Saad Tasleem – Yusuf AS in the Face of Temptation
AI: Summary ©
The importance of preparing oneself for trials and reexamining one's behavior is discussed, along with the importance of knowledge and wisdom in pursuing productive life. The speaker emphasizes the need for deep knowledge and a scholar, as it can be sought for many reasons, including personal reasons. The importance of learning from past trials and experiences to prepare for difficult situations and avoid mistakes is emphasized, along with the need for preparation for difficult situations and avoiding mistakes.AI: Transcript ©
Today, we're delving into the story and the
life
of our beloved prophet Yusuf alaihis salam. And
in particular,
we're gonna focus
on an incident that took place
in which Yusuf alayhis salam was not only
tried,
but in which we find lessons for ourselves.
When we are faced with trials,
how do we react?
More importantly, how do we prepare ourselves
for those trials?
Because oftentimes, when we think about the trials
of Yusuf, alayhi salam, or the trials of
any of the prophets, alayhi musaratuswasalam,
even the prophet Muhammad sallallahu
alayhi wasalam.
We think
that
when they were tested, they just had some
magical ability
to make it through that test.
And the reality is
that these were number one human beings,
but on top of that,
these were the chosen human beings of Allahu
Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala because they had certain traits
and certain characteristics,
and they used their lives and they spent
their lives in the obedience of Allah
So when they were tried,
when they faced difficult moments in their life,
they were prepared
to face those trials.
And so the issue that I wanna address
today in this short time that I have
is how do we prepare ourselves?
How do we make sure
that when we are tried,
that we are ready?
Because the prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam, he gave
us an example of this.
He said, He said, true patience or perseverance
is at the onset
of a calamity.
Meaning,
later, when the calamity is gone, a person
can look back and say, you know what?
I should have done this and I should
have done that. Or you know what? I
made this mistake, and I wasn't ready. And
and now I'm going to be more patient
and whatever it may and sometimes we actually
put on
glasses, rose colored glasses, and we look back
at times when we were tested and tried,
and we're like, yeah. I think I did
pretty well.
Because we look back and everything seems much
better.
But the true test
of our perseverance,
of our patience, of our taqwa, of our
iman, of our God consciousness, of our submission
to
is how we reacted
in that moment.
So let's take a look at that moment
in the life of Yusuf alayhis salam. When
Yusuf alayhis salam
was brought to the house of the chief
minister Al Aziz as a young boy, and
he was given residence there, he was also
tried. Allahu
tells us,
That when he reached the maturity of age,
when he got older,
when he was mature,
Allahu
granted him 2 characteristics.
Wisdom
and knowledge.
So now there's a trial that he's about
to go through. And what are the tools
that he has at his disposal?
He has wisdom and he has knowledge.
Knowledge, we know, is imperative, is important, is
critical,
because knowledge is what gives us the information
of what is pleasing to Allah
and what is displeasing to Allah
It is through knowledge we learn how to
be obedient to Allah. It is through knowledge
that we learn how to please Allah Subhanahu
Wa Ta'ala. And this is why
Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala says,
That it is only and only, dear Ullama,
those I'm not talking about titles.
I'm talking about people who have knowledge
Those who have knowledge
knowledge of Allah who Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala.
It is only those who have knowledge that
have true Khashia of Allah, that can worship
Allah who Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala properly.
The prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam said,
When Allah wants good for a person,
Allah grants them an understanding
of the religion.
But my brothers and sisters, it's not our
definition or understanding of knowledge,
because in our current climate and culture,
we think knowledge
is just a collection of information.
I read a lot of books or excuse
me. We're in 2024.
I read a lot of websites.
I spent a lot of time on Wikipedia.
I've saw a lot of YouTube videos, and
now we're devolving into I watched a lot
of TikToks on this subject, so I know
what I'm talking about. Right? I followed so
and so influencer on TikTok, so I know
this subject inside out. But I, my brothers
and sisters,
is not just a collection of information because
information
without
it penetrating our hearts, without sincerity, without us
acting upon it, without us living information,
that information not only becomes useless,
that information
can become a witness and a proof against
us. Regarding the Quran,
the prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam said,
The Quran is either
a witness or a proof for you
or is it a or it is a
witness against you?
Meaning, there are people who are going to
come on the day of judgment thinking
But if they did not act upon the
Quran, if they did not live their life
by the Quran, if they weren't guided by
the Quran, then the Quran now becomes a
witness against them. May Allah
who protect
us. So the knowledge of the prophets
was not just information.
This was lived
knowledge. This was knowledge acted upon, and the
proof for that is in the wisdom that
was granted to the prophets.
Because wisdom,
to put simply means, where does this knowledge
apply?
Is this knowledge fitting this time and this
place and this condition, this circumstance
I'm in right now or not?
