Surah Hud (11) — Ayah 78

(Ayah 78) ➊ The meaning of {وَ جَآءَهٗ قَوْمُهٗ يُهْرَعُوْنَ اِلَيْهِ : ’’هَرَعَ‘‘} (ف) is to push someone quickly. The meaning of the passive verb is that when this wicked nation heard the news of such handsome guests coming to the house of Lut (peace be upon him), they rushed towards them so uncontrollably as if someone was pushing them from behind.

➋ When {وَ مِنْ قَبْلُ كَانُوْا يَعْمَلُوْنَ السَّيِّاٰتِ :} comes on a present tense verb {’’ كَانَ ‘‘}, it gives the meaning of continuity and permanence, unless there is evidence to the contrary. That is why Zamakhshari has interpreted it as: {’’ وَ مِنْ قَبْلِ ذٰلِكَ الْوَقْتِ كَانُوْا يَعْمَلُوْنَ الْفَوَاحِشَ وَيُكْثِرُوْنَهَا فَضَرَوْا بِهَا وَمَرَنُوْا عَلَيْهَا ‘‘} “Before this, they used to commit these evil deeds frequently, until it became their habit.” That is, a person hesitates at first to commit such a filthy act, but these people came uncontrollably and quickly because the frequent commission of this evil deed had completely removed their modesty and hesitation.

➌ When { قَالَ يٰقَوْمِ هٰۤؤُلَآءِ بَنَاتِيْ …:} they barged in and began to insistently demand that the guests be handed over to them, Lut (peace be upon him) went to the utmost in humility to protect the honor of his guests, saying, “These are my daughters; they are much purer for you. Fear Allah! Do not disgrace me regarding my guests. Is there not a single good man among you?” Here, the commentators have given various explanations for offering the daughters. In Ashraf al-Hawashi, it is stated that by {’’ بَنَاتِيْ ‘‘} (daughters) is meant the women of those people themselves, because a prophet is like a father to his nation, and all the women of the nation are the daughters of the prophet, as it is said regarding the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): «{ اَلنَّبِيُّ اَوْلٰى بِالْمُؤْمِنِيْنَ مِنْ اَنْفُسِهِمْ وَ اَزْوَاجُهٗۤ اُمَّهٰتُهُمْ }» [ الأحزاب : ۶ ] “The Prophet is closer to the believers than their own selves, and his wives are their mothers.” This is the preferred interpretation, although some have taken it to mean the actual daughters of Lut (peace be upon him), that they should marry them. (As in al-Mawdih) The reason for this interpretation being preferred is that, according to the well-known opinion, Lut (peace be upon him) had only two daughters; even if there were more or less, it would not be possible for the whole nation to marry them, so by daughters is meant the daughters of the nation, i.e., their wives. Another opinion is that it meant his own daughters, but neither was it intended to hand them over nor to marry them to those people, rather it was only to embarrass them and protect the honor of his guests, because both he and the nation knew that no one hands over his own daughters to anyone. This was only to express his humility and to embarrass them, just as Sulayman (peace be upon him) had decided that the child should be cut in two and each claimant woman given a part, although he never intended that the child actually be cut, but wanted to extract the truth. The apparent words of the verse suggest this meaning.

➍ The meaning of {’’ هُنَّ اَطْهَرُ لَكُمْ ‘‘} is not that this act with men has some purity, but women are purer; rather, here it means “very pure.”