سُوْرَةُ يُوسُفَ
Surah Yusuf (12) — Ayah 52
ذَٰلِكَ لِيَعْلَمَ أَنِّى لَمْ أَخُنْهُ بِٱلْغَيْبِ وَأَنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يَهْدِى كَيْدَ ٱلْخَآئِنِينَ ﴿52﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
[Then Yûsuf (Joseph) said: "I asked for this enquiry] in order that he (Al-‘Azîz) may know that I betrayed him not in (his) absence". And, verily! Allâh guides not the plot of the betrayers.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
ذَٰلِكَ
dhālika
That
لِيَعْلَمَ
liyaʿlama
he may know
أَنِّى
annī
that I
لَمْ
lam
not
أَخُنْهُ
akhun'hu
[I] betray him
بِٱلْغَيْبِ
bil-ghaybi
in secret
وَأَنَّ
wa-anna
and that
ٱللَّهَ
l-laha
Allah
لَا
lā
(does) not
يَهْدِى
yahdī
guide
كَيْدَ
kayda
(the) plan
ٱلْخَآئِنِينَ
l-khāinīna
(of) the betrayers
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 52){ذٰلِكَ لِيَعْلَمَ اَنِّيْ لَمْ اَخُنْهُ بِالْغَيْبِ …:} The wife of the Aziz of Egypt continued her statement, saying that I am making this confession so that it may become known to him (my husband) that in his absence I did not actually betray him, nor did any great evil occur. Yes, I did try to seduce this young man, but he firmly refused, so I am confessing so that he may know that I did not commit a great betrayal, and Allah does not make the plot of the betrayers successful. However, I do not declare myself completely innocent, because the soul desires evil and incites towards it, except for the one upon whom my Lord has mercy and saves him. Indeed, my Lord is Forgiving and Merciful. The one upon whom my Lord has mercy refers to Yusuf (peace be upon him). Hafiz Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "This statement is more well-known and more appropriate to the context and meaning of the story." Al-Mawardi has stated the same in his tafsir, and Allama Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) has supported this and written a separate book on it.
Some scholars have said that this statement is also from the wife of the Aziz, but {’’ لِيَعْلَمَ ‘‘} means that Yusuf should know, while he is in prison, that I did not betray him in his absence, nor did I make him a criminal in any way, rather I only admitted my own shortcoming. In one sense, this meaning is closer, as the Aziz is not mentioned at all in this entire sequence of speech. However, the closest person mentioned by her is Yusuf (peace be upon him): «{ اَنَا رَاوَدْتُّهٗ عَنْ نَّفْسِهٖ وَ اِنَّهٗ لَمِنَ الصّٰدِقِيْنَ (51) ذٰلِكَ لِيَعْلَمَ }» The second opinion is that this speech «{ ذٰلِكَ لِيَعْلَمَ اَنِّيْ لَمْ اَخُنْهُ }» is the speech of Yusuf (peace be upon him). Ibn Jarir and Ibn Abi Hatim have only mentioned this opinion. They say that when those women testified to the innocence of Yusuf (peace be upon him) from every evil, and the wife of the Aziz also admitted her mistake, then Yusuf (peace be upon him) said that I did not leave the prison until the matter was investigated so that the Aziz of Egypt would know that I did not betray him in his absence, and at the same time, out of humility, he said that I do not declare myself completely free from sin, because the soul certainly incites to evil except for the one upon whom my Lord has mercy. Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him) says: "The first opinion (that from {’’ الْـٰٔنَ حَصْحَصَ الْحَقُّ ‘‘} to {’’ غَفُوْرٌ رَّحِيْمٌ ‘‘} all this speech is from the wife of the Aziz) is stronger and more apparent, because (the conversation of those women and) the wife of the Aziz all took place in the king's court, and at that time Yusuf (peace be upon him) was not present there, rather the king called him afterwards."
Some people say that when the wife of the Aziz of Egypt confessed, a person went to the prison and told Yusuf (peace be upon him) about this, so he said: «{ ذٰلِكَ لِيَعْلَمَ اَنِّيْ لَمْ اَخُنْهُ … }» but this is neither in the Noble Qur'an nor in the hadith of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), and if there is any other source for this report besides these two, then we have no way of knowing its truth or falsehood.
