قَد قالَهَا الَّذينَ مِن قَبلِهِم فَما أَغنىٰ عَنهُم ما كانوا يَكسِبونَ
فَأَصابَهُم سَيِّئَاتُ ما كَسَبوا ۚ وَالَّذينَ ظَلَموا مِن هٰؤُلاءِ سَيُصيبُهُم سَيِّئَاتُ ما كَسَبوا وَما هُم بِمُعجِزينَ
Those who were before them [also] said that, but what they used to earn did not avail them. 51So the evils of what they had earned visited them, and as for the wrongdoers among these, the evils of what they earn shall be visited on them and they will not thwart [Allah’s might].
EXEGESIS
Iʿjāz is to render someone helpless (ʿājiz). ‘They are not muʿjizīn’ means that they cannot escape God’s decree and punishment. Know that you cannot thwart Allah (9:2).
EXPOSITION
These two verses provide a counter example for why the abovementioned logic (I was given it by virtue of [my] knowledge) is not true. As with what is the fact of the matter about distresses and blessings, the previous verse identified them as tests, and the following verse ascribes them to God’s wish.
These two verses present two general rules: 1. Mankind is naturally inclined toward the arrogance and heedlessness described in the previous verse, and this behaviour has had numerous examples throughout history. The story of Korah in the Holy Quran is a specific example of this, where he ascribed his abundant wealth and possessions to himself: He said: ‘I have indeed been given [all] this because of the knowledge that I have.’ Did he not know that Allah had already destroyed before him some of the generations who were more powerful than him and greater in amassing [wealth]? The guilty will not be questioned about their sins (28:78). 2. God has no favouritism toward one group over another. If the later generations behave in the same way as the previous ones, they shall be visited by the same punishment. Overall, these two verses are a threat to those who do not learn from the previous generations.
These verses should be a warning to all of us because they show that each of us is a Korah at his own level. What made Korah Korah, was not his abundant wealth, but his mentality of I have indeed been given [all] this because of the knowledge that I have. Therefore, anyone else who has this mentality is following his path and is destined to his fate. Allah’s precedent with those who passed away before, and you will never find any change in Allah’s precedent (33:62).
What they used to earn (in verse 50) refers to the wealth and power that they were so eager to acquire and hoard in their life, and which they deemed to be the source of their success and sufficiency. He supposes his wealth will make him immortal! No indeed … (104:3-4). But as for him who is stingy and self-complacent, and denies the best promise, We shall surely ease him into hardship. His wealth shall not avail him when he perishes (92:8-11; see also 15:84, 26:207, 40:82, and 111:2). What they used to earn could also refer to their act of worshipping other-than-God.
The evils of what they had earned (in verse 51) refers to the evil consequences of their sins and wrongdoings such as polytheism, pride, heedlessness, avarice, and miserliness. Therefore, the two verses are a negation and an assertion that complement one another: wealth and riches are of no avail in the hereafter, but instead one’s actions are what matter.
Hence, verse 51 involves an implicit reference to God’s justice, because the evil that visited them was only due to their own deeds. In Korah’s story, the evil that visited him has been described as follows: 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 (28:81). Based on the context and Korah’s story, the verse apparently refers to a punishment in this world, although it could also include God’s punishment in the hereafter, especially given the universality of this message, as well as the final part of the verse: they will not thwart [Allah’s might].
What they used to earn did not avail them can be generalised beyond the context of this verse into a fundamental principle. Then it would indeed prove to be a very subtle point, showing the only real cause in the world of creation. Anything that we do in this world at best meets our duty of servitude; but as with our share of bounties and sustenance, it is solely a result of divine decree and providence. This is a profound Quranic secret, but most people do not know (34:36) because it is not merely a matter of mental understanding, but it is something to be experienced and realised within oneself. See verse 52.
INSIGHTS FROM OTHER TRADITIONS
- Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD’S wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.
TOPICAL ARTICLES
See Topical Article: Determinism and Free Will.
[1] Raghib; Qamus, under ʿ-j-z.
[2] Mizan, 17/274-275.
[3] Tabari, 24/9.
[4] Qaraati, 8/186.
[5] Alusi, 12/268.
[6] Zephaniah 1:18.