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.



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