1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:03,000 In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. 2 00:00:03,000 --> 00:00:09,060 The story of Yusuf (peace be upon him) with the wife of al-Aziz: 3 00:00:09,060 --> 00:00:15,910 "What was the affair of the women who cut their hands?" 4 00:00:15,910 --> 00:00:20,870 When Allah, the Almighty and Majestic, wills to grant victory to one of His servants, 5 00:00:20,870 --> 00:00:24,940 He orchestrates means for him that never even cross his mind. 6 00:00:24,940 --> 00:00:29,940 In the story of Yusuf with the wife of al-Aziz lies a magnificent example of this. 7 00:00:29,940 --> 00:00:34,189 For after they unjustly sentenced Yusuf (peace be upon him) to imprisonment, 8 00:00:34,189 --> 00:00:37,189 for an indefinite period, 9 00:00:37,189 --> 00:00:42,189 leaving him in prison without reviewing his case or the reasons for his incarceration, 10 00:00:42,189 --> 00:00:46,189 Allah prepared the means for his release. 11 00:00:46,189 --> 00:00:50,350 The first means was that two young men were imprisoned alongside him; 12 00:00:50,350 --> 00:00:54,350 each of them had a dream, 13 00:00:54,350 --> 00:00:57,350 and they related their dreams to Yusuf, who interpreted them, 14 00:00:57,350 --> 00:01:00,509 and both interpretations came to pass exactly as he had foretold. 15 00:01:00,509 --> 00:01:04,510 The second means was a dream seen by the king himself, 16 00:01:04,510 --> 00:01:09,510 which he presented to his courtiers, among whom was the man who had been saved from prison. 17 00:01:09,510 --> 00:01:12,510 The king asked for an interpretation of his dream, 18 00:01:12,510 --> 00:01:17,510 and the surviving companion directed them to Yusuf (peace be upon him). 19 00:01:17,510 --> 00:01:23,700 In these circumstances that Allah has related to us in the story of Yusuf (peace be upon him), 20 00:01:23,700 --> 00:01:25,700 there is a profound lesson for every wronged person: 21 00:01:25,700 --> 00:01:30,700 that Allah will surely grant him victory and change his circumstances one day. 22 00:01:30,700 --> 00:01:32,700 So let him not rush for relief, 23 00:01:32,700 --> 00:01:35,700 but remain steadfast upon the truth, no matter how long it takes. 24 00:01:35,700 --> 00:01:43,989 The unjust conduct adopted by the Aziz of Egypt and his wife toward Yusuf—imprisoning him without trial, 25 00:01:43,989 --> 00:01:45,989 without looking into his case, 26 00:01:45,989 --> 00:01:49,989 and abandoning him in prison for an indefinite term, 27 00:01:49,989 --> 00:01:53,989 despite knowing full well his innocence of the accusation leveled against him— 28 00:01:53,989 --> 00:01:59,019 is a form of oppression that, in this very manner or similar ones, 29 00:01:59,019 --> 00:02:02,019 persists in our world today. 30 00:02:02,019 --> 00:02:07,120 Scholars, callers to Allah, and reformers are imprisoned without genuine charges; 31 00:02:07,120 --> 00:02:09,120 they are never granted a trial, 32 00:02:09,120 --> 00:02:13,120 and if they are judged, they are not treated with justice, 33 00:02:13,120 --> 00:02:17,120 only to be left imprisoned indefinitely. 34 00:02:17,120 --> 00:02:24,180 “And it seemed good to them (the men-folk) after they had seen the signs (of his innocence) to imprison him for a time.” (12:35) 35 00:02:24,180 --> 00:02:31,500 Relief from Allah arrived years after the release of the youth who was spared imprisonment and execution, 36 00:02:31,500 --> 00:02:33,500 who had since become a courtier to the king. 37 00:02:33,500 --> 00:02:36,569 Yusuf interpreted the dream, 38 00:02:36,569 --> 00:02:38,569 and the king was deeply impressed by his interpretation, 39 00:02:38,569 --> 00:02:42,569 requesting to meet him and ordering his release from prison. 40 00:02:42,569 --> 00:02:45,569 However, Yusuf refused to leave 41 00:02:45,569 --> 00:02:49,569 before the full truth behind his imprisonment came to light. 42 00:02:49,569 --> 00:02:53,629 Thus, he said to the king's messenger with consummate courtesy, 43 00:02:53,629 --> 00:02:55,629 exemplifying the noble character of prophethood, 44 00:02:55,629 --> 00:03:00,629 exceptional wisdom, and sound judgment in dealing with the situation: 45 00:03:00,629 --> 00:03:02,629 "Return to your master, 46 00:03:02,629 --> 00:03:07,629 and ask him: What was the affair of the women who cut their hands?" 47 00:03:07,629 --> 00:03:10,629 “And the king said: Bring him unto me. And when the messenger came unto him, he (Joseph) said: Return unto thy lord and ask him what was the case of the women who cut their hands. Lo! my Lord knoweth their guile.” (12:50) 48 00:03:10,629 --> 00:03:13,819 Yusuf refused to leave the prison 49 00:03:13,819 --> 00:03:16,819 until the truth became entirely clear to the king 50 00:03:16,819 --> 00:03:20,819 regarding the accusation falsely cast upon him and for which he was imprisoned. 