Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (6/222)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

“He said, ‘I have only been given it because of knowledge I possess.’ Did he not know that Allah had destroyed before him generations who were greater than him in strength and more abundant in wealth? Yet the criminals will not be questioned about their sins. (78) Then he came out before his people in his splendor. Those who desired the life of this world said, ‘If only we had been given the like of what Qarun has been given! Indeed, he is one of tremendous fortune.’ (79)”

“He said,” meaning Qarun, “I have only been given it because of knowledge I possess”—that is, because of some merit and goodness which Allah knew to be in me; He saw me worthy of it, and so He favored me over you with this wealth, just as He favored me in other respects. It was said that this was knowledge of alchemy. Sa‘id ibn al-Musayyib said: Moses knew alchemy, and he taught Joshua son of Nun one third of that knowledge, Caleb son of Yuqanna one third, and Qarun one third. Qarun then deceived the other two until he added their knowledge to his own, and that was the source of his wealth. (1)

It was also said that “because of knowledge I possess” means through his skill in conducting trade, agriculture, and the various means of earning wealth. His statement, exalted is He, “Did he not know that Allah had destroyed before him generations”—that is, disbelieving generations—“who were greater than him in strength and more abundant in wealth? Yet the criminals will not be questioned about their sins.” Qatadah said: They will enter the Fire without reckoning or questioning. Mujahid said: This means that the angels will not question them, because they will recognize them by their marks. Al-Hasan said: They will not be questioned in order to gain information; rather, they will be questioned by way of rebuke and reproach.

“Then he came out before his people in his splendor.” Ibrahim al-Nakha‘i said: He and his people came out wearing red and yellow garments. Ibn Zayd said: He came out with seventy thousand people wearing safflower-dyed garments. [Mujahid said: They rode white steeds with purple saddles.] (2) Muqatil said: He came out riding a gray mule with a saddle of gold covered in purple cloth. With him were four thousand horsemen, clad in purple, as were their mounts; and with him were three hundred fair slave-girls, adorned with jewelry and red garments, riding gray mules. “Those who desired the life of this world said, ‘If only we had been given the like of what Qarun has been given! Indeed, he is one of tremendous fortune’”—that is, tremendous wealth.

(1) This view is weak, because alchemy is inherently a false science: no one is capable of transforming the essences of things except Allah. For further detail, see Tafsir Ibn Kathir, 3:400. (2) The text within the parentheses is omitted in manuscript “A”.

﴿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 يَا لَيْتَ لَنَا مِثْلَ مَا أُوتِيَ قَارُونُ إِنَّهُ لَذُو حَظٍّ عَظِيمٍ (٧٩) ﴾ ﴿قَالَ﴾ يَعْنِي قَارُونَ، ﴿إِنَّمَا أُوتِيتُهُ عَلَى عِلْمٍ عِنْدِي﴾ أَيْ: عَلَى فَضْلٍ وَخَيْرٍ عَلِمَهُ اللَّهُ عِنْدِي فَرَآنِي أَهْلًا لِذَلِكَ، فَفَضَّلَنِي بِهَذَا الْمَالِ عَلَيْكُمْ كَمَا فَضَّلَنِي بِغَيْرِهِ. قِيلَ: هُوَ عِلْمُ الْكِيمْيَاءِ، قَالَ سَعِيدُ بْنُ الْمُسَيَّبِ: كَانَ مُوسَى يَعْلَمُ الْكِيمْيَاءَ فَعَلَّمَ يُوشَعَ بْنَ نُونٍ ثُلُثَ ذَلِكَ الْعِلْمِ وَعَلَّمَ كَالِبَ بْنَ يُوقَنَّا ثُلُثَهُ وَعَلَّمَ قَارُونَ ثُلُثَهُ، فَخَدَعَهُمَا قَارُونُ حَتَّى أَضَافَ عِلْمَهُمَا إِلَى عِلْمِهِ وَكَانَ ذَلِكَ سَبَبُ أَمْوَالِهِ (١) . وَقِيلَ: "عَلَى عِلْمٍ عِنْدِي" بِالتَّصَرُّفِ فِي التِّجَارَاتِ وَالزِّرَاعَاتِ وَأَنْوَاعِ الْمَكَاسِبِ. قَوْلُهُ تَعَالَى: ﴿أَوَلَمْ يَعْلَمْ أَنَّ اللَّهَ قَدْ أَهْلَكَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِ مِنَ الْقُرُونِ﴾ الْكَافِرَةِ، ﴿مَنْ هُوَ أَشَدُّ مِنْهُ قُوَّةً وَأَكْثَرُ جَمْعًا﴾ لِلْأَمْوَالِ، ﴿وَلَا يُسْأَلُ عَنْ ذُنُوبِهِمُ، الْمُجْرِمُونَ﴾ قَالَ قَتَادَةُ: يَدْخُلُونَ النَّارَ بِغَيْرِ حِسَابٍ وَلَا سُؤَالٍ، وَقَالَ مُجَاهِدٌ: يَعْنِي لَا يَسْأَلُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ عَنْهُمْ، لِأَنَّهُمْ يَعْرِفُونَهُمْ بِسِيمَاهُمْ. قَالَ الْحَسَنُ: لَا يُسْأَلُونَ سُؤَالَ اسْتِعْلَامٍ وَإِنَّمَا يُسْأَلُونَ سُؤَالَ تَقْرِيعٍ وَتَوْبِيخٍ. ﴿فَخَرَجَ عَلَى قَوْمِهِ فِي زِينَتِهِ﴾ قَالَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ النَّخَعِيُّ: خَرَجَ هُوَ وَقَوْمُهُ فِي ثِيَابٍ حُمْرٍ وَصُفْرٍ، قَالَ ابْنُ زَيْدٍ: فِي سَبْعِينَ أَلْفًا عَلَيْهِمُ الْمُعَصْفَرَاتُ. [قَالَ مُجَاهِدٌ: عَلَى بَرَاذِينَ بِيضٍ عَلَيْهَا سُرُجُ الْأُرْجُوَانِ] (٢) قال مُقَاتِلٌ: خَرَجَ عَلَى بَغْلَةٍ شَهْبَاءَ عَلَيْهَا سَرْجٌ مِنْ ذَهَبٍ عَلَيْهِ الْأُرْجُوَانُ، وَمَعَهُ أَرْبَعَةُ آلَافِ فَارِسٍ عَلَيْهِمْ وَعَلَى دَوَابِّهِمِ الأرجوان، ومعه ثلثمائة جَارِيَةٍ بِيضٍ عَلَيْهِنَّ الْحُلِيُّ وَالثِّيَابُ الْحُمْرُ، وَهُنَّ عَلَى الْبِغَالِ الشُّهُبِ، ﴿قَالَ الَّذِينَ يُرِيدُونَ الْحَيَاةَ الدُّنْيَا يَا لَيْتَ لَنَا مِثْلَ مَا أُوتِيَ قَارُونُ إِنَّهُ لَذُو حَظٍّ عَظِيمٍ﴾ مِنَ الْمَالِ.

(١) وهذا القول ضعيف لأن علم الكيمياء في نفسه علم باطل لأن قلب الأعيان لا يقدر عليها أحد إلا الله ﷿: انظر بالتفصيل: تفسير ابن كثير: ٣ / ٤٠٠. (٢) ما بين القوسين ساقط من "أ".