that the purpose in this Hadith is to praise the patience, forbearance and the many noble traits of the character of Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) . But, by comparing the response of Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) in the present situation which he supposedly attributed to himself, he seems to be saying that had he been there in his place, he would have not elected to delay his release. If this is taken to mean that the Holy Prophet ﷺ is calling the conduct of Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) better and, in the case of his own august person, he is saying that had he been in his place, he would have not been able to match that preferred conduct, rather, would have settled for the less preferred, it is obviously not upto the station of the one who is called the foremost among prophets, may peace be upon them all. To answer that, it may be said that he is, no doubt, the foremost among prophets, but the precedence of some other prophet in a certain part of his conduct would not be considered contrary to it.In addition to that, as said in Tafsir al-Qurtubi, it is also possible that the modus operandi employed by Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) is an outstanding proof of his patience, forbearance and noble traits of character - and is highly commendable at its place. But, the pragmatic method of doing things which the Holy Prophet attributed to himself was partic-ularly appropriate to and better for educating his community and offering to its teeming masses the best course of action likely to bring nothing but good to them. The reason in the present setting is that the temperament of kings changes. Placing trust in them is not a wise thing to do. On an occasion such as this, putting conditions or delaying the process is not the appropriate thing to do for common people. The probability remains that the king may change his opinion and one is left to rot in that prison, as it had long been the practice. As for Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) ، he is a prophet of Allah. As such, he could have been given to understand by Allah Ta ala that the delay he would cause would not go against his interest in any way. But, others do not enjoy that degree of closeness to Allah. The Holy Prophet was mercy for all the worlds. In his temperament and taste, he had an elemental rapport with the entire creation of Allah. He always preferred to make things easier and better for the great masses of people. To him this was more important. Therefore, he said: If he had the opportunity, he would have not delayed. Allah knows best.