Surah Hud 11:69-83 - Quran Translation Commentary

(11:69) Surely, Our envoys went to Ibrahim with the good news.⁷⁶ They said, ‘Peace.' He answered, ‘Peace.' And he did not tarry long before he brought in a roasted calf.

(11:70) But when he saw their hands not reaching for it,⁷⁷ he felt wary of them and felt some apprehension on their account.⁷⁸ They said, ‘Fear not. We have been sent to the people of Lut.'

(11:71) His woman was standing by.⁷⁹ She laughed.⁸⁰ So We gave her the good tidings of Is haq and after Is haq, Ya`qub.⁸¹

(11:72) She said, ‘Woe unto me. Will I bear a child, seeing that I am an old (woman) and this my husband is of an advanced age?!⁸² This indeed is something amazing.'

(11:73) They said, ‘Are you amazed at your Lord's ways? Allah's mercy and grace is upon you (O) people of the House. Surely, He is worthy of all praise and full of glory.'⁸³

(11:74) When the awe had left Ibrahim and good tidings came to him, (he began to) dispute with us concerning the people of Lut.⁸⁴

(11:75) Surely, Ibrahim was slow to anger, given to pleading and oft returning.⁸⁵

(11:76) (We said), ‘O Ibrahim, leave this alone.⁸⁶ Your Lord's command has already come. Surely, a punishment is coming upon them that cannot be averted.

(11:77) When Our Messengers came to Lut, he was anguished on their account,⁸⁷ felt distressed because of them and said, ‘This is a difficult day.'⁸⁸

(11:78) His people came to him rushing towards him.⁸⁹ And from earlier times they had been committing vices.⁹⁰ He pleaded, ‘My people. These are my daughters.⁹¹ They are purer for you. Fear Allah and do not humiliate me over my guests.⁹² Is not there a single decent man among you?'

(11:79) They said, ‘O Lut. You know that we have no right to your daughters.⁹³ And surely, you know what we are looking for.'

(11:80) He said, ‘Would that I had a power against you or take refuge in a strong corner.'⁹⁴

(11:81) They (the angels) broke in, ‘O Lut. We are messengers of your Lord. They will never get at you.⁹⁵ Move out with your family during a (late) portion of the night⁹⁶ and let not any of you look back. Except for your wife,⁹⁷ (she may not be taken along).⁹⁸ She will be struck by that which will strike them. Early morning is their appointed hour.⁹⁹ Is not the morning close?'¹⁰⁰

(11:82) So, when Our command came, we made its uppermost the bottom most,¹⁰¹ and rained on it stones of baked clay, layer upon layer.

(11:83) Marked by your Lord.¹⁰² And it is not far from the (Makkan) transgressors.

Commentary

76. Asad has a significant point especially in the second half of the passage which has been overlooked by most, if not all commentators: “The reason for prefacing the story of Lot with an episode from Abraham's life lies in the latter's subsequent pleading in behalf of the sinful people of Sodom (verses 74 76) and also, possibly, in God's earlier promise to him, ‘Behold I shall make thee a leader of men’ (see 2: 124), which must have imbued him with an enhanced sense of moral responsibility not only for his own family but also for the people with whom he was indirectly connected through his nephew Lot (Lut in Arabic).”

Yusuf Ali adds: “According to the sequence of Surah vii, the next reference should be to the story of Lut,.. but it is introduced by a brief reference to an episode in the life of his uncle Abraham, from whose seed sprang the peoples to whom Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad Al Mustafa were sent with the major Revelations. Abraham had by this time passed through the fire of persecutions in the Mesopotamian valleys: he had left behind him the ancestral idolatry of Ur of the Chaldees; he had been tried and he had triumphed over the persecution of Nimrud: he had now taken up his residence in Canaan, from which his nephew Lot (Lut) was called to preach to the wicked Cities of the Plain east of the Dead sea which is itself called Bahr Lut. Thus prepared and sanctified, he was now ready to receive the Message that he was chosen to be the progenitor of a great line of Prophets, and that Message is now referred to.”

