Tafseer of Joseph · Yusuf · 12:31
So when she heard of their scheming, she sent for them and prepared for them a banquet and gave each one of them a knife and said [to Joseph], "Come out before them." And when they saw him, they greatly admired him and cut their hands and said, "Perfect is Allah! This is not a man; this is none but a noble angel."
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
The explanation of the word of Allah, the Exalted: فَلَمَّا سَمِعَتْ بِمَكْرِهِنَّ أَرْسَلَتْ إِلَيْهِنَّ وَأَعْتَدَتْ لَهُنَّ مُتَّكَأً وَآتَتْ كُلَّ وَاحِدَةٍ مِنْهُنَّ سِكِّينًا وَقَالَتِ اخْرُجْ عَلَيْهِنَّ فَلَمَّا رَأَيْنَهُ أَكْبَرْنَهُ وَقَطَّعْنَ أَيْدِيَهُنَّ وَقُلْنَ حَاشَ لِلَّهِ مَا هَذَا بَشَرًا إِنْ هَذَا إِلا مَلَكٌ كَرِيمٌ (So when she heard of their scheming, she sent to them and prepared for them a place of reclining, and gave to each one of them a knife. And she said: Come out before them. Then when they saw him, they deemed him great, and they cut their hands, and they said: Allah be praised! This is no human being; this is naught but a noble angel.) [12:31]
Abū Jaʿfar said: Allah, the Exalted, says: When the wife of the ʿAzīz heard of the scheming of the women who in the city had said what Allah mentioned about them —
The scheming of the women was as follows:
19164 — Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, saying: ʿAmr ibn Muḥammad related to us, saying: Asbāṭ related to us, on the authority of al-Suddī — فَلَمَّا سَمِعَتْ بِمَكْرِهِنَّ — he says: meaning their words.
19165 — Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, saying: Salama related to us, on the authority of Ibn Isḥāq, who said: When the women made that known — by saying: "She seduces her slave!" — as a scheme to make him appear before them, for his beauty and handsome appearance were described to them — فَلَمَّا سَمِعَتْ بِمَكْرِهِنَّ [note 1] أَرْسَلَتْ إِلَيْهِنَّ وَأَعْتَدَتْ لَهُنَّ مُتَّكَأً .
19166 — Bishr related to us, saying: Yazid related to us, saying: Saʿid related to us, on the authority of Qatāda — concerning His word فَلَمَّا سَمِعَتْ بِمَكْرِهِنَّ — that is to say: their talk — أَرْسَلَتْ إِلَيْهِنَّ — he says: She sent to the women who had spoken about her affair and the affair of Yūsuf.
وَأَعْتَدَتْ — the form "afʿalat" from "al-ʿatād" (the equipment), which means preparation (al-ʿidda) [note 2]; the meaning is: she prepared for them — مُتَّكَأً — that is to say: a seat for the meal and small cushions and cushions to lean upon.
It is "mufteʿal" from the expression "ittakaʾtu" (I leaned); one says: "Set down for him a mutakkaʾ" — that is to say: something to lean upon.
The commentators agree with what we have said about this.
Mention of who said that:
19167 — Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, saying: Yaḥyā ibn al-Yamān related to us, on the authority of Ashʿath, on the authority of Jaʿfar, on the authority of Saʿid — وَأَعْتَدَتْ لَهُنَّ مُتَّكَأً — that he said: "Food, drink, and a place of reclining."
19168 — [It was related to us], he said: ʿAmr ibn Muḥammad related to us, on the authority of Asbāṭ, on the authority of al-Suddī — وَأَعْتَدَتْ لَهُنَّ مُتَّكَأً — that he said: "To lean upon."
19169 — Al-Muthannā related to me, saying: ʿAbd Allāh ibn Ṣāliḥ related to us, saying: Muʿāwiya related to me, on the authority of ʿAlī, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās — وَأَعْتَدَتْ لَهُنَّ مُتَّكَأً — that he said: "A seat."
