Gratefulness is one the best quality trait of a person. A man who does not show gratitude to others in return of their favours can never be happy for they do not have the heart to say a few words of gratitude and appreciate favours others have extended to them. And how ungrateful a person would be when he fails to thank one's Creator for the countless blessings He bestows upon the man, even without being asked for.
Today, in this post we share the 90th verse of Sürah 12. Yusuf (Joseph) in which Prophet Yusuf (عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ) shows his gratitude to Allah for having united him with his family after a long spell of time. Let us first read the verse and then see its explanation by eminent scholars for better understanding.
قَالُوۡۤا ءَاِنَّكَ لَاَنۡتَ يُوۡسُفُؕ قَالَ اَنَا يُوۡسُفُ وَهٰذَاۤ اَخِىۡ قَدۡ مَنَّ اللّٰهُ عَلَيۡنَاؕ اِنَّهٗ مَنۡ يَّتَّقِ وَيَصۡبِرۡ فَاِنَّ اللّٰهَ لَا يُضِيۡعُ اَجۡرَ الۡمُحۡسِنِيۡنَ
(12:90) They exclaimed: "Are you indeed Joseph?" He said: "Yes, I am Joseph and this is my brother. Allah has surely been gracious to us. Indeed whoever fears Allah and remains patient, Allah does not allow the reward of such people to go to waste."
This verse is one of the most emotional and morally powerful moments in the story of Prophet Yusuf in Qur'an, found in Surah Yusuf. It marks the moment when Yusuf finally reveals his identity to the brothers who once betrayed him.
Context of the Verse
This verse culminates an event that happened long ago when brothers of Prophet Yusuf in sheer envy of him threw him in a dead well because their father Prophet Yaqub loved him deeply. And lied to their father saying a wolf had eaten him. But Allah has different plans for those he loves and saved him by a passing by caravan who took him to Egypt and sold as slave. There he rose to higher ranks due to his intelligence, wisdom and character.
Years later, famine forced his brothers to travel to Egypt seeking grain. They stood before Yusuf—now a powerful minister—but did not recognize him. After several encounters, Yusuf finally revealed himself with the words of this verse. Their shocked reaction: “Are you indeed Joseph?” And Yusuf calmly replied that he was indeed Yusuf and pointed to his brother Binyamin, who was earlier detained by him when t=his brothers visited him for the first time.
Key Message of the Verse
Yusuf summarizes his entire life experience in one profound principle: “Whoever fears Allah (taqwa), is grateful and remains patient (sabr), Allah does not waste their reward.”
Two three qualities are highlighted:
- Taqwa (Fear / Consciousness of Allah) Yusuf maintained moral integrity even in difficult situations. His fear for Allah made him steadfast even when he was tempted by the minister’s wife, and refused no matter the consequences (for which he suffered later and was put in the prison).
- Sabr (Patience) Prophet Yusuf remained patient despite betrayal by his brothers, during slavery, false accusation on his character and years of imprisonment. As a reward, despite these hardships, Allah eventually raised his status and reunited him with his family. Hardships do not mean abandonment by Allah. Sometimes these are part of a long process leading to honor and wisdom.
- Gratitude (Shukr) Despite the difficulties through which he waded through to make his place, he was always grateful to Allah and never for once showed his ungratefulness to his Creator for the difficult times he had to undergo for most part of his youth.
The Spirit of Forgiveness
What makes this scene extraordinary is that Yusuf had complete power to punish his brothers. They had betrayed him, ruined his childhood and caused decades of grief to their father. Yet Yusuf chose forgiveness instead of revenge, which speaks of the strength of his character. Later he tells them (12:92): “No blame will there be upon you today. May Allah forgive you.”
This is one of the greatest examples of forgiveness in religious history.
Living Examples of Forgiveness
- The Forgiveness of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ at the Conquest of Makkah
- When the Prophet ﷺ entered Makkah with power after years of persecution, the people feared revenge. But reassured them instead with great dignity: “No blame upon you today. Go, for you are free.”
- This statement echoed the words of Yusuf. And those who had persecuted him, exiled him, fought wars against him, were forgiven completely.
