Who were the visitors who came to Hazrat Abraham(as) and then to Hazrat Lot(as)?
Most commentators say they were angels. Khalifatul Masih II(ra) disagrees. In Tafsir Kabir, his commentary on Surah Al Ankabut, he shows from the Quran itself that they were holy men. They were men of that region who received divine revelation. They were angelic in character, yet human in form.
The setting is simple. Allah had saved Abraham(as) from the fire (Al Ankabut 29:25). Lot(as) believed in him (Al Ankabut 29:27) and followed him in migration. Then the visitors came.
Wa lamma jaat rusuluna Ibrahima bil bushra, qalu inna muhlikuu ahli hadhihil qaryah, inna ahlaha kanu zalimin: And when Our messengers brought Abraham the glad tidings, they said, ‘We are going to destroy the people of this town; surely its people are wrongdoers.’ Al Ankabut 29:32
The Quran calls them rusul, messengers. That word does not demand angels. Several proofs point to men.
The first proof is food. Abraham(as) welcomed them and hastened to bring a roasted calf.
Wa laqad jaat rusuluna Ibrahima bil bushra qalu salama, qala salamun fama labitha an jaa bi’ijlin hanidh: And surely, Our messengers came to Abraham with glad tidings. They said, ‘We bid you peace.’ He answered, ‘Peace be on you,’ and was not long in bringing a roasted calf. Hud 11:70
Nobody prepares a meal for angels. He took them for guests. Then their hands did not reach the food.
Falamma raa aydiyahum la tasilu ilayhi nakirahum wa awjasa minhum khifah, qalu la takhaf inna ursilna ila qawmi Lut: But when he saw their hands not reaching thereto, he knew not what they were, and conceived a fear of them. They said, ‘Fear not, for we have been sent to the people of Lot.’ Hud 11:71
Their answer is telling. They did not say that angels never eat. They said only that they carried grave news. So they were excused from the meal.
The second proof comes from Sodom. Lot(as) took the visitors for strangers.
Qala innakum qawmun munkarun: He said, ‘Verily, you are a party of strangers.’ Al Hijr 15:63
The townsmen never thought of angels either. They saw men, and they abused Lot(as) because of them.
The third proof is a verse of the Quran.
Qul law kana fil ardi mala’ikatun yamshuna mutma’innina lanazzalna alayhim minas sama’i malakan rasula: Say, ‘Had there been in the earth angels walking about in peace and quiet, We should have certainly sent down to them from heaven an angel as a Messenger.’ Bani Israil 17:96
Angels come as messengers only to the righteous, not to the wicked. Yet all Sodom saw these visitors. That would contradict the verse if they were angels. The verse may also be read to say that angels descend upon angelic men. So these were not angels. They were angelic men.
The Bible shows the same confusion. Genesis 18:1, 2 speaks of three men. Genesis 18:16 says the men set out toward Sodom. Genesis 19:1 speaks of two angels. Yet Genesis 19:3 says that Lot(as) made them a feast, and they ate. Even the Bible cannot hide that they ate like men.
Why did they go to Abraham(as) first? The answer lies in the rank of Lot(as). He was a follower prophet under Abraham(as). So were Ishmael(as) and Isaac(as). So was Aaron(as) under Moses(as). None of them was an Ummati prophet, for prophethood then came directly. Lot(as) had believed in Abraham(as) before his own prophethood. He had migrated with him. So the news went first to Abraham(as).
It came with a glad tiding. Allah first gave Abraham(as) the news of a righteous son. The tiding is recorded in Hud 11:72 and Adh Dhariyat 51:29.
Qalu la tawjal inna nubashshiruka bighulamin alim: They said, ‘Fear not, we give thee glad tidings of a son who shall be endowed with knowledge.’ Al Hijr 15:54
Allama Abu Hayyan reads the tiding as the birth of Isaac(as) and then of Jacob(as). The order is full of mercy. Allah conveyed the good news. Only then did He announce the fate of Sodom. It eased the grief of Abraham(as).
Qala inna fiha Lutan, qalu nahnu a’lamu biman fiha, lanunajjiyannahu wa ahlahu illamra’atahu kanat minal ghabirin: He said, ‘But Lot is there.’ They said, ‘We know full well who is there. We will surely save him and his family, except his wife, who is of those who remain behind.’ Al Ankabut 29:33
Why was Lot(as) not told directly? He was a nephew of Abraham(as) from Iraq. He had settled in Sodom, but he did not know the wider land. The Bible and the Talmud speak of robbery and raids there. The Quran notes that the people of Sodom cut off the highway (Al Ankabut 29:30). Enemies of Sodom lived all around. A bare command to leave would have left Lot(as) anxious about where to go. So Allah sent holy men of the region to guide him to safety.
Had Lot(as) not warned his people already? He had. The visitors themselves admit it.
Qalu bal ji’naka bima kanu fihi yamtarun: They said, ‘Nay, but we have come to thee with that about which they doubted. Al Hijr 15:64
But the punishment was now near. So Allah arranged a guide for him.
Islam has the same pattern. Hazrat Abdullah bin Zaid(ra) was taught the adhan in a dream. The Holy Prophet(sa) adopted it, and revelation later confirmed it. Hazrat Umar(ra) was taught the same adhan. He stayed silent for twenty days. The Holy Prophet(sa) also said that a believer sees, or is shown, the truth. News may reach a believer directly or through others.
One phrase needs care. The visitors said they were about to destroy the town. They did not mean they held any power. Even if they were angels, angels do not send punishment. They announce it. The phrase announces the punishment. It does not deliver it.
Lot(as) was also troubled by the arrival of his guests. His people had forbidden him to host strangers.
Qalu awalam nanhaka anil alamin: They said, ‘Did we not forbid thee to entertain all sorts of people?’ Al Hijr 15:71
Sodom feared strangers because its own people were robbers. They judged others by themselves. When Lot(as) brought the guests home again, the people rushed at him in rage. He feared shame before his guests. Then the visitors spoke.
Wa lamma an jaat rusuluna Lutan siee bihim wa daqa bihim dhar’an wa qalu la takhaf wa la tahzan, inna munajjuka wa ahlaka illamra’ataka kanat minal ghabirin: And when Our messengers came to Lot, he was distressed on account of them and felt powerless with regard to them. And they said, ‘Fear not, nor grieve; we will surely save thee and thy family except thy wife, who is of those who remain behind. Al Ankabut 29:34
They calmed his fear. They also eased his grief. Allah does not let goodness go to waste. He would save Lot(as) and his family, except his wife. Through him, goodness and piety would begin to grow green again in the world.
So who were they? They were not angels descending in bodily form. They were holy men of the region. Allah had favoured them with revelation. He sent them as guides, guests and messengers of mercy to a prophet in distress.