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The Story of Qarun

“He said, "I was only given it because of knowledge I have." Did he not know that Allah had
destroyed before him of generations those who were greater than him in power and greater in
accumulation [of wealth]? But the criminals, about their sins, will not be asked.”
Surah Al-Qasas, 28:78

ORIGINS OF QARUN
The word quroon in Arabic is the plural of qarn, which is a generation. Not only does this
share a resemblance with his own name, Qarun, but it also shares similarity with his name
as mentioned in the Ancient Hebrew language found in the Tawrah.

Allah says that “does he not know that Allah has destroyed entire nations before.”
Their stories were told and people knew about the people of ‘Aad and Thamud. They left
huge landmarks behind, and they vanished, and their stories were spread throughout the
lands. People are fully aware that there were these nations before us that got wiped out.
We don’t know what happened exactly, but they got destroyed.

They knew about those stories, so Allah says, does he not know about those nations?
They were stronger than him, they were wealthier than him, but they were destroyed. So
let them not get too carried away with his knowledge, thinking that he’s invincible.

“So he came out before his people in his adornment. Those who desired the worldly life said,
"Oh, would that we had like what was given to Qarun. Indeed, he is one of great fortune."”
Surah Al-Qasas, 28:79
SHOWCASE OF QARUN’S WEALTH
What was his response? He came out in front of
his people with all of his adornments. Remember
how previously his people said don’t express your
happiness in a way that is inappropriate? He
would parade in front of the people with all of his
wealth. Some of the books of tafsir mention that
he would gather his cavalry of horses and the
straps that are tied to the horse were made of
gold! And so much jewelry, that he would have a
whole entourage just to parade in front of people. It’s not like he had somewhere to go!
This was Just a display for people to look at him and his wealth. Sounds silly, right? Is that
something that people still behave similarly nowadays, yup!

Shaykh Mohammed Mana mentioned a story about a particular street in Madinah where
there were many shops and restaurants. And on a small part of the street where some
people who happened to be young guys would get really bored. And it’s really silly when
you think about it. You feel bad for them for making a fool of themselves. You would be
sitting there, eating dinner at the restaurant and these homeboys are just driving up and
down the street taking U-turns and repeating this back and forth. Just putting it in neutral
and revving their engine and driving up and down the street and repeat. They aren’t even
enjoying this, they just want people to see them. What is the point? That is like this verse
“So he came out in full display of adornment.”

HOW DID PEOPLE REACT TO HIS WEALTH?


We know what he did, but how did the people around him react? How did they really react?
We have one group of people who are those who desired the worldly life They said, “Oh we
wish we had similar to what he was given to Qarun, he is sooooo lucky!”

Does this sound familiar? Sometimes when


people see celebrities or athletes, they
respond in a similar way. “Man he’s so
lucky.” “I wish I had what she had.” This is a
very common response.

There is another group of people who


responded differently.
“But those who had been given knowledge said, "Woe to you! The reward of Allah is better for
he who believes and does righteousness. And none are granted it except the patient."”
Surah Al-Qasas, 28:80

But those who had been given knowledge said “‫ ” َو ْيلَكُ ُْم‬which in Arabic means something like
“Hey stop”, “How could you?”, “Whoa this is bad, woe to you.” “The reward of Allah is
better for the who believes and follows up that belief with righteousness actions. And the
only ones that will attain that reward from Allah are those that have patience.”

These are two very interesting reactions we see among these two groups of people.
Because the Prophet told us in a saheeh hadith: “This dunya is for four categories of
people.” People will react in this dunya in four different ways. You will find four types of
people.

1. A person that Allah has given wealth and knowledge of Allah (piety).
So they spend that wealth in different avenues of goodness. And it’s so beautiful when
you see a person that Allah has blessed with wealth using it to bring good to those
around them. It is really refreshing and beautiful to see that.

2. A person that Allah has given knowledge, meaning piety, but they
have not been given much wealth.
So when this person sees someone from category #1 who is spending in khayr, bringing
good to society. When they see that, they look towards them and say, “I wish I had the
wealth that they had so I could do that khayr that they are doing. They have a good form
of jealousy. Generally speaking, jealousy is bad but this is positive jealousy. This is good
that they wish they had those resources to also do that good.

3. A person that Allah has given and tested with wealth but they have
no knowledge of Allah, meaning no piety.
So they spend that wealth in ways that are haram. In avenues and ways that are
displeasing to Allah . There are so many examples of that. We ask Allah to
protect us.

