Yusuf (Joseph)

53. “And I do not absolve myself, verily the (human) soul enjoins to evil, save that whereon my Lord has mercy; verily my Lord is the Forgiving, the Merciful.”

There are several descriptions throughout the Qur’an of the self or soul; some of them are pointed out here:

1. The despotic soul which leads one to commit evil and vicious acts. If it is not controlled by faith and reason, it results in man’s sudden fall.

2. The reproaching soul. This self or ego is active when a guilty person blames and scolds himself. In this case, he tends to seek repentance and is apologetic for the sin or crime which he has committed.

3. The peaceful soul which is found in only the prophets, and those truly trained by them. Once they find themselves surrounded by unbridled passion and ignorance, they seek the help of Allah to be extricated from it. They owe everything to Allah who loves them very much.

Yusuf (as) sees Allah’s grace and favor as the reason for his unscathed honor and the absence of treachery from his heart, since man with a human nature replete with frailties cannot excuse himself of the evil tendencies that are present in his soul.

The verse from the tongue of Yusuf says:

“And I do not absolve myself, verily the (human) soul enjoins to evil, save that whereon my Lord has mercy; verily my Lord is the Forgiving, the Merciful.”

Many Islamic narrations have pointed out the dangerous qualities present in the soul, regarding giving excuses for its evil tendencies, self satisfaction and self gratification as the results of corrupt reasoning which are counted among the greatest of the traps laid by the Satan.

Explanations

1. One should never admire himself immaculate and free of blame, excusing oneself of faults.

2. Only Allah’s grace is the source of salvation. Once man is left to himself, he will collapse.

3. The dangers that are engendered by the self are very grave, do not regard them as simple.

4. Despite all the dangers which may be surrounding you, do not despair of Allah’s grace.

5. One of the conditions of perfection is that one should not consider himself perfect although everyone else might regard him as such.

In Hadrat Yusuf’s (as) case, everybody bore witness to his perfection, they included his brothers, the wife of the ‘Aziz, the king’s witness, Satan, as well as all the prisoners, nevertheless, Yusuf himself asserts that he was not perfect by saying:

“I do not absolve myself. ...”