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In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.

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The story of Yusuf, peace be upon him, with the wife of al-Aziz:

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The woman’s temptation by a man’s beauty.

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It is in the nature of a woman that she loves beauty and adornment for herself,

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and she loves to be more beautiful than others wherever she may be,

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and she loves for people to praise her beauty and takes pride in that.

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Yet she is a human soul, just like a man;

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she desires in a man what a man desires in her.

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Thus, even if she is beautiful, loves beauty, and entices men with her charms,

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she likewise is attracted to a handsome, good-looking man and can be enchanted by him.

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For this reason, Allah commanded women with what He commanded men regarding lowering the gaze,

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because both are affected by looking at the beauty of the other and are drawn toward it.

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Giving free rein to the gaze in looking at the beauty of the other side

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is the beginning of ruin, inner torment, distraction of the heart,

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and discontent with what one already possesses;

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for not everything that is seen can be attained.

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Therefore, Islam brought us that which brings peace to souls

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and safeguards hearts from being distracted from the remembrance of Allah and gratitude for His blessings;

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thus, it commanded lowering the gaze.

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In the story of Yusuf, peace be upon him, with the wife of al-Aziz,

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we observe how far the bane of casting unrestrained glances

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can take a woman, consuming her heart and thoughts,

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blinding her sight and eroding her modesty.

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In the first scene of the story,

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we see the epitome of this bane of repeated gazing by the wife of al-Aziz toward Yusuf,

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and what it ultimately led to in her openly attempting to seduce him.

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In the second scene of the story,

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which is the other women gazing upon the beauty of Yusuf,

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their hearts were so captivated that they were oblivious to their hands being cut by the knives,

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failing even to feel the pain of the cut.

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Allah Almighty said:

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"So when she heard of their gossip, she sent for them

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and prepared for them a banquet,

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and gave each one of them a knife

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and said, 'Come out before them.'

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When they saw him, they greatly admired him

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and cut their hands,

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and said, 'Allah forbid!

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This is not a human being; [this is none other than a noble angel].'"

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“And when she heard of their sly talk, she sent to them and prepared for them a cushioned couch (to lie on at the feast) and gave to every one of them a knife and said (to Joseph): Come out unto them! And when they saw him they exalted him and cut their hands, exclaiming: Allah Blameless! This is no a human being. This is not other than some gracious angel.” (12:31)

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And Yusuf, peace be upon him,

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had indeed been granted half of all beauty,

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as the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said

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regarding the journey of al-Isra' and al-Mi'raj:

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"Then I was taken up to the third heaven,

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and Gabriel asked for it to be opened.

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It was said, 'Who are you?'

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He replied, 'Gabriel.'

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It was said, 'And who is with you?'

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He replied, 'Muhammad, peace be upon him.'

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It was said, 'Has he been sent for?'

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He replied, 'He has indeed been sent for.'

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So the door was opened for us,

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and there I saw Yusuf, peace be upon him;

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he had indeed been granted half of all beauty.

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He welcomed me and supplicated for good for me."

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Narrated by Muslim.

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Thus, the plot of the wife of al-Aziz against those women

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who had blamed her for her infatuation with Yusuf

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was that she prepared for them a gathering where they could recline,

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presented them with food along with knives to cut it,

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and then ordered Yusuf to enter upon them

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at the very moment they began cutting.

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No sooner had they laid eyes on Yusuf

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than their hearts, minds, and sight were utterly captivated

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by his beauty, oblivious to everything around them,

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and they cut their hands,

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saying: "Allah forbid! This is not a human being."

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“And when she heard of their sly talk, she sent to them and prepared for them a cushioned couch (to lie on at the feast) and gave to every one of them a knife and said (to Joseph): Come out unto them! And when they saw him they exalted him and cut their hands, exclaiming: Allah Blameless! This is no a human being. This is not other than some gracious angel.” (12:31)

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As-Sa'di, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

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"'When they saw him, they greatly admired him'—

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meaning they held him in immense awe in their hearts,

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beholding an exquisite sight the likes of which they had never seen;

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and in their bewilderment, they cut their hands

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with those knives that were in their grasp,

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and said, 'Allah forbid!'—

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meaning, exalting Allah far above all imperfections—

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“And when she heard of their sly talk, she sent to them and prepared for them a cushioned couch (to lie on at the feast) and gave to every one of them a knife and said (to Joseph): Come out unto them! And when they saw him they exalted him and cut their hands, exclaiming: Allah Blameless! This is no a human being. This is not other than some gracious angel.” (12:31)

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and that was because Yusuf was granted such surpassing beauty,

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radiance, and splendor

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as to make him a sign for all onlookers

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and an admonition for those who reflect."

