Qarun's Warning: When Wealth Leads To Arrogance And Ruin

The Story of Qarun: Wealth, Arrogance, and the Illusion of Success

Allah created us and put us on this world, on this earth. And the duration of time that we're here for is only known to Allah. How long we live and what our outcome will be, what will happen to us is known to Allah. This life is given to us as a mercy of Allah, as a blessing of Allah, and it's given to us in order to prepare for the hereafter.

Allah in the Quran mentions the story of Qarun, who was a person from Banu Isra'il. In fact, some reports even mention that he was related to Musa عليه السلام. There is some family relation — maybe a cousin or a second cousin — but he was even a relative of Musa عليه السلام. When Fir'aun was in power, Fir'aun — in order to infiltrate, or in order to get more power and control over Banu Isra'il, because he had enslaved Banu Isra'il — brought Qarun within his court. And Qarun profited a lot from being in the court of Fir'aun.

He made a lot of money. He accumulated a lot of wealth. To such an extent that the Quran itself mentions that he accumulated so much wealth that just the keys to his treasures were so heavy, that if a group of strong men were to carry them, they would find them heavy — they would not find them light. It would be burdensome for a group of strong men to carry them.

It would be heavy for a group of strong men to carry them. If the keys of a person's treasure are so heavy, can you imagine what the treasure is going to be like?

And when he was told, when he was reminded that all of this is given to you by Allah, it's given to you to remember Allah, he said: "No, I got this from my own skill. I got this from my own skill."

"I got it myself. I was intelligent, I was skillful, I had the knowledge — I got it all from that."

And when Allah drowned Fir'aun and his army, Qarun showed himself to be from the believers, even though his heart wasn't there, and he actually did not like the authority of Musa عليه السلام. Imagine — this is a person who, while Fir'aun was alive, was given power, was given wealth, was in the court of Fir'aun. And now everything flips. Fir'aun drowns, the army of Fir'aun drowns. And now Musa عليه السلام is in charge. He has to follow the commandments of Allah as given through Musa عليه السلام. Musa عليه السلام says you have to give zakat. He doesn't want to give zakat.

So he didn't like the authority of Musa عليه السلام, and he would often make remarks and contest his authority. Finally, at one point in time — after all the other things he had also done — what happened? He would come out with a lot of pomp, a lot of display of arrogance. He would come out showing his wealth, and people would watch him. Banu Isra'il would watch him and say, "Man, this guy — he's so fortunate. If only we had the wealth that he had."

And one day, Allah's hukm came down. His crimes were no longer tolerated.

Allah had the earth swallow him up — his home, his wealth, all of it swallowed into the earth. Those same people, those same people who the day before would remark, "Man, he was such a fortunate individual. I wish we could be like him" — because often, what do we do? We attribute success, and we attribute salvation, to material possessions. The more a person has material possessions, the more he has these things, we think it's a sign that he's accepted by Allah. No. This is not the standard by which we judge salvation. Material wealth is not the standard by which we determine success.

And so when he and his wealth are swallowed up by the earth, these same people now recognize this. They say: "Mannallahu 'alayna" — "Oh! Now we realize, Allah favored us. Allah protected us." This is a lesson for us. Look what happened with Fir'aun. Alhamdulillah, Allah protected us from this. We were wrong. The people of knowledge used to tell us: "No, this is not the standard by which you gauge success."

The standard by which you gauge success is:

Those who believe in Allah and those who do righteous deeds.

And that is something only the patient ones attain. Why? Because while you're in this life, it is difficult. You see people who have more wealth than you, all kinds of worldly possessions — and we look at that. We're constantly looking at that. We're constantly bombarded with it.

The Bombardment of Consumerism

Constantly bombarded. If you don't have this, you'll see commercials — "Oh, if you don't have this, you're not a happy person. You're not gonna be happy." Kids, from the time that they're young — we don't realize how, subhanAllah, consumerism and all of these things are incorporated in everything around us. "If you don't act like this, if you don't dress like this, if you don't be like this, you're not successful. You're a failure. You don't have this car, you don't have this type of house, you're not gonna get a loan from a bank — you're not gonna live happy." And in the commercial, they'll show you a person who gets it, and now they're so happy. And you're constantly watching this. Our kids are constantly watching this. And they're thinking: "Yeah, I need to get this in order to be happy." The new iPhone — "Look at the features. If you don't have this feature, oh, what are you doing? You're missing out."

