Al Islam

g. 11:82. (close)

1508. The pronoun hum (their) in the expression Adbara-hum (their rear) used in this verse shows that the party who left the city with Lot did not consist of his two daughters only, as stated in the Bible (Gen. chap. 19), but of other believers as well, some of whom must have been males, as the plural masculine pronoun indicates. This view is supported by another passage in the Bible (Gen. 18:‌32). (close)

1509. The words may have been used figuratively, meaning 'let none of you give thought to,' or 'feel anxious for,' those left behind. (close)

b. 11:82. (close)

1769. Commentary:

The pronoun ھم (their) in the expression ادبارھم (their rear) used in this verse shows that, according to the Quran, the party who left the city with Lot did not consist of his two daughters only, as stated in the Bible (Gen. 19), but of other believers as well, some of whom must have been males, as the plural masculine pronoun shows. This view is supported by another passage in the Bible (Gen. 18:‌32) which shows that Abraham was aware that there were some men in the town of Lot who had accepted his Message. Abraham was not, however, sure of their number.

The words لا یلتفت منکم احد (let none of you look back) do not here mean, as most commentators have taken them to mean literally "looking back." The expression has been used figuratively, meaning "giving thought to," or "feeling anxious for," those left behind. The above quoted words thus signify, "do not mind the disbelievers, and leave them to perish." As against this the Bible says that Lot’s wife looked back and was turned into a pillar of salt (Gen. 19:‌26). The Quranic version is certainly more natural, for it not only denies her looking back but declares that she was one of those who remained behind (29:34). The fact that the Bible, which was written much earlier than the Quran, should interweave it with such an incredible tale, which the Quran rejects, lends strong support to the latter’s claim to be the revealed Word of God.

The words, where you are commanded, confirms the interpretation given above, viz. that the messengers had come to tell Lot where he should go after leaving the condemned city. They had come to inform Lot of his destination in pursuance of a Divine command.

The messengers suggested to Lot that he should follow in their rear so that he might be the last in the party to leave the city. This was evidently intended as a precaution for the safety of all members of the party because since Lot was a Prophet for whom Divine protection was particularly intended the threatened punishment could not overtake the city until he was safely out of it. (close)

a. 6:46; 7:73, 85. (close)

a. 6:46; 7:73, 85. (close)

1770. Important Words:

قضینا (We communicated). They say قضی بین الخصمین i.e. he judged and decided between the two litigants. قضی الشیء قضاء means, he determined or designed and accomplished or completed the thing properly. قضی الامر means, he decreed or ordained or commanded the thing. قضی حاجته means, he fulfilled or attained or satisfied his want or desire. قضی دینه means, he paid off his debt. قضی الصلوة means, he performed his Prayer. قضی الشیء means, he declared and explained the thing. قضی الیه الامر means, he communicated or conveyed the matter to him. قضی العھد means, he kept or fulfilled the pledge. قضی اجله او نحبه means, he died (lit. he completed his term), ضربه فقضٰی علیه means, he struck him and thereby killed him (Aqrab & Lane).

Commentary:

The words of this verse are spoken by God and not by the messengers, as it might appear from the context. As the messengers had come to tell Lot that the time of the threatened punishment of his people had already arrived, so in this verse God says to Lot that what the messengers had communicated to him was undoubtedly true, and as the time was very short, he should quit the place at once. It is this direct revelation of God that has been mentioned in the present verse and possibly in the previous one as well.

The word دابر among other things signifies, the root of a thing. But the word "root" does not here mean, "great men" (who are certainly the root of a tribe or clan) but the entire tribe collectively, for the word "root" also symbolizes the whole tree. In fact, the words, Excepting the family of Lot, occurring in v. 60 show that in the present verse this word cannot be taken in the sense of "great men" for, according to the above quoted verse, both the great and the small men of Lot’s people were destroyed, with the exception of a few members of his family. Moreover, the word دابر also means "the last remnant." So the verse definitely signifies that all the people of Lot were destroyed except only a few. See also 6:46.

