680/1 - Abu Mūsa al-Ash‘ari (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: Two of my cousins and I entered upon the Prophet. One of them said: “O Messenger of Allah, appoint us as rulers over some lands that Allah Almighty has entrusted to your care.” The other also said something similar. Thereupon, he said: “By Allah, we do not entrust this post to anyone who seeks it or is keen to attain it.” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim]
1) It is not permissible for a ruler to give a position to anyone who asks for it or is keen to assume it, for this is an indication of his desire to personally benefit from the position.
2) Demonstrating the Prophet’s guidance with regards to Islamic policy. Verily, the welfare of the Ummah, the ruler, and the ruled, is conditional upon following the Prophet’s example and adopting his way, apart from all else.
How do we reconcile Prophet Joseph’s request to Egypt’s ruler: {Appoint me over the storehouses of the land. Indeed, I am a knowing guardian.} [Yūsuf: 55]? He asked for a leadership position!
To clarify this issue, the scholars raised a number of points, which prominently include the following:
First: If our Shariah differs from a previous Shariah, our Shariah acts as the criterion, based on the rule that says: The Shariah of past nations is not a Shariah for us, where they differ.
Second: Prophet Joseph (Yūsuf, peace be upon him) saw that the country’s funds were being squandered and neglected, and he wanted to save people from mismanagement. So, the purpose of his request was to end the bad policies, a great and noble purpose. Something similar occurs in a Hadīth reporting that ‘Uthmān ibn Abi al-‘Ās (may Allah be pleased with him) said to the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him): “Appoint me as the Imam for my people,” i.e. to lead them in prayer. The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “You are their Imam.” So, the Prophet accepted his request because he knew that he was qualified to be an Imam. Hence, a ruler should consider the reason behind a person’s request for a leadership position and then decide what is in the public interest. Indeed, a ruler’s actions in relation to the subjects should be based on public interest.