Surah Yusuf • Ayah 51

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

قُلْنَ حَاشَ لِلّٰهِ مَا عَلِمْنَا عَلَيْهِ مِنْ سُوْۗءٍ اس وقت جو کچھ بھی ہوا تھا وہ سب ہماری طرف سے تھا ‘ یوسف علیہ السلام کی طرف سے کوئی غلط بات ہم نے محسوس نہیں کی۔قَالَتِ امْرَاَتُ الْعَزِيْزِ الْــٰٔنَ حَصْحَصَ الْحَقُّ ۡ اَنَا رَاوَدْتُّهٗ عَنْ نَّفْسِهٖ وَاِنَّهٗ لَمِنَ الصّٰدِقِيْنَ اس طرح عزیز کی بیوی کو اس حقیقت کا برملا اظہار کرنا پڑا کہ یوسف علیہ السلام نے نہ تو زبان سے کوئی غلط بیانی کی ہے اور نہ ہی اس کے کردار میں کوئی کھوٹ ہے۔

CommentaryWhen the royal emissary delivered to Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) the order of his release and invited him to see the king, he asked him to first have his case investigated through the women who had cut their hands. His approach was based on many wise considerations. Allah Ta ala bestows on His prophets a perfect faith, He also gives them matching intelligence and insight into matters and conditions they have to face. From the tenor of the royal message, Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) had deduced that the king of Egypt was going to confer some honour on him after his release from the prison. At that time, wisdom demanded that the reality of the misconduct for which he was blamed and because of which he was confined into the prison must become fully clear before everyone concerned and no one remains in doubt about his innocence. If this was not done, the outcome would be that people would stop talking for a while because of the royal honour bestowed on him, but these doubts would keep ticking in their hearts making them think that he was the person who had violated the honour of his master. That such conditions could emerge in royal courts and the king becomes influenced by such popular thoughts is not a possibility too far out. Therefore, he considered it necessary that this matter should be straightened out and cleaned up before his release.A gist of this appears in verse قَالَ مَا خَطْبُكُنَّ إِذْ رَ‌اوَدتُّنَّ يُوسُفَ عَن نَّفْسِهِ that is, the king called for the women who had cut their hands and asked them: ` What was your case, 0 women, when you seduced ~suf?' This question of the king tells us that he, on his part, had become certain that the party at fault was not Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) . He took those women to be at fault, therefore, he said: ` when you seduced Yusuf (علیہ السلام) .' After that, the answer given by the women appears as follows:قُلْنَ حَاشَ لِلَّـهِ مَا عَلِمْنَا عَلَيْهِ مِن سُوءٍ ۚ قَالَتِ امْرَ‌أَتُ الْعَزِيزِ الْآنَ حَصْحَصَ الْحَقُّ أَنَا رَ‌اوَدتُّهُ عَن نَّفْسِهِ وَإِنَّهُ لَمِنَ الصَّادِقِينَ ﴿51﴾They said, 'God forbid, we know of no evil in him.' The governor's wife (also present there) said, 'Now, the truth has come to light. I did seduce him, and he is of the truthful.'Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) had not named the wife of the governor, the ` Aziz of Misr, as part of the investigations, but that is how things happen when Allah jalla thana'uh decides to honour someone - people would rise and speak up, come forward and tell the truth, without let or hindrance or demur. So it was on this occasion. The wife of the governor found the courage. She herself proclaimed the truth.Upto this point, in what you have heard about Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) ، there is good guidance for our lives and solutions of many problems as well. Eight of such rulings have appeared under our comments on Verses 36-42. An additional six which come out from the present verses are being given below.Rulings:9. Allah Ta ala Himself manages things for His favoured servants by releasing unseen arrangements which help them achieve their objectives - for He does not like them to become indebted to anyone else created by Him. This was the reason why the message of Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) given to the prisoner-to-be-released in which he was asked to mention him to the king was made to be forgotten. Later, in its place, a very special arrangement was made through the workings of the unseen which was designed to serve two objectives at the same time, that Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) would not become indebted to anyone's favour to start with, and that the main purpose of his release from the prison would stand achieved with full honour and dignity waiting for him.To set this unseen plan in motion, the king of Egypt was made to see a disturbing dream, the interpretation of which proved to be beyond the abilities of the experts he had at his court. So, driven by need, recourse had to be made to Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) . (Ibn Kathir)10. Prophetic conduct is a mirror of high morals. Consider the behaviour of the prisoner who was released. Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) had simply asked him to mention his name to the king. But he was unable to do even this much for him. As a result of his neglect, he had to spend seven more years in the prison. Now the same prisoner returns to him after seven years carrying a job of his own, that of finding out the interpretation of the same king's dream, the king to whom he had been asked to mention Sayyidna Yusuf's name and which he did not. In a situation like that, it was natural that he should have admonished him, even become angry at him for not having done something so insignificant. But, Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) acted in accord with his prophetic morals when he, not to say much about an admonition, did not even mention the episode itself. (Ibn Kathir Qurtubi)11. Anbiya and ` Ulama' have a dual duty. They should naturally be concerned about the attitude of people towards their 'Akhirah. They have to help them out with good counsel in this crucial matter by shielding them from deeds which will become their punishment in the 'Akhirah. Then, along with it, they should also keep a constant watch on the economic condition of Muslims so that they do not suffer - as was done by Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) . On this occasion, he did not consider it sufficient to simply give the interpretation of the dream. Instead, he gave a wise and well-meaning advice as well. He suggested to them that they should leave the entire wheat crop in the ears only taking out what was needed so that the grain so stored would not go bad in later years.12. An ` Alim whose guidance is relied upon by Muslims should also watch out that he is not suspected by people - even though such a suspicion be totally unfounded. Efforts should be made to stay safe from this too - because suspicion, whether from ignorance or misunderstanding, does interfere with the work of da'wah and teaching they carry out, and goes on to lighten the effect of what is said. (Qurtubi) The Holy Prophet ﷺ has said: Stay away even from places and occasions of blame. It means that one should try to stay away from places and occasions where and when someone gets an opportunity to put a blame on the next person. This rule applies to Muslims generally. Those who are prominent among them, the ` Ulama' particularly, they have to observe twice as much precaution. The example of the Holy Prophet is before us. He was Divinely protected from all defects and sins. He too made a point to observe this precaution. Once, when one of his blessed wives was passing by a small side-street of Madinah with him, some Companion appeared before them. While he was still some distance away from them, the Holy Prophet told him that such and such wife of his was with him. He did this so that the onlooker does not fall into some doubt that the lady going there was a stranger. In the present situation, Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) ، despite orders for his release and the invitation to see the king, tried well before his release that any doubts people may have should be removed.13. If someone is obligated to a person, because of his rights on him and is, as such, deserving of respect, then, should there come a situation in which, under inevitable circumstances, some sort of action has to be taken against that person, in that case too, giving due consideration to the right and respect of that person, to the best of one's ability, is the duty of a thorough gentleman. This is as it was done by Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) to secure his absolvement from the blame. It will be recalled that while referring his matter for investigations, he had not named either the ` Aziz of Misr, or his wife. He had simply mentioned the women who had cut their hands. (Qurtubi) - because, he could still achieve his objective.Taught here are the highest and noblest traits of character. We can see that Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) had suffered the loss of his freedom for seven or twelve years in the prison but, when he was released, the taking of revenge was a far cry, he did not even bear by the idea that some-one would be put to the least inconvenience on his account - as particularly taken into consideration in the verse: لِيَعْلَمَ أَنِّي لَمْ أَخُنْهُ بِالْغَيْبِ (so that he may know that I did not betray him in his absence - 52).