Tafsir of Yusuf 12:55

Meaning the land of Egypt. Some have said that it refers to: "your land which is under your disposal." It is also said that by "the land," he meant the genus, and by its storehouses, the food that is produced from it.

"Over" (على) is connected, according to some, to an implied word such as "having authority" (مستول). The meaning is: "Appoint me to manage its affairs of revenue and expenditure."

"(For I am) a keeper" of it, against those who do not deserve it; "(knowledgeable)" regarding the methods of managing it. It is said: knowledgeable about the time of famine; and it is said: a keeper regarding accounts, and knowledgeable in languages.

This contains evidence for the permissibility of a person praising himself truthfully if his status is unknown, and the permissibility of seeking authority if the seeker is capable of establishing justice and executing the laws of the Sharia—even if it is from the hand of a tyrant or a disbeliever. Perhaps the request even becomes mandatory upon him if the establishment of a duty, for instance, depends on his holding authority, and he is the one uniquely qualified for it.

As for what is in the two Sahih collections from the hadith of Abd al-Rahman ibn Samura, who said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "O Abd al-Rahman, do not ask for authority, for if you are given it upon asking, you will be left to it; but if you are given it without asking, you will be aided in it," it refers to a situation other than what has been mentioned.

It is narrated from Mujahid that the King embraced Islam at his hands, peace be upon him. Perhaps his choosing that specific authority, peace be upon him, was only to undertake what was then the most important affair of the sultanate: managing the years of famine. This was because it was one of the branches of that authority, not merely for general benefit, as some have said.

It is narrated in a report that when the King spoke to him and he recounted his vision, the King said: "What do you suggest, O truthful one?" He replied: "You shall sow much during the years of plenty—for if you were to sow even on a stone during those years, it would grow—and you shall build storehouses and gather the food in them with their stalks and ears, for that is more lasting for it, and the stalks will serve as fodder for the beasts. Then, when the years of famine arrive, you shall sell that, and you will acquire great wealth." The King said: "And who will take charge of this for me, and gather it, and sell it for me, and suffice me in the work of it?" He said: "(Appoint me over the storehouses of the land,)" etc.

The obvious implication is that the King granted his request when he asked. That his response was not mentioned is an indication that it was a matter that was inevitable and did not need to be stated, especially after having presented that which encompassed all the rulings of the sultanate.

Al-Tha'labi narrated from Ibn Abbas that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "May Allah have mercy on my brother Yusuf; had he not said, '(Appoint me over the storehouses of the land),' he would have been employed immediately, but he delayed that for a year."

Then, as narrated from Ibn Abbas and others, the King turned to him, sealed him with his signet ring, draped him with his sword, and placed for him a throne of gold studded with pearls and rubies, thirty cubits long and ten cubits wide. He placed mattresses upon it and draped a canopy of silk brocade over it. He (Yusuf) said, peace be upon him: "As for the throne, I shall strengthen your kingdom with it; as for the signet ring, I shall manage your affairs with it; but as for the crown, it is not of my clothing nor the clothing of my forefathers." The King replied: "I have placed it to honor you and acknowledge your merit." So he sat on the throne, kings became submissive to him, and the King delegated his affairs to him.

He established justice in Egypt, and men and women loved him. During the years of famine, he sold the food of the people of Egypt: in the first year for dirhams and dinars until none remained; in the second, for ornaments and jewels; in the third, for beasts and livestock; in the fourth, for slaves and maidservants; in the fifth, for estates and real estate; in the sixth, for children; and in the seventh, for the necks (freedom), until he enslaved them all. That was something permissible in their law. They said: "We have never seen a king more majestic or greater than him."

He said to the King: "How have you seen the doing of Allah, the Exalted, in what He has granted me? And what is your opinion regarding these people?" The King replied: "The opinion is your opinion, and we are your followers." He said: "I call Allah, the Exalted, to witness, and I call you to witness, that I have set them free and returned their properties to them."

Perhaps the wisdom in that was to manifest his power and generosity, and their subsequent surrender to his command, so that their faith would be purified and they would follow him in what he commanded them. Thus, it should not be said: "What was the benefit in acquiring that great wealth and then wasting it?"

During that period, it is narrated that he, peace be upon him, would not eat his fill of food. It was said to him: "Do you hunger while the storehouses of the land are in your hand?" He replied: "I fear that if I eat my fill, I shall forget the hungry." He ordered the King's cooks to prepare his meal at midday, and he intended by that to taste the feeling of hunger so as not to forget the hungry. It is said: "It is from there that kings have made their meal at midday."

The Almighty has alluded to the great kingdom He gave him by His saying, Majestic and Exalted: