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fa-kharaja ʿalā qawmihī fī zīnatihī qāla lladhīna yurīdūna l-ḥayāta d-dunyā yā-layta lanā mithla mā ʾūtiya qārūnu ʾinnahū la-dhū ḥaẓẓin ʿaẓīmin
So he emerged before his people in his finery. Those who desired the life of the world said, ‘We wish we had like what Korah has been given! Indeed he is greatly fortunate.’
— Ali Quli Qarai
Surah Al-Qasas - Verse 79
79. “So he went forth unto his people in his adornment. Those who aspired for the life of this world said: ‘We wish we had like what Korah has been given! Verily he owns a great fortune’.”
When the power and wealth are in the hand of some negligent persons and they are the cause of boasting, gaudiness, and luxury; and showing the wealth and property to others boastingly, this manner is one of the qualities of Korah. The boastful wealthy persons usually afflict with kinds of madness, one branch of which is ‘the madness of exhibiting wealth’. They take pleasure to show their own wealth to others. They feel peace of mind when they ride a good precious mount and pass through the crowd of the poor while, by making dust unto their faces, they despise them.
This showing wealth is often a calamity for their lives, because it fosters grudge in people’s hearts. This evil action may have a motive such as: ‘Allurement of covetous persons’ and the like, but they do this deed even without this motive. This is a kind of desire, not a program and plan. However, Korah was not an exception from this law, but he was considered as a clear example of it. The Qur’an has stated it through a sentence in this verse. It says:
The application of the Arabic word /fi/ (in) in the phrase: ‘in his adornment’ expresses this fact that he used all his own ability and power in order to show his final adornment and his ultimate wealth, and with no words, it is clear that how large activities he can do by this wealth. Of course, there are many stories or legends cited in history upon this field which are not necessary to be mentioned. But, as usual, here people were divided into two groups: 1) The majority of people who were some mammonish persons and when they saw that gazing scene, their hearts shook, and gasped moaning, and they wished they could be in the place of Korah, even for one day, or one hour, or one moment.
They thought what a sweet and attractive life they could have, and how a happy and pleasant world it were for them! The Qur’an says:
They said that praise be upon Korah and upon his abundant wealth! What a rank and grandeur! And what a glory it is that history does not contain anything similar to that! This is a God-given glory…and some statements like them. In fact, here the furnace of the trial of Allah became hot. From one side, Korah is in the middle of the furnace and he has to be examined for his arrogance; and, on the other side, the mammonists of the Children of Israel are around this furnace.
The painful punishment, of course, is the punishment that exists after such an exhibition and from that height he falls down into the depth of the ground.