| Submission (Islam in Arabic), like all the previous religions
of God, strongly condemns sexual misconduct and considers it a
gross offense. See 17:32, 27:54
Submission (Islam) does not only condemn sexual
misconduct but it also condemns the false accusations of people
with such an offense and creating and/or spreading rumors about
such accusations.
God, the Most Merciful, knows that accusing
innocent people with such a crime is detrimental to the society
and to the spirit of the people living in such a society.
Accusations of people with sexual misconduct is as
old as the history of the human race. In many societies, the law
of the land is that the word of the accuser is accepted against
the word of the accused.
In the USA, for example, if no proof can be
established in favor of either parties, it is usually the word of
the accuser against the word of the accused, while in some other
societies, if the accused is of a higher social class, his/her
word will be accepted instead of the accuser.
God in the Quran does not take but the side of
justice and well-being of the society as a whole. The message that
comes out of the Quran is that accusation of someone with sexual
misconduct or spreading rumors with such accusations is a very
serious matter and is not looked upon lightly by God.
God used the strongest language possible to admonish those who
commit such an offense by spreading rumors and repeating
accusations of sexual misconduct for which they did not have a
proof. The proof here, is the personal knowledge of a proof and
not just hearing about a proof.
Sura 12 (Joseph-Yousuf) and Sura 24 (Light -Al-Noor)like
all the other suras of the Quran, have great lessons for all of
us.
"In their history, there
is a LESSON for those who possess intelligence. This is not
a fabricated hadith; this (Quran) confirms all previous
scriptures, and provides the details of everything. It is a beacon
and mercy for those who believe." 12:111
Many of the Muslims (and non-Muslims) today who
are reading the history of previous generations in the Quran are
not appreciating what these stories mean or what lessons they
teach. For them these stories only represent " . . . tales from
the past." But God insists on reminding us with the reasons for
telling us the history of previous messengers, prophets,
communities and nations.
".......God thus cites
the examples for the people, that they may take heed."
14:25
Let us take heed and reflect on the Quranic
Justice in the case of false accusations of sexual misconduct and
spreading rumors about such accusations. This issue is so
important, that God explained it in detail in Sura 24 and gave us
a great example of it in Sura 12. For those submitters (Muslims in
Arabic), who studied their Quran, they will realize that this
important issue is also treated in such a way to show us in detail
"How to handle the accusations of sexual misconduct in
an Islamic society or community?"
The incident in Sura 24 is in reference to the
false accusation of Aysha, the Prophet's wife with sexual
misconduct, for which the prophet Muhammed was very upset and
disturbed. God elaborated on this incident without mentioning
names to teach His true believers a great lesson. Read these
verses and reflect on the implications that God put in these words
and these verses.
24:11-13 "A Gang
among you produced a big lie. Do not think that it was bad for
you, in fact it was good for you (as a lesson). Meanwhile, each
one of them has earned his share of guilt. And the one who
initiated the whole incident has incurred a terrible retribution.
When you heard it, the believers should have had better thoughts
about themselves, and should have said, "This is obviously a big
lie." You should have
demanded four witnesses. If the WITNESSES were NOT PRODUCED, then
they are according to God, LIARS."
God demands from His true believers before
accusing anyone of sexual misconduct or spreading rumors
about anyone to have a proof, or to produce four witnesses.
Accusations of sexual misconduct that is carried out against
anybody who denies them and without verifiable proofs,
are considered by God a gross sin. The failure to produce four
witnesses means this person or these persons should be considered
according to God, LIARS.
"You fabricated it with
your own tongues, and the rest of you repeated it with your mouths
without proof. You thought it was simple, when it was, according
to God, gross." 24:15
---YOU THOUGHT IT WAS
SIMPLE, WHEN IT WAS, ACCORDING TO GOD, GROSS.---
What should they do ?
24:16 "When you
heard it, you should have said, "We will not repeat this. Glory be
to You. This is a gross falsehood."
Many Muslims missed these lessons but again God
reminds them in 24:17 It is spelled out clearly in this verse
24:17
"GOD ADMONISHES YOU THAT YOU
SHALL NEVER DO THIS AGAIN,
IF YOU ARE REALLY BELIEVERS."
..............SHALL NEVER
DO IT AGAIN..........
This important lesson is usually forgotten,
because many of those who claim to be Muslims fail to uphold
the great teachings of the Quran specially if it inconveniences
their plans of scheming and plotting against someone they do not
like. They may have also looked at these stories in the Quran as
"tales from the past."
