Verse 12:22 in Context

Translator Abdel Haleem

18 وَجَاۤءُو عَلَىٰ قَمِیصِهِۦ بِدَمࣲ كَذِبࣲۚ قَالَ بَلۡ سَوَّلَتۡ لَكُمۡ أَنفُسُكُمۡ أَمۡرࣰاۖ فَصَبۡرࣱ جَمِیلࣱۖ وَٱللَّهُ ٱلۡمُسۡتَعَانُ عَلَىٰ مَا تَصِفُونَ ۝١٨ wajāū ʿalā qamīṣihi bidamin kadhibin qāla bal sawwalat lakum anfusukum amran faṣabrun jamīlun wal-lahu l-mus'taʿānu ʿalā mā taṣifūn and they showed him his shirt, deceptively stained with blood. He cried, ‘No! Your souls have prompted you to do wrong! But it is best to be patient: from God alone I seek help to bear what you are saying.’ 19 وَجَاۤءَتۡ سَیَّارَةࣱ فَأَرۡسَلُوا۟ وَارِدَهُمۡ فَأَدۡلَىٰ دَلۡوَهُۥۖ قَالَ یَـٰبُشۡرَىٰ هَـٰذَا غُلَـٰمࣱۚ وَأَسَرُّوهُ بِضَـٰعَةࣰۚ وَٱللَّهُ عَلِیمُۢ بِمَا یَعۡمَلُونَ ۝١٩ wajāat sayyāratun fa-arsalū wāridahum fa-adlā dalwahu qāla yābush'rā hādhā ghulāmun wa-asarrūhu biḍāʿatan wal-lahu ʿalīmun bimā yaʿmalūn Some travellers came by. They sent someone to draw water and he let down his bucket. ‘Good news!’ he exclaimed. ‘Here is a boy!’ They hid him like a piece of merchandise- God was well aware of what they did 20 وَشَرَوۡهُ بِثَمَنِۭ بَخۡسࣲ دَرَ ٰهِمَ مَعۡدُودَةࣲ وَكَانُوا۟ فِیهِ مِنَ ٱلزَّ ٰهِدِینَ ۝٢٠ washarawhu bithamanin bakhsin darāhima maʿdūdatin wakānū fīhi mina l-zāhidīn and then sold him for a small price, for a few pieces of silver: so little did they value him 21 وَقَالَ ٱلَّذِی ٱشۡتَرَىٰهُ مِن مِّصۡرَ لِٱمۡرَأَتِهِۦۤ أَكۡرِمِی مَثۡوَىٰهُ عَسَىٰۤ أَن یَنفَعَنَاۤ أَوۡ نَتَّخِذَهُۥ وَلَدࣰاۚ وَكَذَ ٰلِكَ مَكَّنَّا لِیُوسُفَ فِی ٱلۡأَرۡضِ وَلِنُعَلِّمَهُۥ مِن تَأۡوِیلِ ٱلۡأَحَادِیثِۚ وَٱللَّهُ غَالِبٌ عَلَىٰۤ أَمۡرِهِۦ وَلَـٰكِنَّ أَكۡثَرَ ٱلنَّاسِ لَا یَعۡلَمُونَ ۝٢١ waqāla alladhī ish'tarāhu min miṣ'ra li-im'ra-atihi akrimī mathwāhu ʿasā an yanfaʿanā aw nattakhidhahu waladan wakadhālika makkannā liyūsufa fī l-arḍi walinuʿallimahu min tawīli l-aḥādīthi wal-lahu ghālibun ʿalā amrihi walākinna akthara l-nāsi lā yaʿlamūn The Egyptian who bought him said to his wife, ‘Look after him well! He may be useful to us, or we may adopt him as a son.’ In this way We settled Joseph in that land and later taught him how to interpret dreams: God always prevails in His purpose, though most people do not realize it

