Al-Aziz
Definition
Al-aziz — 'the mighty one' — is the title of the high Egyptian official who purchased Yusuf from the slave traders who had bought him from the brothers who threw him in the well. His wife, referred to in classical exegesis as Zulaykhah though not named in the Quran, attempted to seduce Yusuf — and Yusuf's refusal, running to the door only to be caught and falsely accused, is narrated with a psychological intensity that Ibn Kathir treats with great care. The trial of Zulaykhah's attempted seduction is the pivotal moral test of Yusuf's story: a young, enslaved, beautiful man with no social power, faced with the advances of the most powerful woman in his immediate world. His choice to flee rather than comply, even when it cost him his freedom, is the supreme model of chastity in the face of temptation.
As understood in the classical tradition of Ibn Kathir and the scholars of his school.
How the scholars use Al-Aziz.
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"them among his companions and instructed, Treat them well. Among the captives was Abu Aziz ibn Umair ibn Hashim, the brother of Musab ibn Umair. Abu Aziz recounted that his brother Musab passed by him. Chapter The Story of Abu Aziz A man from the Ansar captured Abu Aziz and said, Bind your hands with him, for his mother is a woman of means. Perhaps she will ransom him from you. Abu Aziz recounted that he was among a group of the Ansar when they brought him from Badr. When they served their meals, they would specifically give him bread while they ate dates, following the instruction of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, regarding the captives. Whenever a piece of"
— Ibn Kathir, Volume 3 — The Sīrah: From the First Revelation to Badr
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"be sent shackled to the court. They gathered at my house, and Aziz accused Shams al-Din of several grievances, one being that Shams' servant Rida al-Multani stayed in the mentioned Aziz's keeper's house, consumed wine, and stole 5,000 dinars. I inquired Rida about this. He said he had not drunk wine since leaving Multan eight years ago. I asked, did you drink there? He said yes, so I ordered him to be flogged 80 lashes and imprisoned based on the charge and evidence against him, and I departed from Amruha. My absence lasted about two months. I would slaughter a cow for my companions each day. I left my men to collect the grain sent to Aziz, load it on 30,000 villagers'"
— Ibn Battuta, Volume Two: From India to the Lands of the West
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"bread fell into their hands, they would offer it to him, and even if he felt shy to accept, they would insist on giving it back to him. Ibn Hisham noted that Abu Aziz was the standard bearer of the polytheists at Badr after al-Nadir ibn al-Harith. When his brother Musab spoke to Abu al-Yusr who captured him, Abu Aziz asked, O my brother, is this your instruction regarding me? Musab replied, He is my brother before you. His mother inquired about the highest ransom paid for a Qurashi and was told it was 4,000 dirhams. She sent this amount and ransomed him. It is said that Abu Aziz's name is Zurara, as mentioned by Ibn al-Athir,"
— Ibn Kathir, Volume 3 — The Sīrah: From the First Revelation to Badr
Appears in
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