Stories and history in the Quran are meant to
teach us today, for our everyday life and was never meant only for
the previous generations. Our generation, at this time of our
life, needs this guidance and this kind of justice now as much as
the previous generations needed them and even more. Only the true
believers will hear and obey, while the hypocrites and
disbelievers will try to find excuses not to follow the rules and
commandments of God. The Quranic justice is not good enough for
them, or in other words, for them, God is not enough nor His book,
the Quran. Even for those who might have missed 24:17, God gave
us another great lesson in 49:6,
"O you who believe, if a
wicked person brings news to you, you shall first investigate,
lest you commit injustice towards some people out of Ignorance,
then become sorry for what you have done."
It is God's Quranic justice system that requires
four witnesses to prove an accusation of sexual misconduct of a
man or a woman, See 24:3-9. However, the utmost justice is
represented by the fact that, if you have no witness then it is
the word of the ACCUSED against the word of the ACCUSER and it is
God who will then judge them and condemn the liar. WHEN THERE IS
NO WITNESS, GOD DOES NOT GIVE THE JUDGMENT TO US (Humans), knowing
that man is biased by nature, where hatred, prejudice, ignorance
and jealousy may influence his judgment. The judgment then rests
with the law of God in the Quran. A liar, being the accused or
accuser, will not escape God's justice either in this life or in
the Hereafter.
For those who falsely accuse women of sexual
misconduct, God specified the punishment for them in this life, as
well as His wrath in the Hereafter.
24:4 "Those who
accuse married women of adultery, then fail to produce four
witnesses, you shall whip them eighty lashes, and do not EVER
accept any testimony from them; they are wicked."
24:23 "Surely,
those who falsely accuse married women who are pious believers
have incurred condemnation in this life and in the Hereafter; they
have incurred a horrendous retribution."
For the accusations of sexual misconduct that is
exchanged between husbands and wives, God set their rule also in
Sura 24.
24:6-10 "As for
those who accuse their own spouses, without any other witnesses,
then the testimony may be accepted if he swears by GOD four times
that he is telling the truth. The fifth oath shall be to incur
GOD's condemnation upon him, if he was lying. She shall be
considered innocent if she swears by GOD four times that he is a
liar. The fifth oath shall incur GOD's wrath upon her if he was
telling the truth. This is GOD's grace and mercy towards you. GOD
is Redeemer, Most Wise." 24:6-10
God spared no words to tell us that He means every
order in these verses of Sura 24.
" A sura that we reveal,
and DECREE
as a law. We reveal in it
CLEAR revelations, that
you may take heed." 24:1
"We have revealed to you
clarifying revelations and examples from the past generations, and
an enlightenment for the righteous." 24:34
|
ACCUSATIONS OF SEXUAL MISCONDUCT
AND THE MESSENGER OF GOD: |
The prophets and messengers, being humans like us,
had been subjected to all kinds of crimes that can be committed
against a human being. They were subjected to everything from
accusations of sexual misconduct to murder and anything
in-between. The prophet Muhammed was verbally abused, physically
assaulted and emotionally insulted by those who lived around him
and could not accept his message of worshipping God alone. They
even insulted his beloved wife Aysha by falsely accusing her of
sexual misconduct and spreading rumors about it. As we know now
these insults and accusations did not represent the weakness of
the prophet Muhammed, but rather the strength of his message.
People with poor issues need not be attacked because their message
will fall apart by itself. People with real strong issues are like
a tree full of fruits at which people throw all kinds of rocks.
Nobody throws rocks at a dry fruitless tree.
History will repeat itself. When the people cannot
face the issues, they try to assail the character - a game one may
play in politics, but not with God. The example given to us in
sura 12, is almost a reflection of what some misguided people can
do and are doing these days.
A messenger of God, Joseph, was accused of sexual
misconduct with his master's wife. Although he was innocent,
denied the accusations and there were no witness but the accuser,
he was thrown into the prison. According to the hypocrites and
misguided people, Joseph would be labeled a fraud, because he was
accused, convicted and jailed.
Despite that, Joseph was chosen as a messenger of
God even before he was sent to the prison. God could have spared
him these false accusations and the prison, but God wants to teach
us a lesson. God makes it a lesson for all the generations to
come, including our generation. What happened to Joseph did not
change the fact that Joseph was a messenger of God and did not
change his message of worshipping God alone. It enforces the fact
that , accusing anyone or even convicting him and putting him in
jail is no proof of wrong doing if there is no proof, no witness
and as long as the accused denies the accusations.
