Overall meaning :
Allah Almighty recounts part of the story of Lot, peace be upon him, with his people. He says: The people of Lot denied all of Allah’s messengers—because their denial of Lot was tantamount to their denial of all the messengers—when their brother Lot said to them, ‘Will you not fear Allah and His punishment and thus worship Him alone? I am a messenger from Allah to you, faithful to the message with which He has entrusted to me to convey it to you exactly as it is. Fear Allah’s wrath and punishment, then, and obey me. I do not ask you for any reward in return for my advice to you. My reward rests with none but the Lord of all the worlds.
The Almighty then informs us that His Prophet Lot, peace be upon him, forbade his people from committing the foremost vice in their society, in which they heavily indulged: Lot said to them, ‘Why do you, men, lustfully approach men—an evil deed that no humans have ever committed before you—and leave your wives that your Lord has created for you?! You people have transgressed all bounds due to your total disobedience to Allah’s commands.’
‘Lot,’ they threateningly said to him, ‘if you do not desist from disapproving our lusting after males, you will be expelled from our town.’ Lot said, ‘I utterly abhor your abominable practices.’ Then he called upon his Lord, Sublime be He, saying, ‘Lord, save me and my family from the torment that You will inflict on my people.’
Allah Almighty answered his prayer. He says: So We saved him and all his family, except for his old wife, whom We destroyed along with her people who stayed behind. Then We utterly destroyed Lot’s people and poured down upon them a destructive rain of stones. Terrible indeed was the rain that fell down upon the people who had been warned by their prophet.
Surely in the destruction of lot’s people there was manifest proof of Lot’s truthfulness and a lesson for those who wish to learn from it; yet most of Lot’s people would not believe. And surely your Lord, Muhammad, is the Almighty who vanquishes and severely punishes His enemies, and the All-Compassionate towards His servants, who does not hasten their punishment once they commit a sin.
The overall tafseer of Quran
