The Holy Quran 12:31 — Surah Yusuf

Arabic text

فَلَمَّا سَمِعَتْ بِمَكْرِهِنَّ أَرْسَلَتْ إِلَيْهِنَّ وَأَعْتَدَتْ لَهُنَّ مُتَّكَـًٔا وَءَاتَتْ كُلَّ وَٰحِدَةٍ مِّنْهُنَّ سِكِّينًا وَقَالَتِ ٱخْرُجْ عَلَيْهِنَّ ۖ فَلَمَّا رَأَيْنَهُۥٓ أَكْبَرْنَهُۥ وَقَطَّعْنَ أَيْدِيَهُنَّ وَقُلْنَ حَـٰشَ لِلَّهِ مَا هَـٰذَا بَشَرًا إِنْ هَـٰذَآ إِلَّا مَلَكٌ كَرِيمٌ

Translation

When she heard of their plot (their backbiting), she (decided to convince them that her attraction for Yusuf عليه الصلاة والسلام was not unfounded, so she) sent for them and prepared a meeting place for them, setting cushions there. She gave each of them a knife and (as they were busy cutting their fruit, Zulaykha) then told Yusuf عليه الصلاة والسلام, "Come out before them!" When they saw him, they were taken aback (by his beauty) and (in their astonishment at his extreme handsomeness, they) cut their hands (repeatedly) and exclaimed, "Allaah is Pure! This cannot be a human (because no human can possibly be so handsome)! He must surely be a noble angel!"

Tafsir (excerpt) — Tafsir Usmani

The women's talk was called “makr” (cunning, deceit) because they carried on this talk secretly, like schemers, and by taunting Zulaykha they meant, as it were, to display their own virtue. Yet whichever woman heard of the fame of Yusuf's ﵇ peerless beauty, the longing to see him began to tug at her heart.

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