4. A person that was given no wealth and no knowledge of Allah.


But they look towards category #3 of people and they think they are so lucky. So they wish
they had the wealth they have so they could have that same lifestyle that is displeasing to
Allah . They wish they could do that too.

What is so interesting here, is that when the Prophet mentioned category #2, they
were given knowledge of Allah but not much wealth. They were described as looking
towards category #1 who were spending in goodness. He said that category #1 and #2 will
be equal in reward. Even though category #2 didn’t have anything to spend. But Allah
rewarded them for that sincere and good intention. So they are equal in reward. As for
category #3 and #4, the Prophet said, they will also share in sin. This is scary. Someone
may say that I heard a hadith that if you intend to do something bad but don’t commit do
that sin, then you get a good deed. So is there any contradiction there? No! This is in the
case of someone who takes the steps and measures to intentionally and purposefully stop
themselves from doing something wrong. It doesn’t work for someone who, for example,
was driving to do something bad and their car stopped working in the middle of road. They
can’t tell themselves that at least they won’t get the sin now for committing that bad deed.
This reward is for someone who actually stops themselves.

The scholars said that this is a person who has the desire and the intention to do something
wrong. They are chasing it and had they had the wealth of that person, they would be
engaging in the same haram activities that that wealthy category is engaging in. So, they too
will have a share of those bad deeds. Yes, just like Allah rewards a good intention. We
can be held accountable for seeking and chasing something sinful, even if we don’t have the
means for it. So “be careful what you wish for.”

But the people of ‘ilm had the right perspective. When they heard people drooling over
what Qarun possessed, they reacted with strength. They informed those people to seek that
which is better than what they originally sought and what he has is only temporary.
Insert Verse 80

TWIN PILLARS OF SUCCESS

We learn from this ayah two pillars that we need to stand upon to
be firm in the face of trials. Trials and tests can include wealth
and they sometimes come like a tsunami and it is easy to get
swept up by it in that moment. And we currently live in the days
of crazy trials and tests and that is the nature of this dunya
especially as you get closer to the end of this world.
1. Patience
2. Knowledge

Out of everything Allah could have described this category of people with, he
specifically used ‘ilm. They had both knowledge and sabr because each of those two
attributes may not be sufficient by themselves.

‘Ilm alone can be a fitnah sometimes and a lot of people slip into this trial. On the flip side, if
one possesses sabr but is devoid of ‘ilm, then it’s not sitting on a strong foundation and
eventually that person will be patient and patient and patient, then they will exhaust that
limited reserve of patience. Iman includes both of these attributes.

When we hear sabr, we often think about being patient in the face of calamity, but that’s
only one form of patience.

Imam Ibn Al-Qayyim described the different types of sabr,

1. Patience in the face of ma’siya.


When someone is given the opportunity to do something that is displeasing to Allah .
Especially nowadays, a lot haraam activities are facilitated for us and made easy. It takes
little effort and you might even receive a discount by doing it. It takes strong resolve and
patience to say “NO!” in the face of such opportunity and yet you are not faced with any
calamity.

2. Patience in acts of obedience.


This occurs when you must actually perform an act of worship but you may be engaged and
preoccupied doing something else or even distracted by something. You have to exert that
same muscle of sabr that will enable you put everything else aside and go on to fulfill the
command from Allah . And to be able to do that consistently, it takes patience. Because
we know that it’s possible to have days where one is really worshipping Allah in an
excellent manner, and the next they are so far away from His obedience. So consistency
requires patience. This is another example where you are not facing any apparent calamity
but must exercise patience.

Fitnah can come in all shapes and sizes. The one highlighted here is the test of wealth. And
we can only pass it with the twin pillars of patience and knowledge by the permission of
Allah .

QARUN’S MISCHIEF POST EXODUS


This event took place post exodus, after Musa and Bani Isra’il left Egypt. Qarun went
along with them and did not stay in Egypt. Why would Qarun do that? One opinion is that
since Bani Isra’il is labor force and he’s making money off of them, it makes sense for him to
migrate along with his source of income. Another idea is that Qarun harbored tremendous
jealousy and envy for Musa and Harun because he saw these two who came from
the same tribe as him and claiming prophecy and Bani Isra’il was following them and he
saw that as diminishing his power and authority from the government given position he
held. So he followed in order to carry out malicious action against them. This is supported
and confirmed by the following historical narration. After Bani Isra'il left from Egypt and
settled down as a community, Qarun intended to cause some mischief. So he either
gathered the people or came to a place where they were already gathered and asked Musa
a question. And before he asked this question, he hired a prostitute and gave her a large
sum of money and bribed her to say that she fornicated with Musa! So then Qarun flat out
asked Musa: If someone were to commit the act of zina, what would their punishment be?

