11:81 Hud (Hud)

{ قَالُوا } له: { إِنَّا رُسُلُ رَبِّكَ } أي: أخبروه بحالهم ليطمئن قلبه، { لَنْ يَصِلُوا إِلَيْكَ } بسوء. ثم قال جبريل بجناحه، فطمس أعينهم، فانطلقوا يتوعدون لوطا بمجيء الصبح، وأمر الملائكة لوطا، أن يسري بأهله { بِقِطْعٍ مِنَ اللَّيْلِ } أي: بجانب منه قبل الفجر بكثير، ليتمكنوا من البعد عن قريتهم. { وَلَا يَلْتَفِتْ مِنْكُمْ أَحَدٌ } أي: بادروا بالخروج، وليكن همكم النجاة ولا تلتفتوا إلى ما وراءكم. { إِلَّا امْرَأَتَكَ إِنَّهُ مُصِيبُهَا } من العذاب { مَا أَصَابَهُمُ } لأنها تشارك قومها في الإثم، فتدلهم على أضياف لوط، إذا نزل به أضياف. { إِنَّ مَوْعِدَهُمُ الصُّبْحُ } فكأن لوطا، استعجل ذلك، فقيل له: { أَلَيْسَ الصُّبْحُ بِقَرِيبٍ }

قالوا "يا لوط إنا رسل ربك لن يصلوا إليك" وأمروه أن يسري بأهله من آخر الليل وأن يتبع أدبارهم أي يكون ساقة لأهله "ولا يلتفت منكم أحد" أي إذا سمعت ما نزل بهم ولا تهولنكم تلك الأصوات المزعجة ولكن استمروا ذاهبين "إلا امرأتك" قال الأكثرون هو استثناء من المثبت وهو قوله "فأسر بأهلك تقديره "إلا امرأتك" وكذلك قرأها ابن مسعود ونصب هؤلاء امرأتك لأنه مثبت فوجب نصبه عندهم وقال آخرون من القراء والنحاة هو استثناء من قوله "ولا يلتفت منكم أحد إلا امرأتك" فجوزوا الرفع والنصب وذكر هؤلاء أنها خرجت معهم وأنها لما سمعت الوجبة التفتت وقالت: واقوماه فجاءها حجر من السماء فقتلها ثم قربوا له هلاك قومه تبشيرا له لأنه قال لهم أهلكوهم الساعة فقالوا "إن موعدهم الصبح أليس الصبح بقريب". هذا وقوم لوط وقوف على الباب عكوف قد جاءوا يهرعون إليه من كل جانب ولوط واقف على الباب يدافعهم ويردعهم وينهاهم عما هم فيه وهم لا يقبلون منه بل يتوعدونه ويتهددونه فعند ذلك خرج عليهم جبريل عليه السلام فضرب وجوههم بجناحه فطمس أعينهم فرجعوا وهم لا يهتدون الطريق كما قال تعالى "ولقد راودوه عن ضيفه فطمسنا أعينهم فذوقوا عذابي ونذر" الآية وقال معمر عن قتادة عن حذيفة بن اليمان قال: كان إبراهيم عليه السلام يأتي قوم لوط فيقول أنهاكم الله أن تعرضوا لعقوبته فلم يطيعوه حتى إذا بلغ الكتاب أجله انتهت الملائكة إلى لوط وهو يعمل في أرض له فدعاهم إلى الضيافة فقالوا إنا ضيوفك الليلة وكان الله قد عهد إلى جبريل ألا يعذبهم حتى يشهد عليهم لوط ثلات شهادات فلما توجه بهم لوط إلى الضيافة ذكر ما يعمل قومه من الشر فمشى معهم ساعة ثم التفت إليهم فقال أما تعلمون ما يعمل أهل هذه القرية؟ ما أعلم على وجه الأرض شرا منهم أين أذهب بكم؟ إلى قومي وهم أشر خلق الله؟ فالتفت جبريل إلى الملائكة فقال احفظوها هذه واحدة ثم مشى معهم ساعة فلما توسط القرية وأشفق عليهم واستحيا منهم قال: أما تعلمون ما يعمل أهل هذه القرية؟ ما أعلم على وجه الأرض أشر منهم إن قومي أشر خلق الله فالتفت جبريل إلى الملائكة فقال: احفظوها هاتان اثنتان فلما انتهى إلى باب الدار بكى حياء منهم وشفقة عليهم فقال: إن قومي أشر خلق الله؟ أما تعلمون ما يعمل أهل هذه القرية؟ ما أعلم على وجه الأرض أهل قرية شرا منهم فقال جبريل للملائكة احفظوا هذه ثلاث قد حق العذاب فلما دخلوا ذهبت عجوزه عجوز السوء فصعدت فلوحت بثوبها فأتاها الفساق يهرعون سراعا قالوا ما عندك؟ قالت ضيف لوط قوما ما رأيت قط أحسن وجوها منهم ولا أطيب ريحا منهم فهرعوا يسارعون إلى الباب فعالجهم لوط على الباب فدافعوه طويلا وهو داخل وهم خارج يناشدهم الله ويقول "هؤلاء بناتي هن أطهر لكم" فقام الملك فلز بالباب - يقول فشده - واستأذن جبريل في عقوبتهم فأذن الله له فقام في الصورة التي يكون فيها في السماء فنشر جناحه - ولجبريل جناحان - وعليه وشاح من در منظوم وهو براق الثنايا أجلى الجبين ورأسه حبك حبك مثل المرجان وهو اللؤلؤ كأنه الثلج ورجلاه إلي الخضرة فقال يا لوط "إنا رسل ربك لن يصلوا إليك" امض يا لوط عن الباب ودعني وإياهم فتنحى لوط عن الباب فخرج إليهم فنشر جناحه فضرب به وجوههم ضربه شدخ أعينهم فصاروا عميا لا يعرفون الطريق ثم أمر لوط فاحتمل بأهله في ليلته قال "فأسر بأهلك بقطع من الليل" وروي عن محمد بن كعب وقتادة والسدي نحو هذا.

