Surah Yusuf (Joseph) 12 : 33

Overview (Verses 30 - 34)

A Scandal Must be Hushed

The husband did not take any action to separate his wife and his slave. He simply let matters go on as previously, because this is how palaces deal with such affairs. But palaces are walls with ears, and gossip is always rife. For such scandals always provide interesting conversations: “In the city, women were saying: ‘The Chief Minister’s wife is trying to seduce her slave lad, as she is passionately in love with him. We see that she is clearly going astray.’“ (Verse 30)

This is the sort of thing women say about such matters in all jāhiliyyah societies. For the first time we learn who the woman is, and we learn that the man who bought Joseph was Egypt’s Chief Minister. This is announced as the scandal becomes public, with her position graphically described: “The Chief Minister’s wife is trying to seduce her slave lad, as she is passionately in love with him.” (Verse 30) Hers is a consuming love that takes complete hold. Hence the comment: “We see that she is clearly going astray.” (Verse 30) She is supposed to be the role model as she is married to a leading personality in government. Yet she is infatuated with the young man her husband had bought. Or perhaps they were merely commenting on the fact that she had become the centre of a scandal. It is not the offence itself that is reproachable, but of being found out doing it. If it remains concealed, no blame is attached.

Again we see something that happens only amongst the higher classes. We are shown a scene of that bold woman’s further engineering: “When she heard of their malicious talk, she sent for them, and prepared for them a sumptuous repast, and handed each one of them a knife and said (to Joseph]: ‘Come out and present yourself to them.’ When they saw him, they were amazed at him, and they cut their hands, exclaiming: ‘God preserve us! This is no mortal man! This is none other than a noble angel.’ Said she: ‘This is he on whose account you have been blaming me! Indeed I have tried to seduce him, but he guarded his chastity. Now, however, if he does not do what I bid him, he shall certainly be thrown in prison, and shall indeed be humiliated.’ (Verses 31-32)

She arranged for a banquet in her own palace, which suggests that the women so invited also belonged to the same milieu. It is women in such a class that are invited to a palace banquet. They are the ones who love such gentle appearances. It seems that as they ate, they reclined on cushions and couches, as was the custom in eastern countries. Hence, she prepared this repast, and gave a knife to each one of her guests. This also suggests that material civilization had attained a high standard in Egypt at the time. Luxurious life was at a high standard. The use of knives with a meal several thousand years ago is indicative of the level of luxury that obtained. But as they were engaged with cutting meat or peeling fruit, the hostess surprised her guests with Joseph’s appearance. She instructed him to: “Come out and present yourself to them.” (Verse 31) So what was their reaction? “When they saw him, they were amazed at him.” They were taken by surprise. “They cut their hands.” (Verse 31) In their surprise, they cut their hands. They uttered a word that is normally used to express amazement at God’s wonderful creation. “God preserve us! This is no mortal man! This is none other than a noble angel.” (Verse 31) These words also indicate that there were traces of the divine faith, based on God’s oneness, in their community.

At this point she felt that she had scored her point and gained a victory over the women of her class. They could not stop their surprised admiration of Joseph. Victorious as she felt, she saw no need for modesty in front of these other women. Indeed she could boast that he was under her command. If he resisted her at one point, he could not do so forever. Hence, her statement: “This is he on whose account you have been blaming me.” (Verse 32) You can see how handsome and manly he is, so much so that you cannot help admiring him: “Indeed I have tried to seduce him, but he guarded his chastity.” (Verse 32)

She goes on to press the point that she was his mistress and that he would have to do as he was told. In that society, a woman in her position could afford to be boastful and arrogant. She could declare publicly in front of other women the sexual urge she felt: “Now, however, if he does not do what I bid him, he shall certainly be thrown in prison, and shall indeed be humiliated.” (Verse 32)

What a mixture of temptation, persistence and threat. And this is coupled with a new phase of temptation hidden under a mask of warning.

What could Joseph do when he heard this said openly in a social gathering of women who were undoubtedly revealing their beauty and expressing their admiration of him. What was his attitude on hearing his mistress openly declare her intention to carry on attempting to seduce him? He simply turns to his Lord with this appeal: “My Lord, I would sooner be put in prison than comply with what they are inviting me to do.” (Verse 33)

We note here that Joseph did not say, ‘what she is inviting me to do’. They were all part of the seduction attempt, either by word, look or movement. He felt that the only way for him to evade their tricks was to appeal to his Lord. That would be the only way he would not yield to their temptation. Hence, he declares: “Unless You turn away their guile from me, I may yield to them and lapse into folly.” (Verse 33) This is a declaration by one who knows his own human weakness. He prays for more of God’s care and protection, because that is the best way to resist all temptation.

“His Lord answered his prayer and warded off their guile from him. It is He alone who hears all and knows all.” (Verse 34) This might have taken the form of making them despair of him ever yielding to their approaches and persuasion, or might have been in the shape of stronger resistance to their temptation.

“It is He alone who hears all and knows all.” (Verse 33) He hears their scheming, and Joseph’s prayers. He knows the intention behind the scheming and the purpose of the prayer.

Thus Joseph was able to stand firm through this second trial. He had to rely on God’s grace and good care to do so, and through this managed to avoid falling into sin. With this, the second episode in Joseph’s story is over.