قَالَتْ فَذَٰلِكُنَّ ٱلَّذِى لُمْتُنَّنِى فِيهِ وَلَقَدْ رَٰوَدتُّهُۥ عَن نَّفْسِهِۦ فَٱسْتَعْصَمَ وَلَئِن لَّمْ يَفْعَلْ مَآ ءَامُرُهُۥ لَيُسْجَنَنَّ وَلَيَكُونًا مِّنَ ٱلصَّٰغِرِينَ
“She said: This is he on whose account ye blamed me. I asked of him an evil act, but he proved continent, but if he do not my behest he verily shall be imprisoned, and verily shall be of those brought low.” — M. M. Pickthall
Taberî9-10. c.✓ Citation verified
According to Taberî, in this verse the wife of the Aziz tells the women who blame her that merely seeing Yusuf once caused such astonishment and passion in them that it led them to cut their hands, therefore her love for him should not be condemned. She then admits that she tried to persuade Yusuf to comply with her wishes, and says that if he does not submit to what she desires, she will imprison him and humiliate him. The text also explains through narrations that the word 'fastaʿsama' means 'to avoid or resist' and clarifies the grammatical structure of the nun letters in the words 'layasjunanna' and 'waliyakūnā' (the emphatic nun with shadda and light nun similar to tanwīn).
ثم أقرت لهن بأنها قد راودته عن نفسه، وأن الذي تحدثن به عنها في أمره حق، فقالت: مما راودته عليه من ذلك
Fahreddin er-Râzî12-13. c.✓ Citation verified
In this section, Râzî conveys that the verse clearly and explicitly states that he is completely free and innocent from the women's accusation against Yusuf. Furthermore, transmitting from Qatāda, he notes that the verse mentions two factors that prevent falling into disbelief—the recitation of Allah's book and the presence of the Messenger among them—and states that while the Messenger has passed away, the book remains until the Day of Judgment. He then rejects the narration attributed to Suddī that 'fastaʿsama' occurred after the loosening of the garment as a corrupt and invalid addition that is unfit for the Quranic text.
واعلم أن هذا تصريح بأنه عليه السلام كان بريئا عن تلك التهمة ، وعن السدي أنه قال : { فاستعصم } بعد حل السراويل وما الذي يحمله على إلحاق هذه الزيادة الفاسدة الباطلة بنص الكتاب
Kurtubî13. c.✓ Citation verified
According to Kurtubî, Zulaykhā apologizes to the women who blame her, saying 'this is the love you blame me for, I admit that I desired him but he avoided me.' Additionally, the word 'istaʿsama' is explained with the meaning of 'avoidance/protection from disobedience,' and differences in recitation and pausing related to the emphatic nun in the words 'layasjunanna' and 'waliyakūnā' are explained from a linguistic perspective.
لمتنني فيه أي بحبه وذلك بمعنى هذا وهو اختيار الطبري وقيل : الهاء للحب وذلك على بابه والمعنى : ذلكن الحب الذي لمتنني فيه أي حب هذا هو ذلك الحب واللوم الوصف بالقبيح
İbn Kesîr14. c.✓ Citation verified
According to Ibn Kathīr, this statement that Yusuf made as an excuse to the women reveals not only his visible beauty but also a hidden quality: despite possessing such beauty, he was chaste, god-fearing, and pure. While the women only saw his outward beauty, he responded to those who blamed him with both his beauty and this hidden quality of chastity. The text compares this situation to how the houris also combine beauty and chastity in the same way.
قال بعضهم لما رأين جماله الظاهر أخبرتهن بصفاته الحسنة التي تخفى عنهن وهي العفة مع هذا الجمال
Beydâvî13. c.✓ Citation verified
According to this exegete, while Yusuf's blaming is directed at the person in question, the woman's statement 'I blamed him for this' is positioned this way in order to exalt the value of the one referred to (Yusuf). Furthermore, Yusuf's statement 'he protected himself' means that he resisted by seeking divine protection; the women's acknowledgment of his righteousness was to soften him and help the woman.
ولقد راودته عن نفسه فاستعصم فامتنع طلبا للعصمة، أقرت لهن حين عرفت أنهن يعذرنها كي يعاونها على إلانة عريكته.
Comparison
Common ground
The common point among the exegetes is that the center of the verse is Yusuf's chastity and innocence, along with linguistic analysis based on the word 'istaʿsama' meaning 'avoidance/resistance'; while Taberî, Kurtubî, and Beydāwī address the grammatical and rhetorical aspects of this word, Râzī and Ibn Kathīr focus on emphasizing Yusuf's chastity.
Differences
While Taberî and Kurtubî focus more on linguistic and grammatical details (the emphatic nun, recitation differences), Râzī criticizes and rejects certain transmitted narrations (such as Suddī's narration about the garment) in terms of their suitability to the Quranic wording; Ibn Kathīr interprets the verse within a moral-spiritual framework through a comparison of outward and inward beauty, while Beydāwī draws attention to the rhetorical function of the expression (elevating the value of Yusuf). These differences reflect the methodological diversity between the language and narration-focused approach of classical exegetes and the more critical and moral-interpretive approaches of later exegetes.
Historical context
While the early exegete Taberî presents narration and linguistic analysis together, the subsequent Râzī adopts a more critical stance by questioning these narrations in terms of reason and textual compatibility; Kurtubî and Beydāwī continue the emphasis on language and rhetoric, while Ibn Kathīr transforms the narrative into a moral teaching, showing that within this period interpretation evolved from narration to moral-literary inference.
Modern connection
This verse can draw attention to the importance of consistency between a person's external appearance and inner world, namely moral integrity. The effort to maintain patience and chastity when faced with difficulties can be considered as a constructive example in the context of personal development and social trust in our time. Additionally, evaluating different interpretations together can be seen as a reflection of the culture of critical thinking and tolerant dialogue in the scholarly tradition.
AI analysis — not a fatwa or ruling, not yet reviewed by a scholar