Tafseer of The Spider · Al-Ankaboot · 29:31
And when Our messengers came to Abraham with the good tidings, they said, "Indeed, we will destroy the people of that Lot's city. Indeed, its people have been wrongdoers."
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.
The statement concerning the interpretation of His word, the Exalted: وَلَمَّا جَاءَتْ رُسُلُنَا إِبْرَاهِيمَ بِالْبُشْرَى قَالُوا إِنَّا مُهْلِكُو أَهْلِ هَذِهِ الْقَرْيَةِ إِنَّ أَهْلَهَا كَانُوا ظَالِمِينَ (31) ("And when Our messengers came to Ibrāhīm with the glad tiding, they said: We shall destroy the inhabitants of this town; verily, its inhabitants have been wrongdoers.")
Allah, whose praise is exalted, says: وَلَمَّا جَاءَتْ رُسُلُنَا إِبْرَاهِيمَ بِالْبُشْرَى ("And when Our messengers came to Ibrāhīm with the glad tiding") from Allah, with Isḥāq, and after Isḥāq Yaʿqūb, قَالُوا إِنَّا مُهْلِكُو أَهْلِ هَذِهِ الْقَرْيَةِ ("they said: We shall destroy the inhabitants of this town") — he says: the messengers of Allah said to Ibrāhīm: we shall destroy the inhabitants of this town, the town of Sadūm, and that is the town of the people of Lūṭ, إِنَّ أَهْلَهَا كَانُوا ظَالِمِينَ ("verily, its inhabitants have been wrongdoers") — he says: verily, its inhabitants have wronged themselves through their disobedience to Allah and their denial of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
Muḥammad ibn Saʿd related to me, saying: my father related to me, saying: my uncle related to me, saying: my father related to me, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, concerning His word: وَلَمَّا جَاءَتْ رُسُلُنَا إِبْرَاهِيمَ بِالْبُشْرَى ... ("And when Our messengers came to Ibrāhīm with the glad tiding ...") up to His word: نَحْنُ أَعْلَمُ بِمَنْ فِيهَا ("We know best who is in it") — he said: Ibrāhīm disputed with the angels concerning the people of Lūṭ, that they should be spared. He said: he spoke: have you seen — if there are ten houses of Muslims in it, will you then spare them? The angels said: there are not ten houses in it, nor five, nor four, nor three, nor two. He said: then he was grieved for Lūṭ and the people of his household, and he said: إِنَّ فِيهَا لُوطًا قَالُوا نَحْنُ أَعْلَمُ بِمَنْ فِيهَا لَنُنَجِّيَنَّهُ وَأَهْلَهُ إِلا امْرَأَتَهُ كَانَتْ مِنَ الْغَابِرِينَ ("Verily, Lūṭ is in it. They said: We know best who is in it; we shall surely save him and his family, except his wife — she was among those who remained behind"). That, then, is His word: يُجَادِلُنَا فِي قَوْمِ لُوطٍ * إِنَّ إِبْرَاهِيمَ لَحَلِيمٌ أَوَّاهٌ مُنِيبٌ ("He disputes with Us concerning the people of Lūṭ * Verily, Ibrāhīm was forbearing, full of supplication, ever-returning in repentance"). The angels then said: يَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ أَعْرِضْ عَنْ هَذَا إِنَّهُ قَدْ جَاءَ أَمْرُ رَبِّكَ وَإِنَّهُمْ آتِيهِمْ عَذَابٌ غَيْرُ مَرْدُودٍ ("O Ibrāhīm, turn away from this; verily, the command of your Lord has come, and verily, upon them shall come a punishment that is not averted"). Then Allah sent Jibrāʾīl ﷺ to them, and he lifted up the town and what was in it with one of his two wings, and he made the uppermost of it the lowest, and he pursued them with stones upon every plot of ground.