As for the question of how the wife of the Aziz could mention the Lord Almighty and His attributes of being Forgiving and Merciful, the answer is that the king of Egypt in the time of Yusuf (peace be upon him) was before the Pharaohs, and nowhere in the entire surah is there any explicit mention of the disbelief of the king or any of his ministers, although there was polytheism among the common people, as was the case with the dreamers in the prison. The Aziz of Egypt also advised his wife to seek forgiveness for her sin, and a polytheist tyrant king could never honor and respect a person like Yusuf (peace be upon him) so much, who openly declared that he had abandoned the religion of a people who do not believe in Allah and the Last Day. Otherwise, Musa (peace be upon him), with the exception of apparent beauty, had even more perfections than Yusuf (peace be upon him), but the Pharaoh of the same Egypt kept him and his people under continuous torment, until the Pharaoh was drowned in the sea. [ وَاللّٰہُ أَعْلَمُ وَ عِلْمُہُ اَتَمُّ ]
Some scholars have said that this statement is also from the wife of the Aziz, but {’’ لِيَعْلَمَ ‘‘} means that Yusuf should know, while he is in prison, that I did not betray him in his absence, nor did I make him a criminal in any way, rather I only admitted my own shortcoming. In one sense, this meaning is closer, as the Aziz is not mentioned at all in this entire sequence of speech. However, the closest person mentioned by her is Yusuf (peace be upon him): «{ اَنَا رَاوَدْتُّهٗ عَنْ نَّفْسِهٖ وَ اِنَّهٗ لَمِنَ الصّٰدِقِيْنَ (51) ذٰلِكَ لِيَعْلَمَ }» The second opinion is that this speech «{ ذٰلِكَ لِيَعْلَمَ اَنِّيْ لَمْ اَخُنْهُ }» is the speech of Yusuf (peace be upon him). Ibn Jarir and Ibn Abi Hatim have only mentioned this opinion. They say that when those women testified to the innocence of Yusuf (peace be upon him) from every evil, and the wife of the Aziz also admitted her mistake, then Yusuf (peace be upon him) said that I did not leave the prison until the matter was investigated so that the Aziz of Egypt would know that I did not betray him in his absence, and at the same time, out of humility, he said that I do not declare myself completely free from sin, because the soul certainly incites to evil except for the one upon whom my Lord has mercy. Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him) says: "The first opinion (that from {’’ الْـٰٔنَ حَصْحَصَ الْحَقُّ ‘‘} to {’’ غَفُوْرٌ رَّحِيْمٌ ‘‘} all this speech is from the wife of the Aziz) is stronger and more apparent, because (the conversation of those women and) the wife of the Aziz all took place in the king's court, and at that time Yusuf (peace be upon him) was not present there, rather the king called him afterwards."
Some people say that when the wife of the Aziz of Egypt confessed, a person went to the prison and told Yusuf (peace be upon him) about this, so he said: «{ ذٰلِكَ لِيَعْلَمَ اَنِّيْ لَمْ اَخُنْهُ … }» but this is neither in the Noble Qur'an nor in the hadith of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), and if there is any other source for this report besides these two, then we have no way of knowing its truth or falsehood.
As for the question of how the wife of the Aziz could mention the Lord Almighty and His attributes of being Forgiving and Merciful, the answer is that the king of Egypt in the time of Yusuf (peace be upon him) was before the Pharaohs, and nowhere in the entire surah is there any explicit mention of the disbelief of the king or any of his ministers, although there was polytheism among the common people, as was the case with the dreamers in the prison. The Aziz of Egypt also advised his wife to seek forgiveness for her sin, and a polytheist tyrant king could never honor and respect a person like Yusuf (peace be upon him) so much, who openly declared that he had abandoned the religion of a people who do not believe in Allah and the Last Day. Otherwise, Musa (peace be upon him), with the exception of apparent beauty, had even more perfections than Yusuf (peace be upon him), but the Pharaoh of the same Egypt kept him and his people under continuous torment, until the Pharaoh was drowned in the sea. [ وَاللّٰہُ أَعْلَمُ وَ عِلْمُہُ اَتَمُّ ]
