The Downfall of Qarun and the Dangers of Materialism
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious the Most Merciful
Today, we’re living in the age of the self. Community has been replaced by individualism, people have become consumers, and contentment has been replaced by greed. An example of this mentality is Qarun (Korah), a wealthy man from the time of Prophet Musa عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ. His immense wealth was admired and seen as a mark of success, yet it led to his ruin. This article explores the lessons from Qarun’s life, the consequences of excessive love for wealth, and how we can restore our Islamic values of community and contentment.
A Man with Enormous Wealth
Qarun was a man famous for his wealth amongst the Children of Israel. He was used by Firaun (Pharaoh) as a henchman over the slaves. Ibn Abbas رضي الله عنه believes he was a a paternal cousin of Prophet Musa. Qarun was known as ‘An Nur’ (The Light) due to his beautiful voice when reciting the Torah, but became a hypocrite due to disobeying his prophet. He loved to flaunt his wealth in front of people. He travelled with his treasures, servants and riding animals wherever he went. Allah the Almighty mentions his story in Surah Qasas.
It was said that the keys of his treasures were so many it would take sixty mules to carry it. As a result the people were in awe when they saw him, calling out: “What a great fortune he has!”
Wise men in the tribe would chastise them, saying that the riches of the Hereafter is better than this.
Similarly, Qarun was advised by his own men not to be arrogant or conceited with his riches, as it was a sign of ingratitude to Allah the Almighty. He was told to enjoy his earnings but not forget about the poor and needy. They emphasised his role to share his wealth with others and not cause harm.
He replied: "This has been given to me only because of the knowledge I possess."
This means that he believed Allah سبحانه و تعالى only gave him wealth because he deserved it above everyone else. However, Allah the Almighty refuted his statement saying: {Did he not know that Allah had destroyed before him generations, men who were stronger than him in might and greater in the amount (of riches) they had collected?
The Demise of Qarun
In his arrogance, Qarun gave a prostitute a sum of money to accuse Musa عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ of adultery in front of his people. She did this and a horrified Musa fell into prostration and sought Allah’s help. He told her, ‘By Allah, tell me who hired you to do this?’
She admitted her wrongdoing and said it was Qarun. Upon that, Musa cursed him and prayed for the ground to swallow him up. Allah the Almighty revealed that He commanded the earth to obey him.
Allah the Most High said: Then We caused the earth to swallow him up, along with his home. There was no one to help him against Allah, nor could he even help himself.
When the people saw Qarun and his treasures sinking into the earth, those who desired his fame and money abandoned this idea. They exalted Allah saying: “It is certainly Allah Who gives abundant or limited provisions to whoever He wills of His servants. Had it not been for the grace of Allah, He could have surely caused the earth to swallow us up! Oh, indeed! The disbelievers will never succeed.”
What We can Learn Today
The behaviour of Qarun casts a glance into present day capitalist culture and the consequences of materialism. He believed his money made him infallible and that he had superiority over the people. This is shown by Qarun presenting his wealth publicly which he could’ve used to aid the poor or simply refrained from flaunting it. Instead he felt the need to conduct gross displays of wealth as a standard of what he measured success to be. Today, our screens are filled with many Qaruns who hold the title of ‘influencers.’ They act as brand ambassadors, flaunting hedonistic displays of wealth.
Like the Children of Israel who failed to reject Qarun’s luxury and arrogance, we have made such people famous. But unlike them, we have entered a greater trial where we bankrupt ourselves to emulate the rich. We’re pressured to wear expensive clothing, shoes, jewellery or be the person buying the latest car. We follow evolving trends, emulate celebrity style and brands. We tap our credit cards for the newest purchase and prepare for the next. But the happiness quickly fades to anxiety when social media reveals that someone always has more. This leads to another purchase, but greater than the last. We’re stuck in a never-ending rat race - one with devastating societal consequences.
Consumerism Fuels insecurity
Capitalism has bred a society built on competition and a constant desire for more. This is the core feature of consumerism, where we’re subjected to aggressive marketing to buy the latest goods on social media. Through the help of influencers, a new generation of young people base their entire lives on creating a luxury aesthetic, even if it’s at their own expense. In a 2025 Deloitte survey, 51% of Gen Z’s admitted that social media influenced them to buy items they couldn’t afford, and half admitted they live paycheque to paycheque.
