I Seek Refuge in Allah

The wife of al-ʿAzīz offered herself to Yūsuf.

And she, in whose house he was, sought to seduce him. Wa ghallaqat al-abwāb — and she closed the doors — wa qālat hayta lak — and she said: come to me. She tried to have him by force. She brought him into that room, closed the doors, offered herself to him, and wanted to force him to commit the act of zinā.

He said: maʿādha Allāh — I seek refuge in Allah. Innahu rabbī aḥsana mathwāy — truly, your husband is my master, and he has made my stay agreeable. Innahu lā yufliḥu al-ẓālimūn — I will never betray him, because the wrongdoers will never be successful. Glory be to Allah.

Look at this. First of all, he was not resisting her out of confidence in himself. He was asking Allah to help him: I seek refuge in Allah — O Allah, help me. And then he said: your husband is my master, and he has been very good to me; he has treated me very well. Look at the gratitude Yūsuf had. Even though he was a slave and this was his slave-master, he had no hatred for him. In fact, he saw him as someone who deserved respect, because he had dealt with him in a very good and respectful way. And then he said: those who betray, those who do wrong — they can never be successful.