Tafseer of The Poets · Ash-Shu'araa · 26:171
Except an old woman among those who remained behind.
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
أَجْمَعِينَ إِلا عَجُوزًا فِي الْغَابِرِينَ (All of them, except an old woman who was among those who lagged behind) — that is to say: she was among those who had grown old as the years passed over her, so that she had become aged; she was destroyed from the household of Lūṭ because she used to inform her people about the guests. It has also been said that the reason it is stated concerning her "among those who lagged behind" is that she did not perish with her people in their settlement, but rather the stone struck her after she had left the settlement together with Lūṭ and his two daughters, so that she remained behind after her people; then Allah destroyed her by the rain of stones that He sent down upon the remnants of the people of Lūṭ. We have already expounded this in what preceded with evidences that make repetition unnecessary.
