So Qārūn said—rejecting their counsel and showing ingratitude for his Lord’s blessing—“I was only given it because of knowledge I possess.”
⦗624⦘
That is: I acquired this wealth only through my own efforts, my knowledge of the various ways of earning, and my skill—or because Allah knows my condition and knows that I am worthy of it. Why, then, do you counsel me concerning what Allah Most High has given me? Allah Most High said, making clear that His giving is no proof of the recipient’s good standing: “Did he not know that Allah had destroyed before him generations who were mightier than he in strength and greater in accumulated wealth?” What, then, could prevent Qārūn from being destroyed, when Our established practice and way has always been to destroy those like him and even greater than him whenever they did what warranted destruction?
“And the sinners will not be questioned about their sins.” Rather, Allah punishes and torments them for what He knows of them. Even if they claim to be in a good state and declare themselves assured of salvation, their claims are not accepted and cannot ward off any punishment from them. Their sins are not hidden, so there is no place for their denial. Qārūn thus persisted in his obstinacy and tyranny, refusing to accept his people’s counsel. He remained exultant and conceited, filled with self-admiration and deluded by the wealth he had been given.
Then one day “he came forth in all his finery”—that is, in the most splendid worldly state imaginable. He possessed immense wealth and had arrayed and adorned himself as magnificently as he possibly could. Finery of this kind, when displayed by someone like him, would ordinarily be breathtaking, combining all the adornment, splendor, radiance, luxuriance, and pride of this world. All eyes gazed at him in that state; hearts were overwhelmed by his magnificent appearance, and souls were captivated by his finery. Those who beheld him then divided into two groups, each speaking according to his own aspirations and desires.
“Those who desired the life of this world said”—that is, those whose desires were bound to it and for whom it had become the utmost object of longing, with no desire for anything beyond it—“If only we had the like of what Qārūn has been given” of this world, its pleasures, and its splendor. “He is truly a man of immense fortune.” They were right that he possessed an immense fortune—if reality were limited to what they desired and there were no other abode beyond this world. He had been given enough to experience the utmost enjoyment (1) of worldly bliss and thereby obtain everything he sought. According to their aspirations, therefore, this was an immense fortune. Yet any aspiration that makes this its ultimate desire and highest goal is surely among the lowest, basest, and meanest of aspirations, incapable of rising in the least toward lofty aims and precious objectives.
“But those who had been given knowledge said”—those who understood the realities of things and looked into the inner reality of this world while the others looked (2) only at its outward appearance—“Woe to you!” They said this in distress at what the others had wished for themselves, pitying their condition and denouncing their words. “Allah’s reward”—its immediate reward, consisting of the delight of worshipping Him, loving Him, returning to Him in repentance, and turning wholeheartedly toward Him; and its later reward, consisting of Paradise and all it contains of what souls desire and eyes delight in—“is better” than what you have wished and longed for. This is the true reality. Yet not everyone who knows this prefers what is higher to what is lower. No one is granted and enabled to attain it “except the steadfast”: those who hold themselves firmly to obedience to Allah, restrain themselves from disobeying Him, remain steadfast under His painful decrees, and patiently resist the attractions and desires of this world lest they distract them from their Lord or come between them and that for which they were created. These are the ones who prefer Allah’s reward to this fleeting world.
When Qārūn’s tyranny and vainglory reached their height, the world appeared ever more alluring to him, and his admiration for it grew, the punishment overtook him without warning: “So We caused the earth to swallow him and his home.” This was a recompense corresponding to his deed: just as he exalted himself above Allah’s servants, Allah cast him down to the lowest of the low, together with all that had deluded him—his home, furnishings, and possessions.
“There was no company for him”—that is, no group, clan, servants, or soldiers—“to help him against Allah, nor could he defend himself.” The punishment came upon him, and he was neither helped nor able to defend himself.
“And those who had wished to be in his position the day before”—that is, those who desired the life of this world and had said, “If only we had the like of what Qārūn has been given”—“began saying,” distressed, taking heed, and fearing that the punishment might befall them: “Ah! It is indeed Allah who expands provision for whomever He wills among His servants and restricts it”—that is, He restricts provision for whomever He wills. They then realized that the abundance granted to Qārūn was no proof of any goodness in him and that they had been mistaken when they said, “He is truly a man of immense fortune.” They continued: “Had Allah not been gracious to us”—by not punishing us for what we said—then, had it not been for His grace and favor, “He would have caused the earth to swallow us.” Qārūn’s destruction thus became a punishment for him and a lesson and admonition for others. Indeed, you have heard how even those who envied him came to regret it and abandoned their former view.
“Ah! The disbelievers do not prosper”—neither in this world nor in the Hereafter.