Similarly a 2023 report by the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) stated that 45% of Gen Z consumers named TikTok and Instagram as the platform for their purchasing decisions. 36% also admitted to spending more than they saved.
This suggest that human beings don’t always seek wealth because they need it, but because they desire it. We’re enslaved by the greed within ourselves which commands us to constantly crave more. This is rooted in the instinct of man, explained by the Prophet ﷺ in a famous hadith:
Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "If Adam's son had a valley full of gold, he would like to have two valleys, for nothing fills his mouth except dust.
In 2022, the Congressional Budget Office reported that America’s top 10% own the majority of wealth in the country, but the top 1% control nearly a third of the nation’s wealth. In the UK, the Guardian newspaper reported that as of 2025, the 50 richest families possess more wealth than 34 million of the nation’s poorest people. Capitalism demands that you find solidarity with a greedy corporation and out of touch celebrities than a homeless person, or an exploited worker. But how many of us are living below the poverty line, where one extra bill will send us into ruin? As a community, people must be politically conscious of the issues happening around them. Instead of admiring the rich, there has to be a collective rejection of self indulgence and hedonism.
In Islam, we are obligated to support each other, especially when the state has failed. This requires us to be conscious of world events and its impact on our communities and people. We have to be active, conscious and critical thinkers. Consumerism creates distracted, mindless and selfish people who cannot think above their own desires and comforts. Surah Humazah, warns of the fate of such people:
Woe to every backbiter, slanderer
who amasses wealth ˹greedily˺ and counts it ˹repeatedly˺,
thinking that their wealth will make them immortal!
Not at all! Such a person will certainly be tossed into the Crusher.
And what will make you realize what the Crusher is?
˹It is˺ Allah’s kindled Fire
The Dangerous Mentality of Materialism
Another trait of Qarun was to attribute his wealth to himself, claiming that having money is a sign of Allah’s love for him. This is the materialist view that success is through wealth and purchasing power.
In the Quran, Allah سبحانه و تعالى refutes the logic of Qarun by saying:
This shows that a person’s nearness to Allah is not dictated by a person’s provision which they can’t control but they’re tested by how they use it. If they utilise their wealth to perform good deeds they will be rewarded, but if its used to commit transgressions they will be punished.
This destroys the modern capitalist criteria that scrutinises a person’s wealth as a measure of their worth. When someone isn’t born into money or doesn’t acquire it in their lifetime, they’re often dismissed as underachieving and irrelevant. If wealth alone was a criteria for success and Divine favour, many powerful enemies of Islam would’ve had a different end. The people of Ad and Thamud were exceptionally strong and wealthy. Firaun (Pharaoh) controlled the biggest superpower in the world. Quraish contained rich businessmen like Abu Lahab - yet he has an entire Surah condemning him to Hell. Their destruction was on the basis of rejecting the message of Tawhid (Islamic monotheism) through their conduct and behaviour. This is the real criteria of measuring one’s worth.
Returning to the Islamic Way
No society is honoured when the rich decorate their palaces, flaunt their wealth while its residents are hungry, abandoned on the streets with nothing to eat. Wealth should never delude a person into believing they are self sufficient and above the teachings of the Quran and Sunnah. If it’s used to enrich the community, fund Islamic activities, feed the poor, shelter the orphan and spread the call of Islam then it is a positive trait.
Money should be a vehicle to do good deeds and bring people together. We need to rebuild our communities by reviving our Islamic traditions, where the Companions had simple means, wore simple clothes and ate simple food, but spent their lives teaching, fighting in the way of Allah and supporting communities. Their focus was outward, not inward. Instead of enriching ourselves, we should think about what we can do to uplift others - just like our pious predecessors.
May Allah bring forth socially conscious people who use their wealth to help the poor and needy and do good deeds to benefit the ummah, Ameen.
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Jazakallah khair for reading. Please benefit the ummah by sharing this knowledge and downloading a transcript below. Feel free to use it for your own research or personal study.
