Verse 12:34 in Context

Translator Abdel Haleem

30 ۞ وَقَالَ نِسۡوَةࣱ فِی ٱلۡمَدِینَةِ ٱمۡرَأَتُ ٱلۡعَزِیزِ تُرَ ٰوِدُ فَتَىٰهَا عَن نَّفۡسِهِۦۖ قَدۡ شَغَفَهَا حُبًّاۖ إِنَّا لَنَرَىٰهَا فِی ضَلَـٰلࣲ مُّبِینࣲ ۝٣٠ waqāla nis'watun fī l-madīnati im'ra-atu l-ʿazīzi turāwidu fatāhā ʿan nafsihi qad shaghafahā ḥubban innā lanarāhā fī ḍalālin mubīni Some women of the city said, ‘The governor’s wife is trying to seduce her slave! Love for him consumes her heart! It is clear to us that she has gone astray.’ 31 فَلَمَّا سَمِعَتۡ بِمَكۡرِهِنَّ أَرۡسَلَتۡ إِلَیۡهِنَّ وَأَعۡتَدَتۡ لَهُنَّ مُتَّكَءࣰا وَءَاتَتۡ كُلَّ وَ ٰحِدَةࣲ مِّنۡهُنَّ سِكِّینࣰا وَقَالَتِ ٱخۡرُجۡ عَلَیۡهِنَّۖ فَلَمَّا رَأَیۡنَهُۥۤ أَكۡبَرۡنَهُۥ وَقَطَّعۡنَ أَیۡدِیَهُنَّ وَقُلۡنَ حَـٰشَ لِلَّهِ مَا هَـٰذَا بَشَرًا إِنۡ هَـٰذَاۤ إِلَّا مَلَكࣱ كَرِیمࣱ ۝٣١ falammā samiʿat bimakrihinna arsalat ilayhinna wa-aʿtadat lahunna muttaka-an waātat kulla wāḥidatin min'hunna sikkīnan waqālati ukh'ruj ʿalayhinna falammā ra-aynahu akbarnahu waqaṭṭaʿna aydiyahunna waqul'na ḥāsha lillahi mā hādhā basharan in hādhā illā malakun karīmu When she heard their malicious talk, she prepared a banquet and sent for them, giving each of them a knife. She said to Joseph, ‘Come out and show yourself to them!’ and when the women saw him, they were stunned by his beauty, and cut their hands, exclaiming, ‘Great God! He cannot be mortal! He must be a precious angel!’ 32 قَالَتۡ فَذَ ٰلِكُنَّ ٱلَّذِی لُمۡتُنَّنِی فِیهِۖ وَلَقَدۡ رَ ٰوَدتُّهُۥ عَن نَّفۡسِهِۦ فَٱسۡتَعۡصَمَۖ وَلَىِٕن لَّمۡ یَفۡعَلۡ مَاۤ ءَامُرُهُۥ لَیُسۡجَنَنَّ وَلَیَكُونࣰا مِّنَ ٱلصَّـٰغِرِینَ ۝٣٢ qālat fadhālikunna alladhī lum'tunnanī fīhi walaqad rāwadttuhu ʿan nafsihi fa-is'taʿṣama wala-in lam yafʿal mā āmuruhu layus'jananna walayakūnan mina l-ṣāghirīn She said, ‘This is the one you blamed me for. I tried to seduce him and he wanted to remain chaste, but if he does not do what I command now, he will be put in prison and degraded.’ 33 قَالَ رَبِّ ٱلسِّجۡنُ أَحَبُّ إِلَیَّ مِمَّا یَدۡعُونَنِیۤ إِلَیۡهِۖ وَإِلَّا تَصۡرِفۡ عَنِّی كَیۡدَهُنَّ أَصۡبُ إِلَیۡهِنَّ وَأَكُن مِّنَ ٱلۡجَـٰهِلِینَ ۝٣٣ qāla rabbi l-sij'nu aḥabbu ilayya mimmā yadʿūnanī ilayhi wa-illā taṣrif ʿannī kaydahunna aṣbu ilayhinna wa-akun mina l-jāhilīn Joseph said, ‘My Lord! I would prefer prison to what these women are calling me to do. If You do not protect me from their treachery, I shall yield to them and do wrong,’

