﴿إِنَّ قَارُونَ كَانَ مِنْ قَوْمِ مُوسَى فَبَغَى عَلَيْهِمْ ۖ وَآتَيْنَاهُ مِنَ الْكُنُوزِ مَا إِنَّ مَفَاتِحَهُ لَتَنُوءُ بِالْعُصْبَةِ أُولِي الْقُوَّةِ إِذْ قَالَ لَهُ قَوْمُهُ لَا تَفْرَحْ ۖ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُحِبُّ الْفَرِحِينَ﴾[1]; “Indeed, Qarun was one of the people of Musa, so he oppressed them, and We gave him treasures, the keys of which would weigh down a group of strong men! When his people said to him: ‘Do not exult; because God does not like those who exult,’” and some people are vain about their military strength; such as the rulers of Saba about whom God Almighty has said: ﴿قَالُوا نَحْنُ أُولُو قُوَّةٍ وَأُولُو بَأْسٍ شَدِيدٍ وَالْأَمْرُ إِلَيْكِ فَانْظُرِي مَاذَا تَأْمُرِينَ﴾[2]; “They said: ‘We are powerful and great warriors, and the decision is yours, so consider what you will command,’” and some people are vain about their physical strength; such as ‘Ad about whom God Almighty has said: ﴿فَأَمَّا عَادٌ فَاسْتَكْبَرُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ بِغَيْرِ الْحَقِّ وَقَالُوا مَنْ أَشَدُّ مِنَّا قُوَّةً ۖ أَوَلَمْ يَرَوْا أَنَّ اللَّهَ الَّذِي خَلَقَهُمْ هُوَ أَشَدُّ مِنْهُمْ قُوَّةً ۖ وَكَانُوا بِآيَاتِنَا يَجْحَدُونَ﴾[3]; “But ‘Ad behaved arrogantly on the earth without right and said: ‘Who is mightier than us in strength?!’ Did they not see that God, Who created them, He is Mightier than them in strength?! And they denied Our signs,” and some people are vain about their abundance; such as those about whom God Almighty has said: ﴿أَمْ يَقُولُونَ نَحْنُ جَمِيعٌ مُنْتَصِرٌ﴾[4]; “Or they say: ‘We are a large group, victorious,’” and some people are vain about their knowledge; such as those about whom God Almighty has said: ﴿فَلَمَّا جَاءَتْهُمْ رُسُلُهُمْ بِالْبَيِّنَاتِ فَرِحُوا بِمَا عِنْدَهُمْ مِنَ الْعِلْمِ وَحَاقَ بِهِمْ مَا كَانُوا بِهِ يَسْتَهْزِئُونَ﴾[5]; “So when their Prophets came to them with clear signs, they rejoiced in what they had with them of knowledge, and there surrounded them what they mocked.”

[Consequences of arrogance]

All these people are stopped from knowing the truth because of their arrogance; because due to their enjoyment of one ability, they ignore their lack of other abilities, and because of their fascination with something they have, they overlook things they do not have; otherwise, it is clear that none but God is Perfect, and whoever has a strength has a weakness as well, and if he is free of one weakness, he is afflicted with another weakness, and an intellectual knows his weaknesses and strengths.