وَقَوْمُ إِبْرَٰهِيمَ وَقَوْمُ لُوطٍ 43
Translations
And the people of Abraham and the people of Lot.
Transliteration
Wa qawmu Ibrahima wa qawmu Lut
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah refers to the peoples of Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) and Prophet Lut (Lot) who rejected their messengers and were punished by Allah. According to classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, this ayah is part of a broader discussion in Surah Al-Hajj about those who were given clear signs yet chose disbelief, serving as a warning to those who similarly reject guidance. The mention of both communities emphasizes the consistency of Allah's pattern of justice—those who reject messengers face severe consequences regardless of their lineage or status.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in the context of Surah Al-Hajj (a Medinan surah) which discusses the obligation of Hajj and the rejection of Allah's messages throughout history. The ayah is part of a sequence (22:40-44) recounting various nations that rejected their prophets and faced divine punishment, serving to reassure the early Muslim community of Allah's justice and warning the disbelievers among Quraysh.
Related Hadiths
The incident of Lut's people is extensively mentioned in Hadith literature regarding the greatest sin. Narrated by Ibn Abbas in various hadith collections that the Prophet (ﷺ) warned severely against the actions of the people of Lut. Additionally, authentic hadiths in Sunan Ibn Majah and Sunan At-Tirmidhi discuss the punishment that befell these communities.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that no nation, regardless of its prominence or the status of its people, is exempt from Allah's justice when they reject His messengers and guidance. For believers today, it reinforces the importance of accepting divine guidance and serves as a sobering reminder that historical prosperity cannot protect one from the consequences of disbelief and moral corruption.
Related Ayahs
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ ضُرِبَ مَثَلٌ فَٱسْتَمِعُوا۟ لَهُۥٓ ۚ إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ تَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ لَن يَخْلُقُوا۟ ذُبَابًا وَلَوِ ٱجْتَمَعُوا۟ لَهُۥ ۖ وَإِن يَسْلُبْهُمُ ٱلذُّبَابُ شَيْـًٔا لَّا يَسْتَنقِذُوهُ مِنْهُ ۚ ضَعُفَ ٱلطَّالِبُ وَٱلْمَطْلُوبُ
O people, an example is presented, so listen to it. Indeed, those you invoke besides Allāh will never create [as much as] a fly, even if they gathered together for it [i.e., that purpose]. And if the fly should steal from them a [tiny] thing, they could not recover it from him. Weak are the pursuer and pursued.
إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ وَيَصُدُّونَ عَن سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ وَٱلْمَسْجِدِ ٱلْحَرَامِ ٱلَّذِى جَعَلْنَـٰهُ لِلنَّاسِ سَوَآءً ٱلْعَـٰكِفُ فِيهِ وَٱلْبَادِ ۚ وَمَن يُرِدْ فِيهِ بِإِلْحَادٍۭ بِظُلْمٍ نُّذِقْهُ مِنْ عَذَابٍ أَلِيمٍ
Indeed, those who have disbelieved and avert [people] from the way of Allāh and [from] al-Masjid al-Ḥarām, which We made for the people - equal are the resident therein and one from outside - and [also] whoever intends [a deed] therein of deviation [in religion] by wrongdoing - We will make him taste of a painful punishment.
يَعْلَمُ مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمَا خَلْفَهُمْ ۗ وَإِلَى ٱللَّهِ تُرْجَعُ ٱلْأُمُورُ
He knows what is [presently] before them and what will be after them. And to Allāh will be returned [all] matters.
وَإِن يُكَذِّبُوكَ فَقَدْ كَذَّبَتْ قَبْلَهُمْ قَوْمُ نُوحٍ وَعَادٌ وَثَمُودُ
And if they deny you, [O Muḥammad] - so, before them, did the people of Noah and ʿAad and Thamūd deny [their prophets],