28:82 Al-Qasas (The Stories)

{ وَأَصْبَحَ الَّذِينَ تَمَنَّوْا مَكَانَهُ بِالْأَمْسِ } أي: الذين يريدون الحياة الدنيا، الذين قالوا: { يَا لَيْتَ لَنَا مِثْلَ مَا أُوتِيَ قَارُونُ } { يَقُولُونَ } متوجعين ومعتبرين، وخائفين من وقوع العذاب بهم: { وَيْكَأَنَّ اللَّهَ يَبْسُطُ الرِّزْقَ لِمَنْ يَشَاءُ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ وَيَقْدِرُ } أي: يضيق الرزق على من يشاء، فعلمنا حينئذ أن بسطه لقارون، ليس دليلا على خير فيه، وأننا غالطون في قولنا: { إِنَّهُ لَذُو حَظٍّ عَظِيمٍ } و { لَوْلَا أَنْ مَنَّ اللَّهُ عَلَيْنَا } فلم يعاقبنا على ما قلنا، فلولا فضله ومنته { لَخَسَفَ بِنَا } فصار هلاك قارون عقوبة له، وعبرة وموعظة لغيره، حتى إن الذين غبطوه، سمعت كيف ندموا، وتغير فكرهم الأول.{ وَيْكَأَنَّهُ لَا يُفْلِحُ الْكَافِرُونَ } أي: لا في الدنيا ولا في الآخرة.

من عباده ويقدر لولا أن من الله علينا لخسف بنا ويكأنه لا يفلح الكافرون. وقوله تعالى: "وأصبح الذين تمنوا مكانه بالأمس" أي الذين لما رأوه في زينته "قالوا يا ليت لنا مثل ما أوتي قارون إنه لذو حظ عظيم" فلما خسف به أصبحوا يقولون ويكأن الله يبسط الرزق لمن يشاء من عباده ويقدر أي ليس المال بدال على رضا الله عن صاحبه فإن الله يعطي ويمنع ويضيق ويوسع ويخفض ويرفع وله الحكمة التامة والحجة البالغة وهذا كما في الحديث المرفوع عن ابن مسعود "إن الله قسم بينكم أخلاقكم كما قسم بينكم أرزاقكم وإن الله يعطي المال من يحب ومن لا يحب ولا يعطي الإيمان إلا من يحب" "لولا أن من الله علينا لخسف بنا" أي لولا لطف الله بنا وإحسانه إلينا لخسف بنا كما خسف به لأنا وددنا أن نكون مثله" ويكأنه لا يفلح الكافرون" يعنون أنه كان كافرا ولا يفلح الكافر عند الله لا في الدنيا ولا في الآخرة وقد اختلف النحاة في معنى قوله ههنا ويكأن فقال بعضهم معناه ويلك اعلم أن ولكن خفف فقيل ويك ودل فتح أن على حذف اعلم وهذا القول ضعفه ابن جرير والظاهر أنه قوي ولا يشكل على ذلك إلا كتابتها في المصاحف متصلة ويكأن. والكتابة أمر وضعي اصطلاحي والمرجع إلى اللفظ العربي والله أعلم وقيل معناها ويكأن أي ألم تر أن قاله قتادة وقيل: معناها وي كأن ففصلها وجعل حرف وي للتعجب أو للتنبيه وكأن بمعنى أظن وأحتسب. قال ابن جرير وأقوى الأقوال في هذا قول قتادة أنها بمعنى ألم تر أن واستشهد بقول الشاعر: سألتاني الطلاق إذ رأتاني قل مالي وقد جئتماني بنكر ويكأن من يكن له نشب يحبب ومن يفتقر يعش عيش ضــــر

How Qarun and His Dwelling Place were swallowed up by the Earth

After telling us about Qarun's conceit and pride in his adornments, and how he was arrogant towards his people and transgressed against them, Allah then tells us how he and his dwelling place were swallowed up by the earth. This was also reported in the Sahih by Al-Bukhari from Salim, who said that his father told him that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

«بَيْنَمَا رَجُلٌ يَجُرُّ إِزَارَهُ إِذْ خُسِفَ بِهِ، فَهُوَ يَتَجَلْجَلُ فِي الْأَرْضِ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَة»

(While a man was dragging his lower garment, he was swallowed up and he will remain sinking down into the earth until the Day of Resurrection.) He also recorded something similar from Salim from Abu Hurayrah from the Prophet . Imam Ahmad recorded that Abu Sa`id said, "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

«بَيْنَمَا رَجُلٌ فِيمَنْ كَانَ قَبْلَكُمْ خَرَجَ فِي بُرْدَيْنِ أَخْضَرَيْنِ يَخْتَالُ فِيهِمَا، أَمَرَ اللهُ الْأَرْضَ فَأَخَذَتْهُ، فَإِنَّهُ لَيَتَجَلْجَلُ فِيهَا إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَة»

(When a man among the people who came before you went out wearing two green garments, walking proudly and arrogantly, Allah commanded the earth to swallow him up, and he will remain sinking down into it until the Day of Resurrection.) This version was recorded only by Ahmad, and its chain of narration is Hasan (sound).