19170 — [It was related to us], he said: ʿAmr ibn ʿAwn related to us, saying: Hushaym informed us, on the authority of Abū al-Ashab, on the authority of Al-Ḥasan, that he read: "muttakāʾan" (with lengthening) and said: "It is the seat and the food." [note 3]
19171 — [It was related to us], he said: Isḥāq related to us, saying: ʿAbd Allāh ibn Yazid [related to us]: "Whoever reads it as muttakaʾan (heavy) means thereby food. And whoever reads it as mutkan (light) means thereby the place of reclining."
What has thus been mentioned by us from those whom we have mentioned — that is the meaning of the word and the explanation of "al-muttakaʾ" — namely that she prepared for the women a seat with a leaning-place, food, drink, and citrus fruits (utrujj). Some explained "al-muttakaʾ" as the food, in view of what was set out for the seat; others as what was set out of the citrus fruits — because the text says: وَآتَتْ كُلَّ وَاحِدَةٍ مِنْهُنَّ سِكِّينًا — for the knife is only set out for citrus fruits and the like; and still others explained it as the "bizmaward" (a particular dish).
19172 — Hārūn ibn Ḥātim al-Muqriʾ related to me, saying: Hushaym ibn al-Zabraqān related to us, on the authority of Abū Rawq, on the authority of al-Ḍaḥḥāk — concerning His word وَأَعْتَدَتْ لَهُنَّ مُتَّكَأً — that he said: "Al-bizmaward."
Abū ʿUbayda Maʿmar ibn al-Muthannā said: "Al-muttakaʾ" is the cushion (al-numruq) to lean upon. He said: Some claim that it is the citrus fruit (al-utrujj). He said: This is the most absurd thing on earth. But perhaps there was alongside the "muttakaʾ" a citrus fruit to eat. [note 4]
Abū ʿUbayd al-Qāsim ibn Sallām cited the statement of Abū ʿUbayda and then said: The jurists know the explanation better than he. Then he said: Perhaps it is a part of what has been lost from the Arabic, for al-Kisāʾī used to say: Much has been lost from the Arabic language through the dying out of those who carried it.
Abū Jaʿfar said: The assertion that the jurists know the explanation better than Abū ʿUbayda is correct, as Abū ʿUbayd said — there is no doubt about it. But Abū ʿUbayda did not stray far from the truth with his statement; rather, it is as he said: whoever said that "al-muttakaʾ" is the citrus fruit (al-utrujj) thereby described what was set out in the seat for which the muttakaʾ served, and what made the knives worthwhile for them — for knives are not given to someone invited to a gathering in order to tear the cushions with them! [note 5] They were not given the knives for that.
What confirms that is the statement we cited from Ibn ʿAbbās — that "al-muttakaʾ" is a seat — and then what was related on his authority from Mujāhid:
19173 — Sulaymān ibn ʿAbd al-Jabbār related this to me, saying: Muḥammad ibn al-Ṣalt related to us, saying: Abū Kudayna related to us, on the authority of Ḥuṣayn, on the authority of Mujāhid, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās — وَأَعْتَدَتْ لَهُنَّ مُتَّكَأً وَآتَتْ كُلَّ وَاحِدَةٍ مِنْهُنَّ سِكِّينًا — that he said: "She gave them citrus fruits, and gave to each one of them a knife."
Ibn ʿAbbās clarified hereby, in the narration of Mujāhid, what was given to the women, and left aside the explanation of the actual meaning of "al-muttakaʾ," because it was well known.
Mention of who said concerning the explanation of "al-muttakaʾ" what we have mentioned:
19174 — Yaḥyā ibn Ṭalḥa al-Yarbūʿī related to me, saying: Fuḍayl ibn ʿIyāḍ related to us, on the authority of Ḥuṣayn, on the authority of Mujāhid, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās — وَأَعْتَدَتْ لَهُنَّ مُتَّكَأً — that he said: "The citrus fruit (al-turrunj)."
