وقال نسوة في المدينة امرات العزيز تراود فتاها عن نفسه قد شغفها حبا انا لنراها في ضلال مبين

۞ وَقَالَ نِسْوَةٌ فِى ٱلْمَدِينَةِ ٱمْرَأَتُ ٱلْعَزِيزِ تُرَٰوِدُ فَتَىٰهَا عَن نَّفْسِهِۦ ۖ قَدْ شَغَفَهَا حُبًّا ۖ إِنَّا لَنَرَىٰهَا فِى ضَلَـٰلٍ مُّبِينٍ

🔪 'She gave each one a knife...'

These are interesting verses to reflect on if you struggle with your phone and looking away from things that can harm your soul. 

These women inadvertently harmed themselves when they were stunned by the beauty of Yusuf (a). I imagine they must have been shocked when they realized they had cut their own hands! They were set up with knives and something to catch them off guard, and they ended up harming themselves as a result.

There are forces in this world that want us to harm ourselves, either directly or indirectly. We are given the devices and distractions to set us up for failure and harm.  Let's be aware of the 'knives' in our hands and protect ourselves from getting hurt.

Assalamualaikum sister I think the real knives in our hand could be smartphones 

بسم اللّٰہ الرحمٰن الرحیم
 
I want to reflect on these ayaat explaining an incident in the story of Yusuf alayhis salam, when wife of al-Azeez became talk of the town. It's mentioned in the Quran as,

'Some women of the city gossiped, 'The Chief Minister’s wife is trying to seduce her slave-boy. Love for him has plagued her heart. Indeed, we see that she is clearly mistaken'. 

Judging others of sins

Women of the city , after knowing about wife of Azeez, made her a topic of their discussion. They judged her and even passed their verdict about her as being clearly mistaken. What's wrong here is that whenever someone's wrongdoings unfold before us, we shouldn't judge them because judging another person of any wrongdoing or sin comes from a place of considering one's self as 'immune' to that sin. Same women, who mocked and gossiped about wife of Azeez later on cut their hands, upon seeing a glimpse of Yusuf alayhis salam. Boonaa Mohammed said: 'If you're looking for faults use a mirror, not a telescope.' 
People who constantly look for the faults of others and make it a topic of their gossip, deprive themselves of an opportunity to look within, find their own flaws, and to know their own vulnerabilities of falling. Hence, they fall, without recognizing they already have, only to become a topic of discussion for some other people like them. 

Fitna and how the righteous approach it

I learned from this story that one should never deliberately expose one's self to any situation involving any kind of 'fitna', a test of faith.  We human beings are all fallibles. We are inherently weak. We shouldn't rely on our own sense of 'piety' or 'restraint' in this regard. That would be a clear overestimation of one's self control and it might turn around to be a deadly mistake! 
In this story, women of the city, at first, talked against the wife of Azeez and condemned her actions but later on they accepted her invitation and in this way exposed themselves to a 'test' which she was clearly not passing at that time. And then, these women ended up supporting her for something which they considered a 'clear mistake' earlier! 
However, Yusuf alayhis salam approaches this situation in such a meaningful way. It gives me perspective about life. When he found himself surrounded by fitna, he didn't rely on his own sense of restraint, despite being the most innocent and righteous person among them all. Yusuf alayhis salam didn't overestimate his ability to deal with this test and chose to 'leave' that place. He said, 

'I might yield to them and fall into ignorance.' 
He understood the human nature and preferred prison over a test of faith and dignity. Yusuf alayhis salam has set a beautiful standard for the believers to follow. 
May Allah SWT protect us from ending up on the wrong side of history. Ameen.

Wa Alaikum Assalam. 
ان شاءاللہ 

Aways remember, when you spend your time looking for faults in others and highlighting them, Allah saw can cause you to fall in bigger faults due to your arrogance. The woman mocked the Aziz's wife for her attempt to seduce Yousef As, but they ended up cutting their hands accidentally while admiring his beauty,  and then proceeding to attempt to seduce him as well. And when Yousef AS, years later, mentioned the story to the messenger of the King,  it seemed like the old story had spread and become a well known event amongst the Egyptians, and the women who had cut their hands were famous for it.