Lut's Inability, His Desire for Strength and the Angels' Informing Him of the Reality

Allah, the Exalted says that Lut was threatening them with his statement,

لَوْ أَنَّ لِى بِكُمْ قُوَّةً

(Would that I had strength (men) to overpower you,) meaning, `I would surely have made an example of you and done (harm) to you from myself and my family.' In this regard, there is a Hadith which is reported from Abu Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,

«رَحْمَةُ اللهِ عَلَى لُوطٍ لَقَدْ كَانَ يَأْوِي إِلَى رُكْنٍ شَدِيد»

يَعْنِي اللهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ

«فَمَا بَعَثَ اللهُ بَعْدَهُ مِنْ نَبِيَ إِلَّا فِي ثَرْوَةٍ مِنْ قَوْمِه»

(May Allah's mercy be upon Lut, for verily, he betook himself to a powerful support --meaning Allah, the Mighty and Sublime. Allah did not send any Prophet after him, except amidst an influential family among his people.) With this, the angels informed him that they were the messengers of Allah ﷺ sent to them. They also told him that his people would not be able to reach him (with any harm).

قَالُواْ يلُوطُ إِنَّا رُسُلُ رَبِّكَ لَن يَصِلُواْ إِلَيْكَ

(They (messengers said): "O Lut! Verily, we are the messengers from your Lord! They shall not reach you!) They commanded him to travel with his family during the last part of night and that he should follow them from behind. In this way it would be as though he were driving his family (as a cattle herder).

وَلاَ يَلْتَفِتْ مِنكُمْ أَحَدٌ

(and let not any of you look back;) This means, "If you hear the sound of what (torment) befalls them (the people of the village), do not rush towards that disturbing noise. Rather, continue leaving."