19175 — Al-Muthannā related to me, saying: ʿAmr ibn ʿAwn related to us, saying: Hushaym related to us, on the authority of ʿAwf, who said: I was told on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās that he read: "mutkan" (light), and said: "It is the citrus fruit (al-utrujj)."
19176 — Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, saying: Ibn Idrīs related to us, on the authority of his father, on the authority of ʿAṭiyya — "waʾataddat lahunna mutkaʾan" — that he said: "The food."
19177 — Yaʿqūb and Al-Ḥasan ibn Muḥammad related to me; they said: Ibn ʿUlayya related to us, on the authority of Abū Rajāʾ, on the authority of Al-Ḥasan — concerning His word وَأَعْتَدَتْ لَهُنَّ مُتَّكَأً — that he said: "Food."
19178 — Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, saying: Ibn ʿUlayya related to us, on the authority of Abū Rajāʾ, on the authority of Al-Ḥasan — likewise.
19179 — Ibn Bashshār and Ibn Wakīʿ related to us; they said: Ghundar related to us, saying: Shuʿba related to us, on the authority of Abū Bishr, on the authority of Saʿid ibn Jubayr — concerning His word وَأَعْتَدَتْ لَهُنَّ مُتَّكَأً — that he said: "Food."
19180 — Ibn al-Muthannā related to us, saying: Wahb ibn Jarīr related to us, saying: Shuʿba related to us, on the authority of Abū Bishr, on the authority of Saʿid ibn Jubayr — likewise.
19181 — Muḥammad ibn Bashshār related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Raḥmān related to us, saying: Sufyān related to us, on the authority of Manṣūr, on the authority of Mujāhid, who said: "Whoever reads it as muttakaʾan (heavy) means thereby food. And whoever reads it as mutkan (light, shortened) means thereby the citrus fruit (al-utrujj)."
19182 — Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to me, saying: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, saying: ʿĪsā related to us, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid — concerning His word مُتَّكَأً — that he said: "Food."
19183 — Al-Ḥasan ibn Muḥammad related to us, saying: Shabāba related to us, saying: Warqāʾ related to us, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid — likewise.
19184 — Al-Muthannā related to me, saying: Abū Ḥudhayfa related to us, saying: Shibl related to us, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid.
19185 — And Al-Muthannā related to me, saying: Isḥāq related to us, saying: ʿAbd Allāh related to us, on the authority of Warqāʾ, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid — likewise.
19186 — Al-Ḥasan ibn Muḥammad related to us, saying: Abū Khālid al-Qurashī related to us, saying: Sufyān related to us, on the authority of Manṣūr, on the authority of Mujāhid, who said: "Whoever reads as mutkan (light) means thereby the citrus fruit (al-utrujj)."
19187 — Al-Ḥārith related to me, saying: ʿAbd al-ʿAziz related to us, saying: Sufyān related to us, on the authority of Manṣūr, on the authority of Mujāhid — likewise.
19188 — Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, saying: Jarīr related to us, on the authority of Layth, who said: I heard some of them say: "The citrus fruit."
19189 — Bishr related to us, saying: Yazid related to us, saying: Saʿid related to us, on the authority of Qatāda — وَأَعْتَدَتْ لَهُنَّ مُتَّكَأً — that is to say: "food."
19190 — Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, saying: Muḥammad ibn Thawr related to us, on the authority of Maʿmar, on the authority of Qatāda — likewise.
19191 — [It was related to us], he said: Yazid related to us, on the authority of Abū Rajāʾ, on the authority of ʿIkrima — concerning His word مُتَّكَأً — that he said: "Food."
19192 — Muḥammad ibn Saʿd related to me, saying: My father related to me, saying: My uncle related to me, saying: My father related to me, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās — وَأَعْتَدَتْ لَهُنَّ مُتْكًا — "he means the citrus fruit (al-utrujj)."
19193 — Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, saying: Salama related to us, on the authority of Ibn Isḥāq — وَأَعْتَدَتْ لَهُنَّ مُتَّكَأً — "al-muttakaʾ is the food."
