Story Of Prophet Yusuf ✔

PART 14 YUSUF'S SHIRT PROVED HIS INNOCENCE [Surah Yusuf 12:26-28]

26. He said, “She tried to seduce me against my will”. And a witness from her family bore witness “If his shirt is torn from the front then she speaks the truth, and he is from the liars.”

27. “And if his shirt is torn from the back then she has lied, and he is one of the truthful.”

28. So when he saw that his shirt was torn from the back, he said, “Surely this is a plot of you women, surely your plot is great.”

Yusuf (‘alayhi salaam) finally speaks to defend himself. Yusuf (AS) spoke the truth when he (AS) said that it was she who sought to seduce him against his will. She was the one who had tried to tempt him. She was the one who was advancing towards him. She was the one who desired to do evil with him. So it was she who was the guilty party. Here all that Yusuf (AS) spoke was the Truth. You will notice throughout this Surah that Yusuf (AS) does not speak much but whenever he does his words are powerful.

It seems that at this point the Aziz consulted her close relatives as to what should be done with this situation. Allah (swt) describes this person as a witness because his suggestion allowed the Aziz to find out the culprit in the crime. He was not sure who to believe since both his wife and Yusuf (AS) gave contradictory testimonies as to what had happened. Notice that he did not simply believe his wife even though she was his wife and she was the first to speak, and she was more forceful in her testimony.

Allah (swt) decreed for this witness to be from her family to establish the absolute innocence of Yusuf (AS) in this matter. Allah (swt) is showing us that even when the witness comes from the family of the wife of the Aziz, it was still established that Yusuf (AS) was innocent and that she was guilty. This shows us how even when all fates seem to be turned against a person that Allah (swt) is still with them. Against all odds, there was a person of justice and fairness in her family. One who put forward a fair and just way in which the truth could be established. So we too have to always believe that Allah (swt) will be there for us and He (swt) will look out for us and make sure that justice is done for us.

The solution that the witness from her family proposes is that if Yusuf (AS)’s shirt is torn from the front, then it indicates that he (AS) was guilty, however, if his shirt is torn from the back then it clearly shows his innocence. This is because if his shirt was torn from the front, then it shows that Yusuf (AS) was attacking her and that she tore his shirt in the struggle. However, if his shirt was torn from the back, then it shows that he (AS) was running away from her and that she tore his shirt while he (AS) was running. This was in fact what happened, and this was what was shown for all to see. Thus does Allah (swt) make the Truth manifest for His (swt)’s righteous servants!

LESSONS

1. We must speak up to defend our rights. We do not need to keep silent when others do wrong to us. Allah (swt) gave us a tongue and lips for a reason. It is so that we would use them to speak the words that are pleasing to Him (swt). It is so that we would use them to speak the Truth. It is so that we would use them to defend ourselves and our honor. This is what Yusuf (AS) did. He (AS) did not want to do evil to anyone. He (AS) did not want to hurt anyone. But he did not keep silent when she accused him of a crime that he did not commit. Yusuf used the tongue that Allah (swt) gave him (AS) to speak the Truth. To speak to defend his rights as a human being.

2. The special emphasis that Allah (swt) places on the shirt of Yusuf (AS). Allah (swt) speaks of the shirt of Yusuf (AS) in several places of this Surah. The shirt of Yusuf (AS) is how Yaqoob (AS) knew that his son was still alive. The shirt of Yusuf (AS) is what shows his innocence here. Later on, we will also see how the shirt of Yusuf (AS) restores the vision of Yaqoob (AS). All of this shows how special the shirts of Yusuf (AS) were.

3. The wife of Aziz accused Yusuf by speaking in general, “He wanted to do some bad.” Whereas Yusuf (AS) accuses her of a specific crime “She was the one who sought to seduce me.”  It tells us that the one who speaks specifics and tells the details knows what is going on and is the one who is truthful.  Generally speaking, the one with the more knowledge is the one who is more truthful.

4. There was no one who saw that it was she who did the evil and then it was she who tried to blame Yusuf (AS). But still, Allah (swt) exposed the crime that she did for all to see. Allah (swt) did it through her own hands for it was she who ripped the shirt.

5. The seduction of women is far more difficult for a man to repel and save himself from more than the most of the seductions of Shaytan.