وَجَآءَهُۥ قَوْمُهُۥ يُهْرَعُونَ إِلَيْهِ وَمِن قَبْلُ كَانُوا۟ يَعْمَلُونَ ٱلسَّيِّـَٔاتِ ۚ قَالَ يَـٰقَوْمِ هَـٰٓؤُلَآءِ بَنَاتِى هُنَّ أَطْهَرُ لَكُمْ ۖ فَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ وَلَا تُخْزُونِ فِى ضَيْفِىٓ ۖ أَلَيْسَ مِنكُمْ رَجُلٌ رَّشِيدٌ 78
Translations
And his people came hastening to him, and before [this] they had been doing evil deeds. He said, "O my people, these are my daughters; they are purer for you. So fear Allāh and do not disgrace me concerning my guests. Is there not among you a man of reason?"
Transliