Surah Qasas - Ep. 11 | Mufti Azeemuddin Ahmed

Opening Supplications

We ask Allah to accept everyone's efforts in joining us here. May He make it a means of our salvation. May Allah allow us to hear something which will help us get through the difficulties all of us are going through.

May Allah allow this session and all of our sessions of ilm and dhikr that we attend to become a means of strengthening our iman, and make it a means of strengthening our relationship with Allah's kalam. May He make it a means of our hearts being filled with that which Allah wants us to love. And may Allah make these durus a means of all of us being chosen to be enlisted in the books of Allah amongst the students of knowledge. Ameen.

Introduction: The Final Stories of Surah Al-Qasas

We are coming to now one of the final stories amongst the beautiful stories of Surah Al-Qasas. There are of course many different points that are being mentioned between each story — for the past 3–4 sessions, there were various beautiful and important points that Allah shared with us.

We spoke about briefly how the signs of Allah are present ever around us — the night and the day, the sleep and the work by day — and how these are all inviting us towards the oneness of Allah. Allah is asking us to look, Allah is asking us to reflect, Allah is asking us to listen.

And Allah is asking us to realize that all qudrah and power only lies with Allah, and no one will be able to harm us if we are with Allah, regardless of what people may seem to say. Also the fact that Allah is well aware of what is apparent, what is hidden, and what is beyond hidden — what is a secret that we don't even think about.

So now, this story here — Allah is mentioning the story of Qarun from the nation of Musa.

The Story of Qarun: Translation and Commentary

Qarun's Arrogance and Immense Wealth

Now Qarun was indeed from Musa's people, but he committed injustice against them. He committed injustice with insolence and arrogance. Even though Allah had given him:

Such treasure troves, such amounts of wealth — مَا إِنَّ مَفَاتِحَهُ — that their keys alone — لَتَنُوءُ — would weigh down — عُصْبَةً — a band of men — أُولِي الْقُوَّةِ — endowed with might. A band, a group of strong men would feel overburdened just by carrying the keys to the treasures that We had given Qarun.

Even after giving him all this wealth, instead of becoming grateful, what happened to him? He did the complete opposite of what we would hope to see. بَغَىٰ عَلَيْهِمْ — he had become very unjust and arrogant.

Five Pieces of Advice from His People

His nation told him — some of his people, not all — said to him: "Do not be arrogant, do not exult in the wealth of the world. Indeed, Allah does not like those who are exultant."

وَابْتَغِ فِيمَا آتَاكَ اللَّهُ — Rather, with all that Allah has given you, ابْتَغِ — yabtagh means to seek. Seek the glory of akhirah. From all the glory that Allah has given you in this dunya, what should you seek? الدَّارَ الْآخِرَةَ — Go ahead and seek the abode of the Hereafter.

Look at how the five commands are structured here — it is one nahi (prohibition), then one amr (command), then one nahi, then one amr, then one nahi. Five alternating instructions, either asking him to do something or asking him to stay away from something:

(1) لَا تَفْرَحْ — Do not exult arrogantly. (2) وَابْتَغِ فِيمَا آتَاكَ اللَّهُ الدَّارَ الْآخِرَةَ — Seek the abode of the Hereafter with what Allah has given you. (3) وَلَا تَنسَ نَصِيبَكَ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا — Do not forget your portion of the good life in this world. (4) وَأَحْسِن كَمَا أَحْسَنَ اللَّهُ إِلَيْكَ — Be kind and do good to Allah's servants, the way Allah has done good towards you. (5) وَلَا تَبْغِ الْفَسَادَ فِي الْأَرْضِ — And do not seek to sow corruption on earth. For indeed, Allah does not like the sowers of corruption.

Qarun's Arrogant Response

His response — refuting all five pieces of advice at once: "Indeed, this wealth that has been given to me is by virtue of a deep sacred knowledge that I possess." That is one tafsir. He is saying: I am a scholar, a great scholar. I already know way more than you. You should not be giving me any advice in the first place. And it is because of this knowledge that I have all this wealth. There are other tafsirs we will cover when we get to this ayah in detail.

Allah's Response to Qarun

Does he not know that indeed Allah has destroyed before him entire generations who were greater than him in power and greater in wealth and in numbers? The people who were destroyed before him had more physical strength, greater numbers, and more wealth — yet that did not stop them from being destroyed by the 'adhab of Allah when their disobedience exceeded what Allah had allowed.

وَلَا يُسْأَلُ عَن ذُنُوبِهِمُ الْمُجْرِمُونَ — The defiant sinners will not be asked regarding their sins. What does this mean? They will not be asked in order to verify them — "Did you actually do this?" There is no need to ask. The evidence is there 200%, beyond any shadow of doubt. In the dunya we see how this works — sometimes you ask simply hoping the person will acknowledge, and when they don't acknowledge, you pull out the video. Imagine the akhirah, when Allah doesn't even need video evidence — Allah can have the limbs themselves speak up.

Today We will seal their mouths, and their hands will speak, and their feet will bear witness to what they used to earn. In other places Allah says:

The skin will speak. The hands will speak. That is why here it is said that they will not be asked "Did you actually do this or not?" — they will simply be punished, because the proof is more than certain that they have committed their crimes.

Qarun's Grand Procession

He did not listen. He did not take any advice. So one day Qarun came forth to his people in all his adornment. Those people who only care about the dunya — the very materialistic ones — said: "If only we had what was given to Qarun. If only we had that type of money, we would have enjoyed it." And then: "Indeed, he is one of a magnificent fortune" — or as we would say, he is one real lucky man. حَظٍّ عَظِيمٍ — great fortune. He has won the lottery. An extremely lucky individual.

