28. Surah Al-Qasas, (The Story)
Mecca Period 49
The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:
إِنَّ
قَارُونَ كَانَ
مِن قَوْمِ
مُوسَى ...
28:76 [Ali ] Qarun was doubtless, of the people of Moses;
C3404. Qarun is identified with the Korah of the English Bible. His story is told in Num. 16:1-35.
He and his followers, numbering 250 men, rose in rebellion against Moses and Aaron, on the ground that their position and fame in the congregation entitled them to quality in spiritual matters with the Priests,-that they were as holy as any, and they claimed to bum incense at the sacred Altar reserved for the Priests.
They had an exemplary punishment: "the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their houses, and all the men that appertained unto Korah, and all their goods: they, and all that appertained to them, went down alive into the pit, and the earth closed upon them: and they perished from among the congregation."
... فَبَغَى عَلَيْهِمْ...
but he acted insolently towards them:
...وَآتَيْنَاهُ مِنَ الْكُنُوزِ مَا ...
such were the treasures We had bestowed on him,
C3405. Qarun's boundless wealth is described in the Midrashim, or the Jewish compilations based on the oral teachings of the Synagogues, which however exaggerate the weight of the keys to be the equivalent of the load of 300 mules!
... إِنَّ مَفَاتِحَهُ لَتَنُوءُ بِالْعُصْبَةِ أُولِي الْقُوَّةِ...
that their very keys would have been a burden to a body of strong men:
C3406. Usbat: a body of men, here used indefinitely. It usually implies a body of 10 to 40 men.
The old-fashioned keys were big and heavy, and if there were hundreds of treasure-chests, the keys must have been a great weight. As they were travelling in the desert, the treasures were presumably left behind in Egypt, and only the keys were carried. The disloyal Qarun had left his heart in Egypt, with his treasures.
...إِذْ قَالَ لَهُ قَوْمُهُ لَا تَفْرَحْ...
Behold, his people said to him:
"Exult not,
...إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُحِبُّ الْفَرِحِينَ ﴿٧٦﴾
for Allah loveth not those who exult (in riches).
وَابْتَغِ
فِيمَا آتَاكَ
اللَّهُ الدَّارَ
الْآخِرَةَ...
28: 77. "But seek, with the (wealth) which Allah has bestowed on thee, the Home of the Hereafter,
C3407. That is, 'spend your wealth in charity and good works. It is Allah Who has given it to you, and you should spend it in Allah's cause. Nor should you forget the legitimate needs of this life, as misers do, and most people become misers who think too exclusively of their wealth'.
If wealth is not used properly, there are three evils that follow:
1. its possessor may be a miser and forget all claims due to himself and those about him;
2. he may forget the higher needs of the poor and needy, or the good causes which require support; and
3. he may even misspend on occasions and cause a great deal of harm and mischief. Apparently Qarun had all three vices.
...وَلَا تَنسَ نَصِيبَكَ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا...
nor forget thy portion in this world:
...وَأَحْسِن كَمَا أَحْسَنَ اللَّهُ إِلَيْكَ...
but do thou good, as Allah has been good to thee,
...وَلَا تَبْغِ الْفَسَادَ فِي الْأَرْضِ...
and seek not (occasions for) mischief in the land:
...إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُحِبُّ الْمُفْسِدِينَ ﴿٧٧﴾
for Allah loves not those who do mischief."
قَالَ
إِنَّمَا
أُوتِيتُهُ
عَلَى عِلْمٍ
عِندِي...
28: 78. He said: "This has been given to me because of a certain knowledge which I have."
C3408. He was so blind and arrogant that he thought that his own merit, knowledge, and skill or cleverness had earned him his wealth, and that now, on account of it, he was superior to everybody else and was entitled to ride rough-shod over them. Fool!-he was soon pulled up by -Allah.
... أَوَلَمْ يَعْلَمْ أَنَّ اللَّهَ قَدْ أَهْلَكَ مِن قَبْلِهِ مِنَ القُرُونِ...
Did he not know that Allah had destroyed, before him (whole) generations --
...مَنْ هُوَ أَشَدُّ مِنْهُ قُوَّةً وَأَكْثَرُ جَمْعًا...
which were superior to him in strength and greater in amount (of riches) they had collected?
...وَلَا يُسْأَلُ عَن ذُنُوبِهِمُ الْمُجْرِمُونَ ﴿٧٨﴾
But the wicked are not called (immediately) to account for their sins.