Again, history repeats itself and the
messenger of the
covenant was accused in the same exact way, accusations he
adamantly denied , but the misguided people and the hypocrites
disregarded God's commandments in the Quran (see 24:11-15) and
tried to assail his character to revenge for what he did of
exposing their misguidance and the false teachings they uphold
beside the Quran. Today's hypocrites and misguided people come
armed with web sites, HTML files and new technology that will as
much be their witness on the Day that God will ask them why they
did not take heed from the Quran.
Accusations, insults, physical abuses or murders
are part of our testing, we, the human beings. We are put through
these tests to have the disbelievers and the hypocrites exposed
and to purify the true believers and advance them to higher ranks.
"We must test you with
some fear, hunger, and loss of money, lives and crops and give
good news to the steadfast." 2:155
More important is the fact
that these accusations, insults or murders of the messengers, the
prophets and/or the righteous people will not change the truth, or
the message, because the truth will always prevail. The
message will always be the same, WORSHIP GOD ALONE.
"They want to put out
God's light with their mouths, but God insists upon perfecting His
light, in spite of the disbelievers." 9:32.
The lessons in Sura 12 and Sura 24 cannot be
disregarded except by those who refuse to believe God in His own
book, the Quran. For them, to call themselves Muslims is an insult
to Islam (Submission), an insult to GOD of the book and an insult
to the Prophet who brought that same book.
Here, I will reproduce Sura 24 and part of Sura
12, for those who are interested, from the English Translation of
the Quran by Dr. Rashad Khalifa.
Sura 24, Light , Al-Noor (in Arabic)
In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful
[24:1] A sura that
we have sent down, and we have decreed as law. We have revealed in
it clear revelations, that you may take heed.
[24:2] The
adulteress and the adulterer you shall whip each of them a hundred
lashes. Do not be swayed by pity from carrying out GOD's law, if
you truly believe in GOD and the Last Day. And let a group of
believers witness their penalty.*
*24:2 Social pressure, i.e., public witnessing of
the penalty, is the basic punishment (see also 5:38). The lashes
shall be symbolic, not severe.
[24:3] The
adulterer will end up marrying an adulteress or an idol worshiper,
and the adulteress will end up marrying an adulterer or an idol
worshiper. This is prohibited for the believers.
[24:4] Those who
accuse married women of adultery, then fail to produce four
witnesses, you shall whip them eighty lashes, and do not accept
any testimony from them; they are wicked.
[24:5] If they
repent afterwards and reform, then GOD is Forgiver, Merciful.
[24:6] As for
those who accuse their own spouses, without any other witnesses,
then the testimony may be accepted if he swears by GOD four times
that he is telling the truth.
[24:7] The fifth
oath shall be to incur GOD's condemnation upon him, if he was
lying.
[24:8] She shall
be considered innocent if she swears by GOD four times that he is
a liar.
[24:9] The fifth
oath shall incur GOD's wrath upon her if he was telling the truth.
[24:10] This is
GOD's grace and mercy towards you. GOD is Redeemer, Most Wise.
[24:11] A gang
among you produced a big lie.* Do not think that it was bad for
you; instead, it was good for you. Meanwhile, each one of them has
earned his share of the guilt. As for the one who initiated the
whole incident, he has incurred a terrible retribution.
*24:11 This refers to a
historical incident where the Prophet Muhammad's wife Aysha was
left in the desert by mistake, and later found by a young man who
helped her catch up with the Prophet's caravan. This
triggered the famous `Big Lie' against Aysha.
[24:12] When you
heard it, the believing men and the believing women should have
had better thoughts about themselves, and should have said, "This
is obviously a big lie."
[24:13] Only if
they produced four witnesses (you may believe them). If they fail
to produce the witnesses, then they are, according to GOD, liars.
[24:14] If it were
not for GOD's grace towards you, and His mercy in this world and
in the Hereafter, you would have suffered a great retribution
because of this incident.
[24:15] You
fabricated it with your own tongues, and the rest of you repeated
it with your mouths without proof. You thought it was simple, when
it was, according to GOD, gross.
[24:16] When you
heard it, you should have said, "We will not repeat this. Glory be
to You. This is a gross falsehood."
