تخيّل أن مفاتيح خزائنك وحدها تحتاج جماعة من الرجال الأقوياء ليحملوها. ليست الخزائن — المفاتيح فقط. هذا رجل ذكره القرآن فعلًا، وكان أغنى من حوله. فهل جعله ذلك أسعد من حوله أيضًا؟
قارون رجل من قوم موسى، ﴿فَبَغَىٰ عَلَيْهِمْ﴾ — أي تكبّر عليهم وظلمهم. وقد آتاه الله من الكنوز ما لم يؤتِ أحدًا حوله: ﴿وَآتَيْنَاهُ مِنَ الْكُنُوزِ مَا إِنَّ مَفَاتِحَهُ لَتَنُوءُ بِالْعُصْبَةِ أُولِي الْقُوَّةِ﴾ — أي إن حمل المفاتيح وحدها يُثقِل جماعة من الرجال الأشدّاء. وانتبه من الآن: المال ليس عيبًا، والكنوز ليست ذنبًا. القصة ليست عن ماله.
جاءه قومه بنصيحة جميلة، وهي في القرآن بنصّها: ﴿لَا تَفْرَحْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُحِبُّ الْفَرِحِينَ * وَابْتَغِ فِيمَا آتَاكَ اللَّهُ الدَّارَ الْآخِرَةَ وَلَا تَنسَ نَصِيبَكَ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا وَأَحْسِن كَمَا أَحْسَنَ اللَّهُ إِلَيْكَ﴾. وانظر كم هي معتدلة: لم يقولوا له اترك مالك. قالوا: اطلب به الآخرة، وخذ نصيبك من الدنيا، وأحسِن إلى الناس كما أحسن الله إليك. نصيحة لا تحرمه شيئًا. فماذا كان جوابه؟
أجاب بأربع كلمات لخّصت كل ما فيه: ﴿إِنَّمَا أُوتِيتُهُ عَلَىٰ عِلْمٍ عِندِي﴾ — إنما أُعطيته بعلمٍ عندي أنا. أي: هذا مني، بذكائي وبتعبي؛ ليس فضلًا من أحد. وهنا المرض كله: لا في المال، بل في أنه نسي من أين جاء المال. ثم خرج على الناس في زينته، فانقسم من رآه قسمين: قسم تمنّى أن يكون مكانه، وقسم قال: ﴿وَيْلَكُمْ ثَوَابُ اللَّهِ خَيْرٌ لِّمَنْ آمَنَ وَعَمِلَ صَالِحًا﴾.
﴿فَخَسَفْنَا بِهِ وَبِدَارِهِ الْأَرْضَ﴾ — فابتلعته الأرض هو وداره. ﴿فَمَا كَانَ لَهُ مِن فِئَةٍ يَنصُرُونَهُ مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ وَمَا كَانَ مِنَ الْمُنتَصِرِينَ﴾ — لم ينفعه أحد ممّن حوله، ولم يستطع أن ينصر نفسه. وأمّا الذين تمنّوا مكانه بالأمس فأصبحوا يقولون: ﴿وَيْكَأَنَّ اللَّهَ يَبْسُطُ الرِّزْقَ لِمَن يَشَاءُ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ وَيَقْدِرُ﴾. رأوا في يوم واحد بأعينهم ما لم يفهموه في عمر كامل.
يقول الله تعالى يصف غرور قارون: {قَالَ إِنَّمَا أُوتِيتُهُ عَلَىٰ عِلْمٍ عِندِي}. (أي كان يظن أنه حصل على المال بذكائه فقط وليس من فضل الله).
ما في يدك عاريةٌ من الله، ومن نسي أنها عارية أوشك أن يفقدها.
الذين تمنّوا مكان قارون بالأمس حمدوا الله اليوم أنهم ليسوا مكانه. هل تمنّيتَ يومًا شيئًا عند غيرك؟ ولو أعطاك الله إيّاه، ماذا كنت ستفعل به؟
انظر اليوم إلى شيء تحبّه ممّا عندك، وقل: هذا من فضل ربي. ثم أعطِ منه شيئًا لغيرك.
القرآن الكريم، سورة القصص: 76-83
كنوزه وقوله وخسف الأرض به، كله بنص الآيات.
Imagine that the keys to your treasure chests alone need a group of strong men to carry them. Not the chests — just the keys. This was a real man the Quran tells us about, the richest of everyone around him. Did that make him the happiest of them too?
Qarun was a man from the people of Musa, {and he tyrannised them} — he grew arrogant over them and wronged them. Allah had given him treasures given to no one around him: {And We gave him of treasures whose keys would burden a band of strong men} — the keys alone were heavy enough to weigh down a group of the strongest. And note from the start: wealth is no fault, and treasure is no sin. This story is not about his money.
His people came to him with beautiful advice, and it is in the Quran word for word: {Do not exult. Indeed, Allah does not like the exultant. But seek, through that which Allah has given you, the home of the Hereafter; and do not forget your share of the world; and do good as Allah has done good to you.} See how balanced it is: they did not tell him to give up his wealth. They said seek the Hereafter with it, take your share of this world, and do good to people as Allah has done good to you. Advice that deprives him of nothing. And what was his answer?
He answered with a few words that summed up everything wrong with him: {I was only given it because of knowledge I have.} That is: this is mine, from my own cleverness and effort; it is no one's favour to me. There is the whole sickness — not in the wealth, but in forgetting where the wealth came from. Then he went out before the people in his finery, and those who saw him split in two: some wished they were in his place, and some said {Woe to you! The reward of Allah is better for one who believes and does righteousness.}
{And We caused the earth to swallow him and his home.} {And there was for him no company to aid him other than Allah, nor was he of those who could defend themselves.} No one around him was any use, and he could not save himself. As for those who had wished to be in his place the day before, they now said: {Ah, Allah extends provision to whom He wills of His servants and restricts it.} In a single day they saw with their own eyes what a whole lifetime had not taught them.
What is in your hand is on loan from Allah, and whoever forgets it is a loan is close to losing it.
Those who wished to be in Qarun's place yesterday thanked Allah they were not in it today. Have you ever wanted something someone else had? If Allah gave it to you, what would you do with it?
Look at something you love among the things you have today and say: this is from the favour of my Lord. Then give a part of it to someone else.
The Quran, Surah Al-Qasas: 76-83
His treasures, his words and the earth swallowing him are all in the verses themselves.