Surah 12

Surah 12:24

"Certainly she was obsessed with him, and he would have been obsessed with her, if (it had) not (been) that he saw a proof of his Lord. (It happened) in this way in order that We might turn evil and immorality away from him. Surely he was one of Our devoted servants."
Wife of the 'Aziz loves Yusuf and plots against Him Verses 12:23-24
Show Full Scripture Context (12:23-24) — 2 Verses
Verse 23

وَرَٰوَدَتۡهُ ٱلَّتِي هُوَ فِي بَيۡتِهَا عَن نَّفۡسِهِۦ وَغَلَّقَتِ ٱلۡأَبۡوَٰبَ وَقَالَتۡ هَيۡتَ لَكَۚ قَالَ مَعَاذَ ٱللَّهِۖ إِنَّهُۥ رَبِّيٓ أَحۡسَنَ مَثۡوَايَۖ إِنَّهُۥ لَا يُفۡلِحُ ٱلظَّـٰلِمُونَ

She, in whose house he was, tried to seduce him. She closed the doors and said, ‘Come here, you!’ He said, ‘God’s refuge! Surely he is my lord, and he has given me a good dwelling place. Surely the evildoers do not prosper.’

Verse 24

وَلَقَدۡ هَمَّتۡ بِهِۦۖ وَهَمَّ بِهَا لَوۡلَآ أَن رَّءَا بُرۡهَٰنَ رَبِّهِۦۚ كَذَٰلِكَ لِنَصۡرِفَ عَنۡهُ ٱلسُّوٓءَ وَٱلۡفَحۡشَآءَۚ إِنَّهُۥ مِنۡ عِبَادِنَا ٱلۡمُخۡلَصِينَ

Certainly she was obsessed with him, and he would have been obsessed with her, if (it had) not (been) that he saw a proof of his Lord. (It happened) in this way in order that We might turn evil and immorality away from him. Surely he was one of Our devoted servants.

Quoted Scripture
"23. And she, in whose house he was, sought to seduce him (to do an evil act), and she closed the doors and said: "Come on, O you." He said: "I seek refuge in Allah! Truly, he is my Rabb! He made my living in a great comfort! Verily, the wrongdoers will never be successful.""

Wife of the 'Aziz loves Yusuf and plots against Him
Allah states that the wife of the 'Aziz of Egypt, in whose house Yusuf resided and whose husband recommended that she takes care of him and be generous to him, tried to seduce Yusuf! She called him to do an evil act with her, because she loved him very much. Yusuf was very handsome, filled with manhood and beauty. She beautified herself for him, closed the doors and called him,
{and (she) said: "Come on, O you."} But he categorically refused her call,
{He said: "I seek refuge in Allah! Truly, he is my Rabb! He made my living in a great comfort!"}

as they used to call the chief and master a 'Rabb', Yusuf said to her, 'your husband is my master who provided me with comfortable living and was kind to me, so I will never betray him by committing immoral sins with his wife,'
{Verily, the wrongdoers will never be successful.}

This was said by Mujahid, As-Suddi, Muhammad bin Ishaq and several others. The scholars differ in their recitation of,
{Hayta Laka}, whereby Ibn 'Abbas, Mujahid and several other scholars said that it means that she was calling him to herself. Al-Bukhari said; "'Ikrimah said that,
{Hayta Laka'} means, 'come on, O you', in the Aramaic language." Al-Bukhari collected this statement from 'Ikrimah without a chain of narration. Other scholars read it with the meaning, 'I am ready for you'. Ibn 'Abbas, Abu 'Abdur-Rahman As-Sulami, Abu Wa'il, 'Ikrimah and Qatadah were reported to have read this part of the Ayah this way and explained it in the manner we mentioned, as 'I am ready for you'.
means, 'Just as We showed him the evidence that turned him away from that sin, We save him from all types of evil and illegal sexual activity in all his affairs,' because,
{Surely, he was one of Our Mukhlasin servants.}

meaning, chosen, purified, designated, appointed and righteous. May Allah's peace and blessings be on him."

About this Source & Scholarly Authority (Tafsir Ibn Kathir)

Universal Sunni Consensus: Tafsir al-Qur'an al-Azim by Hafiz Ibn Kathir (701–774 AH / 1301–1373 AD) is universally regarded across all major schools of Sunni Islam (traditional, Salafi, Ash'ari) as the most authoritative classical exegesis. It is prized because it relies on Tafsir bil-Ma'thur—interpreting the Quran using the Quran itself, authentic Hadiths of Prophet Muhammad, and recorded statements of the early Companions (Sahabah).

Standard English Edition: This text is from the standard 10-volume English abridgment published by Dar-us-Salam Publications (supervised by Shaykh Safiur-Rahman Al-Mubarakpuri), which is the official, most widely distributed English Quranic commentary in mosques and Islamic libraries worldwide today.