between his teeth, and was gesturing for Sayyidunā Yūsuf                عَـلٰى نَبِـيِّنَا وَعَـلَـيْهِ الـصَّلٰوةُ وَالـسَّلَام to stay away from her.’ (Khazāin-ul-‘Irfān, pp. 380)

The fact is that it was a one-sided love on the part of Zulaykhā only, and Sayyidunā Yūsuf عَـلٰى نَبِـيِّنَا وَعَـلَـيْهِ الـصَّلٰوةُ وَالـسَّلَام had not indulged in it even to the slightest degree. In verse 30 of Sūraĥ Yūsuf, part 12, the saying of some Egyptian women has been quoted like this:

وَ قَالَ  نِسۡوَۃٌ  فِی  الۡمَدِیۡنَۃِ  امۡـرَاَتُ  الۡعَـزِ یۡزِ  تُرَاوِدُ  فَتٰىہَا  عَنۡ  نَّفۡسِہٖ  ۚ                             قَدۡ   شَغَفَہَا  حُبًّا   ؕ  اِنَّا   لَنَرٰ ىہَا  فِیۡ   ضَلٰلٍ   مُّبِیۡنٍ   ﴿۳۰﴾

And some women of the city said, ‘The governor’s wife allures the heart of her young boy; indeed his love has taken root in her heart; and we find her clearly lost in love’.

[Kanz-ul-Īmān (Translation of Quran)] (Part 12, Sūraĥ Yūsuf, verse 30)

Ḥujjat-ul-Islam Sayyidunā Imām Abū Ḥāmid Muhammad Bin Muhammad Bin Muhammad Ghazālī عَـلَـیۡـهِ رَحْـمَـةُ الـلّٰـهِ الۡـوَالِی has stated, ‘Zulaykhā had a passion for Sayyidunā Yūsuf عَـلٰى نَبِـيِّنَا وَعَـلَـيْهِ الـصَّلٰوةُ وَالـسَّلَام but he عَـلَيْـهِ الـصَّلٰوة ُ وَالـسَّلَام avoided her despite having power. In the Holy Quran, Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ appreciated him a lot for avoiding her.

(Iḥyā-ul-‘Ulūm, vol. 3, pp. 129)

Zulaykhā’s story

Question: Please tell us Zulaykhā’s story so that we can avoid misconceptions about Sayyidunā Yūsuf عَـلٰى نَبِـيِّـنَا وَ عَـلَيْـهِ الـصَّلٰوة ُ وَالـسَّلَام.

Answer: Zulaykhā’s story is actually quite strange. I will try to summarise the very lengthy story mentioned in the commentary of Sūraĥ Yūsuf by Ḥujjat-ul-Islam Sayyidunā Imām Muhammad Bin