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The mention of the story of Joseph son of Jacob is a very good example. The Quran describes the good efforts of the earlier prophets in spreading the message of the Unity of God. It also describes the bad end (result) of the disbelievers. There is much more on spiritual side in the Quran which was missing in earlier scriptures.
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The mention of the story of Joseph son of Jacob is a very good example of how the authors of the Koran distorted the original narrative in the Torah to their detriment.
Now let’s see the problems and mistakes of this Islamic version of Joseph’s story in the Koran.
First, Joseph’s story is related in its entirety and in many details only ONCE in the Koran (Surah 12), which mostly repeats the accounts of the other former prophets with variations. Thus, this kind of a writing style (flowing and coherent narrative) is rather odd for the rest of the Koran since it perfectly betrays the Islamic notion of progressive and repetitive revelation.
Second, the authors of the Koran dedicate their efforts to justifying Joseph by proving Potiphar’s (El Aziz in the Koran!) wife a lying and sinful woman. As a result, the story presents Potiphar as a man believing in Joseph’s innocence and blaming his wife by remarking that ALL WOMEN are deceitful creatures:
Surah 12:23-28
And she, in whose house he was, asked of him an evil act. She bolted the doors and said: Come! He said: I seek refuge in Allah! Lo! he is my lord, who hath treated me honourably. Lo! wrong-doers never prosper.She verily desired him, and he would have desired her if it had not been that he saw the argument of his Lord. Thus it was, that We might ward off from him evil and lewdness. Lo! he was of Our chosen slaves. And they raced with one another to the door, and she tore his shirt from behind, and they met her lord and master at the door. She said: What shall be his reward, who wisheth evil to thy folk, save prison or a painful doom ? (Joseph) said: She it was who asked of me an evil act. And a witness of her own folk testified: If his shirt is torn from before, then she speaketh truth and he is of the liars. And if his shirt is torn from behind, then she hath lied and he is of the truthful. So** when he saw his shirt torn from behind, he said: Lo! this is of the guile of you women.** Lo!
the guile of you is very great.
According to the narrative in the Koran, Joseph is cast into jail after some time ALTHOUGH his master believes that he is an innocent man tricked by his wife. Thus, the authors of the Koran imprison Joseph with no good reason because they think they have to follow the original account in the Torah at this point of the story:
Surah 12:33-35
He said: O my Lord! Prison is more dear than that unto which they urge me, and if Thou fend not off their wiles from me I shall incline unto them and become of the foolish. So
his Lord heard his prayer and fended off their wiles from him. Lo! He is Hearer, Knower. And
it seemed good to them (the men-folk) after they had seen the signs (of his innocence)** to imprison him** for a time. (Here either Potiphar loses his memory or some other people (who?) imprison Joseph without his consent).
Third, the authors of the Koran assert that the Egyptian King crucified the criminals at Joseph’s period, which is rebutted and ridiculed by historic evidence:
Surah 12:41
O my two fellow-prisoners! As for one of you, he will pour out wine for his lord to drink; and as for the other,
he will be crucified so that the birds will eat from his head. Thus is the case judged concerning which ye did inquire.
Finally, the following verses allege that Joseph acted like an Islamic messenger when he was in jail and preached the Islamic monotheism to his friends:
Surah 12:38-40
And I have followed the religion of my fathers, Abraham and Isaac and Jacob. It never was for us to attribute aught as partner to Allah. This is of the bounty of Allah unto us (the seed of Abraham) and unto mankind; but most men give not thanks. O my fellow-prisoners! Are divers lords better, or Allah the One, Almighty ? Those whom ye worship beside Him are but names which ye have named, ye and your fathers. Allah hath revealed no sanction for them. The decision rests with Allah only, Who hath commanded you that ye worship none save Him.
This is the right religion, but most men know not.
The problem with this false allegation is that it contradicts the following verse:
Surah 14:4
And We never sent a messenger
save with the language of his folk, that he might make (the message) clear for them. Then Allah sendeth whom He will astray, and guideth whom He will. He is the Mighty, the Wise.
If this verse is true, Muslims must believe that Joseph was sent as an Islamic prophet to Egypt (not his own folk!) with the tongue of his people (Hebrew).
