21:75 Al-Anbiyaa (The Prophets)

{ وَأَدْخَلْنَاهُ فِي رَحْمَتِنَا ْ} التي من دخلها، كان من الآمنين، من جميع المخاوف، النائلين كل خير وسعادة، وبر، وسرور، وثناء، وذلك لأنه من الصالحين، الذين صلحت أعمالهم وزكت أحوالهم، وأصلح الله فاسدهم، والصلاح هو السبب لدخول العبد برحمة الله، كما أن الفساد، سبب لحرمانه الرحمة والخير، وأعظم الناس صلاحا، الأنبياء عليهم السلام ولهذا يصفهم بالصلاح، وقال سليمان عليه السلام: { وَأَدْخِلْنِي بِرَحْمَتِكَ فِي عِبَادِكَ الصَّالِحِينَ ْ}

كما قال تعالى " فآمن له لوط وقال إني مهاجر إلى ربي " فآتاه الله حكما وعلما وأوحى إليه وجعله نبيا وبعثه إلى سدوم وأعمالها فخالفوه وكذبوه فأهلكهم الله ودمر عليهم كما قص خبرهم في غير موضع من كتابه العزيز ولهذا قال " ونجيناه من القرية التي كانت تعمل الخبائث إنهم كانوا قوم سوء فاسقين وأدخلناه في رحمتنا إنه من الصالحين ".

The Migration of Ibrahim to Ash-Sham (Greater Syria), accompanied by Lut

Allah tells us that He saved Ibrahim from the fire lit by his people, and brought him out from among them, migrating to the land of Ash-Sham, to the sacred regions thereof.

وَوَهَبْنَا لَهُ إِسْحَـقَ وَيَعْقُوبَ نَافِلَةً

(And We bestowed upon him Ishaq, and Ya`qub Nafilatan.) `Ata' and Mujahid said, "Nafilatan means as a gift." Ibn `Abbas, Qatadah and Al-Hakam bin `Uyaynah said, "The gift of a son who has a son," meaning that Ya`qub was the son of Ishaq, as Allah says:

فَبَشَّرْنَـهَا بِإِسْحَـقَ وَمِن وَرَآءِ إِسْحَـقَ يَعْقُوبَ

(But We gave her glad tidings of Ishaq, and after Ishaq, of Ya`qub) 11:71. `Abdur-Rahman bin Zayd bin Aslam said, "He asked for one son, and said,

رَبِّ هَبْ لِى مِنَ الصَّـلِحِينِ

("My Lord! Grant me from the righteous.") So Allah gave him Ishaq, and gave him Ya`qub in addition.

وَكُلاًّ جَعَلْنَا صَـلِحِينَ

(Each one We made righteous. ) means, both of them were good and righteous people.

وَجَعَلْنَاهُمْ أَئِمَّةً

(And We made them leaders,) means, examples to be followed.

يَهْدُونَ بِأَمْرِنَا

(guiding by Our command,) inviting to Him by His leave. Allah says:

وَأَوْحَيْنَآ إِلَيْهِمْ فِعْلَ الْخَيْرَتِ وَإِقَامَ الصَّلوة وَإِيتَآءَ الزَّكَـوةِ

(and We revealed to them the doing of good deeds, performing Salah, and the giving of Zakah,) Here the general is followed by the specific.

وَكَانُواْ لَنَا عَـبِدِينَ

(and of Us (Alone) they were the worshippers.) means, they did what they enjoined others to do.

The Prophet Lut

Then Allah mentions Lut, whose full name was Lut bin Haran bin Azar. He believed in Ibrahim and followed him, and migrated with him, as Allah says:

فَـَامَنَ لَهُ لُوطٌ وَقَالَ إِنِّى مُهَاجِرٌ إِلَى رَبِّى

(So Lut believed in him. He (Ibrahim) said: "I will emigrate for the sake of my Lord") 29:26. Allah gave him wisdom and knowledge; He sent Revelation to him, made him a Prophet and appointed him to Sadum (Sodom) and its vicinity, but they rejected him and resisted him, so Allah utterly destroyed them, as He tells us in several places in His Book. Allah says;

وَلُوطاً آتَيْنَـهُ حُكْماً وَعِلْماً وَنَجَّيْنَـهُ مِنَ الْقَرْيَةِ الَّتِى كَانَت تَّعْمَلُ الْخَبَـئِثَ إِنَّهُمْ كَانُواْ قَوْمَ سَوْءٍ فَـسِقِينَ - وَأَدْخَلْنَـهُ فِى رَحْمَتِنَآ إِنَّهُ مِنَ الصَّـلِحِينَ

(and We saved him from the town who practised Al-Khaba'ith. Verily, they were a people given to evil, and were rebellious. And We admitted him to Our mercy; truly, he was of the righteous.)

And We admitted him into Our mercy by Our saving him from his people. He was indeed one of the righteous.

Commentary

The name of the city from which Sayyidna Lut (علیہ السلام) was saved and which has been mentioned in these verses was Sodom. There were seven other townships under this city which were thrown upside down by Jibra'il (علیہ السلام) except one which was left intact for Lut (علیہ السلام) and his followers. (Ibn ` Abbas, Qurtubl)

تَّعْمَلُ الْخَبَائِثَ (21:74) خَبَائِثَ (Khaba'ith) is the plural of خَبِئیثَہ meaning wickedness. Too many wicked things collectively are called Khaba'ith (خَبَائِثَ ). Their most abominable practice in which even the animals do not indulge, was sodomy or homosexuality. It is possible that because of its extreme wicked nature this practice is referred to as خَبَائِثَ that is in plural instead of خَبِئیثَہ in singular, as some commentators have explained. The second explanation is that the people of Sodom also indulged in other bad habits such as drinking, singing, shaving off beard, growing moustaches, wearing silk clothes, stone throwing, whistling etc. (Ruh ul-Ma` ani).