Because we have a lot of people out
there who, once again, have knowledge.
They have information,
and we know what that leads to sometimes.
Putting that information down wherever they see fit
as opposed to having wisdom where you understand
and you know that this knowledge applies in
this situation and this circumstance.
So Allah
who
granted the prophet
Yusuf alayhis salam
knowledge
and wisdom. But why?
Allahu
says,
This is how we reward
those who do good.
And this teaches us
that good knowledge,
beneficial knowledge, knowledge that we have acted upon
is granted to us by Allahu
and that only comes when we live our
lives
with Ihsan.
Ihsan is as defined by the prophet
that you worship Allah as if you see
Allah. That even though you don't see Allah,
you know that Allah sees you. That is
to
live your life
in consciousness of Allahu
Being aware of what is pleasing to Allah,
knowing that Allah is watching me at all
moments at all times, when you live your
life in that way,
then
Allah
grants you knowledge and wisdom.
Because once again, knowledge can be sought for
many reasons.
Knowledge in our days can be sought to
be popular,
to have a lot of followers online, to
be TikTok
famous. I had a brother come up to
me once, and he said, do you know
me? And I said, I'm sorry. I don't
know you. He said, you probably don't know
me because I'm TikTok famous.
I'm like, what?
Kharaz, TikTok famous. Right? That's the thing now.
But knowledge can be sought for many reasons.
And, actually, this is something the prophet even
warned us about,
that a person who seeks knowledge for the
wrong intention, actually, that leads them to the
hellfire. That there are those who, as the
prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam informed us, those who
seek knowledge
to turn the faces of people towards themselves.
That is a type of intention that leads
a person to the hellfire.
The process that I'm saying that a person
may seek knowledge
to argue with the foolish
to show I'm better than you. I know
what I'm talking about. I can defeat you
in a debate. I can defeat you in
an argument.
My reaction to your video right here,
and I destroyed you.
For that reason,
another reason, the prophet
said to boast amongst the scholars,
to have that status.
A person wants to be known as a
scholar, as an alim, as a person of
knowledge. So that is their intention.
And the prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam told
us that these intentions leads a person to
the hellfire. Knowledge
has to be sought for the sake of
Allahu
Knowledge has to be sought because we want
jannah, and we know that it is through
knowledge that we attain jannah.
Allah says, no. Have a surety. Learn. No.
Have deep knowledge that there is nothing worthy
of worship except Allahu
So when we do that
then we gain the reward of knowledge and
wisdom. It is in this circumstance
that Yusuf alaihis salam found himself being tried.
Allahu tells us,
the wife of the chief minister, Al Aziz.
He lived in her house,
and that is where she tried to seduce
him,
in the house that he was granted
refuge in.
What happened here? What was the situation?
Well, she didn't just try to seduce him
in public or in front of someone. She
made sure
that all the bases were covered. And what
indicates to that is the way she closed
the doors and the and when Allah mentions,
the word,
This gives a couple different meanings. Number 1,
the doors were closed and locked with force,
meaning she made sure the doors were locked.
Also, some of our scholars mention
that there was no
chance
that someone could invade their privacy or come
in to this room because there were multiple
rooms that were locked. A room in another
room in another room. So multiple doors had
would have to be unlocked
for them to be disturbed.
After making sure
that no human being
would know,
no human being would have access
to what she wants to do. She said,
hay talak. She said, come to me. And
then Allahu, subhanahu wa ta'ala, tells us how
Yusuf alayhi salam replied,
He said, Allah is my refuge. I seek
refuge in Allahu
Once again,
Why did this happen? Better yet, how did
this happen?
This happened
because Yusuf alaihis salaam was prepared for this.
Maybe not directly,
but by the way he lived his life,
Yusuf alayhis salam was prepared, and we see
this in the rest of this verse and
verses Allah who tells us. He says, Allah
is my refuge. I seek refuge in Allah.
Allah will protect me
protect me, and, really, this is in 2
ways. Number 1, protect me
from the consequences
of what the consequences of me refusing
this temptation
because the wife of Al Aziz, she was
in a position of power.
She had control over this situation,
and Yusuf alaihi salam knew that there are
going to be some dunya, some worldly consequences
for him refusing this offer. So he sought
refuge in Allahu from
that. And also on a second level, he
sought refuge in this temptation
because as we will see, this is not
a temptation
that Yusuf alaihis salam had no desire for.
And some people are uneasy with this concept
that Yusuf alaihis sala it's not only that
she desired Yusuf alaihis salaam, but Yusuf alaihis
salaam
would be inclined towards
her as well. Allahu Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala tells
us
that she was she was inclined towards him.
