In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
The story of Prophet Yusuf (peace be upon him) with the wife of Al-Aziz.
Did Al-Aziz cause his wife's sin?
The woman is a human being, subject to the same human failings and susceptibility to sin.
The issue is not that, but rather the real issue
is the woman's neglect until she falls into sin, and then she is blamed.
Allah, the Almighty, has made the man the guardian over the woman.
He, the Exalted, said:
“Men are in charge of women, because Allah hath made the one of them to excel the other, and because they spend of their property (for the support of women). So good women are the obedient, guarding in secret that which Allah hath guarded. As for those from whom ye fear rebellion, admonish them and banish them to beds apart, and scourge them. Then if they obey you, seek not a way against them. Lo! Allah is ever High, Exalted, Great.” (4:34)
So Allah, the Glorified in His Majesty, clarifies for us the man's duty in the family system in Islam,
which is to be the guardian over the woman.
Meaning, he is the primary responsible one for his women, whether wives or daughters.
And he is responsible for their upbringing according to what Allah loves and is pleased with.
And he is accountable for this task on the Day of Resurrection.
Ibn Jarir, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
Meaning, by His statement, the Glorified, His praise be exalted:
“Men are in charge of women, because Allah hath made the one of them to excel the other, and because they spend of their property (for the support of women). So good women are the obedient, guarding in secret that which Allah hath guarded. As for those from whom ye fear rebellion, admonish them and banish them to beds apart, and scourge them. Then if they obey you, seek not a way against them. Lo! Allah is ever High, Exalted, Great.” (4:34)
Men are the guardians of their women, in guiding them and restraining them
from what is incumbent upon them towards Allah and towards themselves.
So, a man's neglect of those under his care, whether a wife, daughter, or others, makes him sinful.
He shares in her sin due to his neglect in her upbringing and in restraining her.
One of the primary causes for a married woman falling into the mire of sin and desire,
which may lead to adultery,
is the husband's neglect of her legitimate rights,
including the fulfillment of natural needs for which people are created.
A woman needs a man just as a man needs her.
She needs physical fulfillment and emotional fulfillment.
She needs fulfillment through kind, affectionate words,
just as she needs to satisfy her desires with what Allah has made lawful for her with her husband.
So, the husband's neglect of these needs can cause the woman to fall into sin,
if she does not fear Allah and His punishment.
And a sound woman's nature does not accept being with two men at the same time,
neither physically nor emotionally.
If this nature is distorted, the woman becomes like an animal,
approached by anyone and everyone,
without regard for the consequences in this world or the hereafter.
And whoever is blinded by their desires from seeing these consequences,
they cast off life from their necks,
and do everything to obtain what they desire.
And this is corroborated by what the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said about modesty:
"Indeed, among what people have attained from the words of the first prophecy:
'If you have no shame, then do whatever you wish.'"
Narrated by Al-Bukhari.
And when we return to the story of Yusuf with the wife of Al-Aziz,
we ask: Did Al-Aziz cause his wife's deviation and her falling into this sin?
There are some indications in the story
through which we can understand the extent of Al-Aziz's error
and his role in his wife's temptation of Prophet Yusuf, peace be upon him.
The first of them is:
bringing a handsome young man full of vigor into the house
and leaving her [alone] with him.
This is a grave error.
It may lead the woman to be infatuated with him and to invite him to herself.
As happened in this story.
A story occurred during the time of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
similar to the error of Al-'Aziz with his wife,
in bringing a young man into the house to serve the wife.
From Abu Hurayrah and Zayd ibn Khalid al-Juhani, may Allah be pleased with them both,
that they said:
"A Bedouin man came to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, and said:
'O Messenger of Allah,
I implore you by Allah,
to judge for me according to the Book of Allah.'
The other party, who was more knowledgeable in fiqh than him, said:
'Yes, so judge between us by the Book of Allah.'
And grant me what is due to me.
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
'Speak.'
He said:
'My son was a hired laborer for this man, and he committed adultery with his wife.
I was informed that my son is subject to stoning.