34 فَٱسۡتَجَابَ لَهُۥ رَبُّهُۥ فَصَرَفَ عَنۡهُ كَیۡدَهُنَّۚ إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ ٱلسَّمِیعُ ٱلۡعَلِیمُ ۝٣٤ fa-is'tajāba lahu rabbuhu faṣarafa ʿanhu kaydahunna innahu huwa l-samīʿu l-ʿalīm and his Lord answered his prayer and protected him from their treachery- He is the All Hearing, the All Knowing

35 ثُمَّ بَدَا لَهُم مِّنۢ بَعۡدِ مَا رَأَوُا۟ ٱلۡءَایَـٰتِ لَیَسۡجُنُنَّهُۥ حَتَّىٰ حِینࣲ ۝٣٥ thumma badā lahum min baʿdi mā ra-awū l-āyāti layasjununnahu ḥattā ḥīni In the end they thought it best, after seeing all the signs of his innocence, that they should imprison him for a while 36 وَدَخَلَ مَعَهُ ٱلسِّجۡنَ فَتَیَانِۖ قَالَ أَحَدُهُمَاۤ إِنِّیۤ أَرَىٰنِیۤ أَعۡصِرُ خَمۡرࣰاۖ وَقَالَ ٱلۡءَاخَرُ إِنِّیۤ أَرَىٰنِیۤ أَحۡمِلُ فَوۡقَ رَأۡسِی خُبۡزࣰا تَأۡكُلُ ٱلطَّیۡرُ مِنۡهُۖ نَبِّئۡنَا بِتَأۡوِیلِهِۦۤۖ إِنَّا نَرَىٰكَ مِنَ ٱلۡمُحۡسِنِینَ ۝٣٦ wadakhala maʿahu l-sij'na fatayāni qāla aḥaduhumā innī arānī aʿṣiru khamran waqāla l-ākharu innī arānī aḥmilu fawqa rasī khub'zan takulu l-ṭayru min'hu nabbi'nā bitawīlihi innā narāka mina l-muḥ'sinīn Two young men went into prison alongside him. One of them said, ‘I dreamed that I was pressing grapes’; the other said, ‘I dreamed that I was carrying bread on my head and that the birds were eating it.’ [They said], ‘Tell us what this means- we can see that you are a knowledgeable man.’ 37 قَالَ لَا یَأۡتِیكُمَا طَعَامࣱ تُرۡزَقَانِهِۦۤ إِلَّا نَبَّأۡتُكُمَا بِتَأۡوِیلِهِۦ قَبۡلَ أَن یَأۡتِیَكُمَاۚ ذَ ٰلِكُمَا مِمَّا عَلَّمَنِی رَبِّیۤۚ إِنِّی تَرَكۡتُ مِلَّةَ قَوۡمࣲ لَّا یُؤۡمِنُونَ بِٱللَّهِ وَهُم بِٱلۡءَاخِرَةِ هُمۡ كَـٰفِرُونَ ۝٣٧ qāla lā yatīkumā ṭaʿāmun tur'zaqānihi illā nabbatukumā bitawīlihi qabla an yatiyakumā dhālikumā mimmā ʿallamanī rabbī innī taraktu millata qawmin lā yu'minūna bil-lahi wahum bil-ākhirati hum kāfirūn He said, ‘I can tell you what this means before any meal arrives: this is part of what my Lord has taught me. I reject the faith of those who disbelieve in God and deny the life to come 38 وَٱتَّبَعۡتُ مِلَّةَ ءَابَاۤءِیۤ إِبۡرَ ٰهِیمَ وَإِسۡحَـٰقَ وَیَعۡقُوبَۚ مَا كَانَ لَنَاۤ أَن نُّشۡرِكَ بِٱللَّهِ مِن شَیۡءࣲۚ ذَ ٰلِكَ مِن فَضۡلِ ٱللَّهِ عَلَیۡنَا وَعَلَى ٱلنَّاسِ وَلَـٰكِنَّ أَكۡثَرَ ٱلنَّاسِ لَا یَشۡكُرُونَ ۝٣٨ wa-ittabaʿtu millata ābāī ib'rāhīma wa-is'ḥāqa wayaʿqūba mā kāna lanā an nush'rika bil-lahi min shayin dhālika min faḍli l-lahi ʿalaynā waʿalā l-nāsi walākinna akthara l-nāsi lā yashkurūn and I follow the faith of my forefathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Because of God’s grace to us and to all mankind, we would never worship anything beside God, but most people are ungrateful