WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.000 In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful. 00:00:03.000 --> 00:00:09.089 The story of Yusuf, peace be upon him, with the wife of al-Aziz: 00:00:09.089 --> 00:00:15.359 The woman’s temptation by a man’s beauty. 00:00:15.359 --> 00:00:20.359 It is in the nature of a woman that she loves beauty and adornment for herself, 00:00:20.359 --> 00:00:25.359 and she loves to be more beautiful than others wherever she may be, 00:00:25.359 --> 00:00:29.359 and she loves for people to praise her beauty and takes pride in that. 00:00:29.359 --> 00:00:32.420 Yet she is a human soul, just like a man; 00:00:32.420 --> 00:00:36.420 she desires in a man what a man desires in her. 00:00:36.420 --> 00:00:42.420 Thus, even if she is beautiful, loves beauty, and entices men with her charms, 00:00:42.420 --> 00:00:47.420 she likewise is attracted to a handsome, good-looking man and can be enchanted by him. 00:00:47.420 --> 00:00:53.549 For this reason, Allah commanded women with what He commanded men regarding lowering the gaze, 00:00:53.549 --> 00:00:59.549 because both are affected by looking at the beauty of the other and are drawn toward it. 00:00:59.549 --> 00:01:03.710 Giving free rein to the gaze in looking at the beauty of the other side 00:01:03.710 --> 00:01:07.709 is the beginning of ruin, inner torment, distraction of the heart, 00:01:07.709 --> 00:01:10.709 and discontent with what one already possesses; 00:01:10.709 --> 00:01:13.709 for not everything that is seen can be attained. 00:01:13.709 --> 00:01:17.709 Therefore, Islam brought us that which brings peace to souls 00:01:17.709 --> 00:01:22.709 and safeguards hearts from being distracted from the remembrance of Allah and gratitude for His blessings; 00:01:22.709 --> 00:01:24.709 thus, it commanded lowering the gaze. 00:01:24.709 --> 00:01:29.060 In the story of Yusuf, peace be upon him, with the wife of al-Aziz, 00:01:29.060 --> 00:01:32.060 we observe how far the bane of casting unrestrained glances 00:01:32.060 --> 00:01:37.060 can take a woman, consuming her heart and thoughts, 00:01:37.060 --> 00:01:41.060 blinding her sight and eroding her modesty. 00:01:41.060 --> 00:01:44.260 In the first scene of the story, 00:01:44.260 --> 00:01:49.260 we see the epitome of this bane of repeated gazing by the wife of al-Aziz toward Yusuf, 00:01:50.260 --> 00:01:54.260 and what it ultimately led to in her openly attempting to seduce him. 00:01:54.260 --> 00:01:57.420 In the second scene of the story, 00:01:57.420 --> 00:02:00.420 which is the other women gazing upon the beauty of Yusuf, 00:02:00.420 --> 00:02:04.420 their hearts were so captivated that they were oblivious to their hands being cut by the knives, 00:02:04.420 --> 00:02:07.540 failing even to feel the pain of the cut. 00:02:07.540 --> 00:02:09.900 Allah Almighty said: 00:02:09.900 --> 00:02:15.900 "So when she heard of their gossip, she sent for them 00:02:15.900 --> 00:02:23.900 and prepared for them a banquet, 00:02:23.900 --> 00:02:36.889 and gave each one of them a knife 00:02:36.889 --> 00:02:41.050 and said, 'Come out before them.' 00:02:41.050 --> 00:02:46.110 When they saw him, they greatly admired him 00:02:46.110 --> 00:02:49.110 and cut their hands, 00:02:49.110 --> 00:02:54.110 and said, 'Allah forbid! 00:02:54.110 --> 00:02:59.110 This is not a human being; [this is none other than a noble angel].'" 00:02:59.110 --> 00:03:05.110 “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) 00:03:05.110 --> 00:03:07.689 And Yusuf, peace be upon him, 00:03:07.689 --> 00:03:09.689 had indeed been granted half of all beauty, 00:03:09.689 --> 00:03:13.689 as the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said 00:03:13.689 --> 00:03:15.689 regarding the journey of al-Isra' and al-Mi'raj: 00:03:15.689 --> 00:03:19.750 "Then I was taken up to the third heaven, 00:03:19.750 --> 00:03:21.750 and Gabriel asked for it to be opened. 