The story of Joseph, peace be upon him, with the wife of Al-Aziz | Episode (2)

0:00 In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

0:04 The story of Yusuf, peace be upon him, with the wife of the Aziz.

0:10 "Make his stay honorable."

0:13 The story of Yusuf with the wife of the Aziz begins

0:17 with the instruction the Aziz gave his wife after he had purchased Yusuf, saying to her:

0:22 "Make his stay honorable."

0:24 "Perhaps he may benefit us, or we may adopt him as a son."

0:28 The Aziz had perceived goodness and righteousness in Yusuf.

0:32 He hoped to benefit from his service,

0:35 so that he might lighten some of their burdens,

0:38 or perhaps he might rise to a higher status,

0:41 becoming like a son to them,

0:43 so that they might benefit from him as parents benefit from their children.

0:47 This was a sign of the Aziz’s keen insight regarding Yusuf,

0:50 as Ibn Mas‘ud, may Allah be pleased with him, said:

0:54 "The most insightful of people are three:

0:56 The Aziz regarding Yusuf,

0:58 when he said to his wife,

1:01 “And he of Egypt who purchased him said unto his wife: Receive him honourably. Perchance he may prove useful to us or we may adopt him as a son. Thus we established Joseph in the land that We might teach him the interpretation of events. And Allah was predominant in His career, but most of mankind know not.” (12:21)

1:04 and the daughter of Shu‘ayb when she said to her father regarding Musa:

1:09 'Hire him,'

1:10 and Abu Bakr regarding ‘Umar,

1:12 when he appointed him as his successor."

1:15 "Make his stay honorable."

1:17 The Aziz’s instruction to his wife suggests two things.

1:21 The first:

1:23 That they had no children,

1:25 either because his wife was barren,

1:28 or for some other reason.

1:30 Therefore, they hoped that Yusuf, peace be upon him, would take the place of a son.

1:35 The second thing:

1:37 That the wife of the Aziz was somewhat advanced in age,

1:41 to the point that her husband had despaired of her conceiving and bearing a child.

1:46 She was certainly much older than Yusuf.

1:50 That is why her husband said to her:

1:53 "Perhaps he may benefit us, or we may adopt him as a son."

1:57 Reflect on this subtle indication in the event:

2:01 She was a woman who could not bear children,

2:03 or she was an older woman who had reached despair,

2:06 so she would not fear the consequences of adultery.

2:09 "Make his stay honorable."

2:12 And in order for them to realize this wish of benefiting from Yusuf, peace be upon him,

2:19 whether through good service,

2:21 or by him being in the position of a son,

2:23 the instruction of the Aziz to his wife came:

2:26 "Make his stay honorable."

2:28 Meaning: Treat him with the utmost kindness.

2:31 The "mathwa" (stay) is the place of dwelling, sleeping, and residence.

2:35 The intent behind "making his stay honorable"

2:38 is to honor him,

2:39 but the expression is deeper,

2:41 because it makes the honoring not just for his person,

2:45 but for the place of his residence,

2:48 which is an exaggeration in showing honor.

2:51 This instruction from the Aziz to his wife

2:55 contains a lesson for every married woman:

2:59 to benefit from her husband’s advice and his instruction to her.

3:03 The Aziz guided his wife on how to deal with this young man to win his heart,

3:10 saying to her:

3:12 "Make his stay honorable."

3:14 Winning people’s affection is not achieved by mistreating them;

3:19 rather, affection is gained by showing kindness to others.

3:23 Al-Tahir Ibn ‘Ashur, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

3:27 "The meaning is:

3:29 Make his residence with you honorable,

3:32 meaning complete in its nature."

3:35 He wanted to make kindness toward him a means of winning his affection for them and his sincere advice to them,

3:42 so that he might benefit them,

3:44 or they might adopt him as a son, so he would be dutiful to them,

3:47 which is a stronger form of closeness.

3:50 It is a lesson for anyone who has a maid in the house:

3:54 to treat her kindly,

3:56 if she truly wishes to benefit from her service.

4:00 It is also a lesson for everyone who is placed in charge of a group of people:

4:05 to treat them kindly to win their hearts,

4:08 for cruelty and harshness toward others

4:11 only breeds resentment and hatred,

4:14 and malice and envy.

4:16 It is also a lesson

4:18 for every woman who marries a man who has offspring from another wife:

4:24 to honor them and treat them kindly,

4:27 so that she may attain their dutifulness and benefit,

4:30 even after their father has passed away.

4:34 "Make his stay honorable."

4:36 The Aziz’s direction to his wife to treat Yusuf, peace be upon him, kindly—

4:41 whom he had brought into his family—

4:44 indicates that managing the house, caring for it, and caring for the children

4:49 is the woman’s responsibility,

4:51 as she is more capable of performing this task to the fullest extent than other servants

4:58 or what is called today a "nanny."

5:01 Indeed, she is more capable of doing so than her husband,

5:05 due to the innate characteristics Allah has gifted her with that suit the role for which she was created.

5:12 Al-Tarifi said:

5:14 "In this is the flow of human custom

5:17 regarding a woman’s service to her husband,

5:20 and her attending to the affairs of her house and the care of his dependents."

5:24 The one who bought Yusuf entrusted his care and honoring to his wife,

5:29 and did not entrust it to his male slave, his maidservant,

5:32 or his servant or minister.

5:34 And in it also:

5:36 That a woman, no matter how high her rank or elevated her status,

5:41 managing her house, caring for it, and caring for the children

5:45 does not diminish her rank nor lower her status,

5:49 as many media outlets portray,

5:53 and as series and films present.

5:57 For this is the wife of the Aziz,

5:59 and she is of his status,

6:01 yet she is addressed with this and does not disdain performing it.

6:05 "Make his stay honorable."

6:09 Yusuf’s stay had been the well

6:12 before the Aziz of Egypt bought him.

6:15 No sooner had he left the well

6:18 than his stay became the palace of the Aziz of Egypt.

6:22 It is the care of Allah and His kindness toward Yusuf.

6:26 The situation changed from the well

6:29 to the palace of the Aziz of Egypt

6:31 in a matter of days.

6:33 Have you reflected on how Allah changes circumstances

6:37 and is kind to His servants?

6:39 We will continue in a future meeting, if Allah wills.

6:43 The story of Yusuf with the wife of the Aziz.

The story of Joseph, peace be upon him, with the wife of Al-Aziz | Episode (2) | Honor his resting place

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