The Light of the Holy Qur'an Interpretation of Sura Hud

Commentary : Verse 74

(74) فَلَمَّا ذَهَبَ عَنْ إِبْراهيمَ الرَّوْعُ وَ جاءَتْهُ الْبُشْرى‏ يُجادِلُنا في‏ قَوْمِ لُوطٍ

  1. " So when fear had passed from Abraham and the glad tidings reached him, he began disputing with Us concerning the people of Lot. "

Commentary :

Perhaps Abraham's(a.s.) plea is the same one mentioned in Sura 'Ankabout, No. 92, verse 13, where, in addressing the angels, he asked how they would overturn the land when Lot(a.s.) still remained among them.

They answered that they were well aware of their status, so they would save Lot and his followers. The verse says:

" So when fear had passed from Abraham and the glad tidings reached him, he began disputing with Us concerning the people of Lot. "

The angels removed his anxiety and in directly addressing Sarah they reinforced the good tidings of them being graced with progeny. Concern and anxiety in the face of possible danger are safety- orientated issues while having children has an emotional dimension. Safety issues relate to society as a whole and children are related to the household.

Commentary : Verse 75

(75) إِنَّ إِبْراهيمَ لَحَليمٌ أَوَّاهٌ مُنيبٌ

(76) يا إِبْراهيمُ أَعْرِضْ عَنْ هذا إِنَّهُ قَدْ جاءَ أَمْرُ رَبِّكَ وَ إِنَّهُمْ آتيهِمْ عَذابٌ غَيْرُ مَرْدُودٍ

  1. " Verily Abraham was indeed for bearing, tender- hearted, penitent. "

  2. " O Abraham! Forsake this! Indeed the decree of your Lord has come to pass and surely there is coming(upon)them an irreversible chastisement. "

Commentary :

Patience is a highly praised characteristic that enables someone to forbear any infliction in times of crisis and not try to avenge it. This is why Abraham wished to haply remove the punishment from the people of Lot. This good quality is very prominent in prophets, godly benevolent authorities, and knowledgeable people, for were it not to exist, they would not be able to tolerate the difficulties and troubles of their people, and therefore, they would not be able to achieve their objectives which would include guidance.

The Qur'anic term/ 'awwah/ means supplication and humility before Allah, along with crying and weeping. The verse says:

"Verily Abraham was indeed for bearing, tender- hearted, penitent. "

Here, Abraham shows compassion for the people of Lot, who are rather inextricably entangled with having to suffer this awesome penalty.

The Qur'anic term/ munib/, mentioned in the first verse, denotes repentance and returning, and at the same time concentrating on Allah, for Abraham appealed to Him to forgive and not to condemn the people of Lot. However, Allah, the Blissful and Glorious, is so perfectly patient, forgiving, indulgent and compassionate that His servants can not even remotely conceive its extent. The crucial determining factor in all this, however, is that it all depends upon the suitability of the servant in point, which, when lacking in suitability sparing them is of no avail. Once the limits are exceeded, the mercy changes to rigor and this must be so of necessity, for mercy from the point of view of the sharp teeth that Allah gave to a panther is the other side of oppression from the point of view of the sheep in its jaws.

The people of Lot had no more potential to be guided, and if they were left to continue, their evil acts would have permeated other spheres as well, just like a corrupt organ which, if not excised, would affect other organs, thus spreading the infection further. Therefore, in response, the angels said:

" O Abraham! Forsake this! Indeed the decree of your Lord has come to pass and surely there is coming(upon)them an irreversible chastisement. "

At that point Abraham realized that there was no more room for mercy, he gave up pleading for them and the angels of death went forth to do their work executing the Divine order and exterminating the people of Lot.

