And when this action cannot be completed in its goodness except when there is a predominance of desire and the overwhelming of passion, as is the case with manliness, Allah, the Exalted, said in response to those who imagine the opposite: "And indeed, she intended him"; meaning she established the intention, which is the firm aim and sincere resolve related to committing the act with him. There is no barrier for her from religion, reason, or incapacity, so her desire intensified. "And he intended her" as is the case with men when the reasons are available. "Had it not been that he saw"; meaning with the eye of his heart, "the proof of his Lord" which He gave him from wisdom and knowledge, meaning he would have intended her. However, since the proof was present with him as if he saw it with his own eyes, the abundance of desire and the predominance of passion did not cover him. Thus, he did not intend at all, despite being in the utmost readiness for that due to what Allah had given him of strength, while he was in the age of youth. Had it not been for the vigilance, he would have intended her due to the availability of the motives, but the light of witnessing completely erased it. This estimation is befitting for someone of his status, although he is the one whom the styles of these verses indicate to be among the sincere and the good-doers, from whom evil is turned away, and that prison is more beloved to him than that. Along with the establishment of the refutation of the falsehood contained in her words: "What is the punishment of one who intended evil against your family?" [Yusuf: 25] - the verse, from the absolute intention, and with what the estimation necessitates of what was mentioned after "Had it not been" in the specificity of this structure from the styles of the speech of the Arabs, it must be that what is estimated after every condition is from the meaning indicated by what preceded it. This is like His saying: "Indeed, she was about to reveal it had We not tied her heart" [Al-Qasas: 10]; meaning she would have revealed it. As for what has been reported from the predecessors that contradicts that, nothing has been authentically reported from any of them. Moreover, the statements that have been narrated from them, when gathered, contradict each other and thus disprove one another. The speech of the Arabs does not support any of it, as they estimated the answer to the omitted "Had it not been" with what has no evidence from the preceding speech or the following. Imam Abu Hayyan pointed this out, and Imam Al-Razi preceded him in this, saying: This is the saying of the scholars among the interpreters. He elaborated in establishing the evidence for this in a way that pleases the ears and presented what indicates the answer to the condition so that the first thing that strikes the hearing is what indicates that he was in the utmost ability to act, and that nothing prevented him from it except knowledge of Allah. It is as if it was said: This affirmation is great, so a reference was made to the fact that it is necessary for him just as is the case with infallibility: "Thus"; meaning like this affirmation, we affirm it in every matter. "So that We may turn away from him the evil"; meaning the intention of fornication and the like, "and the immorality"; meaning fornication and the like. It is as if it was said: Why did He do this for him? So it was said: "Indeed, he is one of Our servants"; meaning those whom We have honored with what We have of greatness, "the sincere"; meaning he is among those who are purely good, with no deceit mixed in them, and from their offspring as well. This is alongside the saying of Iblis: "I will surely mislead them all" [Sad: 82] "except for Your chosen servants among them" [Sad: 83]; a testimony from Iblis that Yusuf, blessings and peace be upon him, is innocent of the intention in this incident. The Imam said: Whoever attributes him to the intention, if he is from the followers of the religion of Allah, let him accept the testimony of Allah. And if he is from the followers of Iblis and his soldiers, let him accept the testimony of Iblis regarding his purity. He said: And perhaps they will say: We were students of Iblis, then we added to it - as it was said:

And I was a young man from the army of Iblis, so I ascended... from the command until Iblis became one of my soldiers. If he had died before me, I would have been better after him... the paths of wickedness that he does not excel in anymore.