- Nelson Mandela’s Forgiveness Another famous example in modern history is of Nelson Mandela. He spent 27 years in prison under apartheid and kept in extremely inhuman conditions. Yet, after becoming president, he did not seek revenge against his oppressors. Instead he promoted reconciliation. His patience and forgiveness prevented civil war in South Africa.
- Everyday Example A person may experience betrayal from a family member, a colleague or a business partner with natural reaction of anger and revenge. Yet applying the lesson of Yusuf means: forgiving and trusting that Allah sees the injustice, responding with patience and avoiding hatred and revenge. Over time, such people often gain inner peace, respect, and unexpected blessings.
Psychological and Spiritual Lessons
This verse teaches several deep lessons:
- Hardship can be preparation for greatness. Yusuf’s prison became the path to leadership.
- Moral character matters more than circumstances. He remained righteous even when no one was watching.
- Forgiveness is a form of strength, not weakness.
- Being grateful is the best character trait - one must always be thanking one's Lord and people around for the Divine Blessings and help extended by the people.
In summary Surah Yusuf 12:90 is the turning point where betrayal transforms into reconciliation. Yusuf attributes his success not to luck or power but to taqwa and patience, teaching that those who remain faithful to Allah through suffering will never lose their reward. And one should always be grateful to Allah for giving us the heart to be grateful for the blessings we receive even without asking for, as Allah has a far bigger heart than the otherwise miser servants of His, who overlooks the follies of man and accepts their gratitude and bestows more upon them.
May Allāh (سبحانه و تعالى) help us understand Qur'ān and follow the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, which is embodiment of commandments of Allah contained in the Qur'ān. May Allah help us to be like the ones He loves and let our lives be lived helping others and not making others' lives miserable or unlivable. May all our wrong doings, whether intentional or unintentional, be forgiven before the angel of death knocks on our door.
وَمَا عَلَيۡنَاۤ اِلَّا الۡبَلٰغُ الۡمُبِيۡنُ
(36:17) and our duty is no more than to clearly convey the Message.”
That is Our duty is only to convey to you the message that Allah has entrusted us with. Then it is for you to accept it or reject it. We have not been made responsible for making you accept it forcibly, and if you do not accept it, we shall not be seized in consequence of your disbelief, you will yourselves be answerable for your actions on Day of Resurrection.
May Allah forgive me if my posts ever imply a piety far greater than I possess. I am most in need of guidance.
Reading the Qur'ān should be a daily obligation of a Muslim - Reading it with translation will make it meaningful. But reading its Exegesis / Tafsir will make you understand it fully. It will also help the Muslims to have grasp over social issues and their answers discussed in the Qur'an and other matter related to inter faith so that they are able to discuss issues with non-Muslims with authority based on refences from Qur'an.
Note: When we mention God in our posts, we mean One True God, we call Allah in Islam, with no associates. Allah is the Sole Creator of all things, and that Allah is all-powerful and all-knowing. Allah has no offspring, no race, no gender, no body, and is unaffected by the characteristics of human life.
Please visit our reference page: Surah 12. Yusuf - Prophet Josef (عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ) for selected verses from Surah Yusuf You may also refer to our exclusive reference page: Selected verses from selected Surahs of Al-Qurʾān for compiled verses from other surahs.
For verses on Selected Subjects, please refer to our reference page: Selected Verses from Al Qur'an about a Specific Subject (Reference Page) to know more about what Qur'an says about specific subjects and our reference page: Selected Verses from the Qur'an.
An effort has been made to gather explanation / exegesis of the surahs and selected verses of Al-Qurʾān from authentic sources and then present a least possible condensed explanation of the surah. In that the exegesis of the chapters of the Quran is mainly based on the "Tafhim al-Qur'an - The Meaning of the Qur'an" by one of the most enlightened scholars of the Muslim World Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi.
In addition, other sources which have been explored and views of other scholars have been incorporated while explaining meaning of a verse. Those desirous of detailed explanations and tafsir (exegesis), may refer to these sites. For expansion of meaning and themes / contextual background help from ChatGPT is also taken.
Disclaimer: The material for this post has been collected from the references given above. If anyone differs with the material contained in this post, one may consult the references and their authors. If someone has more material about the subject, he/she is most welcome to share in the comments box to make the post all encompassing.
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