In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
The true believer is the master who commands and directs, while his base instincts remain in his service.
That is why the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"Wretched is the slave of the dinar, wretched is the slave of the dirham."
"Wretched is the slave of the velvet garment, wretched is the slave of the silk."
"May he be wretched and stumble, and if he is pricked by a thorn, may he find no one to extract it."
There are many young people today who are slaves to this world.
And those who are deceived by it are even more numerous.
The best example we can instill in the depths of our youth
is the Prophet of Allah, Yusuf, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
He was a young believer who subjected his instincts to his faith in Allah.
Thus, Allah immortalized his memory and recorded his story to serve as guidance and a beacon for others.
He was a youth in the prime of his life and the dawn of his age.
He was granted the utmost beauty and was filled with vigor and vitality.
Allah decreed that he be tested by serving a woman in the house of the Aziz.
Yet his youth and beauty tempted this woman, who was herself a person of status and beauty.
She was the First Lady, the wife of the Aziz of Egypt.
She sought to seduce him, locked the doors, and said, "Come to me."
The situation was delicate.
There is no doubt that the trial this noble Prophet faced
was not one of those fleeting temptations that a person might encounter for an hour in their life.
Rather, it was a trial that accompanied him morning and evening, in his stay and his travel.
It was not the temptation of a woman of the night or a common prostitute.
It was the temptation of a woman of status and beauty.
Indeed, she was the mistress of the house, the wife of the Aziz.
And he was a youth sold for a meager price, for a few counted dirhams.
He had no known family or home.
He was merely a servant in her house.
It was his duty to be commanded and to obey.
So what did this young, unmarried, foreign, and exceptionally handsome man do
with a mistress whom he was expected to obey?
And it was not in her interest for the news to spread.
He was facing two trials.
Either he would fulfill her desire and fall from the sight of Allah,
or he would refuse and his fate would be imprisonment.
A lesson has been set for every young man today.
For every young man listening to me:
This was a great Prophet who was once a servant.
And he eventually became the Aziz of Egypt.
These are words I wish to whisper into the ears of the youth today.
Words imbued with awe and majesty.
Glory be to Him who makes slaves into kings through their obedience to Him.
And glory be to Him who makes kings into slaves through their disobedience to Him.