Quran Universe
28:78

قَالَ إِنَّمَآ أُوتِيتُهُۥ عَلَىٰ عِلۡمٍ عِندِيٓۚ أَوَلَمۡ يَعۡلَمۡ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ قَدۡ أَهۡلَكَ مِن قَبۡلِهِۦ مِنَ ٱلۡقُرُونِ مَنۡ هُوَ أَشَدُّ مِنۡهُ قُوَّةٗ وَأَكۡثَرُ جَمۡعٗاۚ وَلَا يُسۡـَٔلُ عَن ذُنُوبِهِمُ ٱلۡمُجۡرِمُونَ

Qala innama ooteetuhu AAala AAilmin AAindee awalam yaAAlam anna Allaha qad ahlaka min qablihi mina alqurooni man huwa ashaddu minhu quwwatan waaktharu jamAAan wala yusalu AAan thunoobihimu almujrimoona

He said, "I was only given it because of knowledge I have." Did he not know that Allah had destroyed before him of generations those who were greater than him in power and greater in accumulation [of wealth]? But the criminals, about their sins, will not be asked.

Word by word
  1. قَالَHe said
  2. إِنَّمَآOnly
  3. أُوتِيتُهُۥI have been given it
  4. عَلَىٰon (account)
  5. عِلۡمٍ(of) knowledge
  6. عِندِيٓۚI have
  7. أَوَلَمۡDid not
  8. يَعۡلَمۡhe know
  9. أَنَّthat
  10. ٱللَّهَAllah
  11. قَدۡindeed
  12. أَهۡلَكَdestroyed
  13. مِنbefore him
  14. قَبۡلِهِۦbefore him
  15. مِنَof
  16. ٱلۡقُرُونِthe generations
  17. مَنۡwho
  18. هُوَ[they]
  19. أَشَدُّ(were) stronger
  20. مِنۡهُthan him
  21. قُوَّةٗ(in) strength
  22. وَأَكۡثَرُand greater
  23. جَمۡعٗاۚ(in) accumulation
  24. وَلَاAnd not
  25. يُسۡـَٔلُwill be questioned
  26. عَنabout
  27. ذُنُوبِهِمُtheir sins
  28. ٱلۡمُجۡرِمُونَthe criminals
Al-Qasas · 28:78Makkah

I earned this myself, he said.

Mistaking a gift for proof you deserve it

Qarun's reply
your adviceI do not need it
because
my knowledgeI deserve it
forgetting
past generationsricher, stronger, gone
What wealth proves
Allah loves meor He would not give it
a testothers had more and fell

Qarun answered his advisers: "I was only given it because of knowledge I have." Ibn Kathir explains the meaning as: Allah gave me this because He knows I deserve it. He notes this is what people of little knowledge say when they see someone wealthy. Many before him were stronger and richer, and were destroyed.

You worked hard, studied, took the risk, and it paid off. It is tempting to think: I made this happen, and that is why I have it. The skill, the health, the timing were all given.

I have what I have because I earned it and deserve it.

My success is Allah's gift and a test, not proof that I am better.

Try this

Name one thing you are proud of achieving. List three things Allah gave you that made it possible.

Related39:4941:50
Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir

He said: "This has been given to me only because of the knowledge I possess." Did he not know that Allah had destroyed before him generations, men who were stronger than him in might and greater in the amount they had collected? But the criminals will not be questioned of their sins (78)

Allah informs us how Qarun responded to the exhortations of his people when they sought to guide him to what is good.

قَالَ إِنَّمَا أُوتِيتُهُ عَلَىٰ عِلْمٍ عِنْدِي ۚ 

(He said: "This has been given to me only because of the knowledge I possess.") meaning, 'I have no need of your advice; Allah has only given me this wealth because He knows that I deserve it and because He loves me.' In other words: 'He has given it to me because He knows that I am fit for this.' This is like the Ayat:

فَإِذَا مَسَّ الْإِنْسَانَ ضُرٌّ دَعَانَا ثُمَّ إِذَا خَوَّلْنَاهُ نِعْمَةً مِنَّا قَالَ إِنَّمَا أُوتِيتُهُ عَلَىٰ عِلْمٍ ۚ

(When harm touches man, he calls upon Us; then when We have changed it into a favor from Us, he says: "Only because of knowledge I obtained it.")(39:49) An alternative interpretation of this Ayah says that the meaning is: "Only because of what Allah knows about me did I obtain this favor." This is like His saying:

وَلَئِنْ أَذَقْنَاهُ رَحْمَةً مِنَّا مِنْ بَعْدِ ضَرَّاءَ مَسَّتْهُ لَيَقُولَنَّ هَٰذَا لِي

(And truly, if We give him a taste of mercy from Us, after some adversity has touched him, he is sure to say: "This is from me.")(41:50) meaning, "I deserved it."

Imam 'Abdur-Rahman bin Zayd bin Aslam explained this Ayah very well. Concerning the phrase,

قَالَ إِنَّمَا أُوتِيتُهُ عَلَىٰ عِلْمٍ عِنْدِي ۚ 

(He said: ""This has been given to me only because of the knowledge I possess."") He said: ""Were it not for the fact that Allah is pleased with me and knows my virtue, He would not have given me this wealth."" And He said:

أَوَلَمْ يَعْلَمْ أَنَّ اللَّهَ قَدْ أَهْلَكَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِ مِنَ الْقُرُونِ مَنْ هُوَ أَشَدُّ مِنْهُ قُوَّةً وَأَكْثَرُ جَمْعًا ۚ 

(Did he not know that Allah had destroyed before him generations, men who were stronger than him in might and greater in the amount they had collected?) This is what those who have little knowledge say when they see a person whom Allah has granted a lot of wealth; they say that if he did not deserve it, Allah would not have given it to him.