The Response of the People of True Knowledge

But those who have been given knowledge — not the knowledge that Qarun claimed to have, that fake knowledge — but the real 'ilm, the real knowledge of Allah and what Allah wants, and what life after death is, and the hereafter — those scholars watching this whole parade, Qarun and his entourage, said:

"Woe to all of you. You are all fools. The reward of Allah is far better for the one who believes and does righteous good deeds." Two things: if a person is a believer, and if a person does good deeds, then the reward is far better than any worldly entourage or worldly wealth that a person can ever achieve.

وَلَا يُلَقَّاهَا إِلَّا الصَّابِرُونَ — Yet none shall receive this type of hidayah, this type of guidance, except for those who are patient. The ability to be consistent in good deeds is seriously very hard. This will be given to those who try their best to remain consistent and patient. Allah will reward them with that.

The Earth Swallows Qarun

Then We caused the earth to swallow him up — خَسَفَ — to swallow him. And not just him — وَبِدَارِهِ — his whole dwelling, his mansion, his palace, his estate. All of it went, swallowed up into the earth. And he did not have any fi'ah, any group, any friend circle, any company to help him against Allah. No one to help him run away from Allah. The only one who could help him is Allah Himself.

We spoke about this du'a last week:

"Oh Allah, I seek refuge in You from You." There is no one who can save a person from Allah's wrath except Allah. وَمَا كَانَ مِنَ الْمُنتَصِرِينَ — Nor was he one of those who could help themselves. If Qarun could not help himself, who can help themselves?

The Morning Regret of Those Who Envied Him

Thus by morning, all of those who had longed to be in his place, just the day before, began to say. Last night they were like, "Oh, we wish we had that." When they saw this huge natural disaster — the 'adhab of Allah — come and wipe Qarun, his entourage, and his palace, all in one shot, they woke up in the morning saying:

"Ah, indeed it is Allah alone who expands the sustenance and provision for whomsoever He wills amongst His servants. And He alone is the one who restricts it." Meaning, if we have a little bit less money — why? Because Allah did it. And if someone has more money, more sustenance — why? Because Allah gave him. This on-and-off switch, the increase and decrease of provision, is not in the hands of humans. It is solely in the hands of Allah.

"Had Allah not conferred a favor upon us" — today they are not talking about the favor of wealth. As of yesterday they were saying, "He's so blessed, we wish we could have it." They forgot all of that now. Now they are saying: "If we weren't blessed, we would have most surely also been swallowed up by the earth." Meaning, iman — or simply staying alive — that itself is the blessing. Having abundant wealth is not the blessing. They realized that within the next couple of hours.

"Indeed, the disbelievers are never successful." It may seem that they are gaining success initially, or even for the majority of their life, or even at the end of their life. But most definitely, any falah and success would not come once the soul is being pulled from the body. There cannot be falah there. And as soon as they arrive in barzakh, the life between this world and the next, they will definitely taste the khasarah and failure.

The Abode of the Hereafter is for the Humble

Such is the abode of the Hereafter — We have made it only for those who do not desire exaltation in the land, nor corruption. And the ultimate, good outcome — الْعَاقِبَةُ الْحَسَنَةُ — is only for those who have taqwa.

What a beautiful ruku' here of Surah Al-Qasas that we covered.

Reflections on the Story of Qarun

Why Allah Mentions the Dunya Punishment Only

Allah does not speak here about what Qarun will get in the akhirah. He just says the akhirah is a good ending and it is for those who do not cause chaos on earth and who are not arrogant. What type of punishment will Qarun get in the akhirah is not mentioned here. Allah instead is speaking about what happened to him in the dunya. It is a warning to all those who are similarly arrogant over their wealth and decide to turn their backs against the teachings of Allah's Messenger.

The kuffar of Quraysh continued to persecute Rasulullah ﷺ at every turn and were continuing to oppress his companions and his family. And Allah revealed in Surah Al-Qamar:

سَيُهْزَمُ الْجَمْعُ — "Seen" means "soon." Soon the armies will be vanquished, destroyed, defeated. وَيُوَلُّونَ الدُّبُرَ — And soon they will turn, running with their backs towards you — as happens when someone is fleeing from the battlefield.

It is mentioned in Ibn Kathir that when this ayah was revealed, Umar رضي الله عنه asked: أَيُّ جَمْعٍ يُهْزَمُ؟ — "Which armies are you speaking about that are going to be vanquished?" Because it did not look like anything like that was going on in Makkah at that time. Then Umar رضي الله عنه said: فَلَمَّا كَانَ يَوْمُ بَدْرٍ — "When I saw the day of Badr, رَأَيْتُ رَسُولَ اللهِ يَثِبُ فِي الدِّرْعِ وَهُوَ يَقُولُ — I saw Rasulullah ﷺ moving swiftly in the midst of the battle wearing his armor, and he was reciting: سَيُهْزَمُ الْجَمْعُ وَيُوَلُّونَ الدُّبُرَ. At that time, فَعَرَفْتُ تَأْوِيلَهَا — I recognized that the interpretation and the tafsir of that ayah was going to be fulfilled now, years later in Badr."

This is a very powerful ayah to recite when asking Allah's help against the enemies of Allah. When you make du'a, you can recite this ayah again and again, and in salah as well — asking Allah that He allows this ayah to be manifested today as well. Then Umar رضي الله عنه said, صَدَقَ اللَّهُ — when he saw what happened at Badr, he said: Indeed Allah has spoken the truth.

