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Translator: Abu Ilyas Abdulali Jourari Al-Maghrebi Publisher: Al-Binaa Publishing

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Allāh, the Exalted, says:

ٱٻٻٻٻپپپپڀڀڀڀٺنث

ٹڤڤڤڤڦڦٺٺٺٿٿٿٿٹٹٹ

ڦڄڄڄڄڃڃڃڃچچچچڇڇڇ

ڇڍڍڌڌڎڎڈڈژژڑڑ

ککککگگگگڳڳڳڳڱڱڱڱںں

ڻڻڻڻۀۀہہہہھھھھے

ےۓۓڭڭڭڭۇۇۆۆۈۈٴۇۋ

ۋۅۅۉۉېېېېىىائائەئەئوئ

وئۇئۇئۆئۆئۈئۈئېئېئېئىئىئىئی

یییجئحئمئىئيئجبحبخبىبيبجتحتخت

ٱٻٻٻٻپپپپڀڀڀڀمت

ٺٺٺٺٿٿٿٿٹٹٹٹڤڤڤڤڦڦ

ڦڦڄڄڄڄڃڃڃڃچچچچڇڇڇ

ڇڍڍڌڌڎڎڈڈژژڑڑک

کککگگگگڳڳڳڳڱڱڱڱں

ںڻڻڻڻۀۀہمث

And she, in whose house he was, sought to seduce him (to do an evil act), she closed the doors and said: “Come

on, O you.”

He said: “I seek refuge in Allâh (or Allâh forbid)! Truly, he (your husband) is my master! He made my stay agreeable!

(So I will never betray him). Verily, the Zâlimûn (wrong and evil-doers) will never be successful.”

And indeed she did desire him and he would have inclined to her desire, had he not seen the evidence of his Lord. Thus it was, that We might turn away from him evil and

illegal sexual intercourse. Surely, he was one of Our chosen, guided slaves. So they raced with one another to the door, and she tore his shirt from the back. They both

found her lord (i.e. her husband) at the door. She said: “What is the recompense (punishment) for him who

intended an evil design against your wife, except that he be put in prison or a painful torment?”

5 | P a g e

He [Yûsuf (Joseph)] said: “It was she that sought to seduce me,” - and a witness of her household bore

witness (saying): “If it be that his shirt is torn from the front, then her tale is true and he is a liar! But if it be that his shirt is torn from the back, then she has told a lie and

he is speaking the truth!”

So when he (her husband) saw his [(Yûsuf's (Joseph)] shirt torn at the back; (her husband) said: “Surely, it is a

plot of you women! Certainly mighty is your plot! O Yûsuf (Joseph)! Turn away from this! (O woman!) Ask

forgiveness for your sin. Verily, you were of the sinful.”

And women in the city said: “The wife of Al-'Azîz is seeking to seduce her (slave) young man, indeed she loves him violently; verily we see her in plain error.”

So when she heard of their accusation, she sent for them and prepared a banquet for them; she gave each one of

them a knife (to cut the foodstuff with), and she said [(to Yûsuf (Joseph)]: “Come out before them.”

Then, when they saw him, they exalted him (at his beauty) and (in their astonishment) cut their hands. They

said: “How perfect is Allâh (or Allâh forbid)! No man is this! This is none other than a noble angel!”

She said: “This is he (the young man) about whom you did blame me (for his love), and I did seek to seduce him, but he refused. And now if he refuses to obey my order, he shall certainly be cast into prison, and will be one of

those who are disgraced.”

He said: “O my Lord! Prison is more to my liking than that to which they invite me. Unless You turn away their plot

from me, I will feel inclined towards them and be one (of those who commit sin and deserve blame or those who

do deeds) of the ignorants.”

So his Lord answered his invocation and turned away from him their plot. Verily, He is the All-Hearer, the All-

Knower.1

All praise is due to Allāh, and I bear witness that no deity is

worthy of worship except Allāh, alone and having no

partner. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and

messenger. May peace and blessings of Allāh upon him, his

family and all his companions.

O Allāh bestow upon us knowledge that will benefit us, and

benefit us with knowledge you have bestowed upon us,

and increase us in knowledge, and rectify our entire affair,

and do not entrust us to ourselves even for the mere

twinkling of an eye.

