وَلَأَجرُ الآخِرَةِ خَيرٌ لِلَّذينَ آمَنوا وَكانوا يَتَّقونَ

And the reward of the hereafter is surely better for those who have faith and are God-wary.

EXEGESIS

While kānū yattaqūna is here translated as are God-wary, it more specifically means those who had [always or previously] been God-wary. It tells us that this quality of God-wariness is something that was present in them throughout their lives.

EXPOSITION

While Prophet Joseph (a) was ultimately vindicated and attained a position of great worldly status due to his virtue and patience, this verse reveals that his true reward – his eternal recompense in the hereafter – will be far greater.[1] The verse, however, establishes a universal principle for all who live by faith and God-consciousness: the ultimate pursuit is the reward of the hereafter. What awaits such individuals far surpasses any worldly blessing in grandeur and eternal worth, be it power, status, wealth, or kingdom.

One of the important lessons of the story of Prophet Joseph (a) is that faith and patience is always rewarded. God will make kings of the believers, if only they persevere in their faith. Qurṭubī relates two lines of poetry:

Is there not in God’s Messenger, Joseph, a guide, 

For one like you, unjustly imprisoned and tried?

He bore his patience in the cell for a time, 

And with that patience, to kingship he did climb.[2]

REVIEW OF TAFSĪR LITERATURE

Rāzī suggests that while it is possible that khayr in this verse is used to mean better, it could also be used in the sense of ‘good’, without intending a comparison. In other words, the verse would then be saying: the reward of the hereafter is surely good for those who have faith. As opposed to the first option, this would not entail any indication that worldly rewards are khayr, but rather that khayr is what is received in the hereafter.[3] This sounds interesting, but the Quran certainly uses khayr to describe worldly blessings as well, such as in the verse, He is indeed avid in the love of wealth (khayr) (100:8) among many other verses including 2:10, 2:215, and 2:273

[1] Muhit, 6/292.
[2] Qurtubi, 9/220.
[3] Razi, 18/475-476.