Al-Bidayah wa an-Nihayah - Ibn Kathir - (2/105)

Al-Bidayah wa an-NihayahIbn Kathir

The Story of Qārūn and Moses, peace be upon him

Allah, Exalted is He, says:

“Indeed, Qārūn was from the people of Moses, yet he behaved arrogantly toward them. We had granted him treasures whose very keys would weigh down a company of strong men. His people said to him, ‘Do not exult, for Allah does not love those who exult. Seek, by means of what Allah has given you, the Abode of the Hereafter, and do not forget your share of this world. Do good as Allah has done good to you, and do not seek to spread corruption in the land; surely Allah does not love the corrupters.’

He replied, ‘I have only been given it because of knowledge I possess.’ Did he not know that Allah had destroyed before him generations who were mightier than he in strength and greater in wealth? The criminals will not be asked about their sins.

So he went forth before his people in all his finery. Those who desired the life of this world said, ‘Would that we had the like of what Qārūn has been given! He is indeed a man of great fortune.’ But those who had been given knowledge said, ‘Woe to you! The reward of Allah is better for anyone who believes and acts righteously, and none attain it except the patient.’

Then We caused the earth to swallow him and his house, and he had no host to help him against Allah, nor could he defend himself. Those who had envied his place the day before began to say, ‘Ah! It is indeed Allah who enlarges provision for whom He wills among His servants and restricts it. Had Allah not been gracious to us, He would have caused the earth to swallow us too. Ah, the disbelievers never prosper!’

That is the Abode of the Hereafter; We reserve it for those who seek neither exaltation in the earth nor corruption, and the good end belongs to the God-fearing.” (al-Qaṣaṣ 28:76–83)

Al-Aʿmash narrated—through al-Minhāl ibn ʿAmr, from Saʿīd ibn Jubayr—that Ibn ʿAbbās said: Qārūn was the cousin of Moses. The same was affirmed by Ibrāhīm al-Nakhāʿī, ʿAbd Allāh ibn al-Ḥārith ibn Nawfal, Simāk ibn Ḥarb, Qatādah, Mālik ibn Dīnār, and Ibn Jurayj, who added: “He was Qārūn son of Yaṣhar son of Qāhith, while Moses was Moses son of ʿImrān son of Qāhith.”

Ibn Jarīr stated that this is the opinion of the majority of scholars—that Qārūn was Moses’ cousin—and he rejected Ibn Isḥāq’s claim that Qārūn was Moses’ uncle.

Qatādah said: He used to be called “al-Nūr” because of the beauty of his recitation of the Torah, but this enemy of Allah became a hypocrite just as al-Sāmirī did, and his arrogance—fueled by his abundant wealth—destroyed him.

Shahr ibn Ḥawshab related that Qārūn lengthened his garments by a full span out of pride over his people.

Allah, Exalted is He, has described the vastness of his treasures, so much so that their keys alone would weigh heavily upon a group of powerful men. It has been said that those keys were made of leather and that they were carried on sixty mules—but Allah knows best.

(1) al-Nakh‘i, with a fatḥa on both the nūn and the emphatic khā’, indicating descent from al-Nakh‘, a large clan of Madhhij. al-Libāb, vol. 3, p. 304. (2) In manuscript B: “Musa ibn Imran ibn Yashhar ibn Qaheth.” In Ṭ: “Hafith.” (3) As in B. In A and Ṭ: Jarij. The report appears in al-Tabari’s History (vol. 1, p. 443), where it states, “As for the scholars among the predecessors of our Ummah and among the People of the two Scriptures, they follow the view of Ibn Jarij.”