فَمَا كَانَ لَهُ مِن فِئَةٍ يَنصُرُونَهُ مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ وَمَا كَانَ مِنَ الْمُنتَصِرِينَ

(Then he had no group to help him against Allah, nor was he one of those who could save themselves.) means, his wealth, group, servants and retinue were of no avail to him; they could not protect him from the wrath and vengeance of Allah. Nor could he help himself or save himself. There was no one to help him, neither himself nor anybody else.

His People learned a Lesson from Him being swallowed up

Allah's saying:

وَأَصْبَحَ الَّذِينَ تَمَنَّوْاْ مَكَانَهُ بِالاٌّمْسِ

(And those who had desired his position the day before,) means, those witnessed him with his finery and said:

قَالَ الَّذِينَ يُرِيدُونَ الْحَيَوةَ الدُّنْيَا يلَيْتَ لَنَا مِثْلَ مَآ أُوتِىَ قَـرُونُ إِنَّهُ لَذُو حَظٍّ عَظِيمٍ

(Those who were desirous of the life of the world, said: "Ah, would that we had the like of what Qarun has been given! Verily, he is the owner of a great fortune.") When he was swallowed up in the earth, they began to say:

وَيْكَأَنَّ اللَّهَ يَبْسُطُ الرِّزْقَ لِمَن يَشَآءُ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ وَيَقْدِرُ

(Know you not that it is Allah Who expands the provision or restricts it to whomsoever He pleases of His servants.) Wealth does not indicate that Allah is pleased with its owner, for Allah gives and withholds, allows times of difficulty and times of ease, raises and lowers, His is the most complete wisdom and most convincing proof. According to a Hadith narrated by Ibn Mas`ud,

«إِنَّ اللهَ قَسَمَ بَيْنَكُمْ أَخْلَاقَكُمْ كَمَا قَسَمَ أَرْزَاقَكُمْ، وَإِنَّ اللهَ يُعْطِي الْمَالَ مَنْ يُحِبُّ وَمَنْ لَا يُحِبُّ، وَلَا يُعْطِي الْإِيمَانَ إِلَّا مَنْ يُحِب»

(Allah has alloted character among you just as He has alloted your provision. Allah gives wealth to those whom He loves and those whom He does not love, but He gives Faith only to those whom He loves.)

لَوْلا 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!) meaning, `were it not for the kindness and grace of Allah towards us, we could have been swallowed up by the earth just as he was swallowed up, because we wanted to be like him.'

وَيْكَأَنَّهُ لاَ يُفْلِحُ الْكَـفِرُونَ

(Know you not that the disbelievers will never be successful.) He was a disbeliever, and the disbelievers will never be successful before Allah in this world or in the Hereafter.

تِلْكَ الدَّارُ الاٌّخِرَةُ نَجْعَلُهَا لِلَّذِينَ لاَ يُرِيدُونَ عُلُوّاً فِى الاٌّرْضِ وَلاَ فَسَاداً وَالْعَـقِبَةُ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ

And those who had longed to be in his place the day before that is only recently were saying ‘Alas! God expands provision for whomever He will of His servants and straitens it He restricts it for whomever He will way-ka’anna way is a noun of action with the sense of ‘How astonished I am’ while the kāf functions as a causative lām ‘because’. Had God not been gracious to us He would have made us to be swallowed too’ read active la-khasafa or passive la-khusifa. Lo! indeed those who are ungrateful for God’s grace such as Korah never prosper.

وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْعِلْمَ وَيْلَكُمْ (And said those who were given knowledge - 28:80). This verse has compared the knowledgeable persons with الَّذِينَ يُرِ‌يدُونَ الْحَيَاةَ الدُّنْيَا (Those who are desirous of the worldly life - 28:79), which clearly indicates that it is not the trait of knowledgeable persons to aspire for the acquisition of wealth and to make it the object of life. They always keep their eyes toward the lasting benefits of the Hereafter. As for the mundane wealth, they take it only to fulfill their day-to-day needs, and stay content with that.