The word مصبحین (by the morning) shows that Lot was bidden to journey with his family in the latter part of the night so that his wicked countrymen might not discover their absence and pursue and overtake them before the threatened punishment which was to take place at sunrise (v. 74). (close)

b. 11:79. (close)

1510. Lot had been told by his people not to bring strangers into the city and so when the guests came to him they were glad that he would be taken to task for having defied their warnings. (close)

a. 11:79. (close)

1771. Commentary:

From the Bible it appears that the مدینة (city) mentioned in this verse was the seat of kings (Gen. 14:‌17, 21). یثرب the town to which the Holy Prophet fled from Mecca was also called مدینة (city) by him, which implied the prophecy that after having become free from epidemics which ravaged it before, it would become a great town and the Centre of Islam. (close)

c. 11:79. (close)

b. 11:79. (close)

1772. Commentary:

Lot had been told by his people not to bring strangers into the city and now that he had brought these guests he knew that he would be taken to task for having defied their warnings. He therefore asked them not to disgrace him by mentioning this matter before his guests. (close)

1511. Lot begged his people not to disgrace him for offering hospitality to the strangers. (close)

1773. Commentary:

Lot further begged his people not to disgrace him for offering hospitality to the wayfarers, because that was, after all, a good act in the sight of God and did not deserve censure or condemnation. (close)

1512. As relations between Lot’s people and the neighbouring tribes were strained his people had warned him not to bring strangers into the city. But as travel was neither safe nor comfortable in those parts of the country, Prophet Lot would entertain lonely and stranded wayfarers in his house. This was resented by his people, who were looking for a pretext to expel him from the city, being already tired of his teaching and preaching. But they could not do so without a valid excuse. Now they found a seemingly good excuse for venting their wrath on him because he had given shelter to strangers in his house against their warnings. From this it is clear that Lot’s people did not come to him with the wicked intention of committing sodomy with his guests, but to convey to him the warning that they had found a valid excuse to expel him from the town. This seemed to be the reason of their rejoicing. (close)

1774. Commentary:

As there existed a state of war between the people of Lot and the neighbouring tribes, his people had warned Lot not to bring strangers into the city. But as travel was neither safe nor comfortable in those parts of the country, Prophet Lot used to harbour lonely wayfarers in his house. This was resented by his people, who were looking for a pretext to expel him from the city, being already tired of his teaching and preaching. But they could not do so without a valid excuse, because Lot was a full-fledged citizen and his daughters were married in the town. Now, however, they found a good excuse for venting their wrath on him for his having given shelter to strangers in his house despite their warnings. From this it is clear that Lot’s people did not come to him with the wicked intention of committing sodomy with his guests, but to convey to him the warning that they had found a valid excuse to expel him from the town. This was the reason of their rejoicing. The story that they were pleased because they found an opportunity for committing sodomy with Lot’s guests is quite baseless, because it is out of keeping with the context. In fact, the whole story has been unthinkingly borrowed from the Bible by some simple-minded commentators (Gen. 19:‌5). If Lot’s people had come with the evil intention of satisfying their unnatural lust on this occasion, then, instead of being displeased with Lot, they should have been pleased with him, because he had provided them with such an opportunity. (close)

a. 11:79. (close)

1513. See 11:79. (close)

a. 11:79. (close)

1775. Commentary:

The verse states that Lot offered to the infuriated people his daughters as hostages against any possible infringement on his part or that of his guests of the interests of the town. As his daughters were married to townsmen, he, their father, could do nothing against the interests of the town; and if he did anything of that sort, they could easily wreak vengeance on him through his daughters.

Some Muslim commentators, blindly following the story of the Bible (Gen. 19:‌8), have interpreted this verse as meaning that Lot offered those people his daughters for the gratification of their lust. This interpretation is absurd. No sensible man, much less a Prophet of God, would seek to deflect a man from one sinful act by suggesting to him the commission of another and more heinous sin. It is inconceivable that Prophet Lot should have offered his own daughters to those wicked people that they should satisfy their lust with them instead of with the strangers. Human imagination staggers at such a foolish and wicked idea. Some other commentators are of the opinion that, being an elderly man and a Prophet, Lot referred to the women of the tribe as his daughters, meaning that these people should go in unto their wives rather than gratify their lust unnaturally. This interpretation, though much more sensible than the Biblical story, is also not admissible being in conflict with the context (see also 11:79).

