سُوْرَةُ يُوسُفَ
Surah Yusuf (12) — Ayah 31
فَلَمَّا سَمِعَتْ بِمَكْرِهِنَّ أَرْسَلَتْ إِلَيْهِنَّ وَأَعْتَدَتْ لَهُنَّ مُتَّكَـًٔا وَءَاتَتْ كُلَّ وَٰحِدَةٍ مِّنْهُنَّ سِكِّينًا وَقَالَتِ ٱخْرُجْ عَلَيْهِنَّ ۖ فَلَمَّا رَأَيْنَهُۥٓ أَكْبَرْنَهُۥ وَقَطَّعْنَ أَيْدِيَهُنَّ وَقُلْنَ حَـٰشَ لِلَّهِ مَا هَـٰذَا بَشَرًا إِنْ هَـٰذَآ إِلَّا مَلَكٌ كَرِيمٌ ﴿31﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
So when she heard of their accusation, she sent for them and prepared a banquet for them; she gave each one of them a knife (to cut the foodstuff with), and she said [(to Yûsuf (Joseph)]: "Come out before them." Then, when they saw him, they exalted him (at his beauty) and (in their astonishment) cut their hands. They said: "How perfect is Allâh (or Allâh forbid)! No man is this! This is none other than a noble angel!"
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
فَلَمَّا
falammā
So when
سَمِعَتْ
samiʿat
she heard
بِمَكْرِهِنَّ
bimakrihinna
of their scheming
أَرْسَلَتْ
arsalat
she sent
إِلَيْهِنَّ
ilayhinna
for them
وَأَعْتَدَتْ
wa-aʿtadat
and she prepared
لَهُنَّ
lahunna
for them
مُتَّكَـًۭٔا
muttaka-an
a banquet
وَءَاتَتْ
waātat
and she gave
كُلَّ
kulla
each
وَٰحِدَةٍۢ
wāḥidatin
one
مِّنْهُنَّ
min'hunna
of them
سِكِّينًۭا
sikkīnan
a knife
وَقَالَتِ
waqālati
and she said
ٱخْرُجْ
ukh'ruj
Come out
عَلَيْهِنَّ ۖ
ʿalayhinna
before them
فَلَمَّا
falammā
Then when
رَأَيْنَهُۥٓ
ra-aynahu
they saw him
أَكْبَرْنَهُۥ
akbarnahu
they greatly admired him
وَقَطَّعْنَ
waqaṭṭaʿna
and cut
أَيْدِيَهُنَّ
aydiyahunna
their hands
وَقُلْنَ
waqul'na
they said
حَـٰشَ
ḥāsha
Forbid
لِلَّهِ
lillahi
Allah
مَا
mā
not
هَـٰذَا
hādhā
(is) this
بَشَرًا
basharan
a man
إِنْ
in
not
هَـٰذَآ
hādhā
(is) this
إِلَّا
illā
but
مَلَكٌۭ
malakun
an angel
كَرِيمٌۭ
karīmun
noble
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran — Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran (Facilitation of the Quran) is a comprehensive Quran commentary by Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. Known for his eloquent and accessible writing style, Kilani authored this tafsir with a focus on clarity — making Quranic meanings understandable to the common reader. The tafsir provides detailed historical context for verses related to battles and expeditions, and firmly refutes modernist ideologies using strong scriptural evidence. It is widely regarded as an invaluable resource for understanding the Quran and countering deviant interpretations. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
31. When she (Zulaikha) heard their cunning [29] talk, she sent for them and prepared a cushioned banquet for them, and gave each woman a knife [30], and said to Yusuf: Come out before them. When the women saw him, they were so struck by his beauty that they cut their hands (while cutting fruit), and exclaimed: This is not a human being; this is but a noble angel!
