'In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful' His saying, the Exalted and Majestic: "Indeed, Qarun was from the people of Musa, and he oppressed them. We gave him treasures, the keys of which were heavy for a group of strong men. When his people said to him, 'Do not rejoice; indeed, Allah does not like the rejoicers.'" "And seek in that which Allah has given you the Hereafter, and do not forget your share of the world. And do good as Allah has done good to you, and do not seek corruption in the land. Indeed, Allah does not like the corrupters." Qarun: is a foreign name, therefore it does not decline. People have differed regarding the relation of Qarun to Musa, peace be upon him. Ibn Ishaq said: He is his uncle. Ibn Jurayj and Ibrahim al-Nakha'i said: He is his cousin, and this is more famous. It is said that he is the son of his maternal aunt. He is, by consensus, a man from Bani Israel, who was among those who believed in Musa, and he memorized the Torah. He was one of the most knowledgeable people of it, and he was among the worshippers of the believers with Musa, peace be upon him. Then pride and arrogance overtook him, and he oppressed his people in various ways. Among that was his disbelief in Musa and his contempt for him, and his demand that he make something for him. Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said: He approached a beautiful woman who was a prostitute and said to her: I will do good to you and protect you in my family on the condition that you come in a gathering of Bani Israel before me and say: 'O Qarun, protect me from the matter of Musa, for he is threatening me.' The woman came, and when she stood before the gathering, Allah, the Exalted, inspired her to repent. She said: 'O Bani Israel, indeed Qarun said to me such and such,' and she exposed him in the entire story. Allah, by His power, cleared His Prophet Musa, peace be upon him, from his demand. It is said that the woman said this about Musa. When the news reached him, he confronted the woman in the presence of Bani Israel and said: 'O Prophet of Allah, I lied about you, and indeed Qarun pushed me to this statement.' Among his oppression was that he increased the length of his garments by a span over the garments of the people, as stated by Shahr ibn Hawshab, in addition to other things that come from one whose belief has become corrupt. He was among the wealthiest of people, and his wealth was called treasures because he was refusing to pay zakat. Because of this, he opposed Musa, peace be upon him, at the beginning of his enmity. The keys: their apparent meaning is that they are what is used to open. It is possible that he means by them the treasures and large containers, as stated by al-Dahhak: For the key, in the speech of the Arabs, is the treasury. Al-Qadi Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: Most of the interpreters have spoken about Qarun. It has been narrated from Khaythamah that he said: We find in the Gospel written: 'Indeed, the keys of Qarun were made from the skins of camels, and the key was half a span long, and the weight of sixty mules or camels was for each key a treasure.' Al-Qadi Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

And it has been narrated other than this from what is close to it. All of that is weak, and the observation testifies to the invalidity of this. And who is it that distinguishes some of them from others? And what is the reason for this, when it is possible that all of them could return to what can be counted and easily carried? It was necessary - based on this - that 'keys' be with a 'ya', and this is the reading of Al-A'mash. What resembles this is: either the keys are made of iron or something similar, and based on this, they would be heavy for the group; as there were many due to the abundance of their stores, or the 'keys' are the treasures. Abu Salih said: His treasures were carried on forty mules. As for his saying: 'they would be heavy', its meaning is: they would rise with difficulty. From this is the saying of the poet describing a shooter:

Until when his joints came together and his shoulder leaned heavily on the left side.

The point is to say: the group would be burdened by the heavy keys. Many of the interpreters have said that this is intended, but it is a metaphor, as the Arabs often do. From this is the saying of the poet:

I sacrificed my soul for his soul and my wealth, and I do not withhold from you except what I can bear.

And the saying of another:

And you ride a horse with no gentleness between them, and the spears suffer with the red shields.

And this verse has no proof in it; as it is directed in its meaning, so reflect upon it. And from this is the saying of another:

You were not in the midst of the war, overwhelmed, when the heat of its fuel ignited its branches.

And Sibawayh and Al-Khalil said: The estimation is: 'to burden the group', and thus the action is made transitive with a preposition, as you say: the burden was heavy and it was made to be heavy, meaning: it made it to be heavy. The Arabs say: the burden was heavy on the camel when it burdened it.

Qadi Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: It is possible that 'they would be heavy' is metaphorically attributed to the keys; because they rise with difficulty when that which carries them does so. This is consistent with their saying: the burden was heavy on the beast, and similar to it, so reflect upon it.

And the people differed regarding 'the group', how many are they? Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both, said: three. And Qatadah said: the group is from ten to forty. And Mujahid said: fifteen. And it was said: eleven, based on the brothers of Yusuf. And it was said: forty.

And Budeil ibn Maysarah read: 'they would be heavy' with a 'ya', and Abu Al-Fath directed it to mean that he reads: 'his keys' in the plural. Abu Amr Al-Dani mentioned that Budeil ibn Maysarah read: 'what indeed is his key' in the singular, thus this suffices without the direction of Abu Al-Fath.

And His saying, exalted is He: "When his people said to him" is related to His saying: "So he transgressed." They prohibited him from the excessive joy that is indulgence and the dissolution of the soul, and arrogance and self-admiration. And "He does not love" - in this context - is a description of an action; because it is a matter that has occurred, and it is impossible for it to return to the will. Rather, He does not manifest His blessings upon them, nor does He grant them His mercy. Then they advised him to seek with his wealth the pleasure of Allah and his Hereafter. And His saying, exalted is He: "And do not forget your share of this world" has been interpreted differently by the interpreters. Ibn Abbas - may Allah be pleased with both of them - and the majority said: Its meaning is: Do not waste your life in not doing a righteous deed in your world; for the Hereafter is only worked for in this world. Thus, a person's share is his lifespan and his righteous deeds, and he should not neglect them.

Qadi Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

So all the words - according to this interpretation - are a strong admonition. And Al-Hasan and Qatadah said: Its meaning is: And do not waste your portion also from your world in enjoying what is lawful and seeking it, and in considering the outcome of your world.

Qadi Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

So the speech - according to this interpretation - is about being gentle with him and rectifying the matter that he desires. And this is something that should be employed with the one being admonished out of fear of the prophecy of severity. And Al-Hasan said: Its meaning is: Advance the virtue and hold on to what you can reach. And Malik said: It is eating and drinking without extravagance. And Al-Thalabi reported that it was said: They meant by his share the shroud.

Qadi Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

And this is a continuous admonition as if they said: Do not forget that you will leave all your wealth except for your share, which is the shroud. And similar to this is the saying of the poet:

Your share of what you gather throughout time is two garments to be wrapped in and a perfume.

And His saying: "And do good as Allah has done good to you" is a command to connect with the poor and those in need. And the rest of the verse is clear.