In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
The story of Yusuf (peace be upon him) with the wife of al-Aziz:
"What was the affair of the women who cut their hands?"
When Allah, the Almighty and Majestic, wills to grant victory to one of His servants,
He orchestrates means for him that never even cross his mind.
In the story of Yusuf with the wife of al-Aziz lies a magnificent example of this.
For after they unjustly sentenced Yusuf (peace be upon him) to imprisonment,
for an indefinite period,
leaving him in prison without reviewing his case or the reasons for his incarceration,
Allah prepared the means for his release.
The first means was that two young men were imprisoned alongside him;
each of them had a dream,
and they related their dreams to Yusuf, who interpreted them,
and both interpretations came to pass exactly as he had foretold.
The second means was a dream seen by the king himself,
which he presented to his courtiers, among whom was the man who had been saved from prison.
The king asked for an interpretation of his dream,
and the surviving companion directed them to Yusuf (peace be upon him).
In these circumstances that Allah has related to us in the story of Yusuf (peace be upon him),
there is a profound lesson for every wronged person:
that Allah will surely grant him victory and change his circumstances one day.
So let him not rush for relief,
but remain steadfast upon the truth, no matter how long it takes.
The unjust conduct adopted by the Aziz of Egypt and his wife toward Yusuf—imprisoning him without trial,
without looking into his case,
and abandoning him in prison for an indefinite term,
despite knowing full well his innocence of the accusation leveled against him—
is a form of oppression that, in this very manner or similar ones,
persists in our world today.
Scholars, callers to Allah, and reformers are imprisoned without genuine charges;
they are never granted a trial,
and if they are judged, they are not treated with justice,
only to be left imprisoned indefinitely.
“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)
Relief from Allah arrived years after the release of the youth who was spared imprisonment and execution,
who had since become a courtier to the king.
Yusuf interpreted the dream,
and the king was deeply impressed by his interpretation,
requesting to meet him and ordering his release from prison.
However, Yusuf refused to leave
before the full truth behind his imprisonment came to light.
Thus, he said to the king's messenger with consummate courtesy,
exemplifying the noble character of prophethood,
exceptional wisdom, and sound judgment in dealing with the situation:
"Return to your master,
and ask him: What was the affair of the women who cut their hands?"
“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)
Yusuf refused to leave the prison
until the truth became entirely clear to the king
regarding the accusation falsely cast upon him and for which he was imprisoned.
Yusuf refused to leave the prison
so that the king and his subjects would know that his incarceration was not due to any wrongdoing on his part,
but was purely an act of injustice and transgression.
Yusuf refused to leave the prison
lest it be said
that the king only freed him out of gratitude for his interpretation of the royal dream.
Yusuf refused to leave the prison
until his complete innocence was demonstrated before both the king and the public,
so that no one could ever slander his honor thereafter.
The first step toward establishing his innocence
was refusing to leave prison
until he was proven blameless regarding the pretext for which he was confined.
In this lies a lesson for every wronged and imprisoned individual:
that it is his right to defend himself,
to refute the false charges pinned upon him,
especially those concerning his honor and integrity.
The second step
was framed by Yusuf as a question to be directed to the king,
and he presented it accordingly.
In this question, the refined etiquette of Yusuf (peace be upon him) shines brightly
in his treatment of the one who had treated him kindly
and in whose palace he had lived—
namely, the Aziz of Egypt.
He did not explicitly mention the Aziz's wife, who was the direct instigator of the affair
and the one who had ordered his imprisonment.
He also took into consideration the feelings of the king,
who regarded the Aziz of Egypt
as a senior dignitary of his realm;
so Yusuf did not trouble the king by singling her out.
For had he mentioned her directly,
the king might have refrained from investigating a matter
that directly touched the honor of the wife of one of his highest officials.
Instead, he mentioned the women who had cut their hands,
inquiring into the reason behind that incident.
An investigation into that matter
would inevitably lead back to the wife of the Aziz,
who had arranged that gathering for them
in which they cut their hands,
and who had already confessed to them that she had solicited him,
insisted upon her desire,
and threatened him with imprisonment if he did not comply.
If this testimony were presented in the presence of the king through those women
rather than directly through Yusuf,
the truth would become unmistakably manifest to the king,
Yusuf's honor would remain untarnished by false accusation,
his standing would be elevated in the eyes of the king,
and the king would realize with certainty that everything that had occurred
was merely the result of women's plotting,
just as Yusuf (peace be upon him) said.
“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)
So what happened with the women during their interrogation?
How did they answer when they were questioned?
And was their response free of feminine intrigue?
The discussion will be continued.
We shall resume in our next gathering, if Allah wills,
with the story of Yusuf and the wife of al-Aziz.