Zuleika (legendary)
 |
This article's tone or style may not reflect the encyclopedic tone used on Wikipedia. (December 2008) |
 |
This article does not cite any references or sources. (December 2008) |
Zuleika is the name given to the wife of Potiphar in Jewish legend and Muslim scripture, although she is only mentioned as the "wife of 'Azeez." The word 'Azeez is the Qur'an's honorific title designated for Potiphar.
[edit] Legend
The most famous tale about Zuleika is told in a Jewish legend and in the Muslim Qur'an.
Zuleika was mocked by other aristocratic Egyptian ladies, her circle of friends, for being infatuated with a Hebrew slave boy. Inviting her friends to her home, Zuleika gave them all oranges and knives to peel them with. While they engaged in this task, Zuleika had Joseph walk through the room. Distracted by his handsomeness, all the ladies accidentally cut themselves with the knives, drawing blood. Zuleika then reminded her friends that she had to see Joseph every day. Following this incident, her contemporaries no longer mocked her.[citation needed]
[edit] Great sinner or great lover
Jewish and Christian scriptural commentators have regarded Zuleika as a sinner and villainess. Notable exceptions are the great Sufi mystic poets Rumi and Hafiz. For Rumi, Zuleika's obsession with Joseph is a symptom and manifestation of the soul's great deep longing for God. This, he insists, is true of any person's deep love for another. Muslims believe that Zuleikha, after many years of suffering and longing and eventually becoming a true believer, ends up marrying Prophet Joseph.
[edit] See also
- Yusuf and Zulaikha, legend and poem
- Zuleika Dobson, a novel
- Zuleika (musical)
 |
This biographical article about a person notable in connection with Judaism is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
 |
This biographical article about a person notable in connection with Islam is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