In the shariah of Bani Isra'il, this person would be stoned to death, which is also confirmed
by other narrations of the prophet . When a group of Jews outside of Madinah came to
the prophet , one of them who had committed zinah, asked for the prophet’s ruling,
assuming that he would go easier than their own ruling, the prophet ruled based on
their legislation stating that the punishment is stoning as stated in their own Tawrah.

So Qarun retorted back saying, what if it is you,


O Musa, who commits zinah? What would your
punishment be? Musa said, the same rule
applies and the law is universally applicable to
everyone. No one is above the law. So Qarun
pounced by saying, here we have a witness who
will testify that they had zinah with you!
Imagine Musa standing there while
everyone is watching this scene. Imagine the
rumors this started to spread, the lack of trust in Musa, the social discord begin to creep
based on these lies and corruption. Musa became very angry and he made du’a to Allah
. He then approached the “witness” and made it clear that he expects to her to tell
everyone the truth. She complied by stating that she was bearing false witness to the claim
of zina. So the truth came to light but the rumors still spread and it was already in people’s
heads. So Musa made du’a in front of the people stating “If what Qarun is saying is a lie,
then have the earth swallow him” and at that time

PUNISHMENT OF QARUN

“And We caused the earth to swallow him and his home. And there was for him no company to
aid him other than Allah, nor was he of those who [could] defend themselves.”
Surah Al-Qasas, 28:81
A sinkhole appeared slowly and the du’a of Musa was answered instantly. You will
notice this pattern in his life. He makes an incredible amount of du’a and they are
answered. This is just one example of that. And now Musa’s record is clear. But look at all
that he has to go through. His character is called to question, rumors spread, and slander
from his own people. He struggled through all of these obstacles and persevered with
patience. This shows us the amazing character he had. We will see he comes triumphant in
the face of other obstacles as well.

“He was swallowed AND his estate.” There is something interesting in this ayah. Not only
was he swallowed, but also his property and estate. Why? There are two chief reasons.

1. He refused to give credit to Allah for


blessings
2. Allah showed all of the people that just as
easy as it was for Allah to give him wealth, it
was also easy to take it away.

Some scholars even commented that in addition


to his home, some people were swallowed as
well. These people were his “yes men.” There is a
profound lesson in that: Not only should you not
be an oppressor, but you should never let
yourself be aligned with an oppressor. Don’t find yourself justifying it by saying “I’m just
doing my job” or anything of the kind. Oppression is an institution. Fir’aun is not a one-
man-show, but rather a system. Don’t be a tool in the oppression machine that violates
people’s rights and subjugates them to racism and enslavement.

Looking Ahead at the Life of Musa


As you can see, the beginning of this epic is not with the birth of Musa , it’s way before
that. It begins by knowing Bani Isra'il, knowing where they came from, why were they in
Egypt, and what happened throughout the generations and centuries. For example, when
Bani Isra'il first arrived to Egypt, they were honored and respected and Yousuf was an elite
member of the political establishment. Then fast forward to the time of Musa, Bani Isra'il is
now at the bottom of the social ladder. So what happened in between? Then, we will
analyze the birth of Musa and inspect the personalities in his family. We will learn about
what he was doing growing up as a young person and how growing up in the castle of
Fir’aun impacted him. Did you ever wonder why he fled from Egypt and eventually
returned? Eventually, we will talk about the hijrah and the final phases of his life.
We will accomplish this by traversing through a lot of verses from the Qur’an while helping
us become more comfortable with the Qur’an. We hope to develop a more personal
relationship with the Qur’an and loving the individuals Allah tells us about so we can
properly and effectively learn from their lives and benefit from the profound lessons from
Musa to make us better people and a better community.

Allah mentioned criticisms of Bani Isra'il as a whole, so those are lessons for our
communities in there as well to collectively take heed from. They are not all bad but there
were both good things and bad things.

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