She was determined to seduce him, and he
would be inclined towards her,
If he had not seen the sign of
his lord. And we'll talk about that in
a little bit
But he said,
I seek refuge in Allah. Allah will protect
me. He knew
that if it's a moment where I am
being tested and tried,
I turn to Allah
He said, it is it is not right
for me to betray my master who has
given me a good place to stay, who
has taken good care of me. And the
first meaning of this is
Al Aziz, the chief minister.
He is saying this would be a betrayal
of that trust. He housed me in his
house. And for me
to be involved
in an intimate way with his wife would
be a betrayal of that trust.
The second
and overlying meaning of this is Allahu
That the best that the best,
one who takes care of me is Allahu
my lord.
That whatever I could gain in this moment,
if he had given in to this offer,
perhaps he wouldn't have been jailed. Perhaps he
could have remained living in that house.
But the best refuge, the best house, the
best abode
is from Allah because
it is always Allah
who has taken care of him in his
whole life.
So how can he abandon Allahu subhanahu wa
ta'ala?
And we ask ourselves
every moment in our life,
who has taken care of us? Who is
the one who has provided for us? Who
is the one
who we can turn to
in the darkness of the night
and pour our heart out to? It is
none other than Allahu Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala.
And then the prophet Yusuf alaihi salaam, he
says,
That the wrongdoers,
the oppressors,
the transgressors
will never
be victorious.
And this, my brothers and sisters, is part
of our.
It is part of our creed. It is
part of our belief system as Muslims.
We live by this statement
that the one who commits will
never be successful in the long run. Perhaps
in the moment,
this person may be successful. Perhaps in the
moment, they get away with their crime and
their transgression
and their oppression. Perhaps.
But in the long run, they will never
be successful.
This
is the same
of our brothers and sisters in Gaza right
now.
They know that whatever crimes are committed against
them, no matter what has been no matter
what atrocities are committed against them,
That the oppressors, the transgressors, the wrongdoers will
never truly be successful.
Success comes from
Allahu Maybe they get away with it in
this life. Maybe.
But in the long run,
will never be overlooked.
Allahu
tells us
about those who commit crimes in this life.
And when we see them getting away with
these crimes,
reminds
us,
Do not think Allah is unaware
of the crimes of the oppressors and wrongdoers.
Don't think Allah is unaware.
He is only delaying them until a day
when they will stare in horror.
This is our aqeedah, my brothers and sisters.
Will
be will be layers upon layers of darkness
on the day of judgment.
This is why when we see occurring
to others, we recognize this. We never lose
hope because we know the more zum that
is committed, the more harsh and more severe
the punishment will be from Allahu Subhanahu Wa
Ta'ala. Allah doesn't punish anyone unjustly.
No one will come on that day of
judgment and say, oh, Allah,
you are
being unjust towards me. I don't deserve this
punishment.
Do you know
why? Because even if no one else testifies
to the crimes that were committed
let's say no one witnessed a crime. Someone
commits a crime. They oppress someone. They wrong
someone, and there's no witnesses.
Their own bodies
will testify.
Allah says, today, we will seal their mouths.
Be quiet.
You are speaking in this life, and you
are lying and lying and lying, but today,
you remain silent.
Their own hands their own hands will speak
to their crimes.
And their own legs and their feet will
testify
to the crimes that they have committed.
This is why a believer, my brothers and
sisters,
never ever lose loses hope.
A believer understands
the power and the might and the anger
and the wrath of Allah
when we see our children suffering in ghazza,
when we see limbs blown off,
we never lose hope.
We understand
Allah is only delaying them until a day
where their punishment will be more severe.
This is a that we need to understand
on a larger level and even on a
personal level
Because when we commit sins and when we
transgress, this is a form of my brothers
and sisters.
There's many levels and forms of There's that
we commit upon others, which we just spoke
about,
but there's also that we do to ourselves.
Allahu Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala says,
The one who crosses
the boundaries of Allah.
Allah has set limits for us. Allah has
set boundaries for us. Allah has made certain
things halal and certain things haram. The one
who crosses those boundaries,
They had only done
to themselves.
They'd only wronged
themselves.
You know, Iblis, the shiqaan, will come on
the day of judgment,
and he will actually remind us
of this very issue
when he is standing in front of the
people who are being taken to the hellfire.
And Iblis now delivers a sermon to the
people of the hellfire. They're hoping that he's
gonna provide some answers.
But you know what Iblis, the shaitan, says
to the people of the hellfire?
He says,
Don't blame me.
Blame yourselves.
You cannot help me, and I cannot help
you.
I reject
all the associations you made with me in
your life.
Meaning in this life, there are those who
listen to the shiathan, obeyed the shiathan
instead of obeying Allahu This is an association.
Instead of being obedient to Allah, a person
is obedient to the shaitan.