"You don't eat this burger? Oh, you're not gonna be happy." And so you eat the burger, and now, subhanAllah, in the commercial, the person is so happy. It's the most fit, the healthiest-looking person — who in real life would probably not eat the burger — eating the burger in the commercial. And you're thinking, "Yeah, if I do this, I'll be happy, and I'll have everything I want." It's not the reality.

We don't gauge success by that. Success is gauged by our worship to Allah, our iman in Allah, and our worship to Allah. And yes, while we're living in this type of environment, is it difficult? Absolutely. You have to constantly be vigilant. Your mind has to be constantly vigilant so it does not become desensitized to all of this. Because we're constantly bombarded by it. You have to remind yourself: "No, this is not where success is. Success is in the worship of Allah. It's in following the commandments of Allah."

Is that difficult? Of course it's difficult. When everybody around you is getting what they want and apparently seeming happy — and now especially with social media, it's even worse. You're on Twitter, on Instagram, and people are showing: "Look, we bought this and now we're happy. We're wearing these clothes, we're happy. Our lifestyle is like this. If you make your lifestyle like this, you're gonna be happy." In reality, they're not happy. They cannot find happiness. Why? Because Allah didn't put happiness in those things.

Happiness, satisfaction, contentment — it was put in the dhikr of Allah. That's where you're gonna find it. You're not gonna find it anywhere else. And if you do, it's only gonna be temporary. For the few minutes you enjoy, after that it's nothing but sadness, depression, grief, and anxiety. True success, true satisfaction, true contentment is in the dhikr of Allah.

And is that difficult? It is difficult. There's no doubt about it. But the person who continuously works at it — that's where the mujahidah comes, that's where the sabr comes. Waking up for Fajr is not easy, but do it every single day, every single day, every single day — it becomes easy. Allah makes it easy. Ask the people who wake up for Fajr every single day; they say, "Alhamdulillah, I'm able to get up."

Praying salah — I admit, I know, at times it's not easy. You're working, you're at school. "What do I do? People are watching me." Ya ayyuhal ikhwah — Allah has given you iman, Allah has given you Islam, you believe in Allah, you believe in the hereafter, you know you're on the truth — what are you afraid of? You're afraid of standing and praying salah? Don't be. You're on the haqq. Don't be afraid of the haqq. The batil will go, and you'll see that in the hereafter. If not in this life, if not in your lifetime, you'll see that in the hereafter.

It's the very example Allah is giving. Once Qarun was gone, people realized — when this world finishes, when it's gone:

Every single thing is to perish, except for the countenance of Allah — that will not perish. So our actions, our deeds, should first and foremost be in accordance with the hukm of Allah, and they should be done for the pleasure of Allah. That's what counts.

That abode — that abode of the hereafter, where there is endless pleasure, endless contentment, endless joy, which we can't even wrap our heads around — Allah will give it to those who don't seek to be exalted in this world, and nor do they cause corruption. How do you not cause corruption? By following the commandments of Allah. The commandments of Allah, in their very nature, prevent corruption from happening. And the good end, the good result, is for those who have taqwa.

How to Change Our Focus: Muraqabah and Gratitude

How do we change our mind? That's the most important thing. How do you change your focus? It's related to the mind. Just like when it comes to physical things — if you want to make your physical body strong, you have to use physical means. You have to eat proper food, you have to exercise and maintain a diet. When things are related to the mind — things like intention, removing jealousy, hatred, animosity, or inculcating love for the hereafter and love for Allah — those are things related to the mind. What do we do for it? We have to sit and ponder over them. What we know in the term of the mashayikh is:

You sit and you ponder. How many of us — when was the last time we sat and thought about the hereafter? When was the last time we sat for five minutes? I'm not saying a whole hour or half an hour — five minutes. When was the last time we sat and thought about the day when we die? The day when the ruh comes out of our body and we no longer have control over our limbs. Our family members will be washing our body, shrouding our body, putting our body in the grave. When was the last time we thought about that?

I tell you: do that for five minutes every single night — this reality check — and within days, within weeks, insha'Allah, your focus will change. Your focus in life will change.

Looking at Those with Less

The other thing — the Prophet ﷺ mentioned a hadith reported by Abu Hurairah رضي الله عنه: when you see the people of material wealth, when you see people who have more than you, it is part of our nafs, it is part of our desire, that we want more. The Nabi ﷺ himself mentioned that if Ibn Adam had a valley of gold, he would desire a second valley. And if he had a second, he would desire a third. It's part of human nature.