00:03:21.750 --> 00:03:23.750 It was said, 'Who are you?' 00:03:23.750 --> 00:03:26.750 He replied, 'Gabriel.' 00:03:26.750 --> 00:03:28.750 It was said, 'And who is with you?' 00:03:28.750 --> 00:03:33.819 He replied, 'Muhammad, peace be upon him.' 00:03:33.819 --> 00:03:36.849 It was said, 'Has he been sent for?' 00:03:36.849 --> 00:03:39.849 He replied, 'He has indeed been sent for.' 00:03:39.849 --> 00:03:41.849 So the door was opened for us, 00:03:41.849 --> 00:03:45.849 and there I saw Yusuf, peace be upon him; 00:03:45.849 --> 00:03:49.849 he had indeed been granted half of all beauty. 00:03:49.849 --> 00:03:52.849 He welcomed me and supplicated for good for me." 00:03:52.849 --> 00:03:54.849 Narrated by Muslim. 00:03:54.849 --> 00:03:58.169 Thus, the plot of the wife of al-Aziz against those women 00:03:58.169 --> 00:04:01.169 who had blamed her for her infatuation with Yusuf 00:04:01.169 --> 00:04:05.169 was that she prepared for them a gathering where they could recline, 00:04:05.169 --> 00:04:09.169 presented them with food along with knives to cut it, 00:04:09.169 --> 00:04:12.169 and then ordered Yusuf to enter upon them 00:04:12.169 --> 00:04:16.170 at the very moment they began cutting. 00:04:16.170 --> 00:04:19.170 No sooner had they laid eyes on Yusuf 00:04:19.170 --> 00:04:22.170 than their hearts, minds, and sight were utterly captivated 00:04:22.170 --> 00:04:26.170 by his beauty, oblivious to everything around them, 00:04:26.170 --> 00:04:28.170 and they cut their hands, 00:04:28.170 --> 00:04:32.170 saying: "Allah forbid! This is not a human being." 00:04:32.170 --> 00:04:35.170 “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) 00:04:35.170 --> 00:04:38.259 As-Sa'di, may Allah have mercy on him, said: 00:04:38.259 --> 00:04:41.259 "'When they saw him, they greatly admired him'— 00:04:41.259 --> 00:04:44.259 meaning they held him in immense awe in their hearts, 00:04:44.259 --> 00:04:48.259 beholding an exquisite sight the likes of which they had never seen; 00:04:48.259 --> 00:04:51.259 and in their bewilderment, they cut their hands 00:04:51.259 --> 00:04:54.259 with those knives that were in their grasp, 00:04:54.259 --> 00:04:56.259 and said, 'Allah forbid!'— 00:04:56.259 --> 00:04:59.259 meaning, exalting Allah far above all imperfections— 00:04:59.259 --> 00:05:03.259 “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) 00:05:03.259 --> 00:05:06.300 and that was because Yusuf was granted such surpassing beauty, 00:05:06.300 --> 00:05:09.300 radiance, and splendor 00:05:09.300 --> 00:05:12.300 as to make him a sign for all onlookers 00:05:12.300 --> 00:05:15.420 and an admonition for those who reflect." 00:05:15.420 --> 00:05:17.420 A good-looking, handsome man 00:05:17.420 --> 00:05:19.420 can indeed be a source of trial and temptation for women 00:05:19.420 --> 00:05:22.709 if they let their gaze wander toward him. 00:05:22.709 --> 00:05:24.709 Today, my sister, 00:05:24.709 --> 00:05:27.709 a woman can fall into temptation by looking at men 00:05:27.709 --> 00:05:29.709 through satellite channels, 00:05:29.709 --> 00:05:31.709 in television series, movies, 00:05:31.709 --> 00:05:33.709 and various other programs, 00:05:33.709 --> 00:05:35.709 wherein a man appears 00:05:35.709 --> 00:05:37.709 with makeup applied to his face 00:05:37.709 --> 00:05:40.709 to beautify him before the public, 00:05:40.709 --> 00:05:43.709 presenting him in the image of a romantic hero 00:05:43.709 --> 00:05:45.709 who flatters women 00:05:45.709 --> 00:05:47.709 with sweet, honeyed words 00:05:47.709 --> 00:05:50.709 that leave a profound impression on the female viewer 00:05:50.709 --> 00:05:52.709 as he acts, 00:05:52.709 --> 00:05:54.709 until she falls in love with him 00:05:54.709 --> 00:05:56.709 and grows resentful toward her own husband. 