So I ransomed him from him with one hundred sheep and a female slave.
I then asked the people of knowledge,
and they informed me that my son is subject to one hundred lashes and a year's exile,
and that his wife is subject to stoning.
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
'By Him in Whose hand is my soul,
I shall judge between you by the Book of Allah.
The female slave and the sheep are to be returned.
And your son shall receive one hundred lashes and a year's exile.
Go tomorrow, Unays, to this man's wife.
If she confesses, then stone her.'
He said:
'So he went to her the next day, and she confessed.
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, ordered her, and she was stoned.
Narrated by Bukhari.
In another narration by Bukhari, the connection of the hired laborer to the woman was clarified:
'He was a hired laborer in the household of this man.'
And by Nasa'i and Tabarani:
'My son was a hired worker for his wife.'
So this man hired this young man
to work for him in the house,
and entrusted him with handling whatever his wife needed.
This became a cause for him to be close to her, converse with her, and become familiar with her.
The matter ultimately led to adultery between them.
Ibn Hajar, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
'And in it is that the questioner mentions everything that occurred in the story,
so that the mufti or judge might infer from it
What is used as evidence for the specific ruling in the matter.
Due to the questioner's statement:
"Indeed, my son was hired as a laborer for this man."
And he was only asking about the ruling on adultery.
The secret behind this is:
That he wanted to provide some excuse for his son.
And that he was not known for promiscuity.
And he did not assault the woman, for example, nor did he force her.
Rather, this happened to him due to the prolonged association,
Which necessitates greater familiarity and intimacy.
From this, we infer an encouragement to keep unrelated men
away from unrelated women whenever possible.
Because close association can lead to corruption.
And Satan may use it as a means to cause corruption.
Secondly,
The deficiency in fulfilling the wife's marital needs,
And not satisfying her physical and emotional needs.
And although this matter cannot be definitively stated,
Due to the lack of explicit mention,
It can be inferred from the fact that a woman who is satisfied by her husband
would not look to anyone else,
Unless she was inherently wicked from the start.
And the habit of those in high political positions
is to be frequently preoccupied outside the home,
and to fall short in their duty to their household.
So it might be that Al-'Aziz fell into something of that.
And in this is a reminder to all men,
in their various worldly and otherworldly endeavors,
not to be so preoccupied with these activities that they neglect their wives' rights.
And to balance work outside the home,
whether for material gain
or for calling to Allah,
with the rights of the wife, spending time with her,
having pleasant conversation with her,
and satisfying her natural needs.
And the Commander of the Faithful, Umar, realized this truth,
which is a woman's need for her husband,
due to an incident that happened to him.
So he established a system for those who went out to fight in the cause of Allah,
to assist the fighter in protecting his wife's honor,
and to prevent the wife from falling into vice.
It is narrated from Zayd ibn Aslam,
that Umar ibn Al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him,
went out one night guarding the people.
He passed by a woman in her house, and she was saying:
"The night has grown long, and its side has darkened.
And it has become long for me, having no lover to play with.
By Allah, if it were not for the fear of Allah alone,
He would move the sides of this bed.
When 'Umar woke up in the morning,
he sent for the woman to inquire about her.
So it was said, "This is so-and-so, daughter of so-and-so,
and her husband is fighting in the cause of Allah."
So he sent a woman to her,
saying, "Stay with her until her husband returns."
And he wrote to her husband, recalling him.
Then he went to his daughter Hafsah and said to her,
"My daughter, how long can a woman endure being away from her husband?"
She replied to him,
"May Allah forgive you, my father.
Would someone like you ask someone like me about this?"
He said to her, "Were it not for something
I wish to consider for the welfare of the subjects,
I would not have asked you this."
She said, "Four months, or five months,
or six months."
So 'Umar said, "People go on campaigns,
traveling for a month to go,
and staying for four months on their campaign,
and returning for a month."
So he set that duration for people in their campaigns.
Narrated by Sa'id ibn Mansur.
The third point:
The 'Aziz's reaction after he became certain
that his wife was the one who had erred
does not suggest that the previous mistake was addressed
in a proper manner.
