The Hadith: 'If I had been in prison for as long as Yusuf had, I would have answered the caller'

Q 2: Ibn Kathir mentioned in the Tafsir (explanation of the meanings) of Ayah (Qur'anic verse) 260 of Surah Al-Baqarah a Hadith in which the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: If I had been in prison for as long as Yusuf (Joseph, peace be upon him) had, I would have answered the caller. According to our understanding, the caller meant in the story of Prophet Yusuf is the wife of Al-`Aziz. Does this mean that the foregoing saying of the Prophet means that had Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) been imprisoned as Prophet Yusuf had, he would have responded to her request? Please tell us about your opinion regarding the Hadith in question? A: The wife of Al-`Aziz is not the "caller" intended in the Hadith concerned. Rather, the caller meant by the Hadith is the messenger of the king who is mentioned in Allah's saying, And the king said: "Bring him to me." But when the messenger came to him, [Yûsuf (Joseph)] said: "Return to your lord and ask him, 'What happened to the women who cut their hands?... (Part No. 3; Page No. 154

A: The wife of Al-`Aziz is not the "caller" intended in the Hadith concerned. Rather, the caller meant by the Hadith is the messenger of the king who is mentioned in Allah's saying, And the king said: "Bring him to me." But when the messenger came to him, [Yûsuf (Joseph)] said: "Return to your lord and ask him, 'What happened to the women who cut their hands?... (Part No. 3; Page No. 154) This happened after Prophet Yusuf had been imprisoned and interpreted the dream of the king, and there were strong reasons for his release from the prison.As for the story of Prophet Yusuf with the wife of Al-`Aziz and her tempting him to commit evil, this happened before Prophet Yusuf was imprisoned. Consequently, the meaning of the Hadith concerned: I would have responded to the caller is: I would have responded to the messenger of the king when he asked me to leave the prison and come to the king. This is because Prophet Yusuf was imprisoned unjustly and it is not wrong for prophets (peace be upon them all) to seek to get rid of injustice through whatever means that Allah provides for them.May Allah grant us success. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and Companions.