The Infallibility of Prophet Joseph (AS) from the Perspective of Islamic Interpretations: A Study of Verse 24 of Surah Yusof (AS)

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Assistant Professor, Department of Quran and Hadith, Hazrat Masoumeh University, Qom, Iran

2 Assistant Professor, Department of Quran and Hadith, Imam Sadegh (AS) Institute of Islamic Sciences, Qom, Iran

3 PhD Graduate in Comparative Interpretation, University of Qom, Qom, Iran

Abstract

Various issues have been raised about verse 24 of Surah Yusof. The word Hamm (desire) in this verse is attributed to Joseph, which needs to be identified more precisely. Most commentators have interpreted it as intending to perform an act contrary to chastity, which apparently contradicts his infallibility. In this study, we simultaneously follow the conceptual and documentary analysis of the word in this verse, and divide the most important Shiite and Sunni views into three categories. Each of these views has its own weaknesses and does not respond well to the ambiguities of the readers about the appearance of the verse, its context, the exact literal meaning in the earlier historical books, and the interpretive narrations related to the verse. In this article, with an analytical-critical approach and emphasizing the literal meaning "intention and will" for the word Hamm, we examine its contextual meaning in the verse. The results of the research show that the meaning of the Hamm attributed to Joseph was concerning his intention to beat and kill Zoleykha, and in contrast, the Hamm attributed to Zoleykha was about her will to commit a sin.

Keywords


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