Rather, it indicates the continuation of the error
that led his wife to attempt to seduce Yusuf.
The 'Aziz was satisfied with his wife
by admonishing her to seek forgiveness
for the sin she had committed.
However, he did not remove Yusuf from her presence,
but rather kept him in the palace.
And this emboldened her later
to conspire against him with the women,
in an attempt to persuade him
to commit adultery.
But Allah protected him.
The 'Aziz was satisfied with Yusuf
by asking him to keep the matter confidential
and not reveal it to anyone.
But he also did not protect Yusuf
from the 'Aziz's wife's influence over him,
but rather kept him at her disposal
and in her service.
This implies a continued encounter.
And the gaze of the wife of Al-Aziz upon Yusuf.
Meaning, the continued infatuation
of the wife of Al-Aziz with Yusuf.
Fourth:
Negligence in oversight.
For they encouraged her in this transgression.
Rather, the verses indicated their involvement
also in seducing him.
Therefore, a man must exercise oversight
over those who enter his home
and are with his wife among women.
For a companion leads one astray.
And in this is a lesson for every man
who discovers in his wife a deviation
from the path of chastity,
at whatever level it may be among its three degrees:
Negligence in modesty and overt display.
Negligence in shyness in her dealings
with men, whether by word or deed.
Committing adultery
or its preliminaries, such as seclusion, kissing,
touching, and lewd or vulgar speech.
He must address the issue
with a correct Islamic approach
that prevents the woman from continuing on this path
or falling into what is forbidden,
which is adultery.
Indeed, a woman is a man's honor.
So he must either protect and guard it
or neglect it.
If the man fulfills his duty
of advice, guidance, and protection of his honor,
he has excused himself before Allah.
But if he neglects it,
he will be punished for causing it.
The presence of a woman in an environment prone to laxity,
with much overt display,
necessitates that the man warn her against these deviations
by educating her upon the truth
and explaining it with religious evidence,
and that her adherence to it
is for the sake of Allah,
not for the sake of the man's presence with her in life.
So if he dies, she abandons what she was upon during his life.
The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, informed us
about a type of woman
who possesses these traits:
That is, going out in public in front of her husband and while he is alive.
Then, if he dies or travels,
or is absent from her for any reason,
she reveals what she was hiding within herself,
or reverts to what she was previously upon.
So the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"Three are those about whom you should not ask."
"A man who separates himself from the Jama'ah (community),"
"and disobeys his leader, and dies in disobedience."
"And a slave or servant who is kept [by his master] and dies [in that state]."
"And a woman whose husband is absent from her,"
"having sufficed her needs in this world,"
"and she adorns herself [immodestly] after him."
"So do not ask about them."
Narrated by Ahmad.
So, is the woman to be blamed if the man falls short in providing for her chastity,
and as a result, she falls into adultery
or some of its preliminaries?
Yes, the woman is to be blamed for that.
She is sinful and in transgression,
deserving of divine punishment
for her actions in this world or the hereafter.
This is because she is commanded to obey Allah
and to preserve her chastity and protect herself from adultery and its preliminaries,
just as the man is commanded to do so.
And the man's falling short in her rightful due
is not considered a justification for her falling into adultery.
Similarly, the woman's falling short in giving the man his rightful due
is not considered a justification for him falling into adultery.
However, the man is to be blamed for his shortcomings in ensuring his wife's chastity.
He is accountable for that before Allah.
He is to be blamed for allowing his wife to work with men
and exposing her to temptation.
He is to be blamed for leaving his daughters with unrelated men
in various settings, whatever they may be,
and for his approval of that.
He is to be blamed for the way he handles the mistakes of his household members
if they contradict Islamic law.
Indeed, the reaction of every man after discovering his wife's betrayal of his honor
indicates the level of his faith,
the level of his character,
the level of his intellect,
and the level of his jealousy for his honor.
The hadith continues.
We will complete it in a future meeting, Allah willing.
The story of Yusuf and the wife of Al-Aziz.