00:05:56.709 --> 00:05:58.709 Truly, a woman’s infatuation 00:05:58.709 --> 00:05:59.709 with an attractive man’s appearance 00:05:59.709 --> 00:06:01.709 and her emotional attachment to him 00:06:01.709 --> 00:06:03.709 can reach such a point 00:06:03.709 --> 00:06:05.709 that she loses her self-awareness 00:06:05.709 --> 00:06:07.709 and behaves in ways that disgrace her 00:06:07.709 --> 00:06:09.709 in the eyes of onlookers, 00:06:09.709 --> 00:06:12.709 just as happened to those women 00:06:12.709 --> 00:06:15.709 when they saw Yusuf, peace be upon him. 00:06:15.709 --> 00:06:18.709 They lost all awareness of what was happening to their hands 00:06:18.709 --> 00:06:20.709 from being cut by the knives, 00:06:20.709 --> 00:06:22.709 and their eyes were riveted 00:06:22.709 --> 00:06:24.709 upon Yusuf, peace be upon him, 00:06:24.709 --> 00:06:27.709 while the wife of al-Aziz looked at them, 00:06:27.709 --> 00:06:29.709 gloating and delighted 00:06:29.709 --> 00:06:31.709 at the success of her plot against them. 00:06:31.709 --> 00:06:33.939 Muhammad Rashid Rida, 00:06:33.939 --> 00:06:35.939 may Allah have mercy on him, said: 00:06:35.939 --> 00:06:37.939 "'When they saw him, they greatly admired him'— 00:06:37.939 --> 00:06:39.939 meaning they were awestruck by him and stunned 00:06:39.939 --> 00:06:41.939 by that breathtaking magnificence 00:06:41.939 --> 00:06:43.939 and extraordinary beauty; 00:06:43.939 --> 00:06:45.939 they lost all presence of mind 00:06:45.939 --> 00:06:47.939 and cut their hands 00:06:47.939 --> 00:06:49.939 instead of cutting what they were eating, 00:06:49.939 --> 00:06:51.939 utterly oblivious to what they were doing. 00:06:51.939 --> 00:06:53.939 This occurred because 00:06:53.939 --> 00:06:55.939 the voluntary motion of the knives continued 00:06:55.939 --> 00:06:57.939 even after conscious control was lost, 00:06:57.939 --> 00:06:59.939 carrying on in its original path 00:06:59.939 --> 00:07:01.939 due to that loss of presence; 00:07:01.939 --> 00:07:03.939 yet the cuts fell upon the palms of their left hands, 00:07:03.939 --> 00:07:05.939 from which the food had already slipped 00:07:05.939 --> 00:07:07.939 due to the slackening of their grip 00:07:07.939 --> 00:07:09.939 in the stupor of that shock. 00:07:09.939 --> 00:07:11.939 Thus the knives cut them— 00:07:11.939 --> 00:07:13.939 that is, wounded them— 00:07:13.939 --> 00:07:15.939 and had their grip not slackened, they would have severed their fingers entirely. 00:07:15.939 --> 00:07:17.939 It appears that 00:07:17.939 --> 00:07:19.939 their hostess 00:07:19.939 --> 00:07:21.939 deliberately had the knives sharpened 00:07:21.939 --> 00:07:23.939 far beyond what is customary for dining knives, 00:07:23.939 --> 00:07:25.939 in order to maximize her cunning plot against them, 00:07:25.939 --> 00:07:27.939 so that she might establish 00:07:27.939 --> 00:07:29.939 an irrefutable proof over them 00:07:29.939 --> 00:07:31.939 which they could never deny." 00:07:31.939 --> 00:07:34.319 Scenes similar to this, 00:07:34.319 --> 00:07:36.319 or closely resembling it, 00:07:36.319 --> 00:07:38.319 are seen today in mixed-gender cafes 00:07:38.319 --> 00:07:40.319 within shopping malls, 00:07:40.319 --> 00:07:42.319 when an observer watches 00:07:42.319 --> 00:07:44.319 from a distance 00:07:44.319 --> 00:07:46.319 to take in the full picture; 00:07:46.319 --> 00:07:48.319 one sees unfolding before them 00:07:48.319 --> 00:07:50.319 unmistakable scenes 00:07:50.319 --> 00:07:52.319 of a woman becoming infatuated with the man 00:07:52.319 --> 00:07:54.319 she is gazing at, 00:07:54.319 --> 00:07:56.319 drifting away from full awareness 00:07:56.319 --> 00:07:58.319 and composure out of being intensely captivated by him. 00:07:58.319 --> 00:08:00.480 My advice 00:08:00.480 --> 00:08:02.480 to