The News reaches Women in the City, Who also plot against Yusuf
Allah states that the news of what happened between the wife of the 'Aziz and Yusuf spread in the city, that is, Egypt, and people talked about it,
{And women in the city said...}, such as women of chiefs and princes said, while admonishing and criticizing the wife of the 'Aziz,
{The wife of the 'Aziz is seeking to seduce her (slave) young man,},

she is luring her servant to have sex with her,
{indeed she loves him violently;}, her love for him filled her heart and engulfed it,
{verily, we see her in plain error.}, by loving him and trying to seduce him.
{So when she heard of their accusation,}

especially their statement, "indeed she loves him violently." Muhammad bin Ishaq commented, "They heard of Yusufs beauty and wanted to see him, so they said these words in order to get a look at him." This is when,
{she sent for them}, invited them to her house,
{and prepared a banquet for them.}

Ibn 'Abbas, Said bin Jubayr, Mujahid, Al-Hasan, As-Suddi and several others commented that she prepared a sitting room which had couches, pillows [to recline on] and food that requires knives to cut, such as citron. This is why Allah said next,
{and she gave each one of them a knife}, as a part of her plan of revenge for their plot to see Yusuf,
{and she said [to Yusuf]: "Come out before them."}, for she had asked him to stay somewhere else in the house,
{Then, when} he went out and,
{they saw him, they exalted him}

they thought highly of him and were astonished at what they saw. They started cutting their hands in amazement at his beauty, while thinking that they were cutting the citron with their knives. Therefore, they injured their hands with the knives they were holding, according to several reports of Tafsir.
Others said that after they ate and felt comfortable, and after having placed citron in front of them, giving each one of them a knife, the wife of the 'Aziz asked them, "Would you like to see Yusuf?" They said, "Yes." So she sent for him to come in front of them and when they saw him, they started cutting their hands... She said to them, "You did this from one look at him, so how can I be blamed?" They said to him,
{No man is this! This is none other than a noble angel!}

She then said,
{This is he (the young man) about whom you did blame me,}

meaning, 'because of his amazing beauty and perfect mannerism, he is worthy of being loved.'
{and I did seek to seduce him, but he refused.}

She said, 'He is chaste,' thus praising him for his beauty and for being chaste, both qualities asserting that he is perfect. She admitted that she tried to seduce him, but he refused to obey me. Some scholars said that when the women saw Yusufs beauty, she told them about his inner beauty that they did not know of, being chaste and beautiful from the inside and outside. She then threatened him,
{And now if he refuses to obey my order, he shall certainly be cast into prison, and will be one of those who are disgraced.}

This is when Prophet Yusuf sought refuge with Allah from their evil and wicked plots,
{He said: "O my Lord! Prison is dearer to me than that to which they invite me..."} illegal sexual acts,
{Unless You turn away their plot from me, I will feel inclined towards them}

Yusuf invoked Allah: If You abandon me and I am reliant on myself, then I have no power over myself, nor can I bring harm or benefit to myself, except with Your power and will. Verily, You are sought for each and everything, and our total reliance is on You Alone for each and everything. Please, do not abandon me and leave me to rely on myself, for then,
{"I will feel inclined towards them and be one of the ignorant." So his Lord answered his invocation}

Yusuf, peace be upon him, was immune from error by Allah's will, and He saved him from accepting the advances of the wife of the 'Aziz'. He preferred prison, rather than accept her illicit call. This indicates