The Oppressor's Respite and Allah's Justice

That is why they say: a zalim and an oppressor will not die until Allah avenges. Allah will not allow a zalim to simply continue to live and die in absolute peace and comfort. It is something necessary for Allah to ensure that a zalim gets punished, at least a little bit. Whether you and I see that punishment or not is a different thing. If the oppressor was able to somehow escape the 'adhab of the dunya, then that only means the 'adhab of the akhirah is going to be worse.

It comes in hadith that when a believer passes away, if Allah wills to have all his sins forgiven in this dunya through various types of difficulties, so that when he eventually gets to the akhirah, he has nothing but enjoyment — nothing to worry about, everything taken care of. And if there are certain sins which have not yet been forgiven, and the time of death has already come, then Allah will give that believer a difficult death. A painful death. And through that painful death, the final few things that remain in his book of deeds from among sins are wiped clean — so that by the time his body is lowered into the grave, it is a clean slate.

On the flip side, when a disbeliever does good deeds, Allah ensures that he is rewarded immediately in this dunya for any good he has done — in so many different ways. In the form of a happy married life, righteous and dutiful children, good business, his car being saved from an accident — anything. He is not realizing it. But it is like when a person checks into a hotel and opens the minibar — enjoying all the snacks — and then at checkout he gets a bill of $250 extra. Every single thing was being charged to his room. And then at the end, there is this huge bill.

That is how it is for the one who dies without iman. He is enjoying life, but all of this is being billed. Any good deed he did — he has to pay for it. Now comes the time of death, when he checks out. Imagine you have a wallet of foreign currency and you spend it all at the airport before you fly home — because you know you cannot use it anywhere else. Think of it like this: a man is leaving this world, and you look at his book of deeds — he's got hasanat. But he cannot use his hasanat in the akhirah, because he is dying without iman. So Allah ensures that he exhausts all these hasanat before he departs. And how? By giving him an easy death. His easy death is how he pays for every single last good deed he had. So he enters the grave with nothing left — only punishment. And the flip side is the believer: Allah gives him a difficult death to wipe away his remaining sins, so he enters the akhirah clean.

Based on this hadith, Aisha رضي الله عنها says — after witnessing the death of the Prophet ﷺ — something along the lines of: "You can never judge a person based on how he is dying." Because the Prophet ﷺ had an easy death? No. The Prophet ﷺ had a very difficult death. He had his hand constantly in a bowl of water because of the intensity of the pain. He kept wiping his forehead. And he kept saying:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 6510)

"Indeed, death is very difficult — it has pangs." But what was that difficult death that the Prophet ﷺ went through? It was to propel him to the next level of Jannah that cannot be possibly imagined by any one of us. All his good deeds and hasanat had already reached him to a certain level. But Allah wanted to give him an even higher level beyond that.

So do not think that the zalim who is enjoying life and who gets a so-called peaceful, state funeral — with a full band and jets flying over his dead body — is winning. This is actually a bigger problem. Those zalims who got punished before they died, or who died a pitiful death, got at least something knocked out of their book of deeds. But someone who had no difficulty in this world — what awaits him is something much worse.

SubhanAllah, how blessed we are that we have a deen that gives us perspective. I remember when the Iraq war was happening — especially when Saddam was killed. There were people who just could not fathom: "How could he say la ilaha illallah?" Although you know, he did not get to say Muhammadun Rasulullah — before he could, he was gone. And there is the hadith:

(Sunan Abu Dawud, Hadith 3116)

Whoever's last words are la ilaha illallah enters Jannah. Now some people simply could not fathom that. "No, it cannot be — Saddam cannot go to Jannah." This is where not knowing the deen fully, or not knowing its different dimensions, gives you big problems. If someone's family was killed by Saddam, they are naturally very angry and upset. And when they see him die saying the kalimah, they feel it is not fair. But do you think you are more just than Allah?

This is what also happened with the sahaba. Some weaker people, during the time after the battles of Hunayn and Ta'if, when the Prophet ﷺ gave a large portion of the spoils of war to Quraysh — some people came and said, "This is not fair. How is this justice? We are the ones who fought alongside Rasulullah ﷺ. We are the ones who hosted him in Medina. The blood is falling from our swords and someone else is getting the money, the animals, the spoils." And Rasulullah ﷺ responded: "If I am not just, then who is going to be just? If I do not do justice, who is going to?"

Whenever something good happens, shaitan always comes. This is the moment of victory — "We've been waiting for this for years, let's enjoy." But there is always some person who causes a problem. A foolish friend, as they say — an intelligent enemy is better than a foolish friend. With an intelligent enemy, you know his next move. But a foolish friend — you have no idea what he is going to do next. And so such a person goes, "I am going to fix the MSA, fix the masjid, fix the organization," and in the process causes so much chaos that you wish it never happened.

Imam Ghazali in Bidayat al-Hidayah mentions this. He says:

Do not allow shaytan to deceive you in the name of speaking the truth. And in the process of so-called "speaking the truth," you end up causing a lot of chaos. There are times to speak the truth, and there are times to simply stay quiet and leave. A person should always make mashwara (consultation). When you do not make mashwara, it is very possible that you are unknowingly following your nafs and shaytan. Through mashwara and istikhara you protect yourself.

The Importance of Mashwara and Istikhara

Nafs and shaytan are two enemies. Please make a note of what I am saying here: nafs and shaytan are two enemies. You will protect yourself from them through mashwara and istikhara. The Prophet ﷺ said:

(Al-Mu'jam al-Awsat, al-Tabarani; also referenced in various collections of similar wording)

Whoever does istikhara will not be disappointed, and whoever seeks consultation will not regret. Istikhara is not only for marriage, brothers. We do istikhara for anything — whether to take this job or not, whether to speak to this person or not, even smaller decisions. There is a short form of istikhara:

"Oh Allah, choose what is good for me, and choose for me." Another short form of istikhara:

"Oh Allah, inspire us to do what is right in all of our affairs, and protect us from the evil of ourselves."