Look at our own selves. We grew up — in high school we had little odd jobs, tutoring kids, making a little bit of money. And then you make a little bit of money and you want a little bit more. So then you get something else, start making a little bit more, and then you say, "Oh, but I want to do more." And then you start making more, and you think to yourself, "Oh, when I make more, I'll be able to do more." And then you reach the goal you had. And then you say, "But I need a little bit more." And you say, "No, okay, let me get into this business venture." That's great — I'm not saying it's not. What I'm saying is: look at the progression, look at how our nafs just wants more and more. And when we're in that process, we forget the things that we already have.

So the Prophet ﷺ said:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 6490; Sahih Muslim, Book 53, Hadith 13)

"Look to the one who has less than you. When it comes to worldly material wealth, don't look at the one who has more than you" — because that person will then demean the blessings of Allah that are given to him. That person who always reminds himself of those who have less, who are less fortunate, will remind himself of the ni'mah Allah has given him.

The Story of Mufti Shafi's Teacher

One of the mashayikh, his name is Mufti Shafi' رحمه الله — I'll finish with this story. He mentions about his teacher. He says: one time his teacher was so ill, he was bedridden, and he would become unconscious because of the fever. So he went and visited him. And at the time when he visited, he had regained his consciousness. He asked: "Hazrat, how are you feeling?"

How does a normal person respond? An average person would say, "I'm in so much pain, I can't even tell you, subhanAllah." And then we say, "Yeah, alhamdulillah, but everything is okay, right?" — we put the alhamdulillah later. What was his response? He said: "Alhamdulillah, everything is well. My eyes are functioning, my ears are functioning, my stomach is functioning, my lungs are functioning, my hands are functioning — there's just a little bit of a fever. Just a little bit of a fever."

That is a person who is connected to Allah. That is a person whose eyes are always on the ni'mah of Allah. And the difficulty that comes — he doesn't get blinded by it. He knows: "I have to go back to Allah. Alhamdulillah, whatever my case and condition."

The Example of Sulaiman

Look at Sulaiman عليه السلام. When the throne was brought to him, what did he say?

"This is a fadhl of Allah. This is a bounty from Allah. It's not from me — it's from the fadhl of Allah." One who shows gratitude to Allah, he has done it for himself. And if he doesn't show gratitude to Allah, Allah doesn't need it. Don't think Allah benefits because you show gratitude to Him. Allah doesn't need it. إِنَّهُ غَنِيٌّ كَرِيمٌ

May Allah grant us the tawfiq to show shukr to Allah for all that we have. May Allah develop within us the confidence that we have iman, that we are on the haqq, and allow us to follow the haqq as it should be followed.

Announcements

Please pass the donation box from left to right and donate generously. Sadaqah wards off calamities and draws the mercy of Allah.

Insha'Allah, join us tonight after Isha for our first monthly seminar of 2022: "Between Two Extremes: An Islamic Perspective on Contraception and Abortion." This will be presented by Mufti Minhaj hafizahullah. This is a very good opportunity because this is one of those topics that is being discussed, has been discussed, and a lot of people are confused about the Islamic standpoint. It's a much more nuanced discussion, and so it is a very good opportunity to learn about that tonight, after Isha.

Registration for our annual Sirah Conference is now open. It will take place November 11th through the 12th. You can RSVP now at masjiids.org/sirahconference. Likewise, help us reach our goal — every year we set a goal for the number of salawat on the Prophet ﷺ before the Sirah Conference. This year's goal, although very ambitious, is 25 million salawat. Salawat cards are available outside. Pick one up, mark it off as you complete every hundred, and once you're done with the card, take a picture and send it in.

Weekly programs: Saturday, Team Fajr continues tomorrow. Fajr iqamah is at 6:15. Bukhari Dars continues on Mondays with Mufti Minhaj after Isha. Tuesdays, we have Tafsir with Mufti Azeem after Isha — this Tuesday, we will be covering Surah Al-Anbiya. The weekly salawat gathering takes place Thursday after Isha.

Glendale Heights is seeking to approve two recreational stores that are 0.5 miles away from Dar-ul-Salam and less than a mile away from MSI. These stores currently sell recreational marijuana, and they are trying to acquire approval. Please see the volunteers on your way out to sign the petition against this. And most importantly, show up to the hearing next Thursday, the 20th, at 7:15 p.m. at the Glendale Heights Civic Center Plaza.

Request for du'a of maghfirah for Sister Afreen Fatima. Also du'a for Sister Tayyiba, who is in critical care, suffering from a stroke. May Allah give them all complete and swift shifa. Likewise, any other Muslim in our community, around the world, who is in any sort of difficulty or health condition — may Allah give them complete, lasting, and permanent shifa.

Jazakumullah khair.