[29]
The Gossip of the City Women and Taunts to Zulaikha:
What the Aziz of Egypt feared eventually happened. Gradually, the matter spread among the women of the city that the wife of the Aziz of Egypt, Zulaikha, had fallen in love with her slave. She had tried to ensnare him in her web of deceit, but he did not fall into her trap. This much was true, and then, especially among women, it is common to comment on such matters. They criticized Zulaikha in several ways. One was that she was such a lowly woman that she fell in love with her own slave, and secondly, that she was so foolish that even if she was infatuated with Yusuf, she could not attract him to herself. After all, for a young woman, it is not a big deal to attract a young man.
[30]
The Arrangement of the Banquet:
Zulaikha was greatly distressed by the talk of the city women, yet she considered herself excused in this matter. She thought that there could be no woman who, upon seeing a handsome and beautiful young man like Yusuf, would not become infatuated with him. Secondly, she was also convinced that no matter how much a woman adorned herself before Yusuf, he was such a great and pious man that he could not be inclined towards her. Now, to test both these things and to establish proof against the women who were gossiping and to prove them false, she devised a plan. She arranged a lavish banquet, provided fruits, and also placed knives for peeling and cutting the fruits, and invited all those women who had been making such remarks. When the women arrived and became engaged in eating and drinking, Zulaikha called Yusufؑ into the gathering. The women, upon seeing the beauty and elegance of Yusufؑ, became so absorbed and entranced that instead of cutting the fruits, their knives cut their own hands. And it is mentioned in the Hadith that during the narration of the event of Mi'raj, the Prophetﷺ said: When the door of the third heaven was opened, there he met Sayyiduna Yusufؑ. Allah had granted him half of all beauty. [مسلم، كتاب الايمان، باب الاسراء برسول الله الي السموات وفرض الصلوات]
The Testimony of the Commenting Women:
Then they themselves saw with their own eyes that despite all their allure and charm, Yusufؑ did not even raise his eyes to look at any of them, so they spontaneously exclaimed that this is not a human being but a noble angel. It is impossible for a young man to be so far above sexual desires that he would not even look towards us.
[29]
The Gossip of the City Women and Taunts to Zulaikha:
What the Aziz of Egypt feared eventually happened. Gradually, the matter spread among the women of the city that the wife of the Aziz of Egypt, Zulaikha, had fallen in love with her slave. She had tried to ensnare him in her web of deceit, but he did not fall into her trap. This much was true, and then, especially among women, it is common to comment on such matters. They criticized Zulaikha in several ways. One was that she was such a lowly woman that she fell in love with her own slave, and secondly, that she was so foolish that even if she was infatuated with Yusuf, she could not attract him to herself. After all, for a young woman, it is not a big deal to attract a young man.
[30]
The Arrangement of the Banquet:
Zulaikha was greatly distressed by the talk of the city women, yet she considered herself excused in this matter. She thought that there could be no woman who, upon seeing a handsome and beautiful young man like Yusuf, would not become infatuated with him. Secondly, she was also convinced that no matter how much a woman adorned herself before Yusuf, he was such a great and pious man that he could not be inclined towards her. Now, to test both these things and to establish proof against the women who were gossiping and to prove them false, she devised a plan. She arranged a lavish banquet, provided fruits, and also placed knives for peeling and cutting the fruits, and invited all those women who had been making such remarks. When the women arrived and became engaged in eating and drinking, Zulaikha called Yusufؑ into the gathering. The women, upon seeing the beauty and elegance of Yusufؑ, became so absorbed and entranced that instead of cutting the fruits, their knives cut their own hands. And it is mentioned in the Hadith that during the narration of the event of Mi'raj, the Prophetﷺ said: When the door of the third heaven was opened, there he met Sayyiduna Yusufؑ. Allah had granted him half of all beauty. [مسلم، كتاب الايمان، باب الاسراء برسول الله الي السموات وفرض الصلوات]
The Testimony of the Commenting Women:
Then they themselves saw with their own eyes that despite all their allure and charm, Yusufؑ did not even raise his eyes to look at any of them, so they spontaneously exclaimed that this is not a human being but a noble angel. It is impossible for a young man to be so far above sexual desires that he would not even look towards us.