You have all heard the khutbah opening: وَنَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنْ شُرُورِ أَنفُسِنَا وَمِنْ سَيِّئَاتِ أَعْمَالِنَا — "We seek Allah's protection from the evil of ourselves and from the evil effects of our sins." When we make decisions without mashwara and without istikhara, there is a very strong chance that we are being influenced by our nafs, by shaytan, and by the evil effects of our sins. So I encourage every single one to please bring these two things into your life: mashwara and istikhara. And humble yourself. No matter if you are a CFO, CEO, founder, entrepreneur, or professional of any scale — you and I all need someone to consult and take advice from.

Deeper Commentary on the Story of Qarun

Punishment in This World vs. The Next

Going back to what we are speaking about today: Allah mentions the punishment of Qarun in the dunya. But not all zalimin will get their punishment in the dunya. Some will get it in the akhirah only. And that does not mean they got away easily — rather it means they got it even harder.

And also, remind yourself of the hadith of Rasulullah ﷺ:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 4686; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2583)

"Indeed, Allah gives respite to an oppressor — He lets him go, lets him go, lets him go — until when He grasps him, He does not let him go." What we are seeing in the world today: if we do not have this Islamic perspective, we will definitely get depressed. Gaza — things have only gotten worse and worse. But every single day that passes by, the oppressor is only building a greater case against himself. The court of this dunya may not be able to do anything, but the court of Allah is beautiful. And Allah will ensure that everyone will meet justice on that day.

How Was Qarun Related to Musa?

How was Qarun related to Musa عليه السلام? Some say he was just a person from the tribe — that is what qawmi Musa means. Others say he was a cousin. Musa عليه السلام had to face a lot of big challenges in his life. He had to face Fir'awn, who claimed divinity. He had to face Haman, who had amassed his own army and was a powerful general. He had to face Samiri, who backstabbed Musa when he went to receive the Torah. And then he had to face Qarun, who challenged him, saying: "I am not going to give zakat, and you are fake." Similarly, any person doing the work of the prophets must be prepared to face all sorts of challenges. If you try to bring a revival of Islam within the Muslims themselves — not even speaking of non-Muslims — you will definitely face many problems.

Qarun's Plot Against Musa: Historical Narration

Let us hear what is mentioned by Ibn Abi Shaybah in his Musannaf. He says: Musa عليه السلام told Qarun: إِنَّ اللَّهَ أَمَرَنِي أَنْ آخُذَ الزَّكَاةَ — "Allah has ordered me to collect zakat." فَأَبَى — Qarun refused. And then he said: إِنَّ مُوسَى يُرِيدُ أَنْ يَأْكُلَ أَمْوَالَكُمْ — "Musa wants to devour your wealth." This is how Qarun instigated the people. That is why I tell students: do not be a shaytan — if you do not like something, go speak to the teacher directly, but do not cause chaos. So what does Qarun do here? He starts causing chaos. He said: "Musa first asked you to pray, and it came to you with other things, and you quietly said سَمِعْنَا وَأَطَعْنَا — 'We heard and we obeyed.' Now he is asking you to give him your wealth." They said: لَا نَحْتَمِلُ — "Okay, you are right, Qarun. We will say no to him."

Then Qarun said — and this is from Ibn Abi Shaybah's Musannaf, also mentioned in Imam Suyuti's al-Durr al-Manthur in tafsir: "I think we should call one of the loose women of the streets. فَنُرْسِلُهَا إِلَيْهِ فَتَرْمِيهِ بِأَنَّهُ أَرَادَهَا عَلَى نَفْسِهَا — We send her to him so that she may falsely accuse him of having desired her." This is the oldest trick in the book — how shaytan from among humans uses women to falsely accuse men of position and power, both in the deen and the dunya. May Allah save us.

So Qarun made this plan. Musa عليه السلام gathered everyone and gave a talk, mentioning the ahkam of the Torah: مَنْ يَسْرِقْ نَقْطَعْ يَدَهُ — "Whoever steals, his hand will be cut." وَمَنْ يَزْنِي نَجْلِدُهُ إِنْ كَانَ غَيْرَ مُحْصَنٍ وَنَرْجُمُهُ إِنْ كَانَ مُحْصَنًا — "A person who fornicates will be flogged if he is not married, and if married, will be stoned." Then Qarun stood up and said: فَإِنْ كُنتَ أَنتَ يَا مُوسَى — "What if it is you, O Musa, who did this?" And Musa عليه السلام said: وَإِنْ كُنتُ أَنَا — "Even if it is me, the rule is a rule." And at that moment, قَامَتِ الْمَرْأَةُ الْبَغِيُّ — that woman stood up — وَقَالَتْ هُوَ رَاوَدَنِي عَنْ نَفْسِي — "He tried to abuse me." SubhanAllah. Musa عليه السلام told her: وَالَّذِي فَلَقَ الْبَحْرَ لَتَقُولِنَّ الصِّدْقَ — "I swear by the One who split open the ocean — you better speak the truth." فَارْتَعَدَتِ الْمَرْأَةُ — She began to shake. And she acknowledged she was lying, and exposed what she and Qarun had planned. This began a great enmity between Qarun and Musa.

What Does Bagha Alayhim Mean?

فَبَغَىٰ عَلَيْهِمْ — That he committed injustice. This was either by usurping the rights of others, or by constantly looking down upon people. This is how people, unfortunately, act when they have wealth and do not have iman and amal salih. Either they start usurping people's rights — as though they do not have enough money, they encroach on others even further — or they start looking down upon people.