Commentary : Verse 77

(77) وَ لَمَّا جاءَتْ رُسُلُنا لُوطاً سي‏ءَ بِهِمْ وَ ضاقَ بِهِمْ ذَرْعاً وَ قالَ هذا يَوْمٌ عَصيبٌ

  1. " And when Our messengers(the angels)came to Lot, he was grieved for them and felt straitened to protect them. He said: 'This is a distressful day'. "

Commentary :

When the angels came, Lot was engaged in farming outside the town. He noticed some handsome, well- dressed young men arrived. He became afraid that his people might take to them when they entered the town. He thought that it would be best to invite them to his house, which he did, and his invitation was accepted. As he was taking them home, he was worried that his people might pass by and notice them. He wanted them to go back where they came from, saying: "You should know that you are going to a despicable and evil people".

At this point, Gabriel said: "That's one". The reason why Gabriel said this was that Allah had told the angels that they should not hasten to destroy the people of Lot until Lot himself had testified to their evil three times. As they kept on going, for the second time Lot told them: "Really, you are going towards an evil people. " Gabriel this time said: "That's the second time". As Lot arrived at the gate of the town, he said for the third time: "You are going among an evil people from among Allah's creatures. " Gabriel said: "That's the third time".

Lot entered the town followed by his guests. One by one they entered the house, and when Lot's wife noticed their handsomeness she wanted to call the people and tell them about it. She climbed up on the roof of the house and lit a fire. When the evil people of the town came, she told them that there were some very handsome young men in the house.

‏Lot was at his wits end trying to find a way to get rid of these people, to save his guests from being the objects of their evil intentions and to protect his honor. He was having a hard time, because he was in a quandary as to what he should do. He murmured: "This is a very difficult day. " On the one hand, how could he protect his guests from the wretchedness and evil of those people On the other hand,

how could he eradicate the evil that they had caused And finally, what should he do about the spy on the inside, his wife, who was willing to reveal anything secret in his house to the enemy outside ?As the Qur'an says: "Allah sets forth an example to the Unbelievers, the wife of Noah and the wife of Lot. They were under two of Our righteous servants, but they acted treacherously towards them so they availed them nothing before Allah on their account, but were told: 'Enter you both the Fire along with(others)that enter! '"(1)

(1) Sura At- Tahrim, No. 66, verse 10

Commentary : Verse 78

(78) وَ جاءَهُ قَوْمُهُ يُهْرَعُونَ إِلَيْهِ وَ مِنْ قَبْلُ كانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ السَّيِّئاتِ قالَ يا قَوْمِ هؤُلاءِ بَناتي‏ هُنَّ أَطْهَرُ لَكُمْ فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَ لا تُخْزُونِ في‏ ضَيْفي‏ أَ لَيْسَ مِنْكُمْ رَجُلٌ رَشيدٌ

  1. " And his people came rushing towards him, And aforetime they had been practicing abominations. He said: 'O my people, here are my daughters they are purer for you. So fear Allah, and do no degrade me with my guests! Is there not among you one upright man '"

Commentary :

The Arabic term/ yuhra'oun/ derived from/ 'ihra'/ means intensive driving. That is, the uninhibited passion of this rebellious people goaded them on towards Lot's(a.s.) guests.

The meaning of the term/ at- har/, in this verse, is not that sodomy has something pure about it but that marriage is purer. It means that for the sinner who is pursuing the gratification his sexual instincts, it is preferable to get married than to commit sin.

It is worthy to note that one's potentialities can flourish when caught in the midst of anxieties and difficulties. If the Divine angels would have introduced themselves to Lot(a.s.) on their arrival, there would have been no need for moaning, sighing, crying for help and appealing to the emotions of the public, nor would there have been any need to offer a marriage proposal. The verse says:

" And his people came rushing towards him, And aforetime they had been practicing abominations. He said: 'O my people, here are my daughters they are purer for you. So fear Allah, and do no degrade me with my guests! Is there not among you one upright man ?'"

Question: Why would a prophet propose his daughter for marriage to an unbelieving idol worshipper ?

Answer: Perhaps he might suggest that conversion be a condition for the marriage so that the marriage could facilitate and strengthen the belief in Allah. Maybe the meaning of the term/ banati'/ is 'people's daughters' as the prophet is considered the father of the nation and is speaking on their behalf. Or maybe, at that time, such marriages were common for the sake of convenience and expediency.

