Sūrah Yūsuf Joseph: Tafsīr al-Ṭabarī The Source Commentary

Surah Overview

DetailInformationClassificationSignificance

SurahيوسفMakkī 111 verses"Aḥsanu l-qaṣaṣ" the best of stories; the only complete narrative sūrah

Key DisagreementDid Yūsuf almost commit the act with the Egyptian woman?Prophetic infallibilityAl-Ṭabarī: he intended nothing "hamma bihā" means his soul was tempted but he resisted immediately

Competing OpinionsWhat was the "proof of his Lord" (burhān rabbih)?Theological interpretationAl-Ṭabarī presents 7 views; prefers: vision of Yaʿqūb calling him back from sin

MethodologyDefending prophetic infallibility (ʿiṣmah) through tafsīrʿAqīdah in tafsīrAl-Ṭabarī argues that interpretations imputing sin to prophets violate ʿiṣmah doctrine

Key Themes from Al-Ṭabarī

The most theologically contested verse is 12:24: "And she desired him, and he desired her, had he not seen the proof of his Lord." Al-Ṭabarī presents all major interpretations of "hamma bihā" (he desired her) ranging from a fleeting temptation to untying his garment. He then systematically evaluates each through the lens of prophetic ʿiṣmah (infallibility from major sins) and through the Arabic linguistic range of "hamma." His preferred view: Yūsuf had a human impulse (nafs) that appeared momentarily before the burhān arrived and he turned away the Quran records his full experience to show that resistance to temptation, not absence of human nature, defines prophetic virtue.

Al-Ṭabarī presents seven views on the "burhān" (proof) that Yūsuf saw: (1) vision of his father Yaʿqūb (preferred by al-Ṭabarī); (2) Jibrīl appeared; (3) a voice from the sky; (4) the image of an angel; (5) the verse "Indeed the noble among Our servants" came to mind; (6) he saw himself in a mirror; (7) he saw the face of the king. Al-Ṭabarī evaluates the chains supporting each and prefers the Yaʿqūb vision based on Ibn ʿAbbās's narration with the strongest chain.

وَهَمَّتْ بِهِ وَهَمَّ بِهَا لَوْلَا أَن رَّأَىٰ بُرْهَانَ رَبِّهِ Wa-hammat bihī wa-hamma bihā law-lā an raʾā burhāna rabbih "And she desired him and he would have desired her, had he not seen the proof of his Lord" (12:24) Al-Ṭabarī: hamma bihā = a human impulse that appeared; the burhān interrupted it before any action prophetic ʿiṣmah is maintained by the "law-lā" (but for).

قَالَ رَبِّ السِّجْنُ أَحَبُّ إِلَيَّ مِمَّا يَدْعُونَنِي إِلَيْهِ Qāla rabbi s-sijnu aḥabbu ilayya mimmā yadʿūnanī ilayh "He said: My Lord, prison is more beloved to me than what they are calling me to" (12:33) Al-Ṭabarī: Yūsuf's choosing imprisonment over sin is the culmination of prophetic tawakkul; the prayer shows he trusted Allah over human power.

Prophetic ʿiṣmah defended: Al-Ṭabarī's analysis of 12:24 is one of the most detailed defenses of prophetic infallibility in classical tafsīr, using both language and chain analysis.
Seven views on burhān: Al-Ṭabarī's systematic presentation of seven competing interpretations and his selection of the strongest demonstrates his tarjīḥ (preference) method at its best.
Isrāʾīliyyāt in Yūsuf: Egyptian court details, the name of the Azīz (Qiṭfīr), the name of the woman (Zulaykhā) al-Ṭabarī presents these as Isrāʾīliyyāt, not confirmed by Islamic chains.
Dream interpretation: Al-Ṭabarī traces the prophetic gift of taʾwīl al-aḥādīth (dream interpretation) through Companion narrations on its nature and limits.
Prison as tawakkul: Yūsuf's preference for prison over sin is treated by al-Ṭabarī as the model of trusting Allah's plan over immediate human relief.

Surah Overview

Key Themes from Al-Ṭabarī

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