إِلاَّ امْرَأَتَكَ

(but your wife,) Most of the scholars said that this means that she would not travel at night and she did not go with Lut. Rather, she stayed in her house and was destroyed. Others said that it means that she looked back (during the travel). This later group says that she left with them and when she heard the inevitable destruction, she turned and looked back. When she looked she said, "O my people!" Thus, a stone came down from the sky and killed her. Then they (the angels) brought close to him the destruction of his people as good news for him, because he said to them, "Destroy them in this very hour." They replied,

إِنَّ مَوْعِدَهُمُ الصُّبْحُ أَلَيْسَ الصُّبْحُ بِقَرِيبٍ

(Indeed, morning is their appointed time. Is not the morning near) They were saying this while Luts people were standing at his door. They tried to rush his door from all sides and Lut was standing at the door repelling them, deterring them and trying to prevent them from what they were doing. Yet, they would not listen to him. Instead, they threatened him and sought to intimidate him. At this point, Jibril came out to them and struck them in their faces with his wing. This blow blinded their eyes and they retreated, unable to see their way. This is as Allah said,

وَلَقَدْ رَاوَدُوهُ عَن ضَيْفِهِ فَطَمَسْنَآ أَعْيُنَهُمْ فَذُوقُواْ عَذَابِى وَنُذُرِ

(And they indeed sought to shame his guest (asking to commit sodomy with them). So We blinded their eyes (saying), "Then taste you My torment and My warnings.")54:37

فَلَمَّا جَآءَ أَمْرُنَا جَعَلْنَا عَـلِيَهَا سَافِلَهَا وَأَمْطَرْنَا عَلَيْهَا حِجَارَةً مِّن سِجِّيلٍ مَّنْضُودٍ

they said ‘O Lot truly we are messengers of your Lord. They shall not reach you with any harm so travel with your family during a part of the night and let not one of you turn round lest they see the terrible predicament that will befall them except for your wife read illā imra’atuka in the nominative as a substitute for ahadun; a variant reading has illā imra’ataka in the accusative as her being an exception among his ‘family’ in other words do no take her along when you travel lo! she shall be smitten by that which smites them it is said that he did not take her along with him; it is also said that she did set out with them and turned round and so exclaimed ‘Woe is my people!’ at which point a stone struck her and killed her. When he Lot asked them about the time of their destruction they replied Truly their tryst is for the morning and when he said ‘I want it to be sooner’ they said is the morning not nigh enough?’

At that time, the angels under Divine command said to Sayyidna Lut (علیہ السلام) : فَأَسْرِ‌ بِأَهْلِكَ بِقِطْعٍ مِّنَ اللَّيْلِ (So, move with your family in a part of night). And asked him to instruct everyone in his family not to turn and look back with the exception of his wife because she was going to be hit by the same punishment that was to fall on his people.

This could also mean that he was not to take his wife along with him. And it could also mean that, being his wife, she was to go along as part of his family, but she would not obey the instruction of not looking back he would give to his family. According to some reports, this is what happened. This wife started off with others, but when she heard the big bang of the punishment given to her people, she looked back and felt sorry at their destruction. At that moment there came a splintered rock and finished her off like others. (Qurtubi, Mazhari)

The angels had also told Sayyidna Lut (علیہ السلام) that: إِنَّ مَوْعِدَهُمُ الصُّبْحُ (The deadline [ of the punishment ] is the morning). He said that he wished the punishment would come sooner. Thereupon, the angels said: أَلَيْسَ الصُّبْحُ بِقَرِ‌يبٍ (Is it not that the morning is near?)

After that, the Qur'an portrays the occurrence of the punishment by saying: So, when Our command came, We turned whatever there was in their habitat upside down raining such stones over it as had the names of everyone there marked on it.

Reports say that these habitations were composed of four major towns where those people lived. These very habitations have been named as 'al-mu'tafikat' (the towns overturned) elsewhere in the Holy Qur'an (9:70, 69:9). When the Divine command came, the archangel Jibra'il al-Amin dissected the base of the land mass holding all those towns on top of it with his wing, raised all of it upwards in a way that everything stayed where it was, even water in a water vessel. It was in the backdrop of human, animal and canine voices coming from the sky that he heaved all these habitations straight up towards the sky and, then, threw the whole thing back upside down - as appropriate to and as called for by the evil they indulged in.