Surah 26. Ash-Shu'ara

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Verses [Section]: 1-9[1], 10-33 [2], 34-51 [3], 52-68 [4], 69-104 [5], 105-122 [6], 123-140 [7], 141-159 [8], 160-175 [9], 176-191 [10], 192-227 [11]

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Quran Text of Verse 160-17526. Ash-Shu'ara Page 374كَذَّبَتْDeniedقَوْمُ(the) peopleلُوْطِ(of) Lutلْمُرْسَلِیْنَۚۖthe Messengers اِذْWhenقَالَsaidلَهُمْto themاَخُوْهُمْtheir brotherلُوْطٌLutاَلَاWill notتَتَّقُوْنَۚyou fear (Allah) اِنِّیْIndeed I amلَكُمْto youرَسُوْلٌa Messengerاَمِیْنٌۙtrustworthy فَاتَّقُواSo fearاللّٰهَAllahوَ اَطِیْعُوْنِۚand obey me وَ مَاۤAnd notاَسْـَٔلُكُمْI ask youعَلَیْهِfor itمِنْanyاَجْرٍ ۚpaymentاِنْNotاَجْرِیَ(is) my paymentاِلَّاexceptعَلٰیfromرَبِّ(the) Lordالْعٰلَمِیْنَؕ(of) the worlds اَتَاْتُوْنَDo you approachالذُّكْرَانَthe malesمِنَamongالْعٰلَمِیْنَۙthe worlds وَ تَذَرُوْنَAnd you leaveمَاwhatخَلَقَcreatedلَكُمْfor youرَبُّكُمْyour Lordمِّنْofاَزْوَاجِكُمْ ؕyour matesبَلْNayاَنْتُمْyouقَوْمٌ(are) a peopleعٰدُوْنَ transgressing قَالُوْاThey saidلَىِٕنْIfلَّمْnotتَنْتَهِyou desistیٰلُوْطُO Lut!لَتَكُوْنَنَّSurely you will beمِنَofالْمُخْرَجِیْنَ the ones driven out قَالَHe saidاِنِّیْIndeed I amلِعَمَلِكُمْ(of) your deedمِّنَofالْقَالِیْنَؕthose who detest رَبِّMy Lord!نَجِّنِیْSave meوَ اَهْلِیْand my familyمِمَّاfrom whatیَعْمَلُوْنَ they do فَنَجَّیْنٰهُSo We saved himوَ اَهْلَهٗۤand his familyاَجْمَعِیْنَۙall اِلَّاExceptعَجُوْزًاan old womanفِی(was) amongالْغٰبِرِیْنَۚthose who remained behind ثُمَّThenدَمَّرْنَاWe destroyedالْاٰخَرِیْنَۚthe others وَ اَمْطَرْنَاAnd We rainedعَلَیْهِمْupon themمَّطَرًا ۚa rainفَسَآءَand evil wasمَطَرُ(was) the rainالْمُنْذَرِیْنَ (on) those who were warned اِنَّIndeedفِیْinذٰلِكَthatلَاٰیَةً ؕsurely is a signوَ مَاbut notكَانَareاَكْثَرُهُمْmost of themمُّؤْمِنِیْنَ believers وَ اِنَّAnd indeedرَبَّكَyour Lordلَهُوَsurely Heالْعَزِیْزُ(is) the All-Mightyالرَّحِیْمُ۠the Most Merciful

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Translation of Verse 160-175

(26:160) The people of Lot rejected the Messengers,¹⁰⁷ branding them liars.

(26:161) Recall, when their brother Lot said to them: "Have you no fear?

(26:162) I am a trustworthy Messenger to you.

(26:163) So fear Allah and obey me.

(26:164) I seek of you no reward. My reward is with none but the Lord of the Universe.

(26:165) What, of all creation will you go to (fornicate with) the males,¹⁰⁸

(26:166) leaving aside those whom Allah has created for you as your mates.¹⁰⁹ Nay, you are a people that has transgressed all limits."¹¹⁰

(26:167) They said: "O Lot! If you do not desist, you will be one of those expelled (from our towns)."¹¹¹

(26:168) He said: "I am one of those who abhor your practice.

(26:169) My Lord, deliver me and my family from their wicked deeds."¹¹²

(26:170) Then We delivered him and all his family

(26:171) except an old woman who was among those that stayed behind.¹¹³

(26:172) Thereafter, We utterly destroyed the rest,

(26:173) and We sent upon them a rain, an evil rain that fell on those who had been warned.¹¹⁴

(26:174) Surely there is a Sign in this, but most of them would not believe.

(26:175) Verily Your Lord is Immensely Mighty, Most Compassionate.

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Commentary

107. Cf. al-A ‘raf 7:80-4; Had 11:74-83, al-Hijr 13:57-77; Al-Anbia 21:71-5; al-Naml 27:54-8; al-‘Ankabut 29:28-35;, al-Saffat 37:133-8, and al- Qamar 54:33-9.

