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fa-khasafnā bihī wa-bi-dārihi l-ʾarḍa fa-mā kāna lahū min fiʾatin yanṣurūnahū min dūni llāhi wa-mā kāna mina l-muntaṣirīna
So We caused the earth to swallow him and his house, and he had no party that might protect him from Allah, nor could he rescue himself.
— Ali Quli Qarai
Surah Al-Qasas - Verse 81
81. “And We caused the earth to swallow up him and his house, then for him there was no group to help him against (the wrath of) Allah, nor could he defend himself.”
Man can spiritually move alongside two curves: toward upward that he reaches ascension and toward downward that he goes down deeply into the lowliness. The final end of amassing wealth is often miser, pride and destruction. By this action, Korah caused his disobedience to reach its climax, but regarding this matter there has been recorded in history and narrations another event that is the sign of Korah’s ultimate impudence, it is as follows: One day Moses (as) told Korah that Allah had commanded Moses to take the right of the needy (Zakat) of his property. Then Korah with a simple calculation understood how great amount of money he had to pay in this way. He refused it, and in order to exonerate himself, he struggled against Moses (as).
Once he stood among a rich group of the Children of Israel and said:
“O people! Moses has intended to devour your properties. He brought the command of prayer and you accepted it; you accepted all other things, too; do you also bear to give him your property?”
They said:
“No. But how can we stand against him?”
Here, Korah thought of a Satanic action. He said:
“I have thought a very good way for it. In my opinion, we must produce a file of the act of indecency for him. We must send for a bad woman among the prostitutes of the Children of Israel and tell her to go to Moses and accuse him that he had a liaison with her.”
They approved it and sent for that kind of woman and told her whatever she demanded they would give her for the act that she might attest that Moses had a liaison with her. The woman accepted that suggestion. This was from one side, on the other side Korah went to Moses and said it was better that he (as) would gather the Children of Israel and recite the commands of Allah for them. Moses accepted it and gathered them in one place. People said to Moses to reiterate the ordinances of his Lord. Moses said that He had commanded him that they should not worship any one other than Him, they should regard for kinship, and do so and so; and in regard for an adulterer He has ordered that if it was an adultery (fornication with a married one) he had to be stoned.
At this time, those rich people of the Children of Israel who had conspired said:
“Even if that man is you yourself!”
He (as) answered:
“Yes, if it is I myself.”
Here, they made their shamelessness that reached its climax and said:
“We know that you have committed this action yourself and you have associated with that woman who is a prostitute.”
Then, they immediately sent after that particular bad woman and told her to say her attestation. Moses addressed her and said:
“I administer you an oath by Allah to say the reality clearly.”
By hearing this statement, the bad woman shook severely, trembled and was touched at heart. She said:
“Now that you say so I tell the truth manifestly. These people invited me and promised to pay me a heavy reward that I accuse you; but I bear witness that you are pure and you are the messenger of Allah.”
Another narration indicates that that woman said:
“Woe on me! I have committed many wrong actions, but I have not denigrated the messenger of Allah.”
Then she showed the two purses of money that they had given her and said whatever was to say. Moses (as) fell prostrated and wept, and it was then that the command of the punishment of Korah, the evildoer, was issued. This very narration denotes that Allah gave the command of /xasf/ (swallow) at Moses disposal.7 In this regard, the Qur’an says:
Yes, when inordinacy contumacy and humiliation of the poor believers, as well as plotting against the pure messenger of Allah, reaches its peak, the Power of Allah works and puts an end to the life of the plotters. It destroys them so severely that their life becomes a gazing-stock for all. The act of /xasf/, which here means: to sink, and being concealed into the earth, has happened many times during the history of man. It occurs when a horrible earthquake comes and the ground splits and swallows a city or some villages. But this one was different with other instances. Its main prey was only Korah, his house, and his treasures.
Strange! Pharaoh sinks in the waves of Nile; Korah sinks in the depth of the ground; water, which is the source of life, is commissioned to destroy the people of Pharaoh; and the ground, which is the place of comfort, becomes the graveyard of Korah and Korah-like people. It is certain that Korah was not the only inhabitant of that house. It was he and his entourage; he and his confederates, he and his unjust cruel friends. All of those people sank into the depth of the ground.
The verse continues saying:
Neither those who received rations from him, nor his loyal friends, nor his wealth and properties, could save him from the Divine punishment, and all of them sank into the ground.
Footnotes