33 Preface قالَ رَبِّ السِّجنُ أَحَبُّ إِلَيَّ مِمّا يَدعونَني إِلَيهِ ۖ وَإِلّا تَصرِف عَنّي كَيدَهُنَّ أَصبُ إِلَيهِنَّ وَأَكُن مِنَ الجاهِلينَYusuf AliHe said: “O my Lord! the prison is more to my liking than that to which they invite me:1 Unless Thou turn away their snare from me, I should (in my youthful folly) feel inclined towards them and join the ranks of the ignorant.”2“To which they invite me. “Notice it is now “they” not “she”. Where there was the snare of one woman before, it is now the collective snare of many women?of womankind!Joseph’s speech is characteristic. Like a true Prophet of God, he takes refuge in God. He knows the weakness of human nature. He would not pit his own strength against the whole assault of evil. He will rely on God to turn evil away from him, and praise Him alone for any success he achieves in his fight. It is only the ignorant who do not know man’s weakness and God’s strength!