When the king perceived the purity of Joseph’s honor and the blamelessness of his reputation in the face of everything they had imputed to him, he said:
“Bring him to me; I will set him apart for myself.”
That is, I shall make him one of my confidants, one of the greatest figures in my realm, and among the foremost of my court. When the king spoke with him, listened to his words, and understood his qualities, he declared:
“Today you are firmly established in our presence—trusted and secure.”
Meaning: you enjoy both high standing and complete trustworthiness.
Joseph replied, “Place me in charge of the storehouses of the land, for I am a vigilant guardian and a man of knowledge.”
He asked to be given oversight of everything that pertained to the granaries, anticipating the disorder that would arise once the seven years of plenty had passed, so that he might administer them in a manner pleasing to God—taking every precaution on the people’s behalf and dealing gently with them. He informed the king that he was ḥafīẓ, that is, strong and trustworthy in safeguarding what was entrusted to him, and ʿalīm, knowledgeable in the regulation of affairs and the management of the storehouses. In this there is proof that it is permissible to seek public office when one knows oneself to possess honesty and competence.
According to the People of the Book, Pharaoh honored Joseph—peace be upon him—greatly, set him over the whole land of Egypt, placed his signet ring and robes of silk upon him, adorned him with gold, and let him ride in his second chariot. A herald went before him proclaiming, “You are a lord, vested with authority!” Pharaoh then said, “I surpass you only by the throne.” They add that Joseph was thirty years old at the time, and that Pharaoh married him to a woman of high rank.
Al-Thaʿlabī relates that Pharaoh dismissed Aṭfīr from his post and appointed Joseph in his place. It is also said that when Aṭfīr died, Pharaoh married Joseph to his wife, Zulaykhā. Joseph found her still a virgin, for her husband had never approached women, and she bore Joseph—peace be upon him—two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. Thus Joseph’s authority over Egypt was firmly established; he ruled with justice, and men and women alike loved him.
It is further reported that Joseph was thirty years old when he entered the king’s presence, and that the king addressed him in seventy tongues, Joseph replying in each of them. This amazed the king, all the more so because of Joseph’s youth—God knows best.
God, Exalted be He, says:
“Thus We established Joseph in the land; he settled therein wherever he willed.”
That is, after imprisonment, confinement, and restraint, he was free to travel through the lands of Egypt.
“Settling wherever he willed,”
meaning that he took up residence wherever he pleased, honored, envied, and exalted.
“We bestow Our mercy upon whom We will, and We do not allow the reward of those who do good to be lost.”
All of this is part of God’s recompense and reward for the believer, in addition to what He stores for him in the Hereafter of abundant good and beautiful reward. Hence His words:
“But the reward of the Hereafter is better for those who believe and are mindful of God.”
It is also said that Aṭfīr, Zulaykhā’s husband, had died, so the king appointed Joseph to his position and married him to Zulaykhā, making him a true and faithful vizier.