WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.200 In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. 00:00:03.200 --> 00:00:09.490 The story of Yusuf (peace be upon him) with the wife of al-Aziz. 00:00:09.490 --> 00:00:13.810 A woman understands the scheming of other women. 00:00:13.810 --> 00:00:18.929 Once the talk of the women reached the wife of al-Aziz, 00:00:18.929 --> 00:00:25.160 “And women in the city said: The ruler's wife is asking of her slave-boy an ill-deed. Indeed he has smitten her to the heart with love. We behold her in plain aberration.” (12:30) 00:00:25.160 --> 00:00:28.960 “And women in the city said: The ruler's wife is asking of her slave-boy an ill-deed. Indeed he has smitten her to the heart with love. We behold her in plain aberration.” (12:30) 00:00:28.960 --> 00:00:32.119 she grasped the underlying motive behind these words, 00:00:32.320 --> 00:00:37.320 and realized that they had said this purely out of cunning intrigue against her, not out of sincere advice. 00:00:37.320 --> 00:00:41.409 So she countered their plot with an even greater scheme. 00:00:41.409 --> 00:00:48.210 “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) 00:00:48.210 --> 00:00:56.609 She prepared a banquet for them, 00:00:56.609 --> 00:01:09.299 “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) 00:01:09.299 --> 00:01:13.000 and said, "Come out before them." 00:01:13.000 --> 00:01:17.859 When they saw him, they were struck with awe by him, 00:01:17.859 --> 00:01:20.659 cut their hands, 00:01:20.659 --> 00:01:26.060 and exclaimed, "Allah forbid! 00:01:26.060 --> 00:01:30.659 This is no mortal man!" 00:01:30.659 --> 00:01:37.739 “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) 00:01:37.739 --> 00:01:42.540 This verse indicates that it was the customary nature of that society 00:01:42.540 --> 00:01:47.140 to circulate rumors about people in social gatherings and repeat what transpired in them. 00:01:47.140 --> 00:01:49.540 This is indeed a blameworthy trait, 00:01:49.540 --> 00:01:54.140 for the relaying of gossip among people rarely escapes embellishment, distortion, 00:01:54.140 --> 00:01:58.870 alteration of meaning, and being construed in the worst possible light. 00:01:58.870 --> 00:02:03.069 This stems fundamentally from the cultural mindset of the society itself; 00:02:03.069 --> 00:02:06.269 for whenever a society occupies itself with trivialities, 00:02:06.269 --> 00:02:10.069 it inevitably lapses into such disgraceful manners, 00:02:10.069 --> 00:02:16.590 and its sole concern becomes slandering people's honor and delighting in backbiting them. 00:02:16.590 --> 00:02:21.389 There is a lesson for you, my dear sister, in the story of the wife of al-Aziz and those women, 00:02:21.389 --> 00:02:28.389 and how they circulated the talk regarding her attempt to seduce Yusuf (peace be upon him). 00:02:28.389 --> 00:02:31.990 Such gatherings are utterly unbecoming of you. 00:02:31.990 --> 00:02:35.789 You must be discerning regarding the gatherings you attend, 00:02:35.789 --> 00:02:38.789 and mindful of whom you sit with in them, 00:02:38.789 --> 00:02:43.590 lest you yourself become the subject of common gossip one day, 00:02:43.590 --> 00:02:49.419 and lest the private secrets of your home be divulged through such corrupt companionship. 00:02:49.620 --> 00:02:54.419 You have the finest support in the counsel of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), 00:02:54.419 --> 00:02:59.020 when he said, "Associate only with a believer, 00:02:59.020 --> 00:03:02.419 and let no one eat your food except the righteous." 00:03:02.419 --> 00:03:04.550 It was narrated by al-Tirmidhi. 00:03:04.550 --> 00:03:09.550 Thus, companionship outside the home should be restricted to believing women, 00:03:09.550 --> 00:03:14.550 and as for any woman you invite into your home and allow into your private life, 00:03:14.550 --> 00:03:17.810 ensure first that she possesses piety. 00:03:17.810 --> 00:03:21.810 In this second scene of the story of Yusuf with the wife of al-Aziz, 00:03:21.810 --> 00:03:25.810 we observe this dynamic quite clearly. 00:03:25.810 --> 00:03:30.810 For the news that was intended to be kept secret spread throughout the society, 00:03:30.810 --> 00:03:35.810 becoming a talking point on people's tongues in both their private and public gatherings, 00:03:35.810 --> 00:03:40.810 to the extent that those women who gossiped about the news and commented upon it— 00:03:40.810 --> 00:03:44.810 their words quickly reached the ears of the wife of al-Aziz, 00:03:44.810 --> 00:03:47.030 and she discerned what was really intended by it. 00:03:47.030 --> 00:03:50.030 What did they actually seek through their statement: 00:03:50.030 --> 00:03:57.030 "The wife of al-Aziz is attempting to seduce her slave boy; 00:03:57.030 --> 00:03:59.030 he has consumed her with love"? 