سُوْرَةُ يُوسُفَ
Surah Yusuf (12) — Ayah 25
وَٱسْتَبَقَا ٱلْبَابَ وَقَدَّتْ قَمِيصَهُۥ مِن دُبُرٍ وَأَلْفَيَا سَيِّدَهَا لَدَا ٱلْبَابِ ۚ قَالَتْ مَا جَزَآءُ مَنْ أَرَادَ بِأَهْلِكَ سُوٓءًا إِلَّآ أَن يُسْجَنَ أَوْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ ﴿25﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
So they raced with one another to the door, and she tore his shirt from the back. They both found her lord (i.e. her husband) at the door. She said: "What is the recompense (punishment) for him who intended an evil design against your wife, except that he be put in prison or a painful torment?"
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَٱسْتَبَقَا
wa-is'tabaqā
And they both raced
ٱلْبَابَ
l-bāba
(to) the door
وَقَدَّتْ
waqaddat
and she tore
قَمِيصَهُۥ
qamīṣahu
his shirt
مِن
min
from
دُبُرٍۢ
duburin
the back
وَأَلْفَيَا
wa-alfayā
and they both found
سَيِّدَهَا
sayyidahā
her husband
لَدَا
ladā
at
ٱلْبَابِ ۚ
l-bābi
the door
قَالَتْ
qālat
She said
مَا
mā
What
جَزَآءُ
jazāu
(is) the recompense
مَنْ
man
(of one) who
أَرَادَ
arāda
intended
بِأَهْلِكَ
bi-ahlika
for your wife
سُوٓءًا
sūan
evil
إِلَّآ
illā
except
أَن
an
that
يُسْجَنَ
yus'jana
he be imprisoned
أَوْ
aw
or
عَذَابٌ
ʿadhābun
a punishment
أَلِيمٌۭ
alīmun
painful
Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim — Hafiz Abdus Salam Bin Muhammad Bhutvi
Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim is a 4-volume Quran commentary by Hafiz Abdus Salam bin Muhammad Bhutvi, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar and Sheikh ul-Hadith from Pakistan. Based on over 45 years of teaching and research, this tafsir follows the methodology of Tafsir bil-Ma'thur — interpreting the Quran through authentic Hadith, statements of the Companions, and the understanding of the early generations (Salaf). It is distinguished by its complete avoidance of Israeliyyat (Judeo-Christian narratives) and unverified reports. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
(Ayah 25){وَ اسْتَبَقَا الْبَابَ …:} The scholars have written that this sentence is connected with {’’ وَ لَقَدْ هَمَّتْ بِهٖ …‘‘} and {’’ كَذٰلِكَ لِنَصْرِفَ…‘‘} is a parenthetical sentence brought in to establish the chastity of Yusuf (peace be upon him). The meaning of the verse is that the woman resolved to commit adultery, but Yusuf (peace be upon him) refused. Thus, in this struggle, both of them ran towards the door, Yusuf (peace be upon him) ahead and the wife of Aziz behind. Yusuf (peace be upon him) ran so that he could quickly open the door and escape, and the wife of Aziz ran so that she could reach first and not let him open the door and escape. Here, the noteworthy point is that the doors which the wife of Aziz had locked very well, when Yusuf (peace be upon him) ran without caring about the locked doors to avoid sin, Allah Almighty helped in opening them as well. For this very purpose, she grabbed his shirt from behind to stop him, but even after tearing the shirt, she could not succeed in stopping him. Yusuf succeeded in getting out of the door, and she also came out, and suddenly both of them found her husband in front of them. Now, all that “true love” whose story our storytellers narrate with relish, and which, because it is the true love of a Messenger of Allah, they consider a stage of divine gnosis, in a moment turned into an accusation. She said, “What should be the punishment for the one who intended evil with your wife, except that he be imprisoned or suffer a painful punishment?” Glory be to Allah! To provoke her husband, the one who was seducing the slave became the chaste wife in front of her husband, and she herself became the accuser, and the accusation was not even that he had molested or assaulted her, but only that he intended evil. Now, who can go into someone’s heart and investigate whether there was an intention or not, and if there was, what was it? Then, for the proof of this accusation, she did not present any witness or evidence, yet she herself became the judge to pronounce the punishment, as if for him, there could be any option besides one of these two punishments.