Explanations:

1- Sometimes the norms of human society degenerate to such an extent that people hasten towards committing sins being seduced by their unruly lower selves.

2- To prevent people from doing what is forbidden, we must at first open up and show the true path to them so that they do not seek pleasure by committing sins.

3- The meaning of the term 'chastity' is not isolation. On the contrary, it means purity in normal social intercourse.

4- Marriage is the sole and only correct context for sexual gratification, other methods are unclean and sinful.

5- Considering sin as a commonplace matter does not exempt man from his responsibility in dissuading others from performing forbidden acts.

6- Showing hospitality is such an important matter that the noblest of men have tolerated a tremendous degree of suffering for its sake.

7- Homosexuality has been forbidden, considered abominable, and has been rejected in previous religions and is incompatible with one's manliness, development and chastity.

Commentary : Verse 79.80

(79) قالُوا لَقَدْ عَلِمْتَ ما لَنا في‏ بَناتِكَ مِنْ حَقٍّ وَ إِنَّكَ لَتَعْلَمُ ما نُريدُ

(80) قالَ لَوْ أَنَّ لي‏ بِكُمْ قُوَّةً أَوْ آوي إِلى‏ رُكْنٍ شَديدٍ

  1. " They said: 'You know we have no right to your daughters, and verily you know well what we desire'. "

  2. " He said: 'Would that I had the power against you or I might take refuge in a strong support'. "

Commentary :

One's deviation from the right path leads man to the point where he considers the forbidden act of sodomy as a correct and virtuous act and the religiously acceptable act of marriage as a vice and as wrong conduct. In other words, man is transformed as a consequence of sin, where the most natural way for him may seem to be the ugliest and the most vicious way becomes the most attractive. The verse, concerning the people of Lot, says:

" They said: 'You know we have no right to your daughters, and verily you know well what we desire'. "

In our holy religion, homosexuality is considered as one of the capital sins that require religious punishment. It consists of lashes, execution or both commensurate with the act, and is to be applied upon those who have committed the act according to the testimony of just witnesses. Muslim leaders and those in positions of responsibility must prevent it by all means. This is why Lot(a.s.) says that if he had faithful companions, he would have fought against those mean people, to defend his guests, or at least he would have taken them to a safe place to shelter them. The verse says:

" He said: 'Would that I had the power against you or I might take refuge in a strong support'. "

The Sin of Sodomy in the Qur'an and Traditions

There are many accounts in the Glorious Qur'an about the vicious and detestable act of this deviant people, all of which exhibit the magnitude and intensity of the sin.( Refer to Sura Al- A'raf, verses 97- 08- 38, Sura Hud verse 28, Sura Al- 'Anbiya verse 47, Sura An- Naml verse 45.)

The Islamic literature highlights the grievous consequences for such behavior revealing how serious a sin it is in the religion of Islam. For example, it is said that if an adolescent commits or is the object of the act of sodomy, Allah's heavens start trembling and He will not speak to those involved on the Day of Resurrection.

‏Imam Sadiq(a.s.) has said that if someone can to be stoned to death twice, that person would be he who had committed the act of sodomy. We can also find in another Islamic from Imam Sadiq(a.s.) quoting the Prophet(p.b.u.h.)who said: "He who performs a sexual act with an adolescent, will enter the Day of Judgment in a state of uncleanness, Allah will be outraged, the perpetrator will be deprived of His favor and He will prepare a place in Hell for such a person and what an awful place it is! " Again he said: "If a male is involved in sex with another male, Allah's heavens will tremble. "(1)

Numerous narrations severely denounce transvestites, i. e. men and women who make themselves up to look like the opposite sex which predisposes them to the act of sodomy.

(1) Refer to Usul- i- Kafi, Wasa'il- ush- Shi'ah, Bihar ul 'Anwar, Nahj ul Balaqah