A Position No One Wanted

And Yūsuf (peace be upon him) was not asking for this position for fame or power. No — he knew from the beginning that he would be taking care of Egypt in one of its most difficult times. Who wants to take charge of a government that is broke? He was going to take care of Egypt through seven of its most devastating years: years of hunger and famine.

Prime ministers run away from positions like this, because it is the end of your career. If a stock market crash happens in your time, you lose your job — and we know that whole governments have collapsed because of this. So there was no honour in taking that position. It was a very difficult and critical moment. But Yūsuf wanted that position not for its honour, its prestige and its fame. No — he was doing it as a service, to take care of the people of Egypt.