108. This is open to two interpretations: (i) out of all creatures they chose males to satisfy their sexual desires although the world was full of females and (ii) they were the only ones who went to men for that purpose; no other nation did so. Even animals do not engage in such a thing with their Same gender. This second meaning is explained further in Surah al-A raf and surah al. ‘Ankabuat: “Do you realize you practice an indecency of which no other people were guilty of before you”. (al alraf 7: 80). In the former case the statement is in an interrogative form whereas in the latter instance is in the form of a simple affirmative statement regarding their act of indecency. See also al-‘Ankabut 29:28.)

109. This, too, has two possible meanings: (i) they left their wives whom God had created for them and, unnatural though it was, they went yo men to satisfy their sexual desires; and (ii) even when they had recourse to their wives to satisfy their sexual urges, they did not follow the natural way. In other words, they indulged in anal sex even with their wives. It is possible, however that they might have done so with the intent of artificially controlling the number of children.

110. This is not the only vice they committed, in fact, their lives, in Toto, were perverted. In Surah al-Naml, the Qur’an explains their perversion: “You commit indecent acts publicly” (27:54), and in Surah al- ‘Ankabut, they are censured in these words: “Have you become so perverted that you gratify your lust with men, rob travelers, and commit wicked deeds publicly in your assemblies” (29:29), (For more details, see Towards Understanding the Qur'an, Vol. IV, al-Hijr, 15: n, 39, pp. 297 ff.)

111. They knew that whosoever opened his mouth in the past against them, or protested against their misdeeds was banished. They simply asked Lot to bear this in mind for if he did something similar, he too would meet the same fate. The Qur’an also tells us in Sarah al-A ‘raf and Surah al-Naml that those wicked people had already decided to banish Lot, his family and followers from their town on the grounds that: “They are a people who pretend to be pure” (al-A ‘raf 7:82 and al-Naml 27:56).

112. It either means: “Save us from the bad consequences of their evil deeds”, or “Save our children from the moral corruption of this town which is infested with iniquities”; or “Protect our children from the evil influences of this corrupt society and deliver us from the agony of living in it.”

113. This is a reference to Lot’s wife. The wives of Noah and Lot are F mentioned in Surah al-Tahrim in these words: “These two women were in the houses of two of Our pious servants, but they acted treacherously towards them” (66:10). That is, they did not have Faith and instead of standing by their husbands, they supported their iniquitous nations. Hence when Lot: was ordered to depart with his family, he was told not to take his wife along: around excepting your wife (who shall not go); for what will befall them ‘shall also befall her. In the morning their promised hour will come. Is not the morning near?” (Hid 11:81).

114. This was not a rain of water, but of stones instead. According to the details mentioned elsewhere in the Qur'an, we know that after Lot and his family’s departure in the final hours of the night a violent blast was heard: “Then the mighty Blast caught them at sunrise” (al-Hijr 15:73). This was, followed by an earthquake which “turned the town upside down” (Hud 11:82 and al-Hijr 15:74). This was followed by a volcanic eruption causing a rain of baked clay to fall on them: “... and [We] rained on it stones of baked clay, one on another” (Hud 11:82).

Based on the Biblical accounts of this event as well as the Greek and Latin writings and modern geological and archaeological researches on the subject, we can construct the following composite picture of what happened.

(For the Biblical account see The Bible: Genesis 19:1-29.) The presence of thousands of ruins to the south and east of the Dead Sea indicates that it was once a populous.

region. Archaeologists estimate that it must also have been quite prosperous from the period 2300 B.C. to 1900 B.C. Incidentally, historians estimate Abraham’s time to be around 2000 B.C. This leads us to believe that the area must have met its disastrous end during Lot’s time, Lot being Abraham’s nephew.

The most populous and fertile part of this land was the area called the “Vale of Siddim”, about which.

the Bible says: “And Lot lifted up his eyes, and saw that the Jordan valley was well watered everywhere like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, in the direction of Zo’ar; this was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah” (Genesis 13:10).

Contemporary scholars, basing their opinion on sound archaeological evidence, are of the view that this valley is now under the Dead Sea. In ancient times, the Dead Sea did not extend as far south as it does today. In the small peninsula facing the present-day Jordanian city of al-Karak, there was to the west, a small peninsula called al-Lisan. This was the sea water boundary in ancient times. The area to the south of it was the fertile valley known as the “Vale of Siddim” in which the famous cities of Lot’s nation — namely, Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboim and Zo’ ar — were located. Around 2000 B.C. this valley sank as a result of a violent earthquake and was covered thereafter by the Dead Sea. Even today, it is the shallowest part of the Dead Sea. Indeed, even during the Roman era it was so shallow that people could walk through the water from al-Lisan to the western coast. At that time, one could still see the submerged forested area along the southern coast and possibly some buildings too.

According to the Bible, as well as some ancient Greek and Latin sources, the region abounded in petroleum and-~asphalt deposits and, to some extent, inflammable gas. Even now, there ‘are deposits of petroleum and gas in the area. Geological investigations show that because of the earthquake, petroleum, gases and asphalt were thrown out of the earth’s interior such that the whole region exploded like a bomb. According to the Bible, when the Prophet Abraham heard about the calamity he travelled from Hebron to see the affected valley for himself, observing that “the smoke of the land went up like the smoke of a furnace” (Genesis 19:28).