And when she heard of their gossip, she invited them, and prepared for them a banquet, and she gave each one of them a knife. She said, "Come out before them." And when they saw him, they marveled at him, and cut their hands. They said, "Good Allah, this is not a human, this must be a precious angel."
She said, "Here he is, the one you blamed me for. I did try to seduce him, but he resisted. But if he does not do what I tell him to do, he will be imprisoned, and will be one of the despised."
He said, "My Lord, prison is more desirable to me than what they call me to. Unless You turn their scheming away from me, I may yield to them, and become one of the ignorant."
Thereupon his Lord answered him, and diverted their scheming away from him. He is the Hearer, the Knower.
Then it occurred to them, after they had seen the signs, to imprison him for a while.
Two youth entered the prison with him. One of them said, "I see myself pressing wine." The other said, "I see myself carrying bread on my head, from which the birds are eating. Tell us their interpretation—we see that you are one of the righteous."
He said, "No food is served to you, but I have informed you about it before you have received it. That is some of what my Lord has taught me. I have forsaken the tradition of people who do not believe in Allah; and regarding the Hereafter, they are deniers."
"And I have followed the faith of my forefathers, Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob. It is not for us to associate anything with Allah. This is by virtue of Allah's grace upon us and upon the people, but most people do not give thanks.
"O My fellow inmates, are diverse lords better, or Allah, the One, the Supreme?"
"You do not worship, besides Him, except names you have named, you and your ancestors, for which Allah has sent down no authority. Judgment belongs to none but Allah. He has commanded that you worship none but Him. This is the right religion, but most people do not know.
