Tafsir Ibn Kathir -> Surah Al-A'raf -> The Story of Prophet Lut, upon Him be Peace, and His People |
Allah said, We sent, ﴿وَ﴾ (And) ﴿لُوطاًإِذْ قَالَ لِقَوْمِهِ﴾ (Lut, when he said to his people..) Lut (Lot) is the son of Haran the son of Azar (Terah), and he was the nephew of Ibrahim, peace be upon them both. Lut had believed in Ibrahim and migrated with him to the Sham area. Allah then sent Lut to the people of Sadum (Sodom) and the surrounding villages, to call them to Allah, enjoin righteousness and forbid them from their evil practices, their sin, and wickedness. It this area, they did things that none of the children of Adam or any other creatures ever did before them. They used to have sexual intercourse with males instead of females. This evil practice was not known among the Children of Adam before, nor did it even cross their minds, so they were unfamiliar with it before the people of Sodom invented it, may Allah's curse be on them. `Amr bin Dinar conmented on; ﴿مَا سَبَقَكُمْ بِهَا مِنْ أَحَدٍ مِّن الْعَـلَمِينَ﴾ ("...as none preceding you has committed in all of the nations.'') "Never before the people of Lut did a male have sex with another male.'' This is why Lut said to them, ﴿أَتَأْتُونَ الْفَـحِشَةَ مَا سَبَقَكُمْ بِهَا مِنْ أَحَدٍ مِّن الْعَـلَمِينَ﴾ إِنَّكُمْ لَتَأْتُونَ الرّجَالَ شَهْوَةً مّن دُونِ النّسَآء﴾ ("Do you commit lewdness such as none preceding you has committed in all of the nations Verily, you practice your lusts on men instead of women.'') meaning, you left women whom Allah created for you and instead had sex with men Indeed, this behavior is evil and ignorant because you have placed things in their improper places. Lut, peace be upon him, said to them: ﴿هَـؤُلآءِ بَنَاتِى إِن كُنْتُمْ فَـعِلِينَ﴾ ("these (the girls of the nation) are my daughters (to marry lawfully), if you must act (so).'') ﴿15:71﴾ So he reminded them of their women, and they replied that they do not desire women!, ﴿قَالُواْ لَقَدْ عَلِمْتَ مَا لَنَا فِى بَنَاتِكَ مِنْ حَقٍّ وَإِنَّكَ لَتَعْلَمُ مَا نُرِيدُ ﴾ (They said: "Surely, you know that we have neither any desire nor need of your daughters, and indeed you know well what we want!'' ) ﴿11:79﴾ meaning, you know that we have no desire for women and you know what we desire with your guests. ﴿وَمَا كَانَ جَوَابَ قَوْمِهِ إِلاَ أَن قَالُواْ أَخْرِجُوهُم مِّن قَرْيَتِكُمْ إِنَّهُمْ أُنَاسٌ يَتَطَهَّرُونَ ﴾ (82. And the answer of his people was only that they said: "Drive them out of your town, these are indeed men who want to be pure (from sins)!'') So they answered Prophet Lut by trying to expel and banish him from their village, along with those who believed with him. Allah indeed removed Prophet Lut safely from among them, and He destroyed them in their land in disgrace and humiliation. They said (about Lut and the believers): ﴿إِنَّهُمْ أُنَاسٌ يَتَطَهَّرُونَ﴾ ("These are indeed men who want to be pure (from sins)!'') Qatadah commented, "They shamed them (Lut and the believers) with what is not a shame at all.'' Mujahid commented, "(Lut's people said about Lut and the believers,) They are a people who want to be pure from men's anuses and women's anuses!'' Similar was narrated from Ibn `Abbas. ﴿فَأَنجَيْنَـهُ وَأَهْلَهُ إِلاَّ امْرَأَتَهُ كَانَتْ مِنَ الْغَـبِرِينَ - وَأَمْطَرْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ مَّطَرًا فَانْظُرْ كَيْفَ كَانَ عَـقِبَةُ الْمُجْرِمِينَ ﴾ (83. Then We saved him and his family, except his wife; she was of the Ghabirin (those who lagged behind).) (84. And We rained down on them a rain (of stones). Then see what was the end of the criminals.)
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