Tafsir of Al-Qasas 28:81

"So We caused the earth to swallow him and his house..."

Ibn Abi Shaybah in his Musannaf, as well as Ibn al-Mundhir, Ibn Abi Hatim, al-Hakim—who authenticated it—and Ibn Marduyah narrated from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that Qarun was the cousin of Musa (peace be upon him). He used to pursue knowledge until he had amassed much of it, and he remained in that state until he transgressed against Musa (peace be upon him) and envied him.

Musa said, "Allah the Exalted has commanded me to collect the Zakat (alms)." Qarun refused and said, "Musa intends to consume your wealth. He brought you prayer, and he brought you other things, and you bore them; so will you now bear it that you give him your wealth?" They said, "We will not bear it. What do you suggest?" He said, "I suggest that we send for a harlot from among the harlots of the Children of Israel, and we send her to him to accuse him of soliciting her for himself."

They sent for her and said, "We will give you whatever you demand if you bear witness against Musa that he committed immorality with you." She said, "Yes."

Qarun then came to Musa (peace be upon him) and said, "Gather the Children of Israel so you may inform them of what your Lord has commanded you." He said, "Yes." He gathered them, and they said to him, "What has your Lord commanded you?" He said, "He has commanded you to worship Allah the Exalted and associate nothing with Him, to maintain ties of kinship, and such and such. He has also commanded me regarding the adulterer, if he commits adultery while having been married, that he be stoned." They said, "Even if it were you?" He said, "Yes." They said, "But you have committed adultery!" He said, "Me?"

They sent for the woman, and she came. They said to her, "What do you testify regarding Musa (peace be upon him)?" Musa (peace be upon him) said to her, "I adjure you by Allah the Exalted to speak only the truth." She said, "Since you have adjured me by Allah the Exalted, they invited me and promised me a reward if I would accuse you of having been with me. But I testify that you are innocent and that you are the Messenger of Allah."

Musa (peace be upon him) fell into prostration, weeping. Allah the Exalted revealed to him, "What makes you weep? We have given you power over the earth, so command it, and it will obey you." He raised his head and said, "Take them!" The earth took them up to their heels. They began to cry, "O Musa!" He said, "Take them!" The earth took them up to their knees. They began to cry, "O Musa! O Musa!" He said, "Take them!" And it swallowed them up.

Then Allah revealed, "O Musa, your servants asked of you and pleaded with you, but you did not answer them. By My Might, had they called upon Me, I would have answered them."

In some narrations, it is said that he had promised the harlot a thousand dinars, or—it is said—a tray of gold filled with gold. In some, it is said that he (peace be upon him) said in his prostration, "O Lord, if I am Your Messenger, then be angry on my behalf." So Allah the Exalted revealed to him, "Command the earth with whatever you wish, for it is obedient to you."

He said, "O Children of Israel, Allah the Exalted has sent me to Qarun just as He sent me to Pharaoh. Whoever was with him, let him stay; and whoever is with me, let him move aside." They all moved aside, except for two men. Then he said, "O earth, take them!" The earth took them up to their knees, then to their waists, then to their necks, while they were pleading and adjuring him by kinship. He (peace be upon him) did not turn to their pleas due to the intensity of his anger, and he kept saying, "Take them!" until the earth closed over them.

Allah the Exalted revealed, "O Musa, how harsh you are! They sought your aid repeatedly, and you had no mercy on them. By My Might, had they called upon Me even once, they would have found Me near and responding." In one narration, Allah Almighty revealed to him, "How hardened your heart is! By My Might and Majesty, had he sought My aid, I would have aided him." He (peace be upon him) said, "Lord, it was out of anger for Your sake that I did it."

Then the Children of Israel said, "Musa only did that to him in order to inherit his wealth." So he prayed to Allah the Exalted until the earth swallowed his house and his wealth. In some reports, the swallowing of him and his house occurred at the same time, and his house was—as it is said—made of plates of gold.

It has come in several traditions that he sinks into the earth the height of a stature every day, and that he continues to descend into the earth, never reaching its bottom, until the Day of Resurrection. Allah the Exalted knows the truth of that. In fact, it is problematic if what the philosophers said regarding the diameter of the earth is true, and they did not say it has movement at all. As for the khasf (swallowing up), there is no doubt in its intrinsic and factual possibility, and its ordinary cause is explained in its proper place.

"So there was no group for him"—that is, a specific group. It is derived from fa’at qalbuhu (his heart leaned or inclined), and a group is called this because they lean toward one another. Its lam is omitted, and its measure is fi’ah. Al-Raghib said it is an elision of the ’ayn, making its measure fullah, and that it is from fay’, which is returning, because some of the group return to others. "From" is a connective, meaning: there was no group for him "that could help him against Allah"—by warding off the punishment from him.

"And he was not"—that is, by himself—"of those who defend themselves"—meaning those who prevent His punishment, Majestic is His Might. It is said, "He helped him against his enemy," so he defended himself, meaning he prevented him, so he became prevented. It is possible that the meaning is "He was not among those who are defended by their helpers," and this is mentioned for emphasis.