00:03:59.030 --> 00:04:03.030 “And women in the city said: The ruler's wife is asking of her slave-boy an ill-deed. Indeed he has smitten her to the heart with love. We behold her in plain aberration.” (12:30) 00:04:03.030 --> 00:04:06.349 Muhammad Rashid Rida (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 00:04:06.349 --> 00:04:11.449 "They did not say this out of denouncing an evil deed, nor out of abhorrence for vice, 00:04:11.449 --> 00:04:15.449 nor out of love for virtue and championing righteousness; 00:04:15.449 --> 00:04:18.449 rather, they said it purely as a ruse and a scheme, 00:04:18.449 --> 00:04:22.449 so that it would reach her and compel her to invite them, 00:04:22.449 --> 00:04:25.449 and show them with their own physical eyes 00:04:25.449 --> 00:04:30.449 that which would dismantle what they claimed to see with their inner perception, 00:04:30.449 --> 00:04:33.449 thus leading them to excuse her for that which they had censured her. 00:04:33.449 --> 00:04:36.449 It was sheer cunning, not an innocent opinion. 00:04:36.449 --> 00:04:38.670 So when she heard of their malice— 00:04:38.670 --> 00:04:43.670 and it was only natural that she would hear it, given what was customary among such households 00:04:43.670 --> 00:04:45.670 in terms of mutual visits 00:04:45.670 --> 00:04:49.670 and the frequent coming and going of servants between them— 00:04:49.670 --> 00:04:52.670 they had only said it so that she would hear it; 00:04:52.670 --> 00:04:55.699 for if it did not reach her by chance, 00:04:55.699 --> 00:04:58.699 they would have devised ways to convey it intentionally, 00:04:58.699 --> 00:05:00.699 and so they attained what they desired." 00:05:00.699 --> 00:05:06.120 They harbored an ill intention behind their statement; 00:05:06.120 --> 00:05:09.120 they desperately wanted to lay eyes upon that handsome young man 00:05:09.120 --> 00:05:12.120 with whom the wife of al-Aziz had been infatuated. 00:05:13.120 --> 00:05:16.279 Ibn Jarir al-Tabari (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 00:05:16.279 --> 00:05:20.339 "Their saying what they said 00:05:20.339 --> 00:05:25.339 and their speaking about her affair with Yusuf 00:05:25.339 --> 00:05:28.339 was out of a cunning plot on their part, as has been mentioned, 00:05:28.339 --> 00:05:30.339 so that she would show them Yusuf." 00:05:30.339 --> 00:05:32.500 Through this cunning plot, 00:05:32.500 --> 00:05:34.500 they did not seek merely to look at him; 00:05:34.500 --> 00:05:37.500 rather, they coveted something far beyond that, 00:05:37.500 --> 00:05:41.500 as indicated by the verses that follow this one. 00:05:41.500 --> 00:05:45.500 Muhammad Rashid Rida (may Allah have mercy on him) clarified this, stating: 00:05:45.500 --> 00:05:48.500 "Hoping that he might incline toward them, 00:05:48.500 --> 00:05:52.500 and that he would be drawn to their sudden, unexpected beauty 00:05:52.500 --> 00:05:57.500 in a way he had never been drawn to hers, which he had grown accustomed to before reaching full maturity, 00:05:57.500 --> 00:06:01.500 when his gaze upon her was merely that of a servant toward his mistress, 00:06:01.500 --> 00:06:04.500 or a child toward his mother." 00:06:04.500 --> 00:06:09.629 This was conveyed in the Surah with the most exquisite conciseness and eloquence, 00:06:09.629 --> 00:06:12.629 and with the highest degree of refined propriety and decorum. 00:06:12.629 --> 00:06:17.139 The wife of al-Aziz readily understood from their remark 00:06:17.139 --> 00:06:20.139 that it was not merely an idle comment, 00:06:20.139 --> 00:06:24.139 but rather a calculated plot by which to secure a glimpse of Yusuf. 00:06:24.139 --> 00:06:29.139 Indeed, the Qur'anic expression itself points to the swiftness of her comprehending their plot, 00:06:29.139 --> 00:06:31.139 for Allah Almighty said: 00:06:31.139 --> 00:06:34.370 "So when she heard of their malice..." 00:06:34.370 --> 00:06:36.370 Schemes themselves are not heard; 00:06:36.370 --> 00:06:38.370 what is heard is merely spoken words. 00:06:38.370 --> 00:06:43.370 Yet because she instantly grasped the underlying intent upon hearing them, 00:06:43.370 --> 00:06:47.370 Allah Almighty expressed it as her hearing the underlying scheme itself, 00:06:47.370 --> 00:06:49.370 not merely the spoken words. 00:06:49.370 --> 00:06:55.370 That is because a woman is far more perceptive than a man when it comes to understanding women's cunning and schemes. 00:06:55.370 --> 00:07:03.370 For this reason, a woman quickly becomes suspicious of any interaction between her husband and the women around him, 00:07:03.370 --> 00:07:06.370 because she understands the guile of women far better than he does, 00:07:06.370 --> 00:07:10.370 and she fears for him lest he fall prey to their plots and feminine wiles, 00:07:10.370 --> 00:07:13.370 inclining toward them and abandoning her. 00:07:13.370 --> 00:07:18.430 Thus, the wife of al-Aziz countered the women's plot with an even greater scheme: 00:07:18.430 --> 00:07:21.500 "So when she heard of their malice, 00:07:21.500 --> 00:07:25.500 “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) 00:07:25.500 --> 00:07:28.500 “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) 00:07:28.500 --> 00:07:31.500 and said, 'Come out before them.' 00:07:31.500 --> 00:07:35.589 “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) 00:07:36.589 --> 00:07:40.589 And they said, 'Allah forbid! This is no mortal man!'" 00:07:40.589 --> 00:07:43.589 “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) 00:07:43.589 --> 00:07:46.819 Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 00:07:46.819 --> 00:07:48.819 "'She sent for them,' 00:07:48.819 --> 00:07:52.819 meaning she invited them to her home to host them, 00:07:52.819 --> 00:07:55.980 'and prepared for them a banquet.' 00:07:55.980 --> 00:07:59.980 Ibn Abbas, Sa'id ibn Jubayr, Mujahid, 00:07:59.980 --> 00:08:02.980 al-Hasan, al-Suddi, and others said: 00:08:02.980 --> 00:08:05.980 It was a seating area arranged with cushions and pillows, 00:08:05.980 --> 00:08:08.980 along with food that required cutting with knives, 00:08:08.980 --> 00:08:11.980 such as citrons and the like. 00:08:11.980 --> 00:08:14.980 For this reason, Allah Almighty said: 00:08:14.980 --> 00:08:17.980 “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) 00:08:17.980 --> 00:08:21.009 This was a calculated ruse on her part, 00:08:21.009 --> 00:08:25.009 and a countermeasure to their scheme to catch sight of him. 00:08:25.009 --> 00:08:28.300 'And she said: Come out before them.' 00:08:28.300 --> 00:08:32.299 That was because she had concealed him in another chamber; 00:08:32.299 --> 00:08:36.299 so when he emerged and they saw him, they were struck with awe by him, 00:08:36.299 --> 00:08:38.299 meaning they exalted him, 00:08:38.299 --> 00:08:41.299 deeming his appearance magnificent and revering his majesty. 00:08:41.299 --> 00:08:45.299 They began cutting their hands in utter astonishment at the sight of him, 00:08:45.299 --> 00:08:50.299 while imagining that they were cutting the citrons with their knives; 00:08:50.299 --> 00:08:54.299 what is meant is that they slashed into their own hands with them." 00:08:54.299 --> 00:08:58.360 Thus, the outcome of the scheme executed by the wife of al-Aziz against those women 00:08:58.360 --> 00:09:02.360 was that they slashed their own hands without even feeling it, 00:09:02.360 --> 00:09:07.360 overcome by the overwhelming beauty of Yusuf (peace be upon him). 00:09:07.360 --> 00:09:11.620 This is a vivid picture of the gatherings of affluent, idle women: 00:09:11.620 --> 00:09:15.620 what transpires within them and what preoccupies their minds. 00:09:15.620 --> 00:09:20.620 Such is the state of women who turn away from the remembrance of Allah 00:09:20.620 --> 00:09:23.620 and immerse themselves in the fleeting pleasures of this worldly life; 00:09:23.620 --> 00:09:27.620 their sole concern is discussing other women's reputations, 00:09:27.620 --> 00:09:30.620 plotting against one another, 00:09:30.620 --> 00:09:33.620 and competing in matters of beauty, adornment, and luxury. 00:09:33.620 --> 00:09:36.620 They remain entangled in daily petty battles 00:09:36.620 --> 00:09:40.620 that yield them nothing but sorrow and regret, 00:09:40.620 --> 00:09:44.840 and discontent with what Allah has apportioned for them. 00:09:44.840 --> 00:09:48.840 All praise is due to Allah, Who has distinguished the believing woman through her faith, 00:09:48.840 --> 00:09:52.840 and commended her for her righteousness and the noble nature of her pursuits, 00:09:52.840 --> 00:09:54.940 as He, the Exalted, said: 00:09:54.940 --> 00:10:00.940 “Men are in charge of women, because Allah hath made the one of them to excel the other, and because they spend of their property (for the support of women). So good women are the obedient, guarding in secret that which Allah hath guarded. As for those from whom ye fear rebellion, admonish them and banish them to beds apart, and scourge them. Then if they obey you, seek not a way against them. Lo! Allah is ever High, Exalted, Great.” (4:34) 00:10:00.940 --> 00:10:02.940 To be continued; 00:10:02.940 --> 00:10:06.940 we shall resume in our next session, if Allah wills, 00:10:06.940 --> 00:10:12.960 the story of Yusuf with the wife of al-Aziz.