Page 79 - Perfected Faith

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EXAMPLES OF PERFECTED FAITH IN THE QUR'AN

His master's wife attempted to seduce him. She barred the
doors and said, "Come over here!" "Allah is my refuge!" he
(Yusuf) replied. "He is My Lord and has treated me with kind-
ness. Those who do wrong shall surely never prosper." (Surah
Yusuf, 23)
They both rushed to the door. She tore his shirt at the back.
They met her husband by the door. She said, "How should a
man whose intention was to harm your family be punished for
what he did, except with prison or painful punishment?" Yusuf
said, "It was she who tried to seduce me."... (Surah Yusuf, 25-26)
The governor saw the shirt torn at the back and said, "The
source of this is women's deviousness. Without a doubt your
guile is very great. Yusuf, ignore all this, and you, my wife,
should ask forgiveness for your evil act. There is no doubt that
you are in the wrong." (Surah Yusuf, 28-29)
She said, "You see! It's him you blamed me for. I tried seducing
him but he refused. If he does not do what I order, he will be
put in prison and brought low." "My Lord", said Yusuf, "prison
is preferable to me than what they call on me to do. Unless You
turn their guile away from me, it may well be that I will yield to
them and so lapse into ignorance." His Lord answered his
prayer and turned away from him their female guile and devi-
ousness. He is the One Who Hears, the One Who Knows. Yet,
even after they had seen the Signs, they thought that they
should still imprison him for a time. (Surah Yusuf, 32-35)
… and so he stayed in prison for several years. (Surah Yusuf, 42)
Now after being plotted against by his brothers and unjustly slan-
dered by the governor's wife, Yusuf (as) had nothing to look forward
to but several years of imprisonment. However, throughout all these
long years, the Prophet Yusuf (as) did not despair even for a moment
but, aware that there is good and wisdom behind these events Allah
ordained, hopefully prayed to Him and showed determination in his