The Real Achiever I The Sunday Guardian | April 25, 2010 | Page 14
In chapter 28, the Quran records a story which has a great lesson for everyone. Qarun, or Korah, was a wealthy member of the Israeli community of ancient Egypt who became arrogant because of his wealth. According to the Quranic version, the story is as follows: "Korah was one of Moses’ people, but he behaved arrogantly towards them. We had given him such treasure that their very keys would have weighed down a band of strong men. His people said to him, 'Do not exult in your riches, for God does not love the exultant. But seek the Home of the Hereafter by means of that which God has bestowed on you; do not forget to take your portion ( of the Hereafter ) in this world. Be good to others as God has been good to you and do not strive for evil in the land, for God does not love the evil-doers.' But he said, 'I have been given it only because of the art I possess'." (28:76-78)
According to the Quranic account, Qarun was punished by God on account of his arrogance. This story enshrines a divine law: if some one receives wealth, he should be grateful to God, otherwise he will be disgraced by God Almighty.
Any achievement in this world is due to two factors: one’s own efforts, and the support of the infrastructure established by God. The ratio is very unequal. One’s on share is less than 1%, while the share of the divine infrastructure is more than 99%. So it is unrealistic for anyone to become arrogant. The only realistic behaviour for an achiever is for him to show complete modesty. This is related to personality development. Arrogance vitiates one’s personality with negativity, while modesty creates positive thinking. Negative thinking is the source of all kinds of evils, while positive thinking is the source of all kinds of goodness.