Then Allah says this money was so much that عُصْبَةٌ — a group of up to ten men — had to carry simply the keys to that wealth. Then his nation said: لَا تَفْرَحْ — you translate this not as "do not be happy" but rather "do not be arrogant, do not exult."

The Two Types of Farh (Rejoicing)

What does فَرَحٌ mean, and what are its two types? Allah in one place asks us to rejoice. Where?

Say: "Through the grace of Allah and through the mercy of Allah — in that let them rejoice." What is فَضْلُ اللَّهِ? The Qur'an. What is رَحْمَةٌ? The Sunnah. We should rejoice at the gift of the Qur'an and Sunnah. When there is a khatm al-Qur'an, we should be happy. When you memorize 3 lines of the Qur'an, you should be happy. The fact that you made it out for tafsir today — you and I should be happy. This is worthy of celebration.

But then Allah tells us لَا تَفْرَحْ in another context — and that is when a person is being happy over pure enjoyment without any benefit. الْفَرَحُ يَكُونُ بِالشَّيْءِ النَّافِعِ لَا بِالشَّيْءِ الَّذِي فِيهِ التَّمَتُّعُ فَقَطْ — Happiness should be over something beneficial, even if not necessarily enjoyable. Like: alhamdulillah I was able to get my surgery done — yes it was painful, but something beneficial happened.

Allah also mentions about the hypocrites:

The hypocrites were happy having stayed behind Rasulullah ﷺ and not participating in Tabuk. That is horrible. You are going to be punished for this. But they were happy because there was enjoyment without any benefit. So Allah is saying here that the nation of Qarun told him: this happiness over your wealth is enjoyable but not beneficial, because you do not have iman. Allah does not like those who act in this manner.

Making Du'a for the Heart to Love What Allah Loves

Something you and I may like — all of us may like certain things which are not beneficial for us. I am part of the same — we all suffer the same issue. We simply must now ask Allah:

"Oh Allah, make iman beloved to me. Oh Allah, beautify iman in my heart. And make kufr disliked by me. Make me hate major sins and disobedience. And make me hate all disobedience of Yours. And make me from amongst the successful people." This du'a is from the Qur'an (Surah Al-Hujurat, 49:7).

And there is another du'a:

"Oh Allah, drag me by my forelock towards goodness." Drag me — even if I do not want to go for salah with jama'ah, just force me. That is what it means. You are trying to go in one direction but Allah says: no, I have decided for you to be in the right company. And another beautiful du'a:

"Oh Allah, when You make the people of the dunya happy by them enjoying their dunya, make me happy with Your worship." While people are happy with their homes, their cars, their food, their bank balances — I want to be enjoying more than them, Your worship. If we at least make these duas to Allah regularly, inshAllah they will be accepted and we will see amazing things happening in our lives.

Using the Dunya to Earn the Akhirah

وَابْتَغِ فِيمَا آتَاكَ اللَّهُ — Whatever Allah is giving you in this dunya — money, power, contacts, status — try to use that to earn the akhirah. As one of our teachers beautifully said: for a believer, the asbab and means of this dunya are to purchase the akhirah. The reason Allah made one of us wealthy or very successful in business — that wealth is for you to buy your beautiful abode in the akhirah. That is what Allah gives us means for.

Someone says, "I really love luxury — a luxurious home, luxurious car, luxurious things." That is fine. Now, do you want to live with this luxurious life long-term or short-term? Long-term. Then there is one option: invest in the akhirah. Because if you invest only in this dunya, then one day you will lose money, Allah forbid, lose your house, your car, your position. Or of course, you have to die. And when you die, you have to separate from it all. So if you truly want to enjoy your dunya — send it forth to the akhirah.

This is what Ali رضي الله عنه has mentioned. A man came to him and said: "O Ali, O Ameer al-Mu'mineen, tell me — am I from the people of the dunya or of the people of the akhirah?" And he said: "I do not have the answer for that. You have the answer." "How so?" SubhanAllah, he said: إِنْ دَخَلَ عَلَيْكَ مَنْ تَعَوَّدْتَ أَنَّهُ يُعْطِيكَ وَدَخَلَ عَلَيْكَ مَنْ تَعَوَّدْتَ أَنْ يَأْخُذَ مِنكَ فَإِنْ كُنتَ تَبُشُّ لِمَنْ يُعْطِي فَأَنتَ مِنْ أَهْلِ الدُّنْيَا وَإِنْ كُنتَ تَبُشُّ لِمَنْ يَسْأَلُكَ وَيَأْخُذُ مِنكَ فَأَنتَ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْآخِرَةِ

"If you have two people who come to your house — one who is always asking you for things, and one who is always giving you things — if the one who is always asking becomes more beloved to you, and you get more excited to see him than the one who always gives you things, then you are from the people of the akhirah. But if you get more excited and happy for the one who always gives you things rather than the one who asks from you, then you are from the people of the dunya."

And someone from the Salaf would say, whenever someone came asking for sadaqah: مَرْحَبًا بِمَنْ جَاءَ يَحْمِلُ زَادِي إِلَى الْآخِرَةِ بِغَيْرِ أُجْرَةٍ — "Welcome to the one who is carrying my goods to the hereafter without any payment." He is carrying your investment to the akhirah without charging anything. Usually when you have to transport something, you hire someone and pay them. But this man is transferring your investment to the akhirah without charging anything. This is the way our Salaf understood charity. In reality, charity is charity to yourself — you are going to pull it out in the akhirah.

