Tafheem ul Quran

Surah 29 Al-'Ankabut, Ayat 28-35

وَلُوۡطًا اِذۡ قَالَ لِقَوۡمِهٖۤ اِنَّكُمۡ لَـتَاۡتُوۡنَ الۡفَاحِشَةَ مَا سَبَـقَكُمۡ بِهَا مِنۡ اَحَدٍ مِّنَ الۡعٰلَمِيۡنَ‏ ﴿29:28﴾ اَـئِنَّكُمۡ لَـتَاۡتُوۡنَ الرِّجَالَ وَتَقۡطَعُوۡنَ السَّبِيۡلَ ۙ وَتَاۡ تُوۡنَ فِىۡ نَادِيۡكُمُ الۡمُنۡكَرَ ​ؕ فَمَا كَانَ جَوَابَ قَوۡمِهٖۤ اِلَّاۤ اَنۡ قَالُوا ائۡتِنَا بِعَذَابِ اللّٰهِ اِنۡ كُنۡتَ مِنَ الصّٰدِقِيۡنَ‏ ﴿29:29﴾ قَالَ رَبِّ انْصُرۡنِىۡ عَلَى الۡقَوۡمِ الۡمُفۡسِدِيۡنَ‏ ﴿29:30﴾ وَلَمَّا جَآءَتۡ رُسُلُنَاۤ اِبۡرٰهِيۡمَ بِالۡبُشۡرٰىۙ قَالُـوۡۤا اِنَّا مُهۡلِكُوۡۤا اَهۡلِ هٰذِهِ الۡقَرۡيَةِ ​ۚ اِنَّ اَهۡلَهَا كَانُوۡا ظٰلِمِيۡنَ​ ۖ ​ۚ‏ ﴿29:31﴾ قَالَ اِنَّ فِيۡهَا لُوۡطًا ​ؕ قَالُوۡا نَحۡنُ اَعۡلَمُ بِمَنۡ فِيۡهَا​ لَـنُـنَجِّيَـنَّهٗ وَاَهۡلَهٗۤ اِلَّا امۡرَاَتَهٗ كَانَتۡ مِنَ الۡغٰبِرِيۡنَ‏  ﴿29:32﴾ وَلَمَّاۤ اَنۡ جَآءَتۡ رُسُلُـنَا لُوۡطًا سِىۡٓءَ بِهِمۡ وَضَاقَ بِهِمۡ ذَرۡعًا وَّقَالُوۡا لَا تَخَفۡ وَلَا تَحۡزَنۡ​ اِنَّا مُنَجُّوۡكَ وَاَهۡلَكَ اِلَّا امۡرَاَتَكَ كَانَتۡ مِنَ الۡغٰبِرِيۡنَ‏ ﴿29:33﴾ اِنَّا مُنۡزِلُوۡنَ عَلٰٓى اَهۡلِ هٰذِهِ الۡقَرۡيَةِ رِجۡزًا مِّنَ السَّمَآءِ بِمَا كَانُوۡا يَفۡسُقُوۡنَ‏ ﴿29:34﴾ وَلَقَد تَّرَكۡنَا مِنۡهَاۤ اٰيَةًۢ بَيِّنَةً لِّـقَوۡمٍ يَّعۡقِلُوۡنَ‏  ﴿29:35﴾

(29:28) We sent Lot50 and he said to his people: “You commit the abomination that none in the world ever committed before you. (29:29) What! Do you go to men51 (to satisfy your lust), engage in highway robbery, and commit evil deeds in your gatherings?”52 Then they had no answer to offer other than to say: “Bring Allah's chastisement upon us if you are truthful.” (29:30) Lot said: “My Lord, aid me against these mischievous people.” (29:31) When Our emissaries brought the good news53 to Abraham, and said (to him): “We are surely going to destroy the inhabitants54 of this city; its inhabitants are immersed in wrong-doing.” (29:32) Abraham said: “But Lot is there.”55 They replied: “We are well aware of those who are there. We shall save him and all his household except his wife.” His wife is among those who will stay behind.56 (29:33) When Our emissaries came to Lot he was distressed and embarrassed on their account. They said: “Do not fear nor be distressed.58 We shall save you and all your household except your wife who is among those that will stay behind. (29:34) We shall bring down upon the people of this city a scourge from the heaven because of their evildoing.” (29:35) And We have left a vestige of it in that city as a Clear Sign57, 58, 59 for a people who use their reason.60

Notes

50. For comparison, see (Surah Al-Aaraf: Ayats 80-84); (Surah Hud: Ayats 69-83); (Surah Al-Hijr: Ayats 57-79); (Surah Al-Anbiyaa: Ayats 71-75); (Surah Ash-Shuaraa: Ayats 160-175); (Surah An-Naml: Ayats 54 59); (Surah As-Saffat: Ayats 133-138); (Surah Al-Qamar: Ayats 33-40).

51. That is, “You satisfy your sex desire with the males.” As stated in (Surah Al-Aaraf: Ayat 81), “you gratify your lust with men instead of women.”

52. That is, “You do not even hide yourself when you commit this filthy act, but commit it openly in your assemblies, in front of others.” The same has been stated in (Surah An-Naml: Ayat 54), thus: “Do you commit the indecency while you see it?”