[24:17] GOD
admonishes you that you shall never do it again, if you are
believers.
[24:18] GOD thus
explains the revelations for you. GOD is Omniscient, Wise.
[24:19] Those who
love to see immorality spread among the believers have incurred a
painful retribution in this life and in the Hereafter. GOD knows,
while you do not know.
[24:20] GOD
showers you with His grace and mercy. GOD is Most Kind towards the
believers, Most Merciful.
[24:21] O you who
believe, do not follow the steps of Satan. Anyone who follows the
steps of Satan should know that he advocates evil and vice. If it
were not for GOD's grace towards you, and His mercy, none of you
would have been purified. But GOD purifies whomever He wills. GOD
is Hearer, Knower.
[24:22] Those
among you who are blessed with resources and wealth shall be
charitable towards their relatives, the poor, and those who have
immigrated for the sake of GOD. They shall treat them with
kindness and tolerance; do you not love to attain GOD's
forgiveness? GOD is Forgiver, Most Merciful.
[24:23] Surely,
those who falsely accuse married women who are pious believers
have incurred condemnation in this life and in the Hereafter; they
have incurred a horrendous retribution.
[24:24] The day
will come when their own tongues, hands, and feet will bear
witness to everything they had done.
[24:25] On that
day, GOD will requite them fully for their works, and they will
find out that GOD is the Truth.
[24:26] The bad
women for the bad men, and the bad men for the bad women, and the
good women for the good men, and the good men for the good women.
The latter are innocent of such accusations. They have attained
forgiveness and a generous reward.
[24:27] O you who
believe, do not enter homes other than yours without permission
from their inhabitants, and without greeting them. This is better
for you, that you may take heed.
[24:28] If you
find no one in them, do not enter them until you obtain
permission. If you are told, "Go back," you must go back. This is
purer for you. GOD is fully aware of everything you do.
[24:29] You commit
no error by entering uninhabited homes wherein there is something
that belongs to you. GOD knows everything you reveal, and
everything you conceal.
[24:30] Tell the
believing men that they shall subdue their eyes (and not stare at
the women), and to maintain their chastity. This is purer for
them. GOD is fully Cognizant of everything they do.
[24:31]
And tell the believing women to subdue their
eyes, and maintain their chastity. They shall not reveal any parts
of their bodies, except that which is necessary. They shall cover
their chests, and shall not relax this code in the presence of
other than their husbands, their fathers, the fathers of their
husbands, their sons, the sons of their husbands, their brothers,
the sons of their brothers, the sons of their sisters, other
women, the male servants or employees whose sexual drive has been
nullified, or the children who have not reached puberty. They
shall not strike their feet when they walk in order to shake and
reveal certain details of their bodies. All of you shall repent to
GOD, O you believers, that you may succeed.*
*24:30-31 Dressing modestly, therefore, is a trait
of the believing men and women. The minimum requirements for a
woman's dress is to lengthen her garment (33:59) and to cover her
chest. Tyrannical Arab traditions have given a false impression
that women must be covered from head to toe; Such is not a Quranic
or Islamic dress.
[24:32]
You shall encourage those of you who are
single to get married. They may marry the righteous among your
male and female servants, if they are poor. GOD will enrich them
from His grace. GOD is Bounteous, Knower.
[24:33]
Those who cannot afford to get
married shall maintain morality until GOD provides for them from
His grace. Those among your servants who wish to be freed in order
to marry, you shall grant them their wish, once you realize that
they are honest. And give them from GOD's money that He has
bestowed upon you. You shall not force your girls to commit
prostitution, seeking the materials of this world, if they wish to
be chaste. If anyone forces them, then GOD, seeing that they are
forced, is Forgiver,
Merciful.
[24:34]
We have revealed to you clarifying
revelations, and examples from the past generations, and an
enlightenment for the righteous.
[24:35]
GOD is the light of the heavens
and the earth. The allegory of His light is that of a concave
mirror behind a lamp that is placed inside a glass container. The
glass container is like a bright, pearl-like star. The fuel
thereof is supplied from a blessed oil-producing tree, that is
neither eastern, nor western. Its oil is almost self-radiating;
needs no fire to ignite it. Light upon light. GOD guides to His
light whoever wills (to be guided). GOD thus cites the parables
for the people. GOD is fully aware of all things.
[24:36]
(God's guidance is found) in
houses exalted by GOD, for His name is commemorated therein.
