Surah 12. Yusuf, Ayah 35
| ثُمَّ بَدَا لَهُمْ مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا رَأَوُا الْآيَاتِ لَيَسْجُنُنَّهُ حَتَّىٰ حِينٍ |
| Transliteration | : | thumma badaa la- -hum min bacdi maa ra'aw al- 'aayaat la- yasjununna -hu h.attaa h.en |
| Pickthall | : | And it seemed good to them (the men folk) after they had seen the signs (of his innocence) to imprison him for a time. |
| Asad | : | For, presently it occurred to the nobleman and his household33 - [even] after they had seen all the signs [of Joseph's innocence] - that they might as well imprison him for a time.34 |
| Malik | : | Still, even after all the evidence they had seen (of his innocence and the guilt of their women), they thought it proper to send him to prison for a while. |
| Yusuf Ali | : | Then it occurred to the men after they had seen the Signs (that it was best) to imprison him for a time. 1684 |
Note - 33Lit., "it occurred to them'.
|
Note - 34Thus, according to the Qur'an, Joseph was imprisoned not
because his master believed him to be guilty, but
because, in his weakness, he wanted to appease his wife,
"being entirely submissive to her, and behaving like a
riding-camel whose reins she held in her hand"
(Zamakhshari).
|
Note - 1684When Joseph's character was completely vindicated, there
was no disgrace to him in being sent to prison after
that. On the contrary the blame now would attach to those
who for their own selfish motives restricted his liberty
for a time. As a matter of fact various motives on the
part of the many actors in this drama converged towards
that end. For Joseph prison was better than the
importunities of the women, and now, not one woman, but
all society women were after him. To the women themselves
it looked as if that was a lever which they could use to
force his compliance. Vain, deluded creatures, to think
that a man of God could be forced from the path of
rectitude by threats or bribes. To the 'Aziz it appears
as if it might be in his wife's best interests that he
should disappear from her view in prison. The decisive
factor was the view of the men generally, who were
alarmed at the consternation he had caused among the
women. They knew that Joseph was righteous: they had seen
the Signs of Allah in his wonderful personality and his
calm and confident fortitude. But, it was argued, it was
better that one man (even if righteous) should suffer in
prison rather than that many should suffer from the
extraordinary disturbance he was unwittingly causing in
their social life. Not for the first nor for the last
time did the righteous suffer plausibly for the guilt of
the guilty. And so Joseph went to prison-for a time.
|
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Thus, according to the Qur'an, Joseph was imprisoned not because his master believed him to be guilty, but because, in his weakness, he wanted to appease his wife, "being entirely submissive to her, and behaving like a riding-camel whose reins she held in her hand" (Zamakhshari). |
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When Joseph's character was completely vindicated, there was no disgrace to him in being sent to prison after that. On the contrary the blame now would attach to those who for their own selfish motives restricted his liberty for a time. As a matter of fact various motives on the part of the many actors in this drama converged towards that end. For Joseph prison was better than the importunities of the women, and now, not one woman, but all society women were after him. To the women themselves it looked as if that was a lever which they could use to force his compliance. Vain, deluded creatures, to think that a man of God could be forced from the path of rectitude by threats or bribes. To the 'Aziz it appears as if it might be in his wife's best interests that he should disappear from her view in prison. The decisive factor was the view of the men generally, who were alarmed at the consternation he had caused among the women. They knew that Joseph was righteous: they had seen the Signs of Allah in his wonderful personality and his calm and confident fortitude. But, it was argued, it was better that one man (even if righteous) should suffer in prison rather than that many should suffer from the extraordinary disturbance he was unwittingly causing in their social life. Not for the first nor for the last time did the righteous suffer plausibly for the guilt of the guilty. And so Joseph went to prison-for a time. |