As for what follows, indeed these noble verses from the

surah of Yūsuf contain a great lesson and admonition.

Allāh relates the stories of the Prophets and other than

them in His Book for the tremendous lessons and deep-

reaching admonitions that lie therein. Hence Allāh

concludes the surah of Yūsuf with His saying:

1 Qur’ān, 12: 23-34

7 | P a g e

مثائەئەئوئوئۇئۇئنث

Indeed in their stories, there is a lesson for men of

understanding.2

Therefore, it is necessary for the Muslim while reading the

stories of the Qur’ān to seek to learn the lessons that they

contain and to heed to the warning and the reminder

therein and to attain benefit (therefrom). These truly

outstanding examples and patterns from the chosen ones

from the creations and the best slaves of Allāh are the

greatest sections (in the Qur’ān) where one can seek

guidance, direction and can follow their blessed guidance

and straight course.

مثەئەئوئوئۇئۇئۆئنث

They are those whom Allâh had guided. So follow their

guidance3.

When you reflect upon the story of Yūsuf from the

beginning of the surah to the end of it, you find in it

important matters and magnificent areas for (one) to take

heed and to draw a lesson. From this is the section that we

have listened to in this blessed surah in the story of al-Azīz’s

wife’s attempted seduction of Yūsuf :

2 Qur’ān, 12: 111 3 Qur’ān, 6: 90

ٱٻٻٻٻپپپپڀڀڀڀٺنث

مثٺٺ

And she, in whose house he was, sought to seduce him (to do an evil act), she closed the doors and said: “Come

on, O you.”

He said: “I seek refuge in Allâh (or Allâh forbid)!”

Remember in this context the statement of the noble

Prophet in the hadīth recorded in both sahīh books

(wherein he says): “Seven (people) will be shaded by Allāh

in His Shade on the Day of Resurrection when there will be

no shade except His Shade. (They will be), a just ruler, a

young man who has been brought up in the worship of

Allāh, a man whose heart is attached to mosques, two men

who love each other for Allāh’s Sake, a man who is called by

a charming lady of noble birth to commit illegal sexual

intercourse with her, and he says, ‘I fear Allāh,’ a man who

gives in charity so secretly that his left hand does not know

what his right hand has given and a man who remembers

Allāh in seclusion and his eyes then overflow with tears.”4

From the matters that were subject to the analysis of the

people of knowledge in the explanation of that hadīth is

whether it is possible that these seven qualities be

collectively possessed by one person, and from what some

4 Al-Bukhāri (1423) and Muslim (1031)

9 | P a g e

people of knowledge have mentioned in the explanation of

that hadīth that Yūsuf encompassed all the seven

qualities together. His story with the wife of al-Azīz was an

absolutely amazing one, for he faced many temptations

and various incitements, few of which would be enough to

get lots of people involved in forbidden acts and in falling

into that which is unlawful.

From those (temptations) is that the caller was (none other

than) the wife of al-Azīz, who possessed a high status and

rank and beauty. So she had both the high status and

beauty. Third, she was the one that invited him and seduced

him, and when this is the case, falling into the forbidden act

(i.e. fornication) is more likely to occur, and it can make it

happen in no time, unlike the woman who has high status

and charm yet needs to be seduced (to succumb to that

unlawful act). He says:

مثٱٻٻٻٻپپنث

And she, in whose house he was, sought to seduce him

(to do an evil act)…

Fourth, she closed the doors, and closing the doors makes

a person feel that no one is aware of him or is seeing him.

Fifth, Yūsuf was a young man at that time and during the

stage of youth the arousal and strength of sexual desire is

much more intense than when one is old. Sixth, Yūsuf

was (extraordinarily) handsome. He was given half of

beauty, upon him is peace and blessings. This too was from

the temptations. Seventh, he was a stranger (in that

land), not in his own town and being a foreigner might push

lots of people to compromise much of their values,

principles, and manners. Hence they say: O stranger, be

well-mannered.5 This is because a stranger due to him being

away from his homeland and family and acquaintances may

make concessions on lots of matters (i.e. give up much of

his uprightness). This is something well known. Eighth, al

Azīz’s wife did not restrict herself to seducing him only but

added to it threatening, coercing, and scaring (him) with

imprisonment. Ninth, this was not limited to her alone as

she was joined in her sexual desire by other women in the

city, and they were sexually attracted to him just as she

was. Tenth, she went so far as to threaten him with putting

him in jail:

مثڇڇڇڍڍڌنث

And now if he refuses to obey my order, he shall certainly

be cast into prison.