It may also be noted here that the words ان کنتم فاعلین (if you must do something) do not, according to Arabic idiom, mean "if you must commit sodomy." They simply mean, "if you must do something." (close)

1776. Important Words:

لعمرك (by thy life). عمر (‘amrun) is the same as عمر (‘umurun) and means, life or the age to which life extends or the period in which the body is inhabited by life. The Arabs say لعمرك لافعلن کذالك i.e. by thy life I will assuredly do such a thing. The expression لعمرك therefore means, by thy life; or by thy religion, for عمر (‘amrun) also means religion (Lane).

Commentary:

This verse is addressed to the Holy Prophet by God and not to Lot by the angels, as some commentators seem to think.

The expression لعمرك (by thy life) therefore beautifully hints at the purity of the Holy Prophet’s life by citing it as a witness against the wickedness of evildoers.

The case of Lot was in fact similar to that of the Holy Prophet in more than one respect. Just as the people of Lot prohibited him from entertaining outsiders, fearing lest the latter should conspire against them, similarly the Meccans prohibited the Holy Prophet from having any dealings with strangers, for they feared that he might form an alliance with outside people and thus seek to do them harm. And just as Lot had his two daughters married among his enemies, similarly the Holy Prophet had three of his daughters married among disbelievers: Ruqayyah and Ummi Kulthum having been married to ‘Utbah and Shaibah, the two sons of Abu Lahab and Zainab to Abul ‘As bin ar-Rabi‘. The relevancy of the present verse to the previous one is that the Holy Prophet felt grieved by the reference to Lot’s daughters having been married among his opponents, for this reminded him of his own daughters who were married among disbelievers and of their being likely to suffer at the hands of their husbands. God has therefore here consoled the Holy Prophet by saying to him, "Your enemies have indeed proved more wicked than the people of Lot, who at least abstained from persecuting his daughters. But We offer your whole life as a witness that even as Lot’s people were punished by God, your people, who are the greater sinners, will not escape God’s punishment for persecuting you who are by far a greater Prophet."

It may also be briefly mentioned in passing that God’s swearing by His creatures is quite different from man’s swearing by them. When a man swears by a thing other than God, he does so to express his special reverence for it, which is denounced by the Quran. But God swears by a thing in order to offer it as a witness for establishing the truth of a certain claim and He, being the Creator of all things, has the right to offer anything as a witness. But man cannot do so. It is therefore not allowed to him to swear by anything except God. For a full discussion of the subject of "oaths" in the Quran and their significance see under 75:2. (close)

b. 11:82. (close)

a. 11:82. (close)

1777. Important Words:

الصیحة (the punishment) which is derived from صاح i.e. he cried aloud or shouted. صیحة means, a vehement crying; an evil or mischief that comes on one suddenly; punishment; a hostile incursion by which a tribe is surprised (Lane). See also 11:68.

Commentary:

In v. 67 the time for the punishment which was to overtake Lot’s people is indicated by the expression مصبحین (by the morning) but in the present verse it is expressed by مشرقین (at sunrise). This may appear to be a discrepancy in the words used by the Quran. But there is no real discrepancy, because the expression مصبحین (by the morning) signifies those entering on the period from dawn till sunrise, and مشرقینmeans, at sunrise. It is thus clear that there is no real conflict in the meanings of the two words. The calamity actually occurred at sunrise. This is supported by the Bible (Gen. 19:‌23, 24). For the nature of the calamity see the following verse. (close)

c. 11:83. (close)

b. 11:83. (close)

1778. Important Words:

سجیل (clay). See 11:83.

Commentary:

The houses of Lot’s people were turned upside down. This punishment corresponded to their unnatural offence. The punishment apparently took the form of a severe earthquake which raised portions of the stony soil and buried them under; or the houses had walls of stones and rubble laid in clay and these were violently shattered and the debris thrown all around. (close)