Volume 10 Surah 12 - 15 - Enjoy Islam

Yūsuf (Joseph) | FACING UP TO TRIAL
household testified: ‘If his shirt has been torn from the front, then she is speaking the
truth and he is lying. But if it has been torn from behind, then she is lying, and he is
speaking the truth.’ When [her husband] saw that Joseph’s shirt was torn from behind,
he said to her: ‘This is indeed [an instance] of the guile of you, women. Your guile is
awesome indeed!’ Joseph, let this pass! And you, woman, ask forgiveness for your sin.
You have been seriously at fault.’ (Verses 23-29)
The sūrah does not mention the ages of Joseph and the woman at the time. So let
us consider the matter and estimate their respective ages.
Joseph was in early adolescence at the time the caravan picked him up and sold
him in Egypt. He must have been around 14, or maybe less, but certainly no more
than that. He was at an age when the Arabic term, ghulām, may be applied to him.
After that he would be described as a youth, then as a man. At that time, the woman
was already married, and apparently neither she nor her husband had had any
children. This is implied by her husband’s words, “We may adopt him as a son”. (Verse
21) The thought of adoption does not normally occur unless the one who entertains it
is childless, and has practically given up hope of having a child. This means that she
must have been married for quite a long time, which was sufficient for them to
realize that they would not have a child. Moreover, the man who was Egypt’s chief
minister must have been at least 40 years of age, and she, his wife, around 30.
Furthermore, we expect that at the time of this event, she must have been at least
40, and Joseph probably 25 or near to that. We imagine that this was her age because
her behaviour during the event and subsequently shows that she was a woman of
intelligence, self-possessed but bold, scheming and infatuated at the same time.
Further evidence to support this is found in the words of those women who talked
about her, saying: “The Chief Minister’s wife is trying to seduce her slave lad.” (Verse 30)
Although the Arabic word, fatā, rendered here as ‘slave lad’ stresses the sense of his
slavery, it would not have been said unless Joseph’s age supported it. This is more
likely, weighing up all the evidence in the text.
We have discussed all this in order to arrive at the conclusion that Joseph’s trial
was not merely about resisting temptation. His real trial was that he spent all his
adolescent years in this palace, with this woman who was between 30 and 40 years of
age, with all that goes on in palaces and in an environment which may be best
described by the husband’s attitude when he saw his wife with Joseph. All that he
had to say was: “Joseph, let this pass! And you, woman, ask forgiveness for your sin. You
have been seriously at fault.” (Verse 29)
It is a social environment in which women speak ill of the chief minister’s wife,
and her reply is to invite them to a sumptuous banquet during which she orders
Joseph to walk in front of them. They, in turn, are all infatuated with him, and make
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