19194 — [It was related to us], he said: Jarīr related to us, on the authority of Layth, on the authority of Mujāhid — وَأَعْتَدَتْ لَهُنَّ مُتَّكَأً — that he said: "The food."
19195 — Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Ibn Zayd said concerning His word وَأَعْتَدَتْ لَهُنَّ مُتَّكَأً : "Food."
19196 — It was related to me on the authority of Al-Ḥusayn, who said: I heard Abū Muʿādh say: ʿUbayd ibn Sulaymān related to us, saying: I heard al-Ḍaḥḥāk say concerning His word مُتَّكَأً : "It is everything that one cuts with a knife."
Abū Jaʿfar said: Allah, the Exalted, mentions — in view of the wife of the ʿAzīz and the women who had spoken in the city about her affair — وَآتَتْ كُلَّ وَاحِدَةٍ مِنْهُنَّ سِكِّينًا — by this Allah means: she gave to each of the women who were present with her a knife to cut with it from the food whatever they wished to cut. That is what she — as mentioned — gave them: whether of the citrus fruits (utrujj), or of the bizmaward, or something else that is cut with a knife, as:
19197 — Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, saying: ʿAmr ibn Muḥammad related to us, on the authority of Asbāṭ, on the authority of al-Suddī — وَآتَتْ كُلَّ وَاحِدَةٍ مِنْهُنَّ سِكِّينًا — and citrus fruits to eat.
19198 — Sulaymān ibn ʿAbd al-Jabbār related to us, saying: Muḥammad ibn al-Ṣalt related to us, saying: Abū Kudayna related to us, on the authority of Ḥuṣayn, on the authority of Mujāhid, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās — وَآتَتْ كُلَّ وَاحِدَةٍ مِنْهُنَّ سِكِّينًا — that he said: "She gave them citrus fruits and gave to each one of them a knife."
19199 — Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, saying: Salama related to us, on the authority of Ibn Isḥāq — وَآتَتْ كُلَّ وَاحِدَةٍ مِنْهُنَّ سِكِّينًا — "to cut with it from their food."
19200 — Yūnus ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Ibn Zayd said concerning His word وَآتَتْ كُلَّ وَاحِدَةٍ مِنْهُنَّ سِكِّينًا : "She gave them citrus fruits and honey; they cut the citrus fruit with the knife and ate with the honey."
Abū Jaʿfar said: In this word there is confirmation of the correctness of what we said and chose concerning His word [note 6] وَأَعْتَدَتْ لَهُنَّ مُتَّكَأً . For Allah, the Exalted, mentioned that the wife of the ʿAzīz gave the women knives, but left aside for what she gave them the knives, because it is generally known that knives at an invitation are not given except to cut what is eaten when it is cut. Thus reliance was placed on the understanding of the listener at the mention that she gave her friends knives, so as not to have to mention for what she gave her that. Likewise reliance was placed on the mention that she prepared a muttakaʾ for them, so as not to have to mention for what the muttakaʾ is set out of food, drinks, fruit, and all kinds of entertainment — for the listener understands this of himself by its indication, and by the clarity of His word وَأَعْتَدَتْ لَهُنَّ مُتَّكَأً . But "al-muttakaʾ" itself is exclusively what we have described and nothing else.
وَقَالَتِ اخْرُجْ عَلَيْهِنَّ فَلَمَّا رَأَيْنَهُ أَكْبَرْنَهُ — Allah, the Exalted, says: The wife of the ʿAzīz said to Yūsuf: اخْرُجْ عَلَيْهِنَّ ; Yūsuf came out before them. فَلَمَّا رَأَيْنَهُ أَكْبَرْنَهُ — Allah, the Exalted, says: When they saw Yūsuf, they deemed him tremendously great and honored him.
The commentators agree with what we have said about this.
Mention of who said that:
19201 — Al-Ḥasan ibn Muḥammad related to us, saying: Shabāba related to us, saying: Warqāʾ related to us, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid — concerning His word أَكْبَرْنَهُ — that he said: "They deemed him tremendously great."
