Yūsuf 12:54-55

"The king said: 'Bring him to me; I shall attach him to myself as my own counsellor.' And when he had spoken with him he said: 'From today you are with us a man of standing and trust.' Joseph said: 'Set me over the treasuries of the land; I am a good keeper and one who knows.'"

The construction was cited at al-Muʾminūn 23/13 and at al-Mursalāt 77/20-23:

مَكِين — root م-ك-ن: to have a place, to become firm. Makān is from the same root. Makīn — firm in place, strong in position. Innaka'l-yawma ladaynā makīnun amīn (Yūsuf 12/54) — the word that describes an official's standing in the language of the court.

I rely on that treatment.

And the coming together of the two attributes must be compared with the measure at al-Qaṣaṣ 28/22-28:

In all three constructions the second element conveys a trust or a competence. And the measure recorded in al-Qaṣaṣ holds here too: one conveys competence, the other trustworthiness, and neither suffices on its own. I rely on that treatment.

And this verse needs attention, because it holds two separate matters.

One — the request comes from the man himself. Ijʿalnī ʿalā khazāʾini'l-arḍ.

Two — the ground of the request is a declaration of competence: innī ḥafīẓun ʿalīm.

حَفِيظ — root ح-ف-ظ, an intensive form: one who guards, who keeps. عَلِيم — one who knows.

And the fitness of the two attributes to the work requested is worth recording; I give this as my own reading: the office requested is the management of treasuries, and this work requires exactly two things — to guard and to know the reckoning. That is, the declaration is the naming of the two qualities the work requires; it is not a general boast.

And its ground within the sūra is verses 47-49: the claim of competence rests on a concrete plan already set out. That is, the declaration does not stand in a void.

A further note must be entered: this verse can look as though it conflicts with the principle that a person should not praise himself. In the classical commentaries the distinction is made thus: what is blamed is declaring one's own soul pure (fa-lā tuzakkū anfusakum, al-Najm 53/32) — that is, a claim to moral superiority. What is here is a declaration of fitness for a task. I transmit this distinction as an explanation widespread in the classical commentaries; I do not ascribe it to any particular person.

The question of tazkiya was treated in detail at al-Jumuʿa 62/2 and al-Najm 53/32; I rely on that treatment.