Quranic Reflections - Islamic School of Stanford

Part of the greatness of thismagnanimous Prophet consists in the fact that when has
succeeded in his life occupying senior positions, he is not carried away by the
euphoria of victory by showing humility to Allah and feeling grateful to Him. He
says at the end of the story what can be translated as, “Lord! You have already
brought me (my share) of kingship and You have taught me (my share) of the
interpretation of discourses. O Originator (Literally: Renderer; i.e., Creator) of
the heavens and the earth, You are my Ever-Patronizing Patron in the present
(life) (Literally: the lowly (life), the life of this world) and the Hereafter, Take me
up to You as a Muslim (One who submits to you) and join me with the
righteous.” (TMQ, 12:101). Notice his humbleness when he says, "and join me
with the righteous" as if the righteous preceded him and he wanted to join them.
Thus, Prophet Yusuf (AS) has succeeded in the test of prosperity by being grateful and
humble to Allah, and in the test of misfortunes by being patient and hopeful.
You are up to it:
The comment on the experience of Prophet Yusuf (AS) comes in a wonderful ayah for
two reasons: to assure Prophet Muhammad (SAWS) of the fulfillment of Allah’s
promise and His victory, and afterwards to pass it to his people so that they may know
it for certainty. Listen to this ayah with all your heart and soul, "Till, when the
Messengers finally despaired and expected that they were counted liars, Our
victory came to them. So, whoever We decided will be safely delivered. And Our
violence will not be turned back (i.e., turned away from) from the criminal
people.” (TMQ, 12:110).
The Summary of the Experience:
The surah concludes with a core idea. After Prophet Yusuf (AS) becomes victorious
and fulfills all his wishes, he says what can be translated as, "They said, ‘Is it sure
that you, indeed you, are Yûsuf’ (Joseph) “I am Yûsuf, ” he said, “and this is
my brother. Allah has already been bounteous to us. Surely whoever is pious and
(endures) patiently, then surely Allah does not waste the reward of the fairdoers.”
(TMQ, 12:90).
The story of Prophet Yusuf (AS) teaches us that whoever wants to succeed and bears
in mind a goal he wishes to accomplish, he will certainly achieve it via patience and
hope, seeking Allah’s support and not succumbing to despair: "They said, ‘Is it sure
that you, indeed you, are Yûsuf’ (Joseph) “I am Yûsuf, ” he said, “and this is
my brother. Allah has already been bounteous to us. Surely whoever is pious and
(endures) patiently, then surely Allah does not waste the reward of the fairdoers."
(TMQ, 12:90).
In these words, Prophet Yusuf (AS) summarizes for us his own experience in life
which, as mentioned before, is a mere human experience. Thus, whoever wants to
succeed in life has to first fear Allah. Second, he has to request Allah’s assistance.
Third, not only does he have to be patient in coping with the misfortunes, but he also
has to conquer the obstacles surrounding him.