Do Not Forget Your Portion of This World

وَلَا تَنسَ نَصِيبَكَ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا — "Do not forget your portion of the good life in this world." Should 100% of our wealth be given away? No. You should have some for yourself. Interestingly, it is mentioned in tafsir that a true ashiq — a lover of Allah and of the akhirah — would be so focused that he has to be reminded: "Hey, you have to eat as well, you know. You cannot give away all the money." That is why Allah says وَلَا تَنسَ — "Do not forget." Because the one so focused on the akhirah will literally forget his own share in this dunya. This is what ishq of Allah does to you — it makes you forget this world.

Another explanation: this ayah is for people who are very stingy — bakheel — who do not even spend on their family or themselves. They are being told: please spend on yourself. As one scholar said: الدُّنْيَا أَهَمُّ مِنْ أَنْ تُنْسَى وَأَطْفَأُ مِنْ أَنْ تَكُونَ غَايَةً — "Dunya is too important to be forgotten and too lowly to be made a goal." Because if you do not have dunya, you cannot earn your akhirah. If you do not eat, how are you going to stand up and worship? Dunya is simply a wasilah — a means — that is all. It is not a ghayah.

Be Good to Allah's Servants

وَأَحْسِن كَمَا أَحْسَنَ اللَّهُ إِلَيْكَ — "Be good to Allah's servants as Allah has been good to you." Allah is a Muhsin — He does ihsan, He does more than He has to. There is a hadith:

(Referenced in various classical works; attributed to a narration via Imam Ahmad and others)

"Inculcate within yourselves the attributes of Allah." Allah is Muhsin, and Allah says: I want you also to do ihsan. Just as Allah has done ihsan upon us by giving us wealth, we need to share our wealth with those who do not have.

The story of Abu Bakr Siddiq رضي الله عنه in Surah An-Nur — when he was giving to Mistah, his relative who ended up accusing his daughter Aisha رضي الله عنها, the wife of the Prophet ﷺ, of indecency. Abu Bakr said: "I am never going to give Mistah again." And Allah revealed:

"Do you not want Allah to forgive you?" It is not befitting for a man of great virtue to take an oath to never give. Do you not want Allah to forgive you? Then here is the deal Allah is making: if you want Allah to forgive you, forgive other people. For those who say they have a very hard time forgiving people — just remember this ayah. Do you not want Allah to forgive you? Say: "Ya Allah, I forgive them for Your sake — now, Ya Allah, You forgive me." It is completely legitimate, straight from the Qur'an.

Allah also says in the Qur'an: مَنْ ذَا الَّذِي يُقْرِضُ اللَّهَ قَرْضًا حَسَنًا — "Who is the one who will give Allah a loan?" The fact that Allah is loving His servants to such a degree that He says: if you give money to a poor servant of Mine, it is as though you are giving it to Me as a loan. Allah does not want the poor person to feel degraded. And Allah does not want a wealthy person giving sadaqah to think of himself as higher. When we give money to someone in need, we are reminded: you are not giving to him, you are giving to Allah. As Aisha رضي الله عنها says: when a person gives sadaqah to a poor person, it falls into the hands of Allah before it falls into the hands of the poor person. This perspective saves us from looking down upon any poor brother or sister — be they Muslim or non-Muslim. You are giving to Allah. And you are giving a loan that you will definitely get back — in massive returns.

Qarun's Claim: "This Was Given By Virtue of My Knowledge"

His response to all five pieces of advice was: "I don't need to hear any of this. I earned this empire through my knowledge, my skills, my business acumen, my degree. I have a right to do with it whatever I want." Pure capitalistic style. Although mashallah, there are people like Bill Gates and others who have pledged to donate massively — may Allah give them hidayah towards iman. But the dominant mindset is: "I earned it, I can do what I want." That is what Qarun said.

There is a second tafsir: he was arrogant about his knowledge. He had a beautiful voice, knowledge of the Torah, and was known for reciting it beautifully. However, arrogance does not match with Allah. Like Iblis, who had so much knowledge but failed due to arrogance — similarly here, Qarun is missing the point. أَوَلَمْ يَعْلَمْ — Did you forget that all these previous nations were far more powerful, far wealthier, far greater in number than you? They all got destroyed when they disobeyed Allah. And Allah will not ask them what they did — He will straight up punish them because He has full knowledge of it.

Looking at Qarun's Parade: Two Responses

Then, after many days and months of disobedience, a day came when Allah says: فَخَرَجَ عَلَى قَوْمِهِ فِي زِينَتِهِ — He came forth to his people in all his adornment. When we see dunya, there are two responses.

Our ustad, Mawlana Sulayman Choksi, would explain these verses in such a beautiful manner in his tafsir sessions and in the many bayans he gave to ulema and students of knowledge. He would give the example of how in the madrasa days, when a wealthy person would come with an expensive car and park it in front, people would see it. He would say: "Who among you gets impressed by that? And who among you says, 'We have been through all of this — let us move on'?" He would speak to the madrasa students in class and take beautiful lessons from this story of Qarun. He would say: "Listen — when you see people of dunya and their dunya, do not sit there and allow yourself to fall for it with eyes of envy or greed. Look at the blessings you have instead of desiring what someone else has. Because desiring what someone else has is jealousy."

A jealous person in reality is الْمُعْتَرِضُ عَلَى اللَّهِ — he is objecting to Allah. When I give one child a green lollipop and one child a yellow lollipop, and one of them gets mad: "Why did you give him that and not me?" — he has a problem with me, not with the other kid. Similarly, when a person is angry that someone else has more dunya — he is actually challenging Allah. This is where it becomes very dangerous.