19202 — Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to me, saying: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, saying: ʿĪsā related to us, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid — likewise.
19203 — Al-Muthannā related to me, saying: Abū Ḥudhayfa related to us, saying: Shibl related to us, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ. He said: Isḥāq related to us, saying: ʿAbd Allāh related to us, on the authority of Warqāʾ, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid — likewise.
19204 — Bishr related to us, saying: Yazid related to us, saying: Saʿid related to us, on the authority of Qatāda — فَلَمَّا رَأَيْنَهُ أَكْبَرْنَهُ — that is to say: "They deemed him tremendously great."
19205 — Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, saying: ʿAmr ibn Muḥammad related to us, on the authority of Asbāṭ, on the authority of al-Suddī — وَقَالَتِ اخْرُجْ عَلَيْهِنَّ to Yūsuf — فَلَمَّا رَأَيْنَهُ أَكْبَرْنَهُ : "They honored him."
19206 — Ismāʿīl ibn Sayf al-ʿIjlī related to us, saying: ʿAlī ibn ʿĀbis related to us — he said: I heard al-Suddī say concerning His word فَلَمَّا رَأَيْنَهُ أَكْبَرْنَهُ : "They deemed him tremendously great." [note 7]
19207 — Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Ibn Zayd said concerning His word اخْرُجْ عَلَيْهِنَّ : "He came out; when they saw him, they deemed him tremendously great and were astonished."
19208 — Ismāʿīl ibn Sayf related to us. He said: ʿAbd al-Ṣamad ibn ʿAlī al-Hāshimī related to us, on the authority of his father, on the authority of his grandfather — concerning His word فَلَمَّا رَأَيْنَهُ أَكْبَرْنَهُ — that he said: "They began to menstruate." [note 8]
19209 — ʿAlī ibn Dāwūd related to us, saying: ʿAbd Allāh related to us, saying: Muʿāwiya related to me, on the authority of ʿAlī, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās — concerning His word فَلَمَّا رَأَيْنَهُ أَكْبَرْنَهُ — that he said: "They deemed him tremendously great."
19210 — Al-Ḥārith related to me, saying: ʿAbd al-ʿAziz related to us, saying: Yaḥyā ibn Abī Zāʾida related to us, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, on the authority of Mujāhid — likewise.
Abū Jaʿfar said: This narration — which is related from ʿAbd al-Ṣamad via his father via his grandfather — concerning the meaning of أَكْبَرْنَهُ as "they began to menstruate": unless thereby it is meant that they began to menstruate because of the awe they felt at the sight of Yūsuf and the greatness of what Allah had given him of beauty and handsome appearance, and because of what women experience of that kind of feeling at beholding him — then it is a statement without meaning. For the expression فَلَمَّا رَأَيْنَهُ أَكْبَرْنَهُ means: When they saw Yūsuf, they deemed him tremendously great — the pronoun "-hu" in "akbarnahu" refers to Yūsuf — and it is inconceivable that they would menstruate Yūsuf! But if the report is indeed correct as it is related from Ibn ʿAbbās, then his intent was probably that they began to menstruate because of their awe at the beauty and handsome appearance of Yūsuf which they felt inwardly, and because of what they experienced as women experience at that kind of feeling.
Some of the narrators claim that someone has cited, for "akbarna" with the meaning of "they menstruated," a verse which I do not know previously, for it is not known among the narrators:
"We approach the women in their pure times, and we do not approach the women when they menstruate (akbarna) — a complete menstruation." [note 9]
It is claimed that the meaning thereof is: "when they menstruate." [note 10]
وَقَطَّعْنَ أَيْدِيَهُنَّ — The commentators differed concerning the meaning of this.
Some said: The meaning is that they cut their hands with the knife, while they thought they were cutting citrus fruits.
Mention of who said that:
19211 — Al-Ḥasan ibn Muḥammad related to us, saying: Shabāba related to us, saying: Warqāʾ related to us, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid — concerning His word وَقَطَّعْنَ أَيْدِيَهُنَّ — that he said: "Cutting, cutting, with the knife."
