وَهَمَّ بِهَا لَوْلَا أَنْ رَأَىٰ بُرْهَانَ رَبِّهِ وَلَقَدْ هَمَّتْ بِهِ
"And certainly she made for him, and he would have made for her, were it not that he had seen the manifest evidence of his Lord ..." ( Yusuf, 1 2:24)
Q: Mamun asked Imam Ridha’ (a.s.): 'How can Prophet Yusuf (a.s.) indulge with Zulaikha when he is a prophet and infallible?' What was the reply of Imam Ridha’ (a.s.) which satisfied the latter?
A: In Uyun Akhbar Ar-Ridha’ (a.s.) it is narrated that: Mamun said: 0 son of the Prophet of God, how excellent! Let me know about the meaning of what the Almighty Allah said:
"And certainly she made for him, and he would have made for her, were it not that he had seen the manifest evidence of his Lord ..."
Imam Ridha’ (a.s.) said: ·she tried to seduce Yusuf (a.s.). Were it not that he had seen the manifest evidence of his Lord, he would have done to her just as what she had done to him. However, Yusuf (a.s.) was immaculate, and the immaculate neither commits sins nor think of committing them. Indeed my father, Imam Ja'far Sadiq (a.s.) told me that she intended to do it, but he decided not to."6
The gist of the reply of Imam Ali Ridha’ (a.s.) is that the phrase: "were it not that he had seen the manifest evidence of his Lord" is the condition for "and he would have made for her” hence the meaning of this holy verse becomes:
Had Yusuf (a.s.) not seen the proof of his Lord, he would have certainly inclined toward Zulaikha. Since "were it not that he had seen the manifest evidence of his Lord" is for rejection of the second sentence through the existence of the first the meaning becomes:
As Yusuf saw the proof of his Lord, he did not incline toward Zulaikha. For explanation of His Lord's proof (Burhane Rabbih), His Eminence, Ali bin Husain (a.s.) is reported to have said that :
Zulaikha threw her dress on the idol in her apartment, saying: I feel ashamed of it (the idol). Prophet Yusuf (a.s.) remarked: When you feel thus ashamed in front of an idol, which neither sees nor hear; why should I not feel ashamed before my God, Who has created man and Who knows each and everything about him?
Sayyid Abdul Husayn Dastghaib