C3409. Even Qarun was given a long run of enjoyment with his fabulous wealth before he had to be removed for the mischief he was doing.
فَخَرَجَ
عَلَى قَوْمِهِ
فِي زِينَتِهِ...
28: 79. So he went forth among his people in the (pride of his worldly) glitter.
...قَالَ الَّذِينَ يُرِيدُونَ الْحَيَاةَ الدُّنيَا يَا لَيْتَ لَنَا مِثْلَ مَا أُوتِيَ قَارُونُ...
Said those whose aim is the Life of this World:
"Oh that we had the like of what Qarun has got!
...إِنَّهُ لَذُو حَظٍّ عَظِيمٍ ﴿٧٩﴾
For he is truly a lord of mighty good fortune."
C3410. When he was in the hey-day of his glory, worldly people envied him and thought how happy they would be if they were in his place. Not so the people of wisdom and discernment. They knew a more precious and lasting wealth, which is described in the next verse.
وَقَالَ
الَّذِينَ
أُوتُوا
الْعِلْمَ...
28:80. But those who had been granted (true) knowledge said:
...وَيْلَكُمْ ثَوَابُ اللَّهِ خَيْرٌ لِّمَنْ آمَنَ وَعَمِلَ صَالِحًا...
"Alas for you! the reward of Allah (in the Hereafter) is best for those who believe and work righteousness:
...وَلَا يُلَقَّاهَا إِلَّا الصَّابِرُونَ ﴿٨٠﴾
but this none shall attain, save those who steadfastly persevere (in good)."
فَخَسَفْنَا
بِهِ وَبِدَارِهِ
الْأَرْضَ...
28:81. Then We caused the earth to swallow him up and his house;
C3411. See n. 3404 above. Cf. also 16:45 and n. 2071.
Besides the obvious moral in the literal interpretation of the story, that material wealth is fleeting and may be a temptation and a cause of fall, there are some metaphorical implications that occur to me.
1. Material wealth has no value in itself, but only a relative and local value.
2. In body he was with Israel in the wilderness, but his heart was in Egypt with its fertility and its slavery. Such is the case of many hypocrites, who like to be seen in righteous company but whose thoughts, longings, and doing are inconsistent with such company.
3. There is no good in this life but comes from Allah. To think otherwise is to set up a false god besides Allah, Our own merits are so small that they should never be the object of our idolatry.
4. If Qarun on account of his wealth was setting himself up in rivalry with Moses and Aaron, he was blind to the fact that spiritual knowledge is far above any little cleverness in worldly affairs. Mob-leaders have no position before spiritual guides.
...فَمَا كَانَ لَهُ مِن فِئَةٍ يَنصُرُونَهُ مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ...
and he had not (the least little) party to help him against Allah,
...وَمَا كَانَ مِنَ المُنتَصِرِينَ ﴿٨١﴾
nor could he defend himself.
وَأَصْبَحَ
الَّذِينَ
تَمَنَّوْا
مَكَانَهُ
بِالْأَمْسِ
يَقُولُونَ
وَيْكَأَنَّ...
28:82. And those who had envied his position the day before began to say on the morrow:
"Ah!
...اللَّهَ يَبْسُطُ الرِّزْقَ لِمَن يَشَاء مِنْ عِبَادِهِ وَيَقْدِرُ...
it is indeed Allah Who enlarges the provision or restricts it, to any of His servants He pleases!
C3412. Provision or Sustenance, both literally and figuratively: wealth and material things in life as well as the things that sustain our higher and spiritual faculties.
The rabble, that admired Qarun's wealth when he was in worldly prosperity, now sees the other side of the question and understands that there are other gifts more precious and desirable, and that these may actually be withheld from men who enjoy wealth and worldly prosperity.
In fact it is false prosperity, or no prosperity in the real sense of the word, which is without spiritual well-being.
...لَوْلَا أَن مَّنَّ اللَّهُ عَلَيْنَا لَخَسَفَ بِنَا...
Had it not been that Allah was gracious to us, He could have caused the earth to swallow us up!
...وَيْكَأَنَّهُ لَا يُفْلِحُ الْكَافِرُونَ ﴿٨٢﴾
Ah!
those who reject Allah will assuredly never prosper."
تِلْكَ
الدَّارُ
الْآخِرَةُ
نَجْعَلُهَا
لِلَّذِينَ
لَا يُرِيدُونَ
عُلُوًّا
فِي الْأَرْضِ
وَلَا فَسَادًا...
