وَمَا أُبَرِّئُ نَفْسِي إِنَّ النَّفْسَ لَأَمَّارَةٌ بِالسُّوءِ إِلَّا مَا رَحِمَ رَبِّي إِنَّ رَبِّي غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ ﴿۵۳﴾ وَقَالَ الْمَلِكُ ائْتُونِي بِهِ أَسْتَخْلِصْهُ لِنَفْسِي فَلَمَّا كَلَّمَهُ قَالَ إِنَّكَ الْيَوْمَ لَدَيْنَا مَكِينٌ أَمِينٌ ﴿۵۴﴾ قَالَ اجْعَلْنِي عَلَى خَزَائِنِ الْأَرْضِ إِنِّي حَفِيظٌ عَلِيمٌ ﴿۵۵﴾

﴾53﴿ Wa maa ubarri'u nafsee; innan nafsa la ammaaratum bissooo'i illaa maa rahima Rabbee; inna Rabbee Ghafoorur Raheem
﴾54﴿ Wa qaalal maliku' toonee biheee astakhlishu linafsee falammaa kallamahoo qaala innakal yawma ladainaa makeenun ameen
﴾55﴿ Qaalaj 'alnee 'alaa khazaaa'inil ardi innee hafeezun 'aleem

﴾53﴿ I do not claim the purity of my own soul; indeed, the soul is prone to enjoin evil, except for those upon whom my Lord has mercy. Indeed, my Lord is Forgiving and Merciful
﴾54﴿ And the king said, 'Bring him to me so I may appoint him for my own service.' Then, when he spoke to him, the king said, 'Surely, from today, you are established in our presence as a trusted and honorable one
﴾55﴿ He said, Appoint me over the treasuries of the land of Egypt; indeed, I am a knowledgeable and trustworthy guardian

[53] This statement is also part of Zulaikha’s words.
Note 1: Some commentators have attributed both of these statements to Yusuf (peace be upon him), but this is not correct, because Yusuf (peace be upon him) had not yet come out of prison at this point.
This has been clarified by Ibn Kathīr, al-Qurṭubī, Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on them), and others.
Note 2: This verse also alludes to the idea that the nafs (soul) is of three types based on its attributes. While it is one entity, it is categorized by its characteristics:
1. The first type is (لَأَمَّارَةٌ بِالسُّوءِ) – the soul that commands evil – this is mentioned explicitly.
2. The second type is the self-reproaching soul (nafs lawwāmah) – indicated by the word (غَفُورٌ), suggesting regret and repentance.
3. The third is the content soul (nafs muṭmaʾinnah) – implied through the word (رَحِيمٌ), showing peace and divine mercy. The phrase (إِلَّا مَا) here carries the meaning of “who” (i.e., man), and (رَحِمَ) refers to divine protection, i.e., the ‘iṣmah (infallibility) granted by Allah.

[54] In this verse, the king calls Yusuf (peace be upon him) for the second time.
But this time, after the king had become fully convinced of Yusuf’s chastity, as well as his knowledge and patience, he added the phrase (أَسْتَخْلِصْهُ لِنَفْسِي) – “I will select him exclusively for myself” – as a sign of honor and elevation.
When Yusuf (peace be upon him) came and spoke with the king, his words deeply influenced the king, leading the king to share power and position with him, granting him high status and authority.
[55] In this verse, Yusuf (peace be upon him) is appointed to a specific position suitable to his capability, after the king had already granted him general authority and status.
Yusuf (peace be upon him) did not seek power or position for himself from the beginning, so this verse cannot be used as a proof for those who seek authority for themselves—
especially because it is established through an authentic hadith that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and give him peace) prohibited seeking leadership.
The phrase (إِنِّي حَفِيظٌ عَلِيمٌ) – “Indeed, I am a knowledgeable guardian” – is a statement of qualification, explaining why he is suitable for the position.
This is not self-praise, because Allah has forbidden self-purification in the verse (فَلَا تُزَكُّوا أَنفُسَكُمْ) – “Do not claim purity for yourselves.”
However, even if it were considered self-praise, it is still permissible for the prophets, based on the verse that follows: (هُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِمَنِ اتَّقَىٰ) – “He knows best who is truly righteous,” which comes in Sūrat al-Najm, immediately after the prohibition.
Thus, for prophets, such statements are allowed, especially in contexts of establishing truth and responsibility.