Basic
The Prophets
Surah: Yusuf (23)
Yusuf and the Minister's Wife — Chastity and the Witness Shirt
Quranic context:
The minister's wife tried to seduce Yusuf and locked the doors. He sought refuge in Allah and fled. His shirt was torn from behind, proving his innocence.
Context:
She sought to imprison him in revenge after her plot was exposed. She gathered the women of the city, gave them knives, and revealed Yusuf — they cut their hands in awe. She finally confessed: "Now the truth has come to light."
Lesson:
Chastity and seeking refuge in Allah are weapons against temptation. The shirt in the story was a just witness: torn from the front means the woman was truthful; torn from behind means Yusuf was truthful — truth emerges through evidence.
The minister's wife tried to seduce Yusuf and locked the doors. He sought refuge in Allah and fled. His shirt was torn from behind, proving his innocence.
Context:
She sought to imprison him in revenge after her plot was exposed. She gathered the women of the city, gave them knives, and revealed Yusuf — they cut their hands in awe. She finally confessed: "Now the truth has come to light."
Lesson:
Chastity and seeking refuge in Allah are weapons against temptation. The shirt in the story was a just witness: torn from the front means the woman was truthful; torn from behind means Yusuf was truthful — truth emerges through evidence.
Source: Ibn Kathir Tafsir (4/368); Al-Tabari Tafsir (16/21)
Test Yourself
How was Yusuf's innocence proven against the minister's wife's accusation?
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