77. Majid points out a Biblical error: “This corrects the Biblical mis statement that ‘they did eat' (Gen. 19: 7 8).”

78. Qatadah has said that among the Arabs, if the guests did not eat from the food presented to them, it signaled an ill foreboding (Ibn Jarir).

Asad paraphrases the summary of interpretations at this point: “... since in the Arabian tradition of hospitality, a stranger's refusal to partake of the food offered him is an indication of unfriendly intent, Abraham who until then had not realized that his guests were angels became apprehensive of possible hostility on their part.”

Thanwi adds: In fact, Ibrahim had not only felt some fear, he frankly expressed it as elsewhere in the Qur'an. He said (15: 52), “We are apprehensive of you.” Also, his penetrating eye told him that the good tiding could not have been the ultimate objective. They must have another errand on hand. Hence he asked them, as at another place in the Qur'an (15: 57): “So, what's your mission?”

79. That was Sarah (some say Sarrah: meaning ‘one who brings happiness,’ or ‘the happy one’), standing behind the curtains. Another opinion is that she was serving the guests while Ibrahim sat with them (Ibn Jarir).

80. Suddi has said that she smiled at the funny scene: the sight of Ibrahim who did the roasting and the connected works in great haste, brought them the food, but they would not eat .. and, Ibrahim in fear...! (Ibn Jarir). Another possibility is that she felt relieved when she realized that the angels had not come with an ill intent directly affecting them, and so, she laughed (Au.).

“Dahika” is literally to show the teeth (in happiness). However, it is also applicable to turning a bright face. You will say, “I visited someone and he was dahikan” i.e., he was bright faced. Hence a hadith which says,

إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ يُنْشِئُ السَّحَابَ فَيَنْطِقُ أَحْسَنَ الْمَنْطِقِ وَيَضْحَكُ أَحْسَنَ الضَّحِكُُُُِ

“Allah sends clouds and they speak out in a beautiful manner and shine out in a beautiful manner.”

(The hadith is in Musnad Ahmad and Sahih; and note the usage of the word dahika: Au.).

Mujahid and `Ikrimah have, however, thought that the allusion is to she suffered period. They support their opinion with examples from Arabic literature (Baghawi). Ibn `Abbas held the same opinion (Ibn Kathir).

81. That is, a grandson, Ya’qub (Ibn Jarir).

82. It is said that she was then in her nineties while Ibrahim was a hundred and two scores.

83. This demonstrates that the angels can speak to other than Prophets (Thanwi).

84. It should be obvious that Ibrahim could not have argued with his Lord, seeing that it involved the exchange of a series of questions and answers. It must have been angels with whom he would have argued. The pronoun “us” therefore refers to the angels. It is also reported that he began to ask them how they could destroy a nation when there were so many believers among them. The angels told him that obviously they would not, if there were so many believers in the towns. At the end Ibrahim learnt that there were no believers there at tall except Lut and his two daughters. So he asked (29: 33) “But Lut is among them.” The answer was (29: 33), “We know better who are in there. Surely, we shall save him and his home folk except his woman: she is the one to stay behind” (Ibn Jarir).

Shawkani adds, “Similar reports are in `Abdur Razzaq and Abu al Sheikh in reference to Surah al Mujadalah.

Another possibility is that to argue with the angels carrying a commandment of Allah was tantamount to disputing with His command, hence the pronoun “Us”, referring to Allah (Au.).

85. “Like Al Mustafa, Abraham had three qualities in a pre eminent degree, which are here mentioned: (1) he was long suffering with other people's faults; (2) his sympathies and compassion were very wide; and (3) for every difficulty or trouble he turned to Allah and sought Him in prayer” (Yusuf Ali)

86. Although, apparently Ibrahim seemed to be pleading for Lut, (by saying, “But Lut is among them”), Allah knew that his name was taken as a pretext. The true objective was to try and save the nation of Lut. Therefore, he had to be told, “Ibrahim, leave this (matter) alone” (Thanwi).