My beloved friends, Allah has distributed His blessings amongst His servants. What one of us has, the other definitely does not have. If Allah has given wealth to someone, He may have given intelligence to another. If Allah has given intelligence to one, He may have given a happy family to another. If Allah has given a beautiful spouse to someone, He may have given obedient children to another. If Allah has given a comfortable home to one, He may have given a deep connection with the Qur'an to another.

Stop looking at what others have. Instead, introspect what you have. And you will then live a happy life. The key to happiness is: focus on the blessings I have. Do not compare yourself in things that others have that you do not have. If you are in a mode of comparison and jealousy, compare yourself in the things that you have which others do not have.

This is why so many of us — men and women — suffer from pangs of jealousy. We cannot enjoy the beautiful home, spouse, car, food, and all the blessings we have, because we are always comparing: what she has, what he has, what the nephew has, what the niece has. And this makes us all grumpy and angry people. This is not befitting a believer.

The Beautiful Heart of Abdullah ibn Abbas

Abdullah ibn Abbas رضي الله عنهما — it is mentioned that he would say about the clean state of his heart, and how we should all follow in his footsteps: "I will tell you the condition of my heart in three things."

First: "When I ever see a rain cloud over a plantation or a farm of someone — even though it has nothing to do with me, I do not even know who the farm belongs to — somewhere far away in Medina, I see rain pouring on someone's garden. I become happy. Because I know someone's farm is getting rain today. Someone is going to be happy today, and I become happy at their happiness." Second: "When I see a person going to an honest, God-fearing judge who is ensuring that justice is met — I get happy. I have nothing to do with the case. But alhamdulillah, justice is going to be served today. And that makes me happy." Third — and as you all know, he was the greatest mufassir of the Qur'an, the one whom the Prophet ﷺ made du'a for, the one for whom Allah opened up the doors of tafsir — he said: "I have this desire in my heart that every single person should know as much tafsir of the Qur'an as I do. Every single ummati of Rasulullah ﷺ should be as though he has received that du'a."

Today people are so stingy with wealth and knowledge. But this great Companion wanted every single person to have all that he had. Did you hear all three things? Rain on any farm. Justice in the court. Tafsir of the Qur'an.

Now let us apply this today. If you hear that someone's daughter is getting married this Saturday — just smile. The person prays salah next to you. Alhamdulillah, he was looking for so long and he found someone. Did you hear someone got a promotion? Notice how we get angry at other people's happiness when it has nothing to do with us. The world does not revolve around you, my friend. Learn how to become happy for other people's happiness. And then one day your life also becomes happy. This is why you are grumpy and angry — because you do not know how to share joy.

Our ustad Mawlana Sulayman Mulla would say: "If you cannot give sadaqah of money, at least learn how to give sadaqah with words. If you cannot give sadaqah with words, at least learn how to give sadaqah with your smile. Do something. But do not be stingy with a smile or even a few kind words." Someone's son becomes a hafidh, or their daughter just graduated — just go, give him a hug. Say, mashAllah, mubarak, congratulations. My beloved friends, let us work on this. Let us learn how to overcome these spiritual ills we are suffering from.

Allah says in the Qur'an:

Do not desire what Allah has given preference to some over others. Some of you have gotten what others have not, and vice versa. You have all got something going on. The person who focuses on his own achievements has no reason to be jealous. And if you get happy with other people's blessings, you will be able to benefit from those blessings as well.

Think of the example of the right hand and left hand. Most of us are right-handed. When you take the nail cutter in your right hand and cut the left, it is with precision. When you take the left and cut with the right — is it with the same precision? No. So if the left hand becomes jealous of the right — what happens? The left will not be able to benefit from the right. The fact that the right is good is allowing the left to benefit from it. Similarly, if you learn to be happy at the accomplishments of your fellow Muslims, you will be able to benefit from them whenever the time arrives. That was a beautiful example that Shaykh Sha'rawi, may Allah have mercy on his soul, gave.

Never Envy the Dunya of Those Without Iman

We need to have mudhakara of this with our youth and children: never become envious of the dunya of those who have no iman. That is very foolish. Because when dunya has been given to someone who does not have iman and amal salih, then that dunya in reality is a fitnah and a punishment. Why would you sit there and desire a punishment? Dunya for someone who does not have iman and amal salih is a punishment. We should never look at a disbeliever's wealth and envy it. Rather, if anything, look at a believer's wealth who is spending it in the right cause.

The Prophet ﷺ himself said:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 73; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 816)

If jealousy were permissible, it would only be permissible with regard to two people: a man whom Allah gave wealth and Allah inspired him to spend all of it in proper avenues — in the truth. And a man whom Allah gave knowledge, and Allah inspired him to continue to serve the people through that knowledge — deciding issues, teaching people, and so on.

So two people are worthy of envy: a rich man and a knowledgeable man — but not every rich man and not every knowledgeable man. Rather, a wealthy man who spends his money constantly in goodness — he has what you call a big hole in his pocket, it is just finishing — عَلَى الْحَقِّ — in goodness. Bill Gates, for example, announced that his goal is to have the hundred billion or so he pledged all spent within 20 years or earlier, rather than prolonging it. That is inspirational. That is definitely a person worthy of a righteous form of envy — "Ya Allah, give me not just wealth, but such wealth that I am inspired to give, give, give in Haqq." And: "Ya Allah, give me ilm — but not ilm that I sit on. An ilm that I am busy serving people and guiding people."

