tongue.’ All of a sudden, the wrath of Allah Almighty descended upon him and his tongue came out and started to dangle onto his chest. At that time, Bal’am Bin Ba’oora` said to his nation cryingly, ‘Alas! My world and Hereafter have both been destroyed! My faith has departed, and I have been seized by the wrath of Allah Almighty! Go! None of my supplications will ever be accepted again.’ (Tafseer Saawi, part 9, Surah Al-A’raaf, under the verse 2, pp. 571-727, summarised)

صَلُّوۡا عَلَى الۡحَبِيۡب                          صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلٰى مُحَمَّد

The consequences of bad greed

This account has been mentioned in Part 9, Surah Al-A’raaf, verse 175:

وَ اتْلُ عَلَیْهِمْ نَبَاَ الَّذِیْۤ اٰتَیْنٰهُ اٰیٰتِنَا فَانْسَلَخَ مِنْهَا فَاَتْبَعَهُ الشَّیْطٰنُ فَكَانَ مِنَ الْغٰوِیْنَ(۱۷۵)

And, O Beloved, narrate to them the case of the one (Bal’am Baa’oor) to whom We gave Our verses; consequently, he stepped away from them completely. So, Shaytaan went after him, he therefore became amongst the misguided.

[Kanz-ul-Iman (translation of Quran)] (Part 09, Surah Al-A’raaf, Verse 175)

It is stated in Siraat-ul-Jinaan: Meaning, if we wanted, we could have stopped him before he committed the disobedience and then granted him the lofty status of the Abrar (the righteous ones) due to acting upon these verses. But he became inclined towards the world and he followed his desires in preferring the world and its delights over the Hereafter and its bounties. (Qurtubi, Surah Al-A’raaf, under the verse 176, vol. 4, p. 230; Madarik, Surah Al-A’raaf, under the verse 176, p. 395, selected) Allah Almighty punished Bal’am Bin Ba’oora for his greed in such a way that his state became like that of a dog. Hence, it is stated in Part 9, Surah Al-A’raaf, verse 176: