Decoding the Subjective and Objective Pronouns of the Verb lam akhunhū in Verse 52 of Sūrat Yūsuf

The verse 52 of Sūrat Yūsuf is among the verses about which there many discrepancies among the translators and interpreters in its translation and interpretation, to the extent that it has been translated in eight different forms. The discrepancies originate from the subjective and objective pronouns of the verb lam akhunhū. By decoding the antecedent of the subjective and objective pronouns of this verb, the subjective pronoun of li ya‘lam would be clearly settled, too. Some have considered it to be the words of Zulaikhā and others that of Yūsuf. Similarly, some have taken the objective pronoun as referring to Potiphar, some to Yūsuf, and yet some others to Zulaikhā. The question this article raises is, “To what people do the subjective and objective pronouns of this verse refer?” Given the previous verses, it seems that this verse is narrating the words of Zulaikhā, the Potiphar’s wife, who after confessing her misdeed toward Yūsuf, proclaims that she has made the confession to let her husband know that she had not betrayed him in his absence. Therefore, the translation and interpretation of the verse should be revised and substituted by the above translation. In conclusion, while studying and critiquing ‘Allāma Ṭabāṭabā’ī’s viewpoint, we would approve Ibn Kathīr’s view.