28: 83. That House of the Hereafter We shall give to those who intend not high-handedness or mischief on earth:
C3413. High-handedness or arrogance, as opposed to submission to the Will of Allah, Islam.
Mischief, as opposed to doing good, bringing forth fruits of righteousness.
It is the righteous who will win in the end.
...وَالْعَاقِبَةُ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ ﴿٨٣﴾
and the End is (best) for the righteous.
مَن
جَاء
بِالْحَسَنَةِ
فَلَهُ خَيْرٌ
مِّنْهَا...
28: 84. If any does good, the reward to him is better than his deed;
...وَمَن جَاء بِالسَّيِّئَةِ فَلَا يُجْزَى الَّذِينَ عَمِلُوا السَّيِّئَاتِ إِلَّا مَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ ﴿٨٤﴾
but if any does evil, the doers of evil are only punished (to the extent) of their deeds.
C3414. A good deed has its sure reward, and that reward will be better than the merits of the doer.
An evil deed may be forgiven by repentance, but in any case will not be punished with a severer penalty than justice demands.
إِنَّ
الَّذِي
فَرَضَ
عَلَيْكَ الْقُرْآنَ
...
28: 85. Verily He Who ordained the Qur'án for thee,
C3415. That is:
- order in His wisdom and mercy that the Quran should be revealed, containing guidance for conduct in this life and
- the next, and further ordered that it should be read out and taught and its principles observed in practice.
It is because of this teaching and preaching that the holy Prophet was persecuted, but as Allah sent the Quran, He will see that those who follow it will not eventually suffer, but be restored to happiness in the Place of Return, for which see next note.
... لَرَادُّكَ إِلَى مَعَادٍ...
will bring thee back to the Place of Return.
C3416. Place of Return:
1. a title of Makkah;
2. the occasion when we shall be restored to the Presence of our Lord.
It is said that this verse was revealed at Juhfa, on the road from Makkah to Madinah, a short distance from Makkah on the Hijrah journey.
The Prophet was sad at heart, and this was given as consolation to him. If this was the particular occasion, the general meaning would refer the Place of Return to the occasion of the Resurrection, when all true values will be restored, however they may be disturbed by the temporary interference of evil in this life.
...قُل رَّبِّي أَعْلَمُ مَن جَاء بِالْهُدَى وَمَنْ هُوَ فِي ضَلَالٍ مُّبِينٍ ﴿٨٥﴾
Say: "My Lord knows best who it is that brings true guidance, and who is in manifest error."
C3417. Allah knows the true from the false, and if we are persecuted for our Faith and attacked or spoken ill of because we dare to do right, our surest refuge is an appeal to Allah rather than to men.
Asad’s Version:
28:76 [NOW,] BEHOLD, Qarun was one of the people of Moses; 84 but he arrogantly exalted himself above them - simply because We had granted him such riches that his treasure-chests alone would surely have been too heavy a burden for a troop often men or even more. 85 When [they perceived his arrogance,] his people said unto him: "Exult not [in thy wealth], for, verily, God does not love those who exult [in things vain] !
[[Asad’s notes --
84 The structure of the above sentence is meant to show that even a person who had been a follower of one of the greatest of God's apostles was not above the possibility of sinning under the influence of false pride and self-exaltation - a particular example of the "false imagery" referred to in the preceding passage. The conventional "identification" of Qarun with the Korah of the Old Testament (Numbers xvi) is neither relevant nor warranted by the Qur'anic text, the more so
as the purport of this legend is a moral lesson and not a historical narrative. This, by the way, explains also the juxtaposition, elsewhere in the Qur'an (29:39 and 40:24), of Qarun with Pharaoh, the arch-sinner.
85 The term 'usbah denotes a company often or more (up to forty) persons, since it is used here metonymically, pointing to the great weight involved, it is best rendered as above. - The noun mafatih is a plural of both miftah or miftah ("key") and maftah ("that which is under lock and key", i.e., a 'hoard of wealth" or "treasure chest"), which latter meaning is obviously the one intended in the present context. ]]
28:77 (77) Seek instead, by means of what God has granted thee, [the good of] the life to come, 86 without forgetting, withal, thine own [rightful] share in this world; 87 and do good [unto others] as God has done good unto thee; and seek not to spread corruption on earth: for, verily, God does not love the spreaders of corruption!"