Glorifying Him therein, day and night -
[24:37]
People who are not distracted by
business or trade from commemorating GOD; they observe the Contact
Prayers (Salat), and give the obligatory charity (Zakat), and they
are conscious of the day when the minds and the eyes will be
horrified.
[24:38]
GOD will certainly reward them for
their good works, and will shower them with His grace. GOD
provides for whomever He wills without limits.
[24:39]
As for those who disbelieve, their
works are like a mirage in the desert. A thirsty person thinks
that it is water. But when he reaches it, he finds that it is
nothing, and he finds GOD there instead, to requite him fully for
his works. GOD is the most efficient reckoner.
[24:40]
Another allegory is that of being
in total darkness in the midst of a violent ocean, with waves upon
waves, in addition to thick fog. Darkness upon darkness - if he
looked at his own hand, he could barely see it. Whomever GOD
deprives of light, will have no light.
[24:41]
Do you not realize that everyone
in the heavens and the earth glorifies GOD, even the birds as they
fly in a column? Each knows its prayer and its glorification. GOD
is fully aware of everything they do.
[24:42]
To GOD belongs the sovereignty of
the heavens and the earth, and to GOD is the final destiny.
[24:43]
Do you not realize that GOD drives
the clouds, then gathers them together, then piles them on each
other, then you see the rain coming out of them? He sends down
from the sky loads of snow to cover whomever He wills, while
diverting it from whomever He wills. The brightness of the snow
almost blinds the eyes.
[24:44]
GOD controls the night and day.
This should be a lesson for those who possess eyes.
[24:45]
And GOD created every living
creature from water. Some of them walk on their bellies, some walk
on two legs, and some walk on four. GOD creates whatever He wills.
GOD is Omnipotent.
[24:46]
We have sent down to you
clarifying revelations, then GOD guides whoever wills (to be
guided) in a straight path.
[24:47]
They say, "We believe in GOD and
in the messenger, and we obey," but then some of them slide back
afterwards. These are not believers.
[24:48]
When they are invited to GOD and
His messenger to judge among them, some of them get upset.
[24:49]
However, if the judgment is in
their favor, they readily accept it!
[24:50]
Is there a disease in their
hearts? Are they doubtful? Are they afraid that GOD and His
messenger may treat them unfairly? In fact, it is they who are
unjust.
[24:51]
The only utterance of the
believers, whenever invited to GOD and His messenger to judge in
their affairs, is to say, "We hear and we obey." These are the
winners.
[24:52]
Those who obey GOD and His
messenger, and reverence GOD and observe Him, these are the
triumphant ones.
[24:53]
They swear by GOD, solemnly, that
if you commanded them to mobilize, they would mobilize. Say, "Do
not swear. Obedience is an obligation. GOD is fully Cognizant of
everything you do."
[24:54]
Say, "Obey GOD, and obey the
messenger." If they refuse, then he is responsible for his
obligations, and you are responsible for your obligations. If you
obey him, you will be guided. The sole duty of the messenger is to
deliver (the message).
[24:55]
GOD promises those among you who
believe and lead a righteous life, that He will make them
sovereigns on earth, as He did for those before them, and will
establish for them the religion He has chosen for them, and will
substitute peace and security for them in place of fear. All this
because they worship Me alone; they never set up any idols beside
Me. Those who disbelieve after this are the truly wicked.
[24:56]
You shall observe the Contact
Prayers (Salat) and give the obligatory charity (Zakat), and obey
the messenger, that you may attain mercy.
[24:57]
Do not think that those who
disbelieve will ever get away with it. Their final abode is Hell;
what a miserable destiny.
[24:58]
O you who believe, permission must
be requested by your servants and the children who have not
attained puberty (before entering your rooms). This is to be done
in three instances - before the Dawn Prayer, at noon when you
change your clothes to rest, and after the Night Prayer. These are
three private times for you. At other times, it is not wrong for
you or them to mingle with one another. GOD thus clarifies the
revelations for you. GOD is Omniscient, Most Wise.
[24:59]
Once the children reach puberty,
they must ask permission (before entering) like those who became
adults before them have asked permission (before entering). GOD
thus clarifies His revelations for you. GOD is Omniscient, Most
Wise.
[24:60]
The elderly women who do not
expect to get married commit nothing wrong by relaxing their dress
code, provided they do not reveal too much of their bodies. To
maintain modesty is better for them. GOD is Hearer, Knower.
