ﲚ ﲛ ﲜ ﲝ ﲞ ﲟ ﲠ ﲡ ﲢ ﲣ ﲤ ﲥ ﲦ ﲧ ﲨ ﲩ ﲪ ﲫ ﲬ ﲭ ﲮ ﲯ ﲰ ﲱ ﲲ ﲳ ﲴ ﲵ
And those who had wished for his position the previous day began to say, "Oh, how Allah extends provision to whom He wills of His servants and restricts it! If not that Allah had conferred favor on us, He would have caused it to swallow us. Oh, how the disbelievers do not succeed!"
Tafsir
Verse range: 28:82
"And those who had wished for his position the day before began to say..."
"Yesterday" (al-ams) is mentioned, but it does not necessarily mean the day immediately preceding your own. Rather, it refers to the time near it, by way of metaphor.
{His position}: His status in this world.
{Wai}: Separated from ka-anna. It is a word used to alert one to a mistake and to express regret. Its meaning is: The people became aware of their error in wishing and saying, "Would that we had been given the like of what Qarun was given," and they felt remorse.
Then they said: {Ka-annahu la yuflihu al-kafirun}: That is, "How similar the situation is to the fact that the disbelievers do not attain success." This is the view of al-Khalil and Sibawayh. He said: Wai, it is as if whoever possesses wealth is loved, and whoever is poor lives a life of hardship.
Al-Farra’ narrated that a Bedouin woman said to her husband, "Where is your son?" He replied, "Wai, it is as if he is behind the house."
According to the Kufans, wayka means "Woe to you," and the meaning is: "Do you not know that the disbelievers do not attain success?" It is also possible that the kaf is the kaf of address attached to wai, as in the saying: Wai-ka, Antarah, advance!
It may also mean "because," where the lam serves to explain the reason for this statement—or, "because the disbelievers do not attain success, that [the swallowing of Qarun] occurred."
Some people pause at {Wai} and begin with {ka-annahu}, while others pause at {Wayka}.
Al-A’mash recited: "Had it not been for Allah’s favor upon us..." It was also recited: {la-khusifa bina} (it would have caused us to sink), containing a pronoun referring to Allah. And la-nukhsaifa bina (that He would not cause us to sink), like your saying: "He was cut off by it" (inqata’a bihi). And la-takhsifa bina (that it would not cause us to sink).
{That home of the Hereafter We assign to those who do not desire exaltedness upon the earth or corruption. And the [best] outcome is for the righteous.}