28:78 Answered he: "This [wealth] has been given to me only by virtue of the knowledge that is in Did he not know that God had destroyed [the arrogant of] many a generation that preceded him - people who were greater than he in power, and richer in what they had amassed? But such as are lost in sin may not be asked about their sins.... 8 '
28:79 And so he went forth before his people in all his pomp; [and] those who cared only for the life of this world would say, "Oh, if we but had the like of what Qarun has been given! Verily, with tremendous good fortune is he endowed! "
28:80 But those who had been granted true knowledge said: "Woe unto you! Merit in the sight of God 90 is by far the best for any who attains to faith and does what is right: but none save the patient in adversity can ever achieve this [blessing]."
28:81 And thereupon We caused the earth to swallow him and his dwelling; and he had none and nothing to succour him against God, nor was he of those who could succour themselves."
[[Asad’s notes:-
86 I.e., by spending in charity and on good causes.
87 Lit., "and do not forget..., etc.: a call to generosity and, at the same time, to moderation (cf. 2:143 - "We have willed you to be a community of the middle way").
88 I.e., "as a result of my own experience, shrewdness and ability" (ef. 39:49 and the corresponding note 55).
89 Obviously implying that "such as are lost in sin" (al-mujrimun) are, as a rule, blind to their own failings and, therefore, not responsive to admonition.
90 Lit., "God's reward", sc, "of spiritual merit".
91 Lit., "he had no host whatever to succour him ... , etc. Qarun's being "swallowed by the earth" may possibly be a metaphor of a catastrophic, unforeseen loss - from whatever cause - of all his
worldly goods and, thus, of his erstwhile grandeur. ]]
28:82 And on the morrow, those who but yesterday had longed to be in his place exclaimed: "Alas [for our not having been aware] that it is indeed God [alone] who grants abundant sustenance, or gives it in scant measure, unto whichever He wills of His creatures! Had not God been
gracious to us, He might have caused [the earth] to swallow us, too! Alas [for our having forgotten) that those who deny the truth can never attain to a happy state ! "
28:83 As for that [happy] life in the hereafter, We grant it [only] to those who do not seek to exalt themselves on earth, nor yet to spread corruption: for the future belongs to the God-
conscious.' 2
(28:84) Whosoever shall come [before God] with a good deed will gain [further]
good therefrom;" but as for any who shall come with an evil deed - [know that] they who do
evil deeds will not be requited with more than [the like of] what they have done.' 4
28:85 VERILY, [O believer,] He who has laid down this Qur'an in plain terms, making it binding on thee,' 5 will assuredly bring thee back [from death] to a life renewed.' 5 Say [unto those who reject the truth]: "My Sustainer knows best as to who is right-guided' 7 and who is obviously lost in error!"
92 This last clause makes it clear that, in order to have spiritual value, man's "not seeking" worldly grandeur or self-indulgence in things depraved must be an outcome, not of indifference or of a lack of opportunity, but solely of a conscious moral choice.
[[ Asad’s notes - 93 See note 79 on the identical phrase in 27:89.
94 Cf. 6:160 and the corresponding note 162.
95 According to Mujahid (as quoted by Tabari), the phrase farada 'alayka is almost synonymous with a'taka, "He gave [it] to thee". This, however, elucidates only one part of the above complex expression, which, I believe, has here a meaning similar to that of faradnaha ("We laid it down in plain terms") occurring in the first verse of surah 24 (An-Nur) and explained in the corresponding note 1 . In the present context, the particle 'alayka ("upon thee"), with its pronominal suffix, gives to the above clause
the additional meaning of a moral obligation on the part of the recipient of the Qur'anic message to conform his or her way of life to its teachings; hence my compound rendering of the phrase.
96 The term ma'ad denotes, literally, "a place [or "a state"] to which one returns", and, tropically,
one's "ultimate destination" or "ultimate condition"; in the present context, it is obviously
synonymous with "life in the hereafter". This is how most of the classical authorities interpret the above phrase. But on the vague assumption that this passage is addressed exclusively to the Prophet, some commentators incline to the view that the noun has here a specific, purely physical connotation - "a place of return" - allegedly referring to God's promise to His Apostle (given
during or after the latter' s exodus from Mecca to Medina) that one day he would return victoriously to the city of his birth. To my mind, however, the passage has a much deeper meaning, unconnected with any place or specific point in history: it is addressed to every believer, and promises not only a continuation of life after bodily death but also a spiritual rebirth, in this world, to anyone who opens his heart to the message of the Qur'an and comes to regard it as binding on himself.
97 Lit., "as to who comes with guidance". ]]