Thus the threatening came to such a level that he was to

be cast into jail.

5 A famous Arabic saying.

11 | P a g e

Yet despite all these temptations, incitements, and

motives, he said:

مثٺٺٺنث

He said: “I seek refuge in Allâh (or Allâh forbid)!

He also said in the last part of that passage:

ژژڑڑککککنث

“O my Lord! Prison is more to my liking than that to which they invite me.

So he turned to Allāh for refuge and asked Him for preservation, safety and protection.

گگگگ

Unless You turn away their plot from me,

This is seeking refuge with Allāh.

مثڳڳڳڳڱڱ

I will feel inclined towards them and be one (of those who commit sin and deserve blame or those who do

deeds) of the ignorants.”

So he sought recourse and refuge in Allāh .

ٿٿ ٺ ٺ ٺ ٺ ڀ ڀ ڀ

And whoever holds firmly to Allâh, (i.e. follows Islâm

Allâh's Religion, and obeys all that Allâh has ordered,

practically), then he is indeed guided to a Right Path.6

This is a great story which contains a deep-reaching moral

lesson. Hence whoever Allāh has blessed to read these

noble verses ought to contemplate their content and

reflect upon their implications and ask his Lord to grant

him success in following them in the best manner, and in

emulating them in the most gracious manner, and in

adhering to them in the most thorough manner. Success is

in the Hand of Allāh alone; He has no partner.

I ask Allāh by His Beautiful Names and Lofty Attributes to

guide all of us to that which He loves and that which he is

pleased with from the correct speech and right actions and

to protect all of us from the evil speech, desires and

ailments and to rectify our entire affair and not to entrust

us to ourselves even for the mere twinkling of an eye. O

Allāh, forgive us all our sins, the small and the great of them,

the first and the last of them, those which are apparent and

those which are hidden. O Allāh bestow your forgiveness

upon us, our parents, our shaykhs, our leaders, the Muslim

men and women, the believing men and women, the living

among them as well as the dead. O Allāh grant us security

in our lands and rectify our leaders and those placed in

6 Qur’ān, 3: 101

13 | P a g e

charge of our affairs and appoint as our leaders those who

fear You and are dutiful to You and seek your Pleasure, O

Lord of the universe! O Allāh protect us and all the Muslims

wherever they are from all types of afflictions, those which

are apparent as well as those which are hidden. O Allāh

protect us and all the Muslims wherever they are from all

types of afflictions, those which are apparent as well as

those which are hidden. O Allāh grant our souls their piety,

and purify them; you are the best to purify them; you are

their Guardian and Master. O Allāh! We ask you for

steadfastness in every affair and perseverance upon

guidance. O Allâh, we ask you for that which warrants Your

Mercy, and the means to Your Forgiveness. We ask you to

allow us to be grateful (to You) for your blessing and to

worship you in the best manner. We ask you for a sound

heart and a truthful tongue. O Allāh! Give us a share of fear

of You that will prevent us from disobeying You, and a share

of obedience to You that will make us attain Your Paradise,

and a share of certainty that will make easy for us the

calamities of the world. O Allāh! Make us enjoy our hearing,

sight, and health as long as you allow us to live, and make

them our heirs (i.e. keep them intact until we die), and let

our revenge be on those who have oppressed us, and grant

us victory over those who hold enmity towards us, and do

not cause our calamity to be in our religion, and do not let

our worldly life be our greatest concern or the utmost of

our knowledge, and do not empower over us those who do

not have mercy on us.

Glory and Praise be to You, O Allāh! I bear witness that no

deity is worthy of worship but You. I seek Your forgiveness

and I repent to You.

O Allah! Send your peace and blessings upon Your slave and

Messenger, our Prophet Muhammad and his family and

companions.