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A good-looking, handsome man

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can indeed be a source of trial and temptation for women

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if they let their gaze wander toward him.

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Today, my sister,

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a woman can fall into temptation by looking at men

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through satellite channels,

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in television series, movies,

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and various other programs,

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wherein a man appears

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with makeup applied to his face

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to beautify him before the public,

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presenting him in the image of a romantic hero

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who flatters women

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with sweet, honeyed words

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that leave a profound impression on the female viewer

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as he acts,

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until she falls in love with him

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and grows resentful toward her own husband.

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Truly, a woman’s infatuation

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with an attractive man’s appearance

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and her emotional attachment to him

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can reach such a point

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that she loses her self-awareness

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and behaves in ways that disgrace her

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in the eyes of onlookers,

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just as happened to those women

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when they saw Yusuf, peace be upon him.

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They lost all awareness of what was happening to their hands

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from being cut by the knives,

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and their eyes were riveted

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upon Yusuf, peace be upon him,

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while the wife of al-Aziz looked at them,

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gloating and delighted

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at the success of her plot against them.

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Muhammad Rashid Rida,

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may Allah have mercy on him, said:

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"'When they saw him, they greatly admired him'—

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meaning they were awestruck by him and stunned

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by that breathtaking magnificence

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and extraordinary beauty;

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they lost all presence of mind

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and cut their hands

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instead of cutting what they were eating,

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utterly oblivious to what they were doing.

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This occurred because

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the voluntary motion of the knives continued

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even after conscious control was lost,

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carrying on in its original path

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due to that loss of presence;

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yet the cuts fell upon the palms of their left hands,

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from which the food had already slipped

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due to the slackening of their grip

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in the stupor of that shock.

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Thus the knives cut them—

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that is, wounded them—

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and had their grip not slackened, they would have severed their fingers entirely.

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It appears that

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their hostess

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deliberately had the knives sharpened

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far beyond what is customary for dining knives,

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in order to maximize her cunning plot against them,

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so that she might establish

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an irrefutable proof over them

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which they could never deny."

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Scenes similar to this,

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or closely resembling it,

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are seen today in mixed-gender cafes

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within shopping malls,

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when an observer watches

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from a distance

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to take in the full picture;

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one sees unfolding before them

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unmistakable scenes

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of a woman becoming infatuated with the man

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she is gazing at,

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drifting away from full awareness

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and composure out of being intensely captivated by him.

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My advice

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to every righteous mother

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is to keep a watchful eye on her daughters

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in such mixed environments;

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for a daughter might not display

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her feelings in front of you,

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yet her frequent

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visits to these mixed

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places can cause her to fall

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into an infatuation with a handsome

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young man without your realizing it.

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Indeed, a young woman’s emotions

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at this youthful stage

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are passionate and fiery;

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and many young men

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in shopping malls

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are eager to present themselves

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in a handsome, elegant manner,

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wearing pleasant perfumes,

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and when they sit in cafes,

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they adopt mannerisms and behaviors

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specifically meant to attract girls.

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Therefore, do not cast your precious child

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into such mixed

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gatherings,

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which are no longer limited to cafes

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in shopping malls,

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but have become a widespread trial

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across many domains:

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such as universities,

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private and public schools,

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vocational training institutes,

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workplaces,

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mixed professional environments, and elsewhere.

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And these words of mine

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do not mean, my sister,

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that gazing and staring repeatedly

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at the faces of men

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is a hazard only for your daughter;

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for here was the wife of al-Aziz:

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despite being a married woman,

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she was enchanted by a handsome youth

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younger than her in age.

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Likewise, the women who

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plotted against the wife of al-Aziz,

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just as she plotted against them,

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fell completely infatuated with Yusuf

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from a single glance.

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For captivating beauty can seduce

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even a righteous woman if

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she lets her gaze wander,

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or if she indulges in moments of comparison

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between the man she is looking at

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and her own husband.

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Indeed, gazing at a handsome man

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is a poisoned arrow that strikes your heart

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once you unleash it.

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And the more frequently

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those arrows strike, the deeper the wound

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in the heart becomes,

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the more heavily the blood bleeds,

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and the harder the healing will be.

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To be continued;

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we will carry on in a future

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gathering, if Allah wills,

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with the story of Yusuf—

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the story of Yusuf with the wife of al-Aziz.