We will stop here and continue on inshAllah. We translated the ayah إِنَّهُ لَذُو حَظٍّ عَظِيمٍ — we do not want to rush through it. There are still beautiful lessons to cover. We will finish the story of Qarun. So Qarun is still in his entourage, having a nice walk — little does he know where this walk ends. InshAllah next week, bi idhnillahi ta'ala, we will complete the remaining parts of Surah Al-Qasas. And then we will start a new Surah bi idhnillahi ta'ala.

Closing Du'a

Oh Allah, accept all those who are here today, and those who are listening online, and those who wanted to come but were not able to, and those who came but had to leave. Oh Allah, all those who made khidmah and nusrah in serving these programs, and those who are working behind the scenes every single week — Oh Allah, grant all of them barakah in their lives, in their ilm, in their amal, in their health, in their wealth. Oh Allah, barakah in their children, their spouses.

Oh Allah, we ask You to grant all of us protection from any and all disobedience of Yours. Oh Allah, allow us all to lead a life beloved to You. Oh Allah, allow us to be punctual on our fara'id, and also supplement them with nawafil. Oh Allah, make it easy for all of us to take time out to read Qur'an every day, to perform nafil salah every day, to do dhikr every day, to do muraqabah and muhasabah of ourselves every day — reflecting over what we have done all day and all night.

Oh Allah, make every one of us from amongst those who remember You profusely by night and by day. Oh Allah, save us from ghaflah, save us from heedlessness. Oh Allah, save us from performing salah improperly, from doing wudu improperly, from discharging our zakah improperly, from fasting improperly, from doing any ibadah with ignorance.

Oh Allah, allow us all to become students of knowledge. Oh Allah, allow us to have a desire to practice whatever good we hear, and to propagate whatever good we hear. Oh Allah, make every single one of us a da'i towards Your deen, a da'i towards the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ. Oh Allah, bring 100% deen into our lives, into the lives of our spouses, our children, and every member of our household.

Oh Allah, all those who are not married — make it easy for them to find the best spouses. Oh Allah, pairs are waiting for one another across the globe. Facilitate for each and every one of them the very best spouse, Ya Allah, that will protect them from haram and allow them to build their beautiful abode of akhirah in this dunya. Oh Allah, allow those who are married to find peace and comfort in their homes. Oh Allah, remove discord and ego from our houses. Oh Allah, remove the evil effects of nafs and shaytan from our lives.

Oh Allah, whoever is being physically, spiritually, mentally, emotionally, or financially harmed — because of his or her nafs, or shaytan, or the effects of their sins, or because of someone cursing them — Oh Allah, we ask You to allow all of us to get out of those problems. Allow us to enjoy barakah in our sustenance. Remove all debts from us. Allow us to live a life absolutely free from riba and interest. Allow us to live a life free from intoxicants. Oh Allah, protect our youth and young adults from all intoxicants.

Oh Allah, protect us all from watching haram, listening to haram, thinking haram, walking towards haram, entertaining haram, and ingesting haram. Oh Allah, allow us to be protected from the evil plots of shaytan through the internet, phones, and all the technological devices of today. Oh Allah, allow us to use this technology for our akhirah, and save us from being harmed through it.

Oh Allah, we ask You to grant our brothers and sisters in Palestine respite. Ya Allah, grant them a way out, grant them faraj and qarib, grant them nusrah. Oh Allah, grant them food, clothing, shelter, safety, and peace. Oh Allah, grant them aman. Oh Allah, grant them a sense of hope. Grant them resilience. Grant them unimaginable levels of sabr and ajr. Oh Allah, allow them to see the scenes of Jannatul Firdaus in this dunya. Allow their children, spouses, the women, the orphans — every single one of them, Ya Allah — to see what is being promised for them in the akhirah.

Oh Allah, through their sabr, through their patience, through their crying, through their du'a — grant victory not only to them but to all the oppressed across the globe. Oh Allah, through their du'a, allow the ummah to wake up. Allow the masajid to fill up. Allow the halaqat of knowledge across the globe to fill up. Through their du'a, allow us to become not materialistic but people of the akhirah. Allow the hardness of our hearts to be removed. Allow us to lead a life in which we control our desires and do not become slaves to them. Allow the Sunnah to become revived across the globe.

Oh Allah, protect Masjid al-Aqsa and the Haramayn al-Sharifayn. Protect all deeni efforts taking place in accordance with the Sunnah — from internal and external strife, from internal and external bid'at and innovations.

Oh Allah, grant shifa — swift and complete — to all of us, our parents, our spouses, our children, our loved ones. Oh Allah, protect our loved ones and family members from diseases like cancer, and other diseases of all types. New diseases like autism — we have no idea where they are coming from. Oh Allah, grant shifa to all those who have seemingly incurable diseases. Oh Allah, all those suffering mental, emotional, and psychiatric illnesses — grant them shifa. All those who have been affected by the evil effects of shaytan, by sihr, by effects of jinn — Oh Allah, grant them also shifa.

Oh Allah, all those suffering in their jobs, their rizq, their homes, or in any way — remove the difficulty. Most importantly, Oh Allah, do not allow us to suffer in terms of our deen, in terms of our relationship with You, in terms of our relationship with Your beloved, ﷺ.

Oh Allah, whoever asks us for du'a, or requested it, or is expecting us to make du'a for them — grant them more than they expect, more than they wish, more than they aspire.

Oh Allah, protect Darussalam — all the musallis, all the staff members, all the patrons, well-wishers, all the students, all the teachers, and all their family members, and all those who attend any and all of the programs. Oh Allah, protect them all from the evil effects of shaytan, of nafs, and of their sins. Oh Allah, allow everyone to enjoy Your special mercy. Descend Your special mercy and Your chosen angels to protect this place and all places where deeni efforts are taking place. Ameen.

Wa jazakumullahu khayran. Wa salamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh.