There have been nations and individuals mentioned in the Divine Scriptures that showed arrogance and conceit due to their possessions and positions who were wiped out with for Allah does not like the conceited and the arrogance. In Qur'an, there is a mention of one such man by the name of Qarun (mentioned as Korah in Bible and Torah) who was mighty rich, yet was too boastful and conceited about his wealth. People around him warned him lest Divine wrath enveloped and destroyed him. He did not heed to the warnings and was sunk in the sand along with his entire wealth.
Such anecdotes are mentioned in Divine Scriptures to guide people to show humility rather than conceit and be always thankful to their Lord so that they are given and blessed more. And also any eye opener for those who despite knowing such anecdotes, boast and forget to thank their Lord in an expression of humility.
We share today the 76th verse of Surah 28. Al Qasas (The Story) about arrogance and conceit of Qarun:
اِنَّ قَارُوۡنَ كَانَ مِنۡ قَوۡمِ مُوۡسٰى فَبَغٰى عَلَيۡهِمۡ وَاٰتَيۡنٰهُ مِنَ الۡكُنُوۡزِ مَاۤ اِنَّ مَفَاتِحَهٗ لَـتَـنُوۡٓاُ بِالۡعُصۡبَةِ اُولِى الۡقُوَّةِ اِذۡ قَالَ لَهٗ قَوۡمُهٗ لَا تَفۡرَحۡ اِنَّ اللّٰهَ لَا يُحِبُّ الۡفَرِحِيۡنَ
[They should not show arrogance on their means and resources. Tell them:] Korah was from among the nation of Moses; then he became rebellious against them. We had given him so many treasures that its keys were barely lifted by a band of many strong men. When the people of his nation counselled him: “Do not show conceit because God does not like the conceited
Tafsir Ibn Kathir: It was recorded that Ibn 'Abbas said:
(إِنَّ قَارُونَ كَانَ مِنْ قَوْمِ مُوسَىٰ Verily, Qarun was of Musa's people,) "He was the son of his paternal uncle." This was also the view of Ibrahim An-Nakha'i, 'Abdullah bin Al-Harith bin Nawfal, Sammak bin Harb, Qatadah, Malik bin Dinar, Ibn Jurayj and others; they all said that he was the cousin of Musa, peace be upon him. Ibn Jurayj said: "He was Qarun bin Yashar bin Qahith, and Musa was the son of 'Imran bin Qahith.
(وَآتَيْنَاهُ مِنَ الْكُنُوزِ And We gave him of the treasures,) meaning, of wealth;
( مَا إِنَّ مَفَاتِحَهُ لَتَنُوءُ بِالْعُصْبَةِ أُولِي الْقُوَّةِ that of which the keys would have been a burden to a body of strong men.) Groups of strong men would not have been able to carry them because they were so many. Al-A'mash narrated from Khaythamah, "The keys of Qarun's treasure were made of leather, each key like a finger, and each key was for a separate storeroom. When he rode anywhere, the keys would be carried on sixty mules with white blazes on their foreheads and white feet." Other views were also given, and Allah knows best.
(إِذْ قَالَ لَهُ قَوْمُهُ لَا تَفْرَحْ ۖ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُحِبُّ الْفَرِحِينَ Remember when his people said to him: "Do not exult. Verily, Allah likes not those who exult.") means, the righteous ones among his people exhorted him. By way of sincere advice and guidance, they said: "Do not exult in what you have," meaning, 'do not be arrogant and proud of your wealth.'
( إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُحِبُّ الْفَرِحِينَ Verily, Allah likes not those who exult.) Ibn 'Abbas said, "This means, those who rejoice and gloat." Mujahid said, "It means those who are insolent and reckless, and do not thank Allah for what He has given them." His saying:
(وَابْتَغِ فِيمَا آتَاكَ اللَّهُ الدَّارَ الْآخِرَةَ ۖ وَلَا تَنْسَ نَصِيبَكَ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا ۖ But seek, with that which Allah has bestowed on you, the home of the Hereafter, and forget not your portion of lawful enjoyment in this world;) means, 'use this great wealth and immense blessing Allah has given you to worship your Lord and draw closer to Him by doing a variety of good deeds which will earn you reward in this world and the Hereafter.'
Explanation Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi:
This fact also is being related in continuation of the answer to the excuse which has been the theme of the discourse from verse 57 onward. In this regard, one should bear in mind the fact that the people who feared that the Holy Prophet Muhammad's message would affect the overall national interests adversely were, in fact, the big money owners, money-lenders and capitalists of Makkah, who by virtue of their international trade and money-lending business had become the Korahs of their time. These were the people who thought that the real truth was to earn and amass maximum wealth. Anything that seemed to vitiate this object was an untruth which could not be accepted in any case. On the other hand, there were the common people who looked with longing eyes at these magnates and earnestly desired that they should also attain the same heights as those people had attained. In an atmosphere charged with the love of money, as it was, people considered it to be a weighty argument that if the invitation of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (upon whom be Allah's peace) towards Tauhid and the Hereafter and the moral code was accepted it would spell ruin for the Quraish not only commercially but economically too.