The Cover-Up

Then the husband told Yūsuf: O Yūsuf, turn away from this — meaning, ignore it; do not speak about it; act as if nothing happened. Let no one come to know of this problem. They did not want any of this to leak out. They did not want a scandal; it would have been a political scandal for them. So he told Yūsuf: do not speak about it — as if it never happened. It was a cover-up.

And then he told his wife: ask forgiveness for your sin; truly, you were of the sinful. We can sense a spoiled indulgence in this response of al-ʿAzīz, and that is common among the upper class when they become corrupt. He told Yūsuf: forget about this. And then he told his wife: can you please ask Allah to forgive you? And that was the end of the story. There was no real jealousy in that man. He said: ask forgiveness for your sin — you were of those who were sinful.