[amended 19 August 2023 to include references to the Irish potato famine and two Bengal famines] Surah Yusuf Prophet Yusuf (عليه السلام) advised Pharoah to hoard grains during the years of plenty. I think this episode is a noteworthy one because it shows how a State can intervene in the marketplace in order to improve the welfare of the wider population. But as we shall see below, the government intervention that Prophet Yusuf (عليه السلام) instigated favoured some sections of the