سُوْرَةُ يُوسُفَ
Surah Yusuf (12) — Ayah 33
قَالَ رَبِّ ٱلسِّجْنُ أَحَبُّ إِلَىَّ مِمَّا يَدْعُونَنِىٓ إِلَيْهِ ۖ وَإِلَّا تَصْرِفْ عَنِّى كَيْدَهُنَّ أَصْبُ إِلَيْهِنَّ وَأَكُن مِّنَ ٱلْجَـٰهِلِينَ ﴿33﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
He said: "O my Lord! Prison is dearer to me than that to which they invite me. Unless You turn away their plot from me, I will feel inclined towards them and be one (of those who commit sin and deserve blame or those who do deeds) of the ignorant."
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
قَالَ
qāla
He said
رَبِّ
rabbi
My Lord
ٱلسِّجْنُ
l-sij'nu
the prison
أَحَبُّ
aḥabbu
(is) dearer
إِلَىَّ
ilayya
to me
مِمَّا
mimmā
than what
يَدْعُونَنِىٓ
yadʿūnanī
they invite me
إِلَيْهِ ۖ
ilayhi
to it
وَإِلَّا
wa-illā
And unless
تَصْرِفْ
taṣrif
You turn away
عَنِّى
ʿannī
from me
كَيْدَهُنَّ
kaydahunna
their plot
أَصْبُ
aṣbu
I might incline
إِلَيْهِنَّ
ilayhinna
towards them
وَأَكُن
wa-akun
and [I] be
مِّنَ
mina
of
ٱلْجَـٰهِلِينَ
l-jāhilīna
the ignorant
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.
33. Yusuf said: O my Lord! Prison is dearer to me than what they are calling me to [32]. And if You do not turn their plot away from me, I might incline towards them and become of the ignorant [33].
[32]
An Example of the Obscenity of Egyptian Civilization:
Reflect upon this. How great a trial this period was for Sayyiduna Yusuf (peace be upon him). At first, one woman was after him. Now, the beautiful wives of all the chiefs of the city were after him, who, verbally, were advising Sayyiduna Yusuf (peace be upon him) to accept Zulaikha’s proposal and save himself from imprisonment, but in reality, each one of them was trying to attract him towards herself. It had even become difficult for him to move about freely in the city. Now, only two paths remained before him: either to accept the words of these women, or to prefer being imprisoned. Incidentally, this incident also sheds considerable light on the moral condition of that era—how widespread indecency was, how much freedom and boldness women had in matters of obscenity, and how weak or shameless men were in comparison.
The Supplication of Sayyiduna Yusuf (peace be upon him) and His Preference for Imprisonment:
Seeing this situation, Sayyiduna Yusuf (peace be upon him) cried out to his Lord alone, that in this period of trial, only You can keep me steadfast and protect me from the cunning of these women, otherwise I do not have the strength to face these storms. In this filthy environment, I consider it better to endure the hardship of imprisonment.
[33]
The Unpracticing Scholar is Ignorant:
From this it is understood that a scholar who does not act according to his knowledge is, in terms of Shariah, ignorant, and the term “ignorant” can be applied to him.
[32]
An Example of the Obscenity of Egyptian Civilization:
Reflect upon this. How great a trial this period was for Sayyiduna Yusuf (peace be upon him). At first, one woman was after him. Now, the beautiful wives of all the chiefs of the city were after him, who, verbally, were advising Sayyiduna Yusuf (peace be upon him) to accept Zulaikha’s proposal and save himself from imprisonment, but in reality, each one of them was trying to attract him towards herself. It had even become difficult for him to move about freely in the city. Now, only two paths remained before him: either to accept the words of these women, or to prefer being imprisoned. Incidentally, this incident also sheds considerable light on the moral condition of that era—how widespread indecency was, how much freedom and boldness women had in matters of obscenity, and how weak or shameless men were in comparison.
The Supplication of Sayyiduna Yusuf (peace be upon him) and His Preference for Imprisonment:
Seeing this situation, Sayyiduna Yusuf (peace be upon him) cried out to his Lord alone, that in this period of trial, only You can keep me steadfast and protect me from the cunning of these women, otherwise I do not have the strength to face these storms. In this filthy environment, I consider it better to endure the hardship of imprisonment.
[33]
The Unpracticing Scholar is Ignorant:
From this it is understood that a scholar who does not act according to his knowledge is, in terms of Shariah, ignorant, and the term “ignorant” can be applied to him.