53. According to the details given of this in Surah Hud and Surah A1-Hijr, the angels who had been sent to bring the torment on the people of the Prophet Lot (peace be upon him), first came to the Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him) and gave him the good news of the birth of the Prophet Isaac (peace be upon him) and after him of the Prophet Jacob (peace be upon him). Then they told him that they had been sent to destroy the people of Lot (peace be upon him).

54. “This habitation” refers to the territory of the people of Lot (peace be upon him). The Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him) at that time resided in the Palestinian city of Hebron, now called Al-Khalil. A few miles to the southeast of this city lies that part of the Dead Sea, which was once inhabited by the people of Lot (peace be upon him) and which is now under sea water. It is a low lying area and is clearly visible from the hill country of Hebron. That is why the angels, pointing towards it, had said "We are going to destroy this habitation." See( E.N. 114 of Surah Ash- Shuara).

55. According to the initial part of this story as related in Surah Hud, the Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him) at first was perturbed to see the angels in human shape, for he knew that the coming of the angels in human shape was always a prelude to some dangerous mission. Then, when they gave him the good news, his fear was allayed and he came to know that they had been sent to the people of Lot (peace be upon him). Then he began making entreaties of mercy for those people (Surah Hud: Ayats 74-75), but his entreaties were not granted, and it was said: “Do not plead for them any more: your Lord’s decree has been issued, and the punishment now cannot be averted,” (Ayat 76). After this answer, when the Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him) lost all hopes of any increase in the respite of Lot’s (peace be upon him) people, he became anxious about the Prophet Lot (peace be upon him) himself, and said, what has been related here: “Lot (peace be upon him) is there.” That is, “If the torment comes down when Lot (peace be upon him) is there, how will he and his household remain safe from it?”

56. According to (Surah Tahrim: Ayat 10), this woman was not faithful to the Prophet Lot (peace be upon him). That is why it was decreed that she too, would be afflicted with the torment in spite of being a Prophet’s wife. Most probably when the Prophet Lot (peace be upon him) had come to Jordan after the migration and settled there, he might have married among the people living there. But the woman did not believe even after spending a lifetime with him, and her sympathies remained with her own people. As Allah has no consideration for relationships and brotherhoods and every person’s case is decided on the basis of his own faith and morality, even being a Prophet’s wife did not profit her in any way and she met her doom along with her own people with whom she had remained attached in faith and morality.

58. That is, “As for us, you should neither fear that they will in any way he able to harm us, nor be anxious about how you will protect us from them.” This was the time when the angels revealed their identity to the Prophet Lot (peace be upon him), and said that they were not men but angels, who had been sent to bring the scourge on his people. According to the elucidation in Surah Hud, when the people were rushing into Lot’s (peace be upon him) house and he felt that he could in no way save his guests from them, he cried out: “I wish I had the power to set you right, or I could find some strong support for refuge,” (Ayat 80). At this time the angels said: “O Lot, we are messengers sent by your Lord; they will not be able to harm you at all,” (Ayat 81).

57. The reason for this anxiety and distress was that the angels had come in the shape of handsome, young boys. The Prophet Lot (peace be upon him) was aware of his people’s morals. Therefore, he became perturbed at their arrival. He distress was based on what, “If I receive these guests in my house, it will be difficult to save them from the immoral people; if I do not receive them, it will be highly uncivil and unbecoming of the noble people. Moreover, if I do not provide shelter to these travelers, they will stay the night elsewhere, which would mean that I have myself given them away to the wicked people.” What happened after this has not been related here. But according to the details given in Surahs Hud, Surah Al-Hijr and Surah Al-Qamar, the people of the city thronged to the Prophet Lot’s (peace be upon him) house and insisted that the guests be handed over to them for immorality.

58. That is, “As for us, you should neither fear that they will in any way he able to harm us, nor be anxious about how you will protect us from them.” This was the time when the angels revealed their identity to the Prophet Lot (peace be upon him), and said that they were not men but angels, who had been sent to bring the scourge on his people. According to the elucidation in Surah Hud, when the people were rushing into Lot’s (peace be upon him) house and he felt that he could in no way save his guests from them, he cried out: “I wish I had the power to set you right, or I could find some strong support for refuge,” (Ayat 80). At this time the angels said: “O Lot, we are messengers sent by your Lord; they will not be able to harm you at all,” (Ayat 81).

59. “A clear sign”: the Dead Sea, which is also called Sea of Lot. The Quran at several places has addressed the disbelievers of Makkah, saying, “A sign of the torment that visited this wicked people on account of their misdeeds still exists on the highway, which you see night and day during your trade journeys to Syria.” (Surah Al-Hijr: Ayat 76); (Surah As-Saftat: Ayat 137). Today it is being admitted with near certainty that the southern end of the Dead Sea came into being as a result of a violent earthquake when the area in which Sodom, the central city of the people of Lot, was located sank underground. In this part there are still signs of some submerged habitations. Exploratory attempts are being made with the modern diving apparatus but the results are still awaited. see (E. N. 114 of Surah Ash- Shuaraa).

60. For the Islamic punishment of sodomy, see( E.N. 68 of Surah Al-Aaraf).