So the shaytan says, I have nothing to
do with that. I take no responsibility
for that. And then he says,
The wrongdoers,
the transgressors,
the oppressors,
they have a painful punishment awaiting them.
His message to the people is that this
happened because of your dhul. So my brothers
and sisters, here, Yusuf alaihis salaam is reminding
himself
and reminding us, and this message is in
the Quran for us to take heed.
That
will never ever be victorious.
And then Allah
says
that she was determined to seduce him,
and he would have been inclined towards her
had he not seen the proof of his
Lord. What is this proof?
This proof is the iman in his heart.
This proof is his prophethood.
This proof is the fact that Allah had
made him a messenger. This proof is his
Islam,
and this is the same proof
that we carry in our hearts. Every single
believer in their heart, they carry this proof
of iman,
the proof of the prophethood of the prophets,
the proof of the prophethood of Muhammad sallallahu
alaihi wasallam.
That is the tool that we have that
when we are tempted and we are tried
and we're going through difficult situations,
we have that Burhan.
We have that proof in our hearts, and
then Allah says,
This is how Allah who Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala
says, this is how we kept evil and
indecency
away
from
him.
He was certainly from our chosen
servants.
My brothers and sisters, in this moment,
the truthfulness of his submission came to light.
Every time we are tested,
it is a moment
for us to prove our iman,
to prove our submission to Allahu Subhanahu Wa
Ta'ala.
And I know what y'all are thinking right
now.
That was one moment.
That was one seduction.
That was one temptation.
We live in a time now
where in a single day,
a person may be tempted many times.
You turn on the TV.
There's trials.
There's temptations.
There's fitna.
You open your phone.
You scroll. Doom scroll. Right? Scroll till no
end. And you come across things. And this
is a trial.
Every day, how are we supposed to succeed?
I wanna share with you real quickly
an example of another person that succeeded,
and that is the hadith of the 7
people who were granted
shade by
on the day in which there's only shade
provided by Allah.
7 people, the prophet said, will be shaded
on the day in which there's the only
shade is the shade of Allah who
Who are these people? Imam Anadil,
a just leader.
If young person who was raised, lived their
life in in the worship of Allah who
Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala. A
person whose heart was attached to the masjid.
2 people who love one another for the
sake of Allah who Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala. The,
They come together for the sake of Allah,
and they depart for the sake of Allahu
Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala.
A person who remembers Allah in privacy,
and because of that, their eyes, they swell
with tears.
A person who gives charity
in privacy,
such secrecy, such privacy that the left hand
doesn't know what the right hand is spent,
and then the last category
or one of the 7 categories
is rajulun,
a man who was invited by a woman
of status and beauty,
And he said, I fear Allah, very similar
to the statement of Yusuf alayhis salaam. Now
here's the kicker.
All of these categories
are a lifetime.
A just leader, a just ruler, that's a
lifetime.
A young person who was raised in the
worship of Allah, that's a lifetime of worship.
A person who loves their brothers and sisters
for the sake of Allah, that's all all
of these categories are a life
time, but there's one category,
which is just a moment.
The person who is invited
by a woman, who is tempted by a
woman, is just a moment.
How are they equivalent?
They are equivalent
because, once again, as I said in the
beginning of my talk,
the success does not come just from that
moment.
The success comes from preparing
yourself for that moment. When you live your
life in the obedience of Allahu Subhanahu Wa
Ta'ala, you are preparing yourself to protect yourself
in that moment when you are tested and
tried. We don't wait until the test or
the trial to say, can I succeed or
not? We prepare ourselves.
So when we are tempted, whether it be
through our phones or TV or what we're
accessing online, whatever it may be,
do we say
Do we say I fear Allah? Allah is
my refuge.
Because that is the only thing that can
protect us. And I know today, I talk
to a lot of parents, and parents say,
this
is the most difficult time in in history.
We have never faced a trial like this.
Our children are facing tests and trials that
they've never been through before. And I'm like,
look. I agree with you,
but every generation says that.
Every generation says this is the worst generation.
Right? Is this is terrible. It's never been
this bad.
But people succeed.
They succeed because they have their iman. They
have their taqwa. They have god consciousness. So
we ask Allah
to give us the ability to recognize goodness
as goodness and the ability to follow it.
And we ask Allah to
give us the ability to recognize evil as
evil and the ability to abstain and stay
away from it.
Related Episodes
- Nadim Bashir – What to focus on after Ramadan
- Haifaa Younis – Why Should We Fast on the Day of Ashura
- Tests Of Life
- Nadim Bashir – Defending the Honor of the Prophet Muhammad
- Azan / Ezan / Athan / Adhan – Sheikh Hussain Shahat – Makkah 010
- Mirza Yawar Baig – Living Islam – Marriage, Making and Living it #14
- Irshaad Sedick – Surah Yusuf 4