Sūratu’l-Qasas [The Narrative]:(28:76).Part2

إِنَّ قَارُونَ كَانَ مِن قَوْمِ مُوسَىٰ فَبَغَىٰ عَلَيْهِمْ

Qārūn (Korah) was one of Moses’ people, but he betrayed and oppressed them.(Al-Qasas 28:76)

In fact, this attitude is not unique to Korah. There have been and are many people whose wealth has spoiled them and led them astray, and they have uttered and are uttering the same things in insolence and exultation. For this reason, it would be wrong and a restriction to suppose this manner as unique to Korah. For instance, there were many who desired to have the same amount of wealth as Korah and sighed, saying:

Ah, if we but had the like of what Korah has been given! Indeed he is one of tremendous good fortune! (Al-Qasas 28:79)

However, the Qur’ān describes the reaction of those who nourished that desire in the face of Korah’s being swallowed by the earth together with his wealth, as follows:

And on the morrow, those who had longed to be in his place the day before began to say: “Woe to us! (We had forgotten that) God enlarges provision for whom He wills of His servants, and straightens it (for whom He wills). Had God not been gracious to us, He would have made us too swallowed up. Woe to us! (for we had forgotten that) the unbelievers do not prosper.” (Al-Qasas 28:82)

Indeed, Korah was punished by being swallowed up by the earth with all his wealth because he did not behave properly in the face of the wealth he had been granted and persisted in misguidance. The Qur’ān illustrates his punishment:

Then We caused the earth to swallow him and his dwelling. There was then no host to help him against God, nor (for all his possessions) was he himself able to come to his own aid. (Al-Qasas 28:81)

In fact, Korah had done wrong in two ways:

• First, considering himself to belong to the elite in society due to the wealth he had been granted, he acted haughtily and arrogantly toward God. Korah acted with such an arrogance and haughtiness that would prevent one from entering Paradise, and in return for his arrogance, God destined him to infamy and punished him. In other words, in return for Korah’s wrongly appropriating the wealth that had been granted to him and acting as if he would live with it forever, God had mortified him and made him swallowed by the earth together with his wealth. God’s Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, declared: 

“Whoever is humble, God elevates him, and whoever is arrogant, God humiliates him.”

Korah should have acted humbly, but he acted haughtily and got what he deserved.