51 00:03:20,819 --> 00:03:23,889 Yusuf refused to leave the prison 52 00:03:23,889 --> 00:03:29,889 so that the king and his subjects would know that his incarceration was not due to any wrongdoing on his part, 53 00:03:29,889 --> 00:03:32,889 but was purely an act of injustice and transgression. 54 00:03:32,889 --> 00:03:36,080 Yusuf refused to leave the prison 55 00:03:36,080 --> 00:03:38,080 lest it be said 56 00:03:38,080 --> 00:03:43,080 that the king only freed him out of gratitude for his interpretation of the royal dream. 57 00:03:43,080 --> 00:03:46,300 Yusuf refused to leave the prison 58 00:03:46,300 --> 00:03:51,300 until his complete innocence was demonstrated before both the king and the public, 59 00:03:51,300 --> 00:03:55,300 so that no one could ever slander his honor thereafter. 60 00:03:55,300 --> 00:03:58,400 The first step toward establishing his innocence 61 00:03:58,400 --> 00:04:01,400 was refusing to leave prison 62 00:04:01,400 --> 00:04:06,400 until he was proven blameless regarding the pretext for which he was confined. 63 00:04:06,400 --> 00:04:10,620 In this lies a lesson for every wronged and imprisoned individual: 64 00:04:10,620 --> 00:04:13,620 that it is his right to defend himself, 65 00:04:13,620 --> 00:04:16,620 to refute the false charges pinned upon him, 66 00:04:16,620 --> 00:04:19,620 especially those concerning his honor and integrity. 67 00:04:19,620 --> 00:04:21,980 The second step 68 00:04:21,980 --> 00:04:25,980 was framed by Yusuf as a question to be directed to the king, 69 00:04:25,980 --> 00:04:27,980 and he presented it accordingly. 70 00:04:31,980 --> 00:04:35,980 In this question, the refined etiquette of Yusuf (peace be upon him) shines brightly 71 00:04:35,980 --> 00:04:38,980 in his treatment of the one who had treated him kindly 72 00:04:38,980 --> 00:04:40,980 and in whose palace he had lived— 73 00:04:40,980 --> 00:04:42,980 namely, the Aziz of Egypt. 74 00:04:42,980 --> 00:04:47,009 He did not explicitly mention the Aziz's wife, who was the direct instigator of the affair 75 00:04:47,009 --> 00:04:49,009 and the one who had ordered his imprisonment. 76 00:04:49,009 --> 00:04:52,009 He also took into consideration the feelings of the king, 77 00:04:52,009 --> 00:04:54,009 who regarded the Aziz of Egypt 78 00:04:54,009 --> 00:04:57,009 as a senior dignitary of his realm; 79 00:04:57,009 --> 00:04:59,009 so Yusuf did not trouble the king by singling her out. 80 00:04:59,009 --> 00:05:01,009 For had he mentioned her directly, 81 00:05:01,009 --> 00:05:05,009 the king might have refrained from investigating a matter 82 00:05:05,009 --> 00:05:08,009 that directly touched the honor of the wife of one of his highest officials. 83 00:05:08,009 --> 00:05:12,009 Instead, he mentioned the women who had cut their hands, 84 00:05:12,009 --> 00:05:15,009 inquiring into the reason behind that incident. 85 00:05:15,009 --> 00:05:17,009 An investigation into that matter 86 00:05:17,009 --> 00:05:20,009 would inevitably lead back to the wife of the Aziz, 87 00:05:20,009 --> 00:05:23,009 who had arranged that gathering for them 88 00:05:23,009 --> 00:05:26,009 in which they cut their hands, 89 00:05:26,009 --> 00:05:29,009 and who had already confessed to them that she had solicited him, 90 00:05:29,009 --> 00:05:32,009 insisted upon her desire, 91 00:05:32,009 --> 00:05:35,100 and threatened him with imprisonment if he did not comply. 92 00:05:35,100 --> 00:05:39,100 If this testimony were presented in the presence of the king through those women 93 00:05:39,100 --> 00:05:41,100 rather than directly through Yusuf, 94 00:05:41,100 --> 00:05:44,100 the truth would become unmistakably manifest to the king, 95 00:05:44,100 --> 00:05:48,100 Yusuf's honor would remain untarnished by false accusation, 96 00:05:48,100 --> 00:05:50,100 his standing would be elevated in the eyes of the king, 97 00:05:50,100 --> 00:05:53,100 and the king would realize with certainty that everything that had occurred 98 00:05:53,100 --> 00:05:56,100 was merely the result of women's plotting, 99 00:05:56,100 --> 00:05:59,100 just as Yusuf (peace be upon him) said. 100 00:05:59,100 --> 00:06:02,100 “And the king said: Bring him unto me. And when the messenger came unto him, he (Joseph) said: Return unto thy lord and ask him what was the case of the women who cut their hands. Lo! my Lord knoweth their guile.” (12:50) 101 00:06:02,100 --> 00:06:06,329 So what happened with the women during their interrogation? 102 00:06:06,329 --> 00:06:10,329 How did they answer when they were questioned? 103 00:06:10,329 --> 00:06:14,329 And was their response free of feminine intrigue? 104 00:06:14,329 --> 00:06:16,389 The discussion will be continued. 105 00:06:16,389 --> 00:06:20,389 We shall resume in our next gathering, if Allah wills, 106 00:06:20,389 --> 00:06:26,350 with the story of Yusuf and the wife of al-Aziz.