19212 — Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to me, saying: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, saying: ʿĪsā related to us, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid — وَقَطَّعْنَ أَيْدِيَهُنَّ — that he said: "Cutting, cutting, with the knives."
19213 — Al-Muthannā related to me, saying: Abū Ḥudhayfa related to us, saying: Shibl related to us, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid.
19214 — [It was related to us], he said: Isḥāq related to us, saying: ʿAbd Allāh related to us, on the authority of Warqāʾ, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid — وَقَطَّعْنَ أَيْدِيَهُنَّ — that he said: "Cutting, cutting, with the knife."
19215 — Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, saying: ʿAmr ibn Muḥammad related to us, saying: Asbāṭ related to us, on the authority of al-Suddī — وَقَطَّعْنَ أَيْدِيَهُنَّ — that he said: "The women began to gash their hands, while they thought they were cutting citrus fruits."
19216 — Ismāʿīl ibn Sayf related to us, saying: ʿAlī ibn ʿĀbis related to us — he said: I heard al-Suddī say: "In their hands were knives alongside the citrus fruits; they cut their hands open, the blood flowed, and they said: We reproach you for the love of this man, while we have cut our own hands and the blood has flowed!"
19217 — Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Ibn Zayd said: "They began to gash their hands with the knife, while they thought they were merely cutting citrus fruits — so much had their senses left them through what they had seen!"
19218 — Bishr related to us, saying: Yazid related to us, saying: Saʿid related to us, on the authority of Qatāda — وَقَطَّعْنَ أَيْدِيَهُنَّ — "And they gashed their hands."
19219 — Sulaymān ibn ʿAbd al-Jabbār related to me, saying: Muḥammad ibn al-Ṣalt related to us, saying: Abū Kudayna related to us, on the authority of Ḥuṣayn, on the authority of Mujāhid, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, who said: "They began to cut their hands while they thought they were cutting citrus fruits."
19220 — Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, saying: Muḥammad ibn Thawr related to us, on the authority of Maʿmar, on the authority of Qatāda — وَقَطَّعْنَ أَيْدِيَهُنَّ — that he said: "They began to gash their hands, without realizing it."
19221 — Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, saying: Salama related to us, on the authority of Ibn Isḥāq, who said: She said to Yūsuf: اخْرُجْ عَلَيْهِنَّ ; he came out before them. فَلَمَّا رَأَيْنَهُ أَكْبَرْنَهُ — and their senses overcame them in amazement when they saw him; they began to cut their hands with the knives that were with them, without any awareness of what they were doing — وَقُلْنَ حَاشَ لِلَّهِ مَا هَذَا بَشَرًا .
Others said: The meaning is that they cut off their hands until they severed them, without realizing it.
Mention of who said that:
19222 — Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, saying: Muḥammad ibn Thawr related to us, on the authority of Maʿmar, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid, who said: "They cut off their hands until they cast them down."
19223 — Al-Muthannā related to me, saying: Isḥāq related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Razzāq related to us, saying: Maʿmar informed us, on the authority of Qatāda — concerning His word وَقَطَّعْنَ أَيْدِيَهُنَّ — that he said: "They cut off their hands until they cast them down."
Abū Jaʿfar said: The correct statement about this is that one says: Allah reported about them that they cut their hands without realizing it, because of their awe of Yūsuf. It is possible that this was a severing cut, and it is possible that it was a gashing wound — and there is no statement more correct than to rest upon the outward meaning of the text.
19224 — Muḥammad ibn Bashshār related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Raḥmān related to us, saying: Sufyān related to us, on the authority of Abū Isḥāq, on the authority of Abū al-Aḥwaṣ, on the authority of ʿAbd Allāh, who said: "Yūsuf and his mother received a third of the beauty." [note 11]
19225 — Muḥammad ibn al-Muthannā related to us, saying: Muḥammad ibn Jaʿfar related to us, saying: Shuʿba related to us, on the authority of Abū Isḥāq, on the authority of Abū al-Aḥwaṣ, on the authority of ʿAbd Allāh — likewise.
