Al-Bidayah wa an-Nihayah - Ibn Kathir - (2/108)

Al-Bidayah wa an-NihayahIbn Kathir

Qatādah related that they are swallowed up by the earth a man’s height every single day, and this will continue until the Day of Resurrection. Ibn ʿAbbās said: “They sank down as far as the seventh earth.”

Many exegetes mention numerous Israelite reports at this point, but we have purposely turned away from them.

As for the Almighty’s words, “So he had no party to help him against Allah, nor was he of those who could defend themselves” (28:81), he had no helper—neither from within nor from without—just as Allah, exalted is He, also says: “He will have no strength and no helper” (86:10).

When the earth swallowed him, his wealth vanished, his house was destroyed, and he, along with his family and property, perished. Those who had once wished to possess what he possessed were seized with remorse and praised Allah Most High, who manages His servants with perfect, hidden wisdom. They said: “Had not Allah been gracious to us, He would surely have caused the earth to swallow us as well. Alas! The disbelievers never prosper.” We have already discussed the expression wayka’annahu in the commentary. Qatādah explained that wayka anna means: “Do you not see that…?”—an apt gloss in terms of meaning; Allah knows best.

The Exalted then says: “But the Abode of the Hereafter”—the permanent abode, for whose possessor congratulations are due and from whose deprivation condolences are offered—“is reserved for those who do not seek exaltedness on earth nor corruption.” Exaltedness is arrogance, self-glorification, insolence, and boastfulness; corruption denotes sins, whether confined to oneself or transgressive: seizing people’s wealth, ruining their livelihoods, wronging them, and withholding sincere counsel. He then says: “And the outcome belongs to the God-fearing.”

This account of Qārūn may have taken place before the Israelites left Egypt, for the verse reads: “So We caused the earth to swallow him and his dwelling,” and the word dwelling (dār) suggests a built house. It may also have occurred later, in the wilderness, in which case dār would denote the encampment where their tents were pitched, as ʿAntarah said:

“O abode of ʿAbla in al-Jiwāʾ, speak to me—
Good morning, abode of ʿAbla; peace be upon you!”

Allah knows best.

Allah censures Qārūn in several other Qurʾānic passages. He says: “We certainly sent Moses with Our signs and a manifest authority to Pharaoh, Haman, and Qārūn, but they said, ‘A sorcerer, a liar!’” (40:23–24). And He says in Sūrat al-ʿAnkabūt, after mentioning ʿĀd, Thamūd, Qārūn, Pharaoh, and Haman: “Moses came to them with clear proofs, but they waxed proud in the land and could not outrun Us. So We seized each one of them for his sin: among them were those upon whom We sent a stone-bearing wind, and among them were those …”

(1) In manuscript B: reads tadabbur. (2) Tafsir Ibn Kathir, vol. 3, p. 401. (3) From his muallaqa (pre-Islamic ode) whose opening line (in al-Kamil) is: “Hal ghadara ash-shuʿara’u min mutaraddami … am hal ʿarafta ad-dara baʿda tawahhum.” Found in his Diwan, p. 183. al-Jiwaa: a place.

وقد روي عن قتادة أنّه قال: يُخسف بهم كلَّ يوم قامةٌ إلى يوم القيامة. وعن ابن عباس أنّه قال: خُسف بهم إلى الأرض السابعة. وقد ذكر كثير من المفسرين هاهنا إسرائيليات كثيرة ضربنا عنها صفحًا وتركناها قصدًا. وقوله تعالى: ﴿فَمَا كَانَ لَهُ مِنْ فِئَةٍ يَنْصُرُونَهُ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ وَمَا كَانَ مِنَ الْمُنْتَصِرِينَ﴾ لم يكن له ناصر من نفسه ولا من غيره كما قال تعالى: ﴿فَمَا لَهُ مِنْ قُوَّةٍ وَلَا نَاصِرٍ﴾ [الطارق: ١٠] ، ولمّا حلّ به ما حلّ من الخسف، وذهاب الأموال، وخراب الدار، وإهلاك النفس والأهل والعقار، ندم (١) من كان تمنى مثل ما أوتي، وشكروا اللّه تعالى الذي يدبّر عباده بما يشاء من حسن التدبير المخزون، ولهذا قالوا: ﴿لَوْلَا أَنْ مَنَّ اللَّهُ عَلَيْنَا لَخَسَفَ بِنَا وَيْكَأَنَّهُ لَا يُفْلِحُ الْكَافِرُونَ﴾. وقد تكلّمنا على لفظ (ويك) في "التفسير" (٢) ، وقد قال قتادة: (ويكأن) بمعنى: ألم تَرَ أنّ، وهذا قولٌ حسنٌ من حيثُ المعنى واللّه أعلم. ثمّ أخبر تعالى ﴿وَإِنَّ الدَّارَ الْآخِرَةَ﴾ وهي دار القرار، وهي الدار التي يُغْبَط من أُعطيها، ويُعزَّى من حُرمها إنّما هي معدّة ﴿لِلَّذِينَ لَا يُرِيدُونَ عُلُوًّا فِي الْأَرْضِ وَلَا فَسَادًا﴾ فالعلوُّ هو التكبُّر، والفخر، والأشر، والبطر ﴿وَلَا فَسَادًا﴾ وهو عمل المعاصي اللّازمة والمتعدّية من أخْذِ أموال الناس، وإفساد معايشهم، والإساءة إليهم، وعدم النصح لهم، ثمّ قال تعالى: ﴿وَالْعَاقِبَةُ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ﴾. وقصّة قارون هذه قد تكون قبل خروجهم من مصر، لقوله: ﴿فَخَسَفْنَا بِهِ وَبِدَارِهِ الْأَرْضَ﴾ فإن الدار ظاهرة في البنيان، وقد تكون بعد ذلك في التِيه، وتكون الدار عِبارة عن المحلة التي تضرب فيها الخيام كما قال عنترة: [من الكامل] يا دارَ عَبْلةَ بالجِوَاءَ تَكَلَّمي … وَعِمي صَباحًا دارَ عَبْلةَ واسْلَمي (٣) والله أعلم. وقد ذكر اللّه تعالى مذمّة قارون في غير ما آية من القرآن. قال اللّه تعالى: ﴿وَلَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا مُوسَى بِآيَاتِنَا وَسُلْطَانٍ مُبِينٍ (٢٣) إِلَى فِرْعَوْنَ وَهَامَانَ وَقَارُونَ فَقَالُوا سَاحِرٌ كَذَّابٌ﴾ [غافر: ٢٣، ٢٤] . وقال تعالى في سورة العنكبوت، بعد ذكر عاد وثمود وقارون وفرعون وهامان ﴿وَلَقَدْ جَاءَهُمْ مُوسَى بِالْبَيِّنَاتِ فَاسْتَكْبَرُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ وَمَا كَانُوا سَابِقِينَ (٣٩) فَكُلًّا أَخَذْنَا بِذَنْبِهِ فَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ أَرْسَلْنَا عَلَيْهِ حَاصِبًا وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ

(١) في ب: تدبّر. (٢) تفسير ابن كثير (٣/ ٤٠١). (٣) من معلقته التي مطلعها: [من الكامل] هَلْ غادَر الشعراءُ من مُتَرَدَّمِ … أم هلْ عرفتَ الدارَ بعدَ توَهُّم ديوانه (١٨٣). والجِواء: موضع.