87. Lut felt anguished because, after leaving Ibrahim, the angels had come to him in the form of handsome young men. A few reports say that he had already warned them that his people were one of the most pervert people on the face of the earth (Ibn Jarir, Ibn Kathir).

88. The rendering here of “‘asib” with the addition of the remark in parenthesis combines the explanation of Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid and others as in Ibn Jarir.

89. Kisa'i, Farra' and other linguists have said that “ahra`a” (from which is derived “yuhra`un) is never used but to express the act of running with excitement (Shawkani).

90. The allusion is to homosexuality.

91. The allusion was to their women. The women of a Prophet's nation are his daughters he being the father of his nation and his (believing) wives being their mothers (as in verse 6 of al Ahzab, no. 33) which says,

النَّبِيُّ أَوْلَى بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ مِنْ أَنْفُسِهِمْ وَأَزْوَاجُهُ أُمَّهَاتُهُمْ [الأحزاب : 6]

AThe Prophet has precedence over them (in all affairs) and his wives are their mothers” Qatadah, Mujahid, Sa`id b. Jubayr and others (Ibn Jarir, Ibn Kathir).

92. The word “dayf” is used both in singular as well as plural (Ibn Jarir).

93. It is possible that although they knew that Lut was referring to their women when he said Amy daughters,” they punned on his word and, to make fun of him, took it literally to say, “we have no right over your daughters” (Au.).

94. He meant a tribe that could offer him help and support against them Qatadah, Hasan and others. And the Prophet said,

ورَحمَةُ الله عَلى لُوط إنْ كَان لَيأوي إِلى رُكنٍ شَديد

“May Allah show Lut mercy. He was seeking a strong corner for support” [Ibn Jarir through Hasan, Sa`id ibn al Musayyib and others].

Tabari's footnote says in explanation that “He sought people's help while Allah was the best to help.”

But another hadith, (as in Tuhfah: H. Ibrahim) says,

رحمة الله على لوط لقد كان يأوي إِلى ركن شديد ـ يعني الله عز وجل ـ فما بعث الله بعده من نبي إِلا في ثروة من قومه

“May Allah show mercy to Lut. He sought a strong support, that is, of Allah, and hence no Prophet has been raised after Lut but in a powerful and numerous family” (Ibn Kathir).

The hadith has been declared Hasan (Au.).

Bukhari and Muslim have only the following words: “May Allah show mercy to Lut. He sought a strong support” (Shawkani).

What it would mean in the light of the report (in Bukhari) is that Lut (asws) did well by seeking Allah's support. In which case the rendering would be: ‘Would that I had a power against you or, (maybe) I should take refuge in a strong corner (i.e., Allah) Razi.

95. It is said that as Lut stood at his door, trying to convince them into returning, and they trying to convince him that he should not stand in the way leaving them with no choice but to force their entry, Jibril appeared at the door and blinded them all, so that they spent the rest of the night bumping into walls, doors and obstacles (Ibn Jarir, Ibn Kathir).

96. Opinions vary over what exactly is meant by “qita’am min al layl” : any part of the night (Qatadah), midnight (qit’ah: half), and late night, almost at dawn (Ibn `Abbas) Razi, Qurtubi.

97. She had sneaked out to tell her people that Lut had guests of such beautiful features as never seen before (Ibn Jarir, Ibn Kathir).

98. The words in parenthesis are in relation to the present diacritical mark of the textual word “imra'atak” (your woman) which, being in the accusative which connects it with the words “move out,” to yield the meaning, “You may move out but not your woman.” A variant, but unpopular opinion reads it as “imra'atuk” which would mean, “Let none turn, except for your wife (who will turn)” Ibn Jarir.

99. Sa`id b. Musayyib, Suddi and others are reported of opinion that when the angels said they had come down to destroy the nation, Lut told them to go ahead and do it, then and there, without delay. They told him that the morning was the appointed hour, and was not the morning close?