19226 — [And by it], on the authority of Abū al-Aḥwaṣ, on the authority of ʿAbd Allāh, who said: "To Yūsuf and his mother was allotted a third of the beauty."
19227 — Abū Kurayb related to us, saying: Wakīʿ related to us — and Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, saying: My father related to us — on the authority of Sufyān, on the authority of Abū Isḥāq, on the authority of Abū al-Aḥwaṣ, on the authority of ʿAbd Allāh, who said: "To Yūsuf and his mother was allotted a third of the beauty of the creation."
19228 — Aḥmad ibn Thābit and ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad al-Rāziyyān related to me; they said: ʿAffān related to us, saying: Ḥammād ibn Salama informed us, saying: Thābit informed us, on the authority of Anas, on the authority of the Prophet ﷺ, who said: "To Yūsuf and his mother was given the half (shaṭr) of the beauty." [note 12]
19229 — Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, saying: Ḥakkām related to us, on the authority of Abū Muʿādh, on the authority of Yūnus, on the authority of Al-Ḥasan, that the Prophet ﷺ said: "To Yūsuf and his mother was given a third of the beauty of the people of the world, and to the people the remaining two thirds." Or he said: "To Yūsuf and his mother were given the two thirds, and to the people the one third."
19230 — Abū Kurayb related to us, saying: Wakīʿ related to us — and Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, saying: My father related to us — on the authority of Sufyān, on the authority of Manṣūr, on the authority of Mujāhid, on the authority of Rabīʿa al-Jurashī, who said: "The beauty was divided into two halves: to Yūsuf and his mother Sāra was given the half of the beauty, and the other half to the rest of the creation."
19231 — Ibn Bashshār related to us, saying: Abū Aḥmad al-Zubayrī related to us, saying: Sufyān related to us, on the authority of Manṣūr, on the authority of Mujāhid, on the authority of Rabīʿa al-Jurashī, who said: "The beauty was divided into two halves: a half to Yūsuf and his mother, and the other half to all other people."
19232 — Ibn Wakīʿ and Ibn Ḥumayd related to us; they said: Jarīr related to us, on the authority of Manṣūr, on the authority of Mujāhid, on the authority of Rabīʿa al-Jurashī, who said: "The beauty was divided into two halves: to Yūsuf and Sāra was given the half, and to the rest of the creation the other half." [note 13]
19233 — Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, saying: Ḥakkām related to us, on the authority of ʿĪsā ibn Yazid, on the authority of Al-Ḥasan: "To Yūsuf and his mother was given a third of the beauty of the world, and to the people the remaining two thirds."
وَقُلْنَ حَاشَ لِلَّهِ — The Qurʾān-reciters differed concerning the reading of this.
The general reading of the Kūfan reciters is حَاشَ لِلَّهِ with the fatḥa on the shīn and omission of the yāʾ.
Some Baṣran reciters read it with the yāʾ included: "ḥāshā lillāh."
There are also dialectal forms which are not recited: "ḥāshā Allāhi" — as the poet said: [note 14]
"Ḥāshā Abī Thawbān — for he has aversion to disgrace and abuse." [note 15]
It is related from Ibn Masʿūd that he read the dialectal form: "ḥashā Allāha" and "ḥāsh Allāha" [note 16] — with sukūn on the shīn and the alif, whereby two quiescent vowelless letters are joined together.
As for the reading, it is one of the two first-mentioned dialectal forms; whoever reads: حَاشَ لِلَّهِ with fatḥa on the shīn and omission of the yāʾ, means the dialectal form "ḥāshā lillāh" (with yāʾ), but omits the yāʾ because it occurs frequently on the tongue of the Arabs — just as the Arabs omit the alif in the expression "lā aba li-ghayruka" and "lā aba li-shānīka," while they mean: "lā abā li-ghayruka" and "lā abā li-shānīka."