[24:61]
The blind is not to be blamed, the
crippled is not to be blamed, nor is the handicapped to be blamed,
just as you are not to be blamed for eating at your homes, or the
homes of your fathers, or the homes of your mothers, or the homes
of your brothers, or the homes of your sisters, or the homes of
your fathers' brothers, or the homes of your fathers' sisters, or
the homes of your mothers' brothers, or the
homes of your mothers' sisters, or the homes that belong to you
and you possess their keys, or the homes of your friends. You
commit nothing wrong by eating together or as individuals. When
you enter any home, you shall greet each other a greeting from GOD
that is blessed and good. GOD thus explains the revelations for
you, that you may understand.
[24:62]
The true believers are those who
believe in GOD and His messenger,* and when they are with him in a
community meeting, they do not leave him without permission. Those
who ask permission are the ones who do believe in GOD and His
messenger. If they ask your permission, in order to tend to some
of their affairs, you may grant permission to whomever you wish,
and ask GOD to forgive them. GOD is Forgiver, Most Merciful.
*24:62 This verse refers to God's Messenger of the
Covenant; by adding the gematrical value of "Rashad" (505) plus
the value of "Khalifa" (725), plus the verse number (62), we get
1292, a multiple of 19 (1292=19x68). See Appendix 2.
[24:63]
Do not treat the messenger's requests as you
treat each others' requests. GOD is fully aware of those among you
who sneak away using flimsy excuses. Let them beware - those who
disobey his orders - for a disaster may strike them, or a severe
retribution.
[24:64]
Absolutely, to GOD belongs
everything in the heavens and the earth. He fully knows every
condition you may be in. The day you are returned to Him, He will
inform them of everything they had done. GOD is fully aware of all
things.
Sura 12, Joseph
or Yousuf (in Arabic)
In the name of God,
Most Gracious, Most Merciful
[12:7]
In Joseph and his brothers there
are lessons for the seekers.
[12:8]
They said, "Joseph and his brother
are favored by our father, and we are in the majority. Indeed, our
father is far astray.
[12:9]
"Let us kill Joseph, or banish
him, that you may get some attention from your father. Afterwards,
you can be righteous people."*
*12:9 We learn from Joseph's
dream that he was destined for a bright future. Thus, while his
brothers met to decide his fate, his fate was already decided by
God. Everything is done by God (8:17), and is already
recorded(57:22).
[12:10]
One of them said, "Do not kill
Joseph; let us throw him into the abyss of the well. Perhaps some
caravan can pick him up, if this is what you decide to do."
[12:11]
They said, "Our father, why do you
not trust us with Joseph? We will take good care of him.
[12:12]
"Send him with us tomorrow to run
and play. We will protect him."
[12:13]
He said, "I worry lest you go away
with him, then the wolf may devour him while you are not watching
him."
[12:14]
They said, "Indeed, if the wolf
devours him, with so many of us around, then we are really
losers."
[12:15]
When they went away with him, and
unanimously decided to throw him into the abyss of the well, we
inspired him: "Some day, you will tell them about all this, while
they have no idea."
[12:16]
They came back to their father in
the evening, weeping.
[12:17]
They said, "Our father, we went
racing with each other, leaving Joseph with our equipment, and the
wolf devoured him. You will never believe us, even if we were
telling the truth."
[12:18]
They produced his shirt with fake
blood on it. He said, "Indeed, you have conspired with each other
to commit a certain scheme. All I can do is resort to a quiet
patience. May GOD help me in the face of your conspiracy."
[12:19]
A caravan passed by, and soon sent
their waterer. He let down his bucket, then said, "How lucky!
There is a boy here!" They took him along as merchandise, and GOD
was fully aware of what they did.
[12:20]
They sold him for a cheap price -
a few dirhams - for they did not have any need for him.
[12:21]
The one who bought him in Egypt
said to his wife, "Take good care of him. Maybe he can help us, or
maybe we can adopt him." We thus established Joseph on earth, and
we taught him the interpretation of dreams. GOD's command is
always done, but most people do not know.
[12:22]
When he reached maturity, we
endowed him with wisdom and knowledge. We thus reward the
righteous.
[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.
The rest of the
Sura is
very beautiful and should be read also. Let us pray to God to
guide us to His straight path, the
path of those He blessed , not the path of those who deserved
wrath. |
