Question:
السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته
In Sūrah Yūsuf (verses 52–53), Allāh says:
قَالَ ذَٰلِكَ لِيَعْلَمَ أَنِّي لَمْ أَخُنْهُ بِالْغَيْبِ وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَهْدِي كَيْدَ الْخَائِنِينَ (٥٢)
وَمَا أُبَرِّئُ نَفْسِي ۚ إِنَّ النَّفْسَ لَأَمَّارَةٌ بِالسُّوءِ إِلَّا مَا رَحِمَ رَبِّي ۚ إِنَّ رَبِّي غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ (٥٣)
“That is so he [i.e., al-ʿAzīz] will know that I did not betray him in his absence, and that Allāh does not guide the plan of the betrayers.
And I do not absolve myself; indeed, the soul is ever inclined to evil, except those upon whom my Lord has mercy. Indeed, my Lord is forgiving and merciful.”
(Sūrah Yūsuf, 12:52–53)
Ibn Kathīr attributes these words (verses 52–53) to the wife of al-ʿAzīz, whereas other scholars interpret them as the words of Yūsuf (ʿalayhi al-salām), explaining his request for an enquiry and acknowledging Allāh’s mercy.
What is the reason for these two different views? And is there anything we can draw from Naḥw (syntax) or Balāghah (rhetoric) to help understand how both possibilities can exist without contradiction?
Answer:
From among the three disciplines of Arabic rhetoric (ʿUlūm al-Balāghah), the science of ʿIlm al-Badīʿ deals with aspects that beautify and embellish speech—both in form and meaning.
Within this discipline is a device known as التوجيه (al-tawjīh), where a single expression allows for two legitimate interpretive possibilities without contradiction. This feature highlights the depth and eloquence of Arabic discourse.
An example of tawjīh is found in the ḥadīth of the Prophet ﷺ:
مَطْلُ الغَنِيِّ ظُلْمٌ
“Delaying payment by a wealthy person is injustice.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim)
The word مَطْلُ (maṭl) here is a verbal noun (maṣdar). Depending on how it relates to الغَنِيّ (the rich person), the sentence can bear two valid readings:
• If الغَنِيّ is considered the subject (فاعل) of the maṣdar, the meaning is:
“The delay caused by the rich person is wrong.”
• If الغَنِيّ is treated as the object (مفعول به) of the maṣdar, the meaning becomes:
“Delaying (payment to) the rich person is wrong.”
Both are grammatically sound and semantically valid. This duality without contradiction is a hallmark of tawjīh.
It is mentioned in Talkhīṣ al-Miftāḥ (p. 129):
ومنه التوجيه؛ وهو إيراد الكلام محتملا لوجهين مختلفين؛ كقول من قال لأعور:
خاط لي عمرو قِبَاء … ليت عينيه سواء
“Among these is tawjīh—when speech bears two different possibilities—like the one who said to a one-eyed man:
‘ʿAmr stitched a cloak for me… If only both his eyes were equal.’”
This statement can be understood in two ways: as a prayer wishing that both his eyes become sound or as a curse implying that both might become blind.
Thus, when we encounter the two scholarly readings of Sūrah Yūsuf 52–53—whether these are the words of Yūsuf (ʿalayhi al-salām) or of the wife of al-ʿAzīz—both interpretations can coexist harmoniously within the eloquence of Qur’ānic Arabic.
This is not contradiction but tawjīh: a purposeful allowance for multiple shades of meaning, each unveiling a distinct moral and spiritual insight.
ومنه التوجيه؛ وهو إيراد الكلام محتملا لوجهين مختلفين؛ كقول من قال لأعور يسمى عمرا:
خاط لي عمرو قِبَاء … ليت عينيه سواء
(تلخيص المفتاح ١٢٩)
Allah knows best.
Abbas Afzal
6 Jumāda al-ūlā / 28 Nov 2025