[قصة قارون مع موسى (عليه السلام) ] قال اللّه (تعالى) : ﴿إِنَّ قَارُونَ كَانَ مِنْ قَوْمِ مُوسَى فَبَغَى عَلَيْهِمْ وَآتَيْنَاهُ مِنَ الْكُنُوزِ مَا إِنَّ مَفَاتِحَهُ لَتَنُوءُ بِالْعُصْبَةِ أُولِي الْقُوَّةِ إِذْ قَالَ لَهُ قَوْمُهُ لَا تَفْرَحْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُحِبُّ الْفَرِحِينَ (٧٦) وَابْتَغِ فِيمَا آتَاكَ اللَّهُ الدَّارَ الْآخِرَةَ وَلَا تَنْسَ نَصِيبَكَ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا وَأَحْسِنْ كَمَا أَحْسَنَ اللَّهُ إِلَيْكَ وَلَا تَبْغِ الْفَسَادَ فِي الْأَرْضِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُحِبُّ الْمُفْسِدِينَ (٧٧) قَالَ إِنَّمَا أُوتِيتُهُ عَلَى عِلْمٍ عِنْدِي أَوَلَمْ يَعْلَمْ أَنَّ اللَّهَ قَدْ أَهْلَكَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِ مِنَ الْقُرُونِ مَنْ هُوَ أَشَدُّ مِنْهُ قُوَّةً وَأَكْثَرُ جَمْعًا وَلَا يُسْأَلُ عَنْ ذُنُوبِهِمُ الْمُجْرِمُونَ (٧٨) فَخَرَجَ عَلَى قَوْمِهِ فِي زِينَتِهِ قَالَ الَّذِينَ يُرِيدُونَ الْحَيَاةَ الدُّنْيَا يَالَيْتَ لَنَا مِثْلَ مَا أُوتِيَ قَارُونُ إِنَّهُ لَذُو حَظٍّ عَظِيمٍ (٧٩) وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْعِلْمَ وَيْلَكُمْ ثَوَابُ اللَّهِ خَيْرٌ لِمَنْ آمَنَ وَعَمِلَ صَالِحًا وَلَا يُلَقَّاهَا إِلَّا الصَّابِرُونَ (٨٠) فَخَسَفْنَا بِهِ وَبِدَارِهِ الْأَرْضَ فَمَا كَانَ لَهُ مِنْ فِئَةٍ يَنْصُرُونَهُ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ وَمَا كَانَ مِنَ الْمُنْتَصِرِينَ (٨١) وَأَصْبَحَ الَّذِينَ تَمَنَّوْا مَكَانَهُ بِالْأَمْسِ يَقُولُونَ وَيْكَأَنَّ اللَّهَ يَبْسُطُ الرِّزْقَ لِمَنْ يَشَاءُ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ وَيَقْدِرُ لَوْلَا أَنْ مَنَّ اللَّهُ عَلَيْنَا لَخَسَفَ بِنَا وَيْكَأَنَّهُ لَا يُفْلِحُ الْكَافِرُونَ (٨٢) تِلْكَ الدَّارُ الْآخِرَةُ نَجْعَلُهَا لِلَّذِينَ لَا يُرِيدُونَ عُلُوًّا فِي الْأَرْضِ وَلَا فَسَادًا وَالْعَاقِبَةُ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ﴾ [القصص: ٧٦ - ٨٣] . قال الأعمش، عن المنهال بن عمرو، عن سعيد بن جُبير، عن ابن عباس قال: كان قارون ابنَ عم موسى. وكذا قال إبراهيم النَّخَعِي (١) ، وعبد اللّه بن الحارث بن نوفل، وسِماك بن حرب، وقتادة، ومالك بن دينار، وابن جريج، وزاد فقال: هو قارون بن يصهر بن قاهث، وموسى بن عمران بن قاهث (٢) . قال ابن جرير (٣) : وهذا قول أكثر أهل العلم أنّه كان ابن عمّ موسى. وردَّ قولَ ابن إسحاق: إنه كان عم موسى. قال قتادة: وكان يُسمّى النُّورَ لِحُسْنِ صوته بالتوراة، ولكن عدوّ اللّه نافق كما نافق السّامري، فأهلكه البغي لكثرة ماله. وقال شهر بن حوشب: زاد في ثيابه شبرًا طولًا ترفُعًا على قومه. وقد ذكر اللّه تعالى كثرة كنوزة حتى إن مفاتحه لكان يثقل حملها على الفئام من الرجال الشداد. وقد قيل: إنها كانت من الجلود، وإنها كانت تحمل على ستين بغلًا فالله أعلم.

(١) النَّخَعي، بفتح النون والخاء المعجمة: نسبة إلى النخع، وهي قبيلة كبيرة من مذحج. اللباب (٣/ ٣٠٤). (٢) في ب: وموسى بن عمران بن يصهر بن قاهث. وط: هافث. (٣) كذا في ب. وفي أ و ط: جريج. والخبر في تاريخ الطبري (١/ ٤٤٣)، وفيه: وأما أهل العلم من سلف أمتنا ومن أهل الكتابين فعلى ما قال ابن جريج.