وَلُوطًا إِذْ قَالَ لِقَوْمِهِۦٓ أَتَأْتُونَ ٱلْفَـٰحِشَةَ مَا سَبَقَكُم بِهَا مِنْ أَحَدٍ مِّنَ ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ 80
Translations
And [We had sent] Lot when he said to his people, "Do you commit such immorality as no one has preceded you with from among the worlds [i.e., peoples]?
Transliteration
Wa Loutan idh qala liqawmihi ata'tuna al-fahisha ma sabaqakum biha min ahadin mina al-'alamin
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah introduces the story of Prophet Lut (Lot) addressing his people, condemning them for committing an unprecedented obscene act (fahisha), referring to homosexual behavior. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari emphasize that Lut is warning his people against a sin that no nation before them had engaged in, highlighting the gravity and novelty of their transgression. The ayah establishes the moral foundation for Lut's message of monotheism and ethical conduct.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in Surah Al-A'raf, a Meccan surah that recounts stories of previous prophets and nations as lessons for the Quraysh and broader humanity. It is part of a longer narrative about Prophet Lut's mission to his people in Sodom, illustrating the pattern of prophetic warning against moral corruption and divine punishment for those who reject guidance.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'The most severely punished people on the Day of Resurrection are those who imitate the actions of the people of Lut' (Sunan Ibn Majah). Additionally, authentic hadith literature discusses the destruction of the people of Lut as a sign of Allah's punishment for moral transgression.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that believers must recognize and reject moral corruption, no matter how normalized it becomes in society, and respond to prophetic guidance with acceptance rather than defiance. It reminds us that following divine guidance in matters of ethics is essential, and that societies face consequences when they collectively reject the message of their prophets.
Related Ayahs
قُلْ أَمَرَ رَبِّى بِٱلْقِسْطِ ۖ وَأَقِيمُوا۟ وُجُوهَكُمْ عِندَ كُلِّ مَسْجِدٍ وَٱدْعُوهُ مُخْلِصِينَ لَهُ ٱلدِّينَ ۚ كَمَا بَدَأَكُمْ تَعُودُونَ
Say, [O Muḥammad], "My Lord has ordered justice and that you direct yourselves [to the Qiblah] at every place [or time] of prostration, and invoke Him, sincere to Him in religion." Just as He originated you, you will return [to life] -
قَالَ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱسْتَكْبَرُوٓا۟ إِنَّا بِٱلَّذِىٓ ءَامَنتُم بِهِۦ كَـٰفِرُونَ
Said those who were arrogant, "Indeed we, in that which you have believed, are disbelievers."
قَالُوٓا۟ أَرْجِهْ وَأَخَاهُ وَأَرْسِلْ فِى ٱلْمَدَآئِنِ حَـٰشِرِينَ
They said, "Postpone [the matter of] him and his brother and send among the cities gatherers
قَالَ ٱلْمَلَأُ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱسْتَكْبَرُوا۟ مِن قَوْمِهِۦ لِلَّذِينَ ٱسْتُضْعِفُوا۟ لِمَنْ ءَامَنَ مِنْهُمْ أَتَعْلَمُونَ أَنَّ صَـٰلِحًا مُّرْسَلٌ مِّن رَّبِّهِۦ ۚ قَالُوٓا۟ إِنَّا بِمَآ أُرْسِلَ بِهِۦ مُؤْمِنُونَ
Said the eminent ones who were arrogant among his people to those who were oppressed - to those who believed among them, "Do you [actually] know that Ṣāliḥ is sent from his Lord?" They said, "Indeed we, in that with which he was sent, are believers."