The Prophets, Their Lives and Their Stories: Jacob and Joseph: Gifts Are in Troubles

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This is Islamic religious commentary (tafsir) on the Quranic account of the Prophet Joseph (Yusuf), drawn from a sacred texts compilation and engaging with classical Islamic scholarly tradition. The text centers on Joseph's encounter with Zulaikha (Potiphar's wife), arguing that his refusal of her advances demonstrates prophetic infallibility: his faith in God and loyalty to his master made the seduction impossible, not merely difficult. A central interpretive dispute the author addresses concerns Quran 12:24 — "he would have desired her if it had not been that he saw the argument of his Lord" — with the author rejecting readings that imply Joseph nearly sinned, citing Imams al-Sadiq and al-Ridha to argue that true infallibility means a prophet cannot even desire wrongdoing, let alone approach it. The text marshals testimony from every figure in the Quranic narrative — Joseph himself, Zulaikha, her husband, the women of the city, and even Satan — as a cumulative proof of Joseph's innocence, treating their collective witness as definitive. The author also draws on the scholar Abdul-Wahab al-Najjar to argue that God's selection of prophets is incompatible with moral failure, making any attribution of evil intent to Joseph theologically incoherent. The piece is notably polemical, explicitly condemning Muslim commentators who entertain the possibility of Joseph's moral lapse as "foolish" or shameless.

The Prophets, Their Lives and Their Stories: Jacob and Joseph: Gifts Are in Troubles

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