100. It is widely reported that they were blinded before the punishment came. Allah said (54: 37),

وَلَقَدْ رَاوَدُوهُ عَنْ ضَيْفِهِ فَطَمَسْنَا أَعْيُنَهُمْ [القمر : 37]

“Surely, they desired his guests. So we blinded their eyes” (Ibn Jarir).

101. It is said that Jibril swept them with his wing, scooped them up with it, everyone and everything, men and the buildings, including their animals, lifted them to the heavens, so high that the dwellers of the heavens heard the barking of their dogs, turned them upside down and then banged them down sending them crashing against the earth’s crest. That was followed by stones raining down on them from the heavens (Ibn Jarir).

The above, not originating from Prophetic statements (not even from the Companions, but a few Followers: Manar), seems to have Israeli reports at its root. Accordingly, Shawkani is skeptic about it. This has led some contemporary commentators to reject them. They offer their own theory that it was after all an earthquake accompanied by a volcanic shower of stones. But they fail to offer a proper explanation for the turning upside down of the dwellings. Further, not all the details that are given by the early commentators are found in the present day Bible. (See Genesis ch. 19). Although, the Biblical narrative, comes close to the Qur'anic narration. However, the Biblical story ends shamefully by alleging that after escaping from the punishment that struck his people, Lut committed a crime worse than what his people were destroyed for. Let the Bible speak:

“Now Lot went up out of Zo'ar, and dwelt in the hills with his two daughters, for he was afraid to dwell in Zo'ar; so he dwelt in a cave with his two daughters. And the first born said to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is not a man on earth to come in to us after the manner of all the earth. Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve offspring through our father. So they made their father drink wine that night; and the first born went in, and lay with her father; he did not know when she lay down or when she arose. And on the next day the first born said to the young, “Behold, I lay last night with my father; let us make him drink wine tonight also; then you go in and lie with him, that we may preserve offspring though our father. So they made their father drink wine that night also; and the younger arose, and lay with him; and he did not know when she lay down and when she arose. Thus both the daughters of Lot were with child by their father. The first born bore a son, and called his name Moab; he is the father of the Moabites to this day. The younger also bore a son, and called his name Ben ammi; he is the father of the Ammonites to this day.”

Bible commentators accept the incest story as true, and defend it. One of the commentaries mentions it as,

“… the valliant attempt of Lot’s daughters to continue the human race at all costs.” The Jerome Biblical Commentary (Prentice Hall, 1968).

The story speaks of the purity of minds of those who put it in the Holy Scripture as God's own revelation, every word of it! It also reflects the state of mind of those who would like the story remain in the Bible. How could any sane mind believe that a Prophet could get so heavily drunk as to be unable to know that he was having sex with his own daughters? How could the daughters be so sure of success in getting him heavily drunk twice unless they knew that their father was a heavy drinker? How could the two be so sure that just one session would definitely load them with the sin and that too of a male issue? Did not the grotesqueness of the story strike those who forged it? But, evil motives blind men's hearts. The Israelites were and are desperate to prove that the people around them, Palestinians, Syrians, Lebanese ... were, and are, the progeny of illegitimate progenitors while they themselves are of noble stock. The following is from Encyclopedia Judaica:

The present form of the Lot narrative leaves an unmistakable impression of Israelite ascendancy over Ammon and Moab: Haran, Lot’s father and the grandfather of Ammon and Moab, was the youngest of Terah’s sons, while Abraham was the oldest; Lot was continually in need of Abraham’s protection and help; the incestuous union between Lot and his daughters disgraces their offspring, the Ammonites and Moabites.

To add salt to injury, Bible believers have taken the pains to produce obscene bright-color paintings depicting Lot in a cave getting drunk on wine served by his half-clad daughters (Au.).

102. While the people of the towns were destroyed in the above manner, those that were out for one reason or another, and spread over a wide area, the stones were targeted at them. It is said that one of them would be somewhere (in another village) talking to people when a stone would crash on him and flatten him down (Ibn Kathir).