22 وَلَمَّا بَلَغَ أَشُدَّهُۥۤ ءَاتَیۡنَـٰهُ حُكۡمࣰا وَعِلۡمࣰاۚ وَكَذَ ٰلِكَ نَجۡزِی ٱلۡمُحۡسِنِینَ ۝٢٢ walammā balagha ashuddahu ātaynāhu ḥuk'man waʿil'man wakadhālika najzī l-muḥ'sinīn When he reached maturity, We gave him judgement and knowledge: this is how We reward those who do good

23 وَرَ ٰوَدَتۡهُ ٱلَّتِی هُوَ فِی بَیۡتِهَا عَن نَّفۡسِهِۦ وَغَلَّقَتِ ٱلۡأَبۡوَ ٰبَ وَقَالَتۡ هَیۡتَ لَكَۚ قَالَ مَعَاذَ ٱللَّهِۖ إِنَّهُۥ رَبِّیۤ أَحۡسَنَ مَثۡوَایَۖ إِنَّهُۥ لَا یُفۡلِحُ ٱلظَّـٰلِمُونَ ۝٢٣ warāwadathu allatī huwa fī baytihā ʿan nafsihi waghallaqati l-abwāba waqālat hayta laka qāla maʿādha l-lahi innahu rabbī aḥsana mathwāya innahu lā yuf'liḥu l-ẓālimūn The woman in whose house he was living tried to seduce him: she bolted the doors and said, ‘Come to me,’ and he replied, ‘God forbid! My master has been good to me; wrongdoers never prosper.’ 24 وَلَقَدۡ هَمَّتۡ بِهِۦۖ وَهَمَّ بِهَا لَوۡلَاۤ أَن رَّءَا بُرۡهَـٰنَ رَبِّهِۦۚ كَذَ ٰلِكَ لِنَصۡرِفَ عَنۡهُ ٱلسُّوۤءَ وَٱلۡفَحۡشَاۤءَۚ إِنَّهُۥ مِنۡ عِبَادِنَا ٱلۡمُخۡلَصِینَ ۝٢٤ walaqad hammat bihi wahamma bihā lawlā an raā bur'hāna rabbihi kadhālika linaṣrifa ʿanhu l-sūa wal-faḥshāa innahu min ʿibādinā l-mukh'laṣīn She made for him, and he would have succumbed to her if he had not seen evidence of his Lord- We did this in order to keep evil and indecency away from him, for he was truly one of Our chosen servants 25 وَٱسۡتَبَقَا ٱلۡبَابَ وَقَدَّتۡ قَمِیصَهُۥ مِن دُبُرࣲ وَأَلۡفَیَا سَیِّدَهَا لَدَا ٱلۡبَابِۚ قَالَتۡ مَا جَزَاۤءُ مَنۡ أَرَادَ بِأَهۡلِكَ سُوۤءًا إِلَّاۤ أَن یُسۡجَنَ أَوۡ عَذَابٌ أَلِیمࣱ ۝٢٥ wa-is'tabaqā l-bāba waqaddat qamīṣahu min duburin wa-alfayā sayyidahā ladā l-bābi qālat mā jazāu man arāda bi-ahlika sūan illā an yus'jana aw ʿadhābun alīmu They raced for the door- she tore his shirt from behind- and at the door they met her husband. She said, ‘What, other than prison or painful punishment, should be the reward of someone who tried to dishonour your wife?’ 26 قَالَ هِیَ رَ ٰوَدَتۡنِی عَن نَّفۡسِیۚ وَشَهِدَ شَاهِدࣱ مِّنۡ أَهۡلِهَاۤ إِن كَانَ قَمِیصُهُۥ قُدَّ مِن قُبُلࣲ فَصَدَقَتۡ وَهُوَ مِنَ ٱلۡكَـٰذِبِینَ ۝٢٦ qāla hiya rāwadatnī ʿan nafsī washahida shāhidun min ahlihā in kāna qamīṣuhu qudda min qubulin faṣadaqat wahuwa mina l-kādhibīn but he said, ‘She tried to seduce me.’ A member of her household suggested, ‘If his shirt is torn at the front, then it is she who is telling the truth and he who is lying