Some of the language scholars claimed that "ḥāshā lillāh" in the Arabic language has two functions: the first is exaltation (tanziha), the second is exception (istithnāʾ). In this context it means, in our view, the exaltation of Allah — as if it said: "God forbid!"
Abū Jaʿfar said: As for the reading of this: the reciter has the choice to read it in one of the two readings as he wishes — whether the Kūfan reading or the Baṣran reading: حَاشَ لِلَّهِ and "ḥāshā lillāh" — for they are two well-known readings and two well-known dialectal forms with one and the same meaning. All the rest are dialectal forms whose reading is not permitted, for we do not know of a single reciter who read them.
The commentators agree with what we have said about this.
Mention of who said that:
19234 — Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, saying: Ibn Numayr related to us, on the authority of Warqāʾ, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid — وَقُلْنَ حَاشَ لِلَّهِ — that he said: "God forbid!"
19235 — Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to me, saying: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, on the authority of ʿĪsā, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid — concerning His word حَاشَ لِلَّهِ — "God forbid!"
19236 — Al-Muthannā related to me, saying: Abū Ḥudhayfa related to us, saying: Shibl related to us, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid — وَقُلْنَ حَاشَ لِلَّهِ — "God forbid!"
19237 — Al-Ḥasan ibn Muḥammad related to us, saying: Shabāba related to us, saying: Warqāʾ related to us, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid — concerning His word حَاشَ لِلَّهِ — "God forbid!"
19238 — [It was related to us], he said: ʿAbd al-Wahhāb related to us, on the authority of ʿAmr, on the authority of Al-Ḥasan — حَاشَ لِلَّهِ — "God forbid!"
19239 — Al-Ḥārith related to me, saying: ʿAbd al-ʿAziz related to us, saying: Yaḥyā related to us, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, on the authority of Mujāhid — likewise.
مَا هَذَا بَشَرًا — he says: They said: "This is no human being," for they had not seen among human beings anyone with as beautiful a form as he; they said: "If he were of human beings, he would be like the other people we have seen, but he is of the angels, not of human beings," as:
19240 — Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Ibn Zayd said concerning His word وَقُلْنَ حَاشَ لِلَّهِ مَا هَذَا بَشَرًا : "Human beings do not look like this!"
With this reading the general reciters of the great cities read. There is, however:
19241 — It was related to me on the authority of Yaḥyā ibn Ziyād al-Farrāʾ, who said: Dʿāma ibn Rajāʾ al-Taymī — who was a much-warring man [note 17] — related to me, on the authority of Abū al-Ḥuwayrith al-Ḥanafī, that he read: "mā hādhā bi-shirā" — that is to say: "This is no purchased slave." [note 18]
By this they intended that women refused to accept that someone like him should be bought and sold as a slave.
Abū Jaʿfar said: This reading I may not accept, because the reciters of the great cities are unanimous in reading it otherwise. We have demonstrated that to deviate from what they are unanimous about is not permitted.
As for the naṣb (accusative) of "bashar" — that is the dialectal form of the people of Ḥijāz: when they omit the bāʾ from the predicate clause, they put it in the accusative and say: "mā ʿAmrun qāʾiman." The people of Najd, however, put it in the nominative in their dialectal form and say: "mā ʿAmrun qāʾimun." Of which also is the expression of the poet: [note 19]
"How great is the difference between what I aim at and what the sons of my father aim at — together — those two are not alike. They wished for me the death that destroys the young man, while every young man and death meet one another." [note 20]
The Qurʾān, however, contains in all of this the accusative, for it was sent down in the dialectal form of the people of Ḥijāz.
إِنْ هَذَا إِلا مَلَكٌ كَرِيمٌ — he says: They said: "This is naught but an angel of the angels," as:
19242 — Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, saying: Muḥammad ibn Thawr related to us, on the authority of Maʿmar, on the authority of Qatāda — إِنْ هَذَا إِلا مَلَكٌ كَرِيمٌ — that he said: "They said: An angel of the angels."
