Yusuf (Joseph)

54. “And the king said: ‘Bring him to me. I will attach him to my person.’ Then when he had spoken with him, he said: ‘Verily today you are of high standing in our presence, a trusted one’.”

In Lisan-ul-Arab, an Arabic dictionary, it is said that once a person confides in another person and involves him in his affairs, he applies the phrase: /’istaxlis-hu/ i.e.

‘I will attach him to my person, or take him into my confidence’.

When Yusuf was in prison, the prison had been depicted as: ‘the grave of the living, the house of grief and sorrow, the place of trial for the friends, and the blow upon the faces of the foes.’¹

As the king realized that Yusuf was reliable and sincere and found no treachery ascribable to him, he took him into his confidence.

The verse says:

“And the king said: ‘Bring him to me. I will attach him to my person.’...”

Were Allah not to find any betrayal on the part of the servants, what would He do? Certainly, He would also bring him closer to Himself. That is why that the Qur’an contains such an interpretation and such references for the prophets such as:

“And I myself have chosen you...”2

or

“…Verily I have chosen you above the people by My messages and by My speaking…”3

By using the word /ladayna/ the king declared that Yusuf had a high position in the hierarchy of his administration requiring all other authorities to obey him. Therefore, if Allah wants to appoint yesterday’s prisoner as today’s commander He can do so.

The verse says:

“…Then when he had spoken with him, he said: ‘Verily today you are of high standing in our presence, a trusted one’.”

Explanations

1. Private consultants in the hierarchy of the administration of every country must be men of virtue, good thinkers, able planners and reliable people. (All of which characterized Yusuf).

2. One’s defects and vices, as well his virtues, remain secret until he opens his mouth.

3. It is often useful to conduct a personal interview in the selection for every type of job.

4. Give authorization to only those in whom you have confidence.

5. The unbelievers and polytheists are also equally bent on achieving kinds of spiritual perfection. Seeking perfection is an inherent value embedded in human nature.

Being authorized without the necessary qualifications is not possible, because the two are interdependent.

This is because, if one is reliable but is not given any authorization, he would be unable to do anything, while, on the other hand, if one has authorization but lacks honesty and reliability, the interests of the entire public will be jeopardized.