• Another lesson: When a servant is granted a blessing after having tasted its opposite, he should recall the former state so that the present favor will strike him with greater force and his gratitude to Allah will overflow. For that very reason Joseph said, “My Lord has been gracious to me: He released me from prison and brought you here from the desert after Satan had stirred up discord between me and my brothers” (12:100).

• Another lesson: The story is laced with varied, gentle mercies that ease the burden of affliction, among them:
– Joseph’s earlier dream, which brought relief and kindness to both Joseph and Jacob and served as a glad tiding that its interpretation would one day materialize;
– Allah’s kindness to Joseph when He inspired him, while he was still in the well, saying, “You will surely inform them of this affair of theirs while they are unaware” (12:15);
– His passage from one circumstance to another, each transition carrying both visible and hidden acts of grace. Thus, at the end Joseph declared, “My Lord is Subtle in whatever He wills” (12:100): He is gentle with him in his inner states, gentle for him in outward matters, and leads him to the highest goals from avenues he could never anticipate.

• Another lesson: The servant should constantly beseech his Lord to steady his faith, bless him with a good ending, make the best of his days the last of them, and the best of his deeds the final ones—for Allah is Generous, Bountiful, and Merciful.