بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ
Allah says in the Qur’an:
“Indeed, Qarun was from the people of Moses, but he tyrannized them. And We gave him of treasures whose keys would burden a band of strong men; thereupon his people said to him, “Do not exult. Indeed, Allah does not like the exultant.” [28:76]
A bit of a back story: Qarun was from the nation of Musa at the time of Pharaoh. Pharaoh having taken Musa’s nation into slavery spread poverty amongst his people. In fear of an uprising of Musa’s nation, Pharaoh decided he needed surveillance amongst them and thus was willing to pay certain people to spy on the Muslims at the time. One of the people who took this opportunity was Qarun. To show us the extent of Qarun’s wealth after working with Pharaoh, Allah describes the key to one of his treasure vaults as needing a group of men just to lift the latch in order to open the door.
Now imagine such a wealthy man living amongst the poor slaves of Egypt, walking around with an entourage and boasting his wealth, wearing clothes the people around him can never afford, riding a horse, as Allah says later on in the surah:
“So he came out before his people in his adornment. Those who desired the worldly life said, “Oh, would that we had like what was given to Qarun. Indeed, he is one of great fortune.” [28:79]
The people did not know what Qarun was up to behind the scenes but they can see they he was exultant in what he has achieved from how he acted. Let us put aside how he obtained his wealth and focus on a different lesson here and that is being overly exultant.
Allah uses the word “farhan” which in Arabic translates to being overly excited or overly exultant. An example could be someone who jumps from event to another, one materialistic matter to another, indulging merely in entertainment and nothing else. Their life becomes an everyday celebration, one high after another. The advice the people gave Qarun – those who did not desire the worldly life – told him that Allah does not like those who are overly exultant; which is essentially telling him that life is not just about these highs.
Look around us in our time now on social media. People live to post pictures and videos of themselves boasting to others living on likes and follows, constantly trying to portray that their lives are one big happy lane, continuously chasing this fake life, just as Qarun continuously chased more wealth.
Why do people do this?
We find that these people chase these things to fill a void in their hearts but instead the hole is widened through this materialism. Not only is this affecting themselves but also the people who see this fake life and are intrigued by it, wanting the same thing which will simply never satisfy as it is a fairy tale.
So the first advice Allah gives is that we should not reduce our lives to this kind of constant over exultancy. He then continues:
“But seek, through that which Allah has given you, the home of the Hereafter; and [yet], do not forget your share of the world. And do good as Allah has done good to you. And desire not corruption in the land. Indeed, Allah does not like corrupters.” [28:77]
Allah is essentially telling us here that we should pursue what Allah has made halal for us, things that will benefit us now and in the hereafter. When we go after that which is permissible, it is a form of worship; whether this may be spending of income or time. This piece of advice also tells us that Allah wants happiness for us in this world.
Western society has deluded many people into thinking that the more religious a certain group is, the more miserable they are when this is simply not the case at all. Whatever desire we may have, there is always a halal path to it; but just as the shaytan deluded our parents Adam and Hawa’ with the tree – when Allah offered them an entire jannah of trees with one being haram and they still went for it – we are being deluded in the same way. We see a field of halal in front of us, yet the haram is made enticing by the shaytan.
When Allah describes that which is halal, He says:
“O mankind, eat from whatever is on earth [that is] lawful and pure and do not follow the footsteps of Satan. Indeed, he is to you a clear enemy.” [2:168]
He pairs the word halal with pure, therefore letting us know that whatever is made haram will bring impurity, some kind of corruption into our lives. It will not solve any problems it will only make them worse and this is proven through what we see around us today.
May Allah protect us from the delusion of the shaytan and allow us all to seek the pleasures in what is made halal and pure.
Allah knows best.