Al-Qur'an Surah Yusuf Verse 51

Mufti Taqi Usmani

He (the king) said, “What was your case, O women, when you seduced Yūsuf?” They said, “God forbid, we know of no evil in him.” The governor’s wife said, “Now the truth has come to light. I did seduce him, and he is surely truthful.”

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

The King asked ˹the women˺, “What did you get when you tried to seduce Joseph?” They replied, “Allah forbid! We know nothing indecent about him.” Then the Chief Minister’s wife admitted, “Now the truth has come to light. It was I who tried to seduce him, and he is surely truthful.

Ruwwad Translation Center

The king said, “What happened when you [O women] tried to seduce Joseph?” They said, “Allah forbid; we know nothing bad about him.” The chief minister’s wife said, “Now the truth has come to light. It was I who tried to seduce him, and he is surely the truthful.

A. J. Arberry

'What was your business, women,' he said, 'when you solicited Joseph?' 'God save us!' they said. 'We know no evil against him.' The Governor's wife said, 'Now the truth is at last discovered; I solicited him; he is a truthful man.

Abdul Haleem

The king asked the women, ‘What happened when you tried to seduce Joseph?’ They said, ‘God forbid! We know nothing bad of him!’ and the governor’s wife said, ‘Now the truth is out: it was I who tried to seduce him- he is an honest man.’

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

He said: What was the matter with you when ye solicited Yusuf against himself! They said: how perfect is God! we knew not of any evil against him. The wife of the Aziz said: how hath the truth come to light, even I, solicited him against himself, and verily he is of the truth-tellers.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

(The king) said (to the ladies); "What was your affair when ye did seek to seduce Joseph from his (true) self?" The ladies said; "Allah preserve us! no evil know we against him!" Said the 'Aziz's wife; "Now is the truth manifest (to all); it was I who sought to seduce him from his (true) self; He is indeed of those who are (ever) true (and virtuous).

Abul Ala Maududi

Thereupon the king asked the women: "What happened when you sought to tempt Joseph?" They said: "Allah forbid! We found no evil in him." The chief's wife said: "Now the truth has come to light. It was I who sought to tempt him. He is indeed truthful."

Ahmed Ali

The king asked the women: "What was the affair of seducing Joseph?" "God preserve us," they said; "we know no evil against him." The wife of the minister said: "The truth has now come out. It was I who desired to seduce him, but he is indeed a man of virtue." --

Ahmed Raza Khan

The king said, “O women! What was your role when you tried to entice Yusuf?” They answered, “Purity is to Allah – we did not find any immorality in him”; said the wife of the governor, “Now the truth is out; it was I who tried to entice him, and indeed he is truthful.”

Ali Quli Qarai

The king said, ‘What was your business, women, when you solicited Joseph?’ They said, ‘Heaven be praised! We know of no evil in him.’ The prince’s wife said, ‘Now the truth has come to light! It was I who solicited him, and he is indeed telling the truth.’

Ali Ünal

(The king had the woman assembled before him and) he said: "What happened (between you and Joseph) when you sought to enjoy yourselves by him?" They said: "God save us! We perceived no evil at all on his part!" And the wife of the minister said: "Now the truth has come to light. It was I who sought to enjoy myself by him. He was indeed truthful (in all he said and true to his lord)."

Amatul Rahman Omar

(The king then sent for the ladies and to them) he said, `What was that important matter (in reality) that you had in view when you sought to seduce Joseph against his will?´ They said, `He kept away (from committing sin) for the sake of Allâh. We did not perceive the least evil (intention) on his part.´ The wife of the `Azîz said, `Now the truth has come to light (at last). It was I who sought to seduce him against his will and most surely he is of the truthful.´

English Literal

He said: "What (is) your matter/affair/concern when you (P/F) seduced/enticed Joseph from himself." They said: "Remoteness to God , we did not know from (of) bad/evil/harm on him." Elaziz`s/the Egyptian ruler`s woman (wife) said: "Now the truth appeared , I seduced/enticed him from himself, and that he is from (E) the truthful."

Faridul Haque

The king said, "O women! What was your role when you tried to entice Yusuf?" They answered, "Purity is to Allah - we did not find any immorality in him"; said the wife of the governor, "Now the truth is out; it was I who tried to entice him, and indeed he is truthful."

Hamid S. Aziz

Then the king (after he had been told) said, "Bring him (Joseph) unto me." And when the messenger came unto him, Joseph said, "Return to your Lord, and ask him, what is the state of mind of the women who cut their hands? Verily, my lord knows their guile."

Hilali & Khan

(The King) said (to the women): "What was your affair when you did seek to seduce Yusuf (Joseph)?" The women said: "Allah forbid! No evil know we against him!" The wife of Al-'Aziz said: "Now the truth is manifest (to all), it was I who sought to seduce him, and he is surely of the truthful."

Maulana Mohammad Ali

And the king said: Bring him to me. So when the messenger came to him, he said: Go back to thy lord and ask him, what is the case of the women who cut their hands. Surely my Lord knows their device.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

He said: How was your affair when you sought Yusuf to yield himself (to you)? They said: Remote is Allah (from imperfection), we knew of no evil on his part. The chief's wife said: Now has the truth become established: I sought him to yield himself (to me), and he is most surely of the truthful ones.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

He (the king) (then sent for those women and) said: What happened when ye asked an evil act of Joseph? They answered: Allah Blameless! We know no evil of him. Said the wife of the ruler: Now the truth is out. I asked of him an evil act, and he is surely of the truthful.

Muhammad Sarwar

The King asked the women about their attempt to seduce Joseph. They replied, "God forbid! We do not know of any bad in Joseph." The wife of the King said, "Now the truth has come to light. It was I who tried to seduce Joseph. He is, certainly, a truthful man."

Qaribullah & Darwish

'What was your business, women' he asked, 'when you solicited Joseph' 'Allah save us' they replied. 'We know no evil against him' The Governor's wife said: 'The truth has been discovered at last; I solicited him; he is among the truthful.

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

(The king) said (to the women): "What was your affair when you did seek to seduce Yusuf" The women said: "Allah forbid! No evil know we against him!" The wife of the `Aziz said: "Now the truth is manifest (to all); it was I who sought to seduce him, and he is surely of the truthful. "

Wahiduddin Khan

The king asked the women, "What was the truth of the affair in which you tried to seduce Joseph?" The women said, "God forbid! We know no evil of him." The wife of the nobleman said, "The truth has now come to light. It was I who tried to seduce him; he is surely an honest man."

Talal Itani

He said, “What was the matter with you, women, when you tried to seduce Joseph?” They said, “God forbid! We knew of no evil committed by him.” The governor’s wife then said, “Now the truth is out. It was I who tried to seduce him, and he is telling the truth.”

Tafsir jalalayn

He said, `What was your business, women, when you solicited Joseph?', did you find on his part any inclination towards you?; `God preserve us!' they said. `We know of no evil in him.' The Court Officer's wife said, `Now the truth is out, [now] it has become clear; it was I who attempted to seduce him and he is indeed of the truthful', in his saying, It was she who attempted to seduce me [Q. 12;26]. Joseph was then informed of this and he said;

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

قَالَ مَا خَطْبُكُنَّ إِذْ رَاوَدتُّنَّ يُوسُفَ عَن نَّفْسِهِ

He said, "What was your affair when you did seek to seduce Yusuf!"

The king gathered those women who cut their hands, while being hosted at the house of the wife of the Aziz. He asked them all, even though he was directing his speech at the wife of his minister, the Aziz in particular.

He asked the women who cut their hands,
مَا خَطْبُكُنَّ
(What was your affair...), what was your story with regards to,
إِذْ رَاوَدتُّنَّ يُوسُفَ عَن نَّفْسِهِ
(when you did seek to seduce Yusuf) on the day of the banquet?

قُلْنَ حَاشَ لِلّهِ مَا عَلِمْنَا عَلَيْهِ مِن سُوءٍ

The women said;"Allah forbid! No evil know we against him!"

The women answered the king, `Allah forbid that Yusuf be guilty of this, for by Allah, we never knew him to do evil.'

This is when,

قَالَتِ امْرَأَةُ الْعَزِيزِ الانَ حَصْحَصَ الْحَقُّ

The wife of the Aziz said;"Now the truth has Hashasa..."

or the truth is manifest to all, according to Ibn Abbas, Mujahid and others.
Hashasa also means, `became clear and plain',

أَنَاْ رَاوَدتُّهُ عَن نَّفْسِهِ وَإِنَّهُ لَمِنَ الصَّادِقِينَ



it was I who sought to seduce him, and he is surely of the truthful.

when he said,
هِيَ رَاوَدَتْنِي عَن نَّفْسِي
(It was she that sought to seduce me) (Ayah 26)