Zuleikha

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Zuleikhā (Arabic: زُلِیْخا ) was the wife of Egypt's chieftain. The story of Zuleikha and Prophet Joseph (a) is mentioned in the Qur'an,[1] where she is referred to as "the woman in whose house he was"[2] and "chieftain's wife",[3] without the specific name "Zuleikha." However, in certain exegetical,[4] historical,[5] and hadith sources,[6] she is identified as Zuleikha. Fakhr al-Razi, a Sunni exegete of the Quran, argues that there is no reliable source to confirm this name.[7] In other sources, the wife of Egypt's chieftain is mentioned as Zalyakha.[8]

In both the Quran and the Torah, there are accounts of the story of Joseph (a) and Zuleikha.[9] However, these accounts differ in certain aspects.[10] According to the Quran, Zuleikha tried to seduce Joseph (a), but he resisted her advances and sought refuge in God when he "beheld the proof of his Lord".[11] Nasser Makarim Shirazi, a Shiite exegete of the Quran, believes that Joseph (a) was protected from the sinful environment through divine intervention.[12] Zuleikha then caught up with Joseph (a) and tore his shirt in an attempt to prevent him from leaving the room. They were confronted by Egypt's chieftain at the doorstep, and both accused each other of wrongdoing. However, a relative of Zuleikha's intervened and testified that if Joseph's shirt was torn from the back, then he was telling the truth. As a result, Joseph was cleared of the treason accusation.[13]

On some accounts, the witness who testified in favor of Joseph (a) was Zuleikha's three-month old nephew[14] who spoke through divine intervention.[15] However, on other accounts, the witness was a wise man.[16] According to Quranic exegetes, at Zuleikha's request, Joseph (a) was imprisoned.[17] After some time, Zuleikha confessed her guilt and recognized Joseph's honesty.[18]

Zuleikha, a wealthy and beautiful woman,[19] initially worshiped idols[20] and faced infertility in her marriage.[21] According to certain accounts, Zuleikha repented to God in her later years, embracing monotheism, and through Joseph's prayer, she was rejuvenated, leading to their subsequent marriage.[22] It is recounted that two children were born from this union.[23] Nevertheless, some scholars cast doubt on the reliability of these narratives, citing issues with their chains of transmission and textual content. Notably, they argue that these accounts may have originated from the Torah.[24]


According to specific studies, Zuleikha had a significant impact on Sufi thoughts. It is reported that Sufis held great admiration for Zuleikha's states and conduct, often expressing their mystical perspectives based on her character.[25] The tale of Zuleikha's love for Joseph (a) finds widespread representation in world literature, encompassing Persian, Turkish, and European literary traditions.[26]

Notes

  1. ↑ Asadī, Zuleikha, p. 416.
  2. ↑ Qurʾān, 12:23.
  3. ↑ Qurʾān, 12:30; Asadī, Zuleikha, p. 414.
  4. ↑ Maqātil, Tafsīr Maqātil b. Sulaymān, vol. 2, p. 327; Qummī, Tafsīr al-Qummī, vol. 1, p. 357; Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, vol. 5, p. 340.
  5. ↑ Ibn al-Jawzī, al-Muntaẓam, vol. 1, p. 315; Ibn Khaldūn, Diwān al-mubtadaʾ (Tārīkh Ibn Khaldūn), vol. 2, p. 45; Muqaddasī, al-Badʾ wa al-tārīkh, vol. 3, p. 68.
  6. ↑ Ṣadūq, ʿIlal al-sharāʾiʿ, vol. 1, p. 55; Khazzāz al-Qummī, Kifāyat al-athar, p. 264; Rāwandī, Qiṣaṣ al-anbīyāʾ, p. 136.
  7. ↑ Fakhr al-Rāzī, Mafātīḥ al-ghayb, vol. 18, p. 435.
  8. ↑ Daylamī, Aʿlām al-dīn, p. 429.
  9. ↑ Qurʾān, 12:23; Book of Genesis, 39:7-20.
  10. ↑ Ṣādiqī, Nigāh-i taṭbīqī bi dāstān-i Yūsuf wa Zuleikhā dar Qurʾān-i majīd wa Tūrāt, p. 101- 103.
  11. ↑ Qurʾān, 12:23.
  12. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, vol. 9, p. 374.
  13. ↑ Qurʾān, 12:25-29.
  14. ↑ Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, vol. 5, p. 347.
  15. ↑ Qummī, Tafsīr al-Qummī, vol. 1, p. 343.
  16. ↑ Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, vol. 5, p. 347.
  17. ↑ Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, vol. 5, p. 354; Bayḍāwī, Anwār al-tanzīl, vol. 3, p. 163.
  18. ↑ Qurʾān, 12:50.
  19. ↑ Qummī, Tafsīr al-Qummī, vol. 1, p. 357.
  20. ↑ Ṣadūq, ʿUyūn akhbār al-Riḍā, vol. 2, p. 45.
  21. ↑ Kāshānī, Manhaj al-ṣādiqīn, vol. 5, p. 28.
  22. ↑ Kāshānī, Tafsīr al-Ṣāfī, vol. 3, p. 52.
  23. ↑ Qurtubī, al-Jāmiʿ li-aḥkām al-Qurʾān, vol. 9, p. 214.
  24. ↑ Maʿārif and others, Barrasī-yi riwāyāt-i tafsīrī-yi farīqayn dar masʾala-yi izdiwāj-i Ḥaḍrat-i Yūsuf bā Zuleikhā, p. 26.
  25. ↑ Pākmihr, Zuleikha dar andīsha-yi Shāʿirān wa ʿĀrifān-i qarn-i panjum tā haftum, p. 149.
  26. ↑ Khusrawī, Pajūhish-i taṭbīqī-yi dāstān-i Yūsuf wa Zuleikhā dar adabiyyāt-i Islāmī, p. 71.

References

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