سُوْرَةُ يُوسُفَ
Surah Yusuf (12) — Ayah 50
وَقَالَ ٱلْمَلِكُ ٱئْتُونِى بِهِۦ ۖ فَلَمَّا جَآءَهُ ٱلرَّسُولُ قَالَ ٱرْجِعْ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكَ فَسْـَٔلْهُ مَا بَالُ ٱلنِّسْوَةِ ٱلَّـٰتِى قَطَّعْنَ أَيْدِيَهُنَّ ۚ إِنَّ رَبِّى بِكَيْدِهِنَّ عَلِيمٌ ﴿50﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
And the king said: "Bring him to me." But when the messenger came to him, [Yûsuf (Joseph)] said: "Return to your lord and ask him, ‘What happened to the women who cut their hands? Surely, my Lord (Allâh) is Well-Aware of their plot.’"
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَقَالَ
waqāla
And said
ٱلْمَلِكُ
l-maliku
the king
ٱئْتُونِى
i'tūnī
Bring him to me
بِهِۦ ۖ
bihi
Bring him to me
فَلَمَّا
falammā
But when
جَآءَهُ
jāahu
came to him
ٱلرَّسُولُ
l-rasūlu
the messenger
قَالَ
qāla
he said
ٱرْجِعْ
ir'jiʿ
Return
إِلَىٰ
ilā
to
رَبِّكَ
rabbika
your lord
فَسْـَٔلْهُ
fasalhu
and ask him
مَا
mā
what
بَالُ
bālu
(is the) case
ٱلنِّسْوَةِ
l-nis'wati
(of) the women
ٱلَّـٰتِى
allātī
who
قَطَّعْنَ
qaṭṭaʿna
cut
أَيْدِيَهُنَّ ۚ
aydiyahunna
their hands
إِنَّ
inna
Indeed
رَبِّى
rabbī
my Lord
بِكَيْدِهِنَّ
bikaydihinna
of their plot
عَلِيمٌۭ
ʿalīmun
(is) All-Knower
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 50) ➊ {وَ قَالَ الْمَلِكُ ائْتُوْنِيْ بِهٖ :} That is, when the cupbearer went and told the interpretation, the king said: "Bring him to me." From this, the virtue of knowledge is understood: unparalleled beauty became the cause of imprisonment and hardship, while knowledge became the cause of freedom. If this is the case in this world, then you can yourself estimate the blessings of beneficial knowledge in the Hereafter.
➋ {قَالَ ارْجِعْ اِلٰى رَبِّكَ … : } Yusuf (peace be upon him), instead of leaving prison and going with the messenger, demanded: Go back and ask the king what was the matter with those women who cut their hands; surely my Lord is well aware of their deceit. From this, it is understood that Yusuf (peace be upon him) thought that perhaps the king did not even know about his being sent to prison or about the deceit of the women; maybe the other ministers did all this on their own, or if he did know, then he knew only as much as he was told when Yusuf was defamed and imprisoned. Similarly, among the common people, it is possible that some considered him at fault, so he refused to leave prison until he was completely cleared of the accusation through investigation. Our Noble Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) praised the patience of Yusuf (peace be upon him), as Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: [ لَوْ لَبِثْتُ فِي السِّجْنِ مَا لَبِثَ يُوْسُفُ ثُمَّ أَتَانِي الدَّاعِيْ لَأَجَبْتُهٗ ] [ بخاری، التعبیر، باب رؤیا أہل السجون والفساد والشرک : ۶۹۹۲ ] "If I had remained in prison for as long as Yusuf (peace be upon him) did, and then the one who called me came, I would surely have accepted his invitation."
➌ The demand made by Yusuf (peace be upon him): "Ask the king what was the matter with those women who cut their hands; my Lord is well aware of their deceit," clearly shows that the act of those women who cut their hands (the wife of Aziz was not among those who cut their hands) did not happen involuntarily due to being overwhelmed by Yusuf's beauty, but rather it was a deliberate plot and deceit on their part, as I have mentioned before.
➋ {قَالَ ارْجِعْ اِلٰى رَبِّكَ … : } Yusuf (peace be upon him), instead of leaving prison and going with the messenger, demanded: Go back and ask the king what was the matter with those women who cut their hands; surely my Lord is well aware of their deceit. From this, it is understood that Yusuf (peace be upon him) thought that perhaps the king did not even know about his being sent to prison or about the deceit of the women; maybe the other ministers did all this on their own, or if he did know, then he knew only as much as he was told when Yusuf was defamed and imprisoned. Similarly, among the common people, it is possible that some considered him at fault, so he refused to leave prison until he was completely cleared of the accusation through investigation. Our Noble Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) praised the patience of Yusuf (peace be upon him), as Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: [ لَوْ لَبِثْتُ فِي السِّجْنِ مَا لَبِثَ يُوْسُفُ ثُمَّ أَتَانِي الدَّاعِيْ لَأَجَبْتُهٗ ] [ بخاری، التعبیر، باب رؤیا أہل السجون والفساد والشرک : ۶۹۹۲ ] "If I had remained in prison for as long as Yusuf (peace be upon him) did, and then the one who called me came, I would surely have accepted his invitation."
➌ The demand made by Yusuf (peace be upon him): "Ask the king what was the matter with those women who cut their hands; my Lord is well aware of their deceit," clearly shows that the act of those women who cut their hands (the wife of Aziz was not among those who cut their hands) did not happen involuntarily due to being overwhelmed by Yusuf's beauty, but rather it was a deliberate plot and deceit on their part, as I have mentioned before.
