Page 234 - Mary: An Exemplary Muslim Woman
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'The governor's wife solicited her servant. He's fired her heart with
love. We see that she's the one to blame'" (Surah Yusuf: 30). These
women were aware that the Prophet Joseph (pbuh) was not to blame,
but that the governor's wife was. When the wife realized that she was
the talk of the town, she began to hatch another scheme.
Seeking to prove that she could not be faulted for desiring the
Prophet Joseph (pbuh) who, as revealed in the verses, was extremely
handsome, she sought to make them partners in her shameful deed. She
invited the women to her home. When they arrived, they were given
fruit knives so that they could peel their fruit. Then she told the Prophet
Joseph (pbuh) to enter the room and watched their reactions. When they
saw him, they were so stunned by his handsomeness that they cut them-
selves. Allah reveals:
But when she heard of their malicious talk, she sent for them and made
a sumptuous meal. Then she gave a knife to each of them. She said [to
Joseph]: "Go out to them." When they saw him, they were amazed by
him and cut their hands. They exclaimed: "Allah preserve us! This is no
man. What can this be but a noble angel here!" (Surah Yusuf: 31)
The Prophet Joseph's (pbuh) handsomeness made these women re-
member Allah, and so they praised Him for the beauty He had created.
They claimed that such beauty could not be human and that the Prophet
Joseph (pbuh) must be an angel. The governor's wife admitted to them
that she had sought to seduce him and that he had tried to remain
chaste. Nevertheless, she repeated her desire for him in their presence
once more:
She said: "You see! It's him you blamed me for. I tried to seduce him, but
he refused. If he does not do what I order him, he will be put in prison
and brought low." (Surah Yusuf: 32)
Her behavior exposed her wicked and ugly character. Maybe she
thought that she could get away with it because of her status and wealth.
Mary: An Exemplary Muslim Woman