every righteous mother 00:08:02.480 --> 00:08:04.480 is to keep a watchful eye on her daughters 00:08:04.480 --> 00:08:06.480 in such mixed environments; 00:08:06.480 --> 00:08:08.480 for a daughter might not display 00:08:08.480 --> 00:08:10.480 her feelings in front of you, 00:08:10.480 --> 00:08:12.480 yet her frequent 00:08:12.480 --> 00:08:14.480 visits to these mixed 00:08:14.480 --> 00:08:16.480 places can cause her to fall 00:08:16.480 --> 00:08:18.480 into an infatuation with a handsome 00:08:18.480 --> 00:08:20.480 young man without your realizing it. 00:08:20.480 --> 00:08:22.480 Indeed, a young woman’s emotions 00:08:22.480 --> 00:08:24.480 at this youthful stage 00:08:24.480 --> 00:08:26.480 are passionate and fiery; 00:08:26.480 --> 00:08:28.480 and many young men 00:08:28.480 --> 00:08:30.480 in shopping malls 00:08:30.480 --> 00:08:32.480 are eager to present themselves 00:08:32.480 --> 00:08:34.480 in a handsome, elegant manner, 00:08:34.480 --> 00:08:36.539 wearing pleasant perfumes, 00:08:36.539 --> 00:08:38.539 and when they sit in cafes, 00:08:38.539 --> 00:08:40.539 they adopt mannerisms and behaviors 00:08:40.539 --> 00:08:42.539 specifically meant to attract girls. 00:08:42.539 --> 00:08:44.539 Therefore, do not cast your precious child 00:08:44.539 --> 00:08:46.539 into such mixed 00:08:46.539 --> 00:08:48.539 gatherings, 00:08:48.539 --> 00:08:50.539 which are no longer limited to cafes 00:08:50.539 --> 00:08:52.539 in shopping malls, 00:08:52.539 --> 00:08:54.539 but have become a widespread trial 00:08:54.539 --> 00:08:56.539 across many domains: 00:08:56.539 --> 00:08:58.539 such as universities, 00:08:58.539 --> 00:09:00.539 private and public schools, 00:09:00.539 --> 00:09:02.539 vocational training institutes, 00:09:02.539 --> 00:09:04.539 workplaces, 00:09:04.539 --> 00:09:06.539 mixed professional environments, and elsewhere. 00:09:06.539 --> 00:09:08.639 And these words of mine 00:09:08.639 --> 00:09:10.639 do not mean, my sister, 00:09:10.639 --> 00:09:12.639 that gazing and staring repeatedly 00:09:12.639 --> 00:09:14.639 at the faces of men 00:09:14.639 --> 00:09:16.740 is a hazard only for your daughter; 00:09:16.740 --> 00:09:18.740 for here was the wife of al-Aziz: 00:09:18.740 --> 00:09:20.740 despite being a married woman, 00:09:20.740 --> 00:09:22.740 she was enchanted by a handsome youth 00:09:22.740 --> 00:09:24.799 younger than her in age. 00:09:24.799 --> 00:09:26.799 Likewise, the women who 00:09:26.799 --> 00:09:28.799 plotted against the wife of al-Aziz, 00:09:28.799 --> 00:09:30.799 just as she plotted against them, 00:09:30.799 --> 00:09:32.799 fell completely infatuated with Yusuf 00:09:32.799 --> 00:09:34.899 from a single glance. 00:09:34.899 --> 00:09:36.899 For captivating beauty can seduce 00:09:36.899 --> 00:09:38.899 even a righteous woman if 00:09:38.899 --> 00:09:40.899 she lets her gaze wander, 00:09:40.899 --> 00:09:42.899 or if she indulges in moments of comparison 00:09:42.899 --> 00:09:44.899 between the man she is looking at 00:09:44.899 --> 00:09:46.960 and her own husband. 00:09:46.960 --> 00:09:48.960 Indeed, gazing at a handsome man 00:09:48.960 --> 00:09:50.960 is a poisoned arrow that strikes your heart 00:09:50.960 --> 00:09:52.960 once you unleash it. 00:09:52.960 --> 00:09:54.960 And the more frequently 00:09:54.960 --> 00:09:56.960 those arrows strike, the deeper the wound 00:09:56.960 --> 00:09:58.960 in the heart becomes, 00:09:58.960 --> 00:10:00.960 the more heavily the blood bleeds, 00:10:00.960 --> 00:10:02.960 and the harder the healing will be. 00:10:02.960 --> 00:10:05.309 To be continued; 00:10:05.309 --> 00:10:07.309 we will carry on in a future 00:10:07.309 --> 00:10:09.309 gathering, if Allah wills, 00:10:09.309 --> 00:10:11.860 with the story of Yusuf— 00:10:11.860 --> 00:10:13.860 the story of Yusuf with the wife of al-Aziz.