God Protects the Believers From Sin
[12:23] The lady of the house where he lived tried to seduce him. She closed the doors and said, “I am all yours.” He said, “May GOD protect me. He is my Lord, who gave me a good home.* The transgressors never succeed.”
*12:23 Joseph worded this statement in such a way that the governor’s wife thought that he was talking about her husband, when in fact he was talking about God.
[12:24] She almost succumbed to him, and he almost succumbed to her, if it were not that he saw a proof from his Lord. We thus diverted evil and sin away from him, for he was one of our devoted servants.
[12:25] The two of them raced towards the door, and, in the process, she tore his garment from the back. They found her husband at the door. She said, “What should be the punishment for one who wanted to molest your wife, except imprisonment or a painful punishment?”
[12:26] He said, “She is the one who tried to seduce me.” A witness from her family suggested: “If his garment is torn from the front, then she is telling the truth and he is a liar.
[12:27] “And if his garment is torn from the back, then she lied, and he is telling the truth.”
[12:28] When her husband saw that his garment was torn from the back, he said, “This is a woman’s scheme. Indeed, your scheming is formidable.
[12:29] “Joseph, disregard this incident. As for you (my wife), you should seek forgiveness for your sin. You have committed an error.”
[12:30] Some women in the city gossiped: “The governor’s wife is trying to seduce her servant. She is deeply in love with him. We see that she has gone astray.”
[12:31] When she heard of their gossip, she invited them, prepared for them a comfortable place, and gave each of them a knife. She then said to him, “Enter their room.” When they saw him, they so admired him, that they cut their hands.* They said, “Glory be to GOD, this is not a human being; this is an honorable angel.”
*12:31 This is the same word used in 5:38 regarding the hand of the thief, and the sum of sura and verse numbers (12+31 and 5+38) are the same. Therefore, the thief ‘s hand should be marked, not severed as practiced by the corrupted Islam (see Footnote 5:38).
[12:32] She said, “This is the one you blamed me for falling in love with. I did indeed try to seduce him, and he refused. Unless he does what I command him to do, he will surely go to prison, and will be debased.”
[12:33] He said, “My Lord, the prison is better than giving in to them. Unless You divert their scheming from me, I may desire them and behave like the ignorant ones.”
[12:34] His Lord answered his prayer and diverted their scheming from him. He is the Hearer, the Omniscient.
[12:35] Later, they saw to it, despite the clear proofs, that they should imprison him for awhile.
[12:36] Two young men were in the prison with him. One of them said, “I saw (in my dream) that I was making wine,” and the other said, “I saw myself carrying bread on my head, from which the birds were eating. Inform us of the interpretation of these dreams. We see that you are righteous.”
[12:37] He said, “If any food is provided to you, I can inform you about it before you receive it. This is some of the knowledge bestowed upon me by my Lord. I have forsaken the religion of people who do not believe in GOD, and with regard to the Hereafter, they are really disbelievers.
[12:38] “And I followed instead the religion of my ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. We never set up any idols beside GOD. Such is the blessing from GOD upon us and upon the people, but most people are unappreciative.
[12:39] “O my prison mates, are several gods better, or GOD alone, the One, the Supreme?
[12:40] “You do not worship beside Him except innovations that you have made up, you and your parents. GOD has never authorized such idols. All ruling belongs to GOD, and He has ruled that you shall not worship except Him. This is the perfect religion, but most people do not know.
[12:41] “O my prison mates, one of you will be the wine butler for his lord, while the other will be crucified— the birds will eat from his head. This settles the matter about which you have inquired.”
[12:42] He then said to the one to be saved “Remember me at your lord.”* Thus, the devil caused him to forget his Lord, and, consequently, he remained in prison a few more years.
*12:42 When Joseph begged his companion to intercede with the king on his behalf, he exhibited dependence on other than God to be saved from the prison. This does not befit a true believer, and such a serious slip cost Joseph a few years in the prison. We learn from the Quran that only God can relieve any hardship that might befall us. A true believer trusts in God and depends totally on Him alone (1:5, 6:17, 8:17, 10:107).
In 12:26 we see that an archaic judgment went to Joseph’s favor, but when the governor’s wife was clearly lying it went against Joseph despite the circumstances.
12:33 shows that Joseph thought it was better to go to prison rather than giving into sin. This to the rebels who took the choice to become animals during the great feud.
It was because Joseph went to prison that he met the contact that got him the job with Pharaoh. Connections come from unexpected places.
God held Joseph in prison similar to Jonah stayed in the fish’s belly until he realized he needed to repent. Otherwise if God let them out too soon they would commit the same error and would have never learned their lesson. Like a cake that if taken out of the oven prematurely would not be complete.
[68:49] If it were not for his Lord’s grace, he would have been ejected into the desert as a sinner.
12:37 is similar to the claim Jesus makes in 3:49
[3:49] As a messenger to the Children of Israel: “I come to you with a sign from your Lord—I create for you from clay the shape of a bird, then I blow into it, and it becomes a live bird by GOD’s leave. I restore vision to the blind, heal the leprous, and I revive the dead by GOD’s leave. I can tell you what you eat, and what you store in your homes. This should be a proof for you, if you are believers.
[3:155] Surely, those among you who turned back the day the two armies clashed have been duped by the devil. This reflects some of the (evil) works they had committed. GOD has pardoned them. GOD is Forgiver, Clement.
[48:24] He is the One who withheld their hands of aggression against you, and withheld your hands of aggression against them in the valley of Mecca, after He had granted you victory over them. GOD is Seer of everything you do.
He implored God to save him, Mary also sought refuge in God; when we are in an uncertain we should seek refuge in God.
[41:36] When the devil whispers an idea to you, you shall seek refuge in GOD. He is the Hearer, the Omniscient.
Satan only has power over disbelievers, but if we forget something does this tell us that Satan has power over us? Is forgetting sign of disbeliever?
Joseph forgot that God is in control, the only power that Satan has is a whisper it is our choice to block it out or listen to it. Forgetting is a sign that it is not a priority.
God uses the example of prophets to show that they make mistakes also, forgetting does not have to do with a disbeliever, it is an opportunity to ask God to bring us closer to Him if we forget or make mistakes. It is a means of recognizing our weakness and grow our soul to get closer to God. Do not despair of God’s grace, He is the source of forgiveness and mercy.
To think anyone or anything can help or save us beside God it is idol worship – this slip had a serious and immediate consequence for Joseph. Nothing can happen for us unless our Lord wills it.
[18:63] He said, “Remember when we sat by the rock back there? I paid no attention to the fish. It was the devil who made me forget it, and it found its way back to the river, strangely.”
If we forget with old age is that influenced by the devil?
Old age is as God says, we have wear and tear on the body and mind.
[19:4] He said, “My Lord, the bones have turned brittle in my body, and my hair is aflame with gray. As I implore You, my Lord, I never despair.
If we ask someone for help today is that the same as Joseph? For example if we say to a recruiter “I hope you will keep me in mind when filling this position.”
This is the natural language for recruiting and in a professional setting. Don’t think that this is forgetting God. As long as we are saying to ourselves that God is helping me thru this person – it is our innermost intentions that matter the most.
God is the one who controls our happiness and provisions
[10:107] If GOD touches you with a hardship, none can relieve it except He. And when He blesses you, no force can prevent His grace. He bestows it upon whomever He chooses from among His servants. He is the Forgiver, Most Merciful.
[17:56] Say, “Implore whatever idols you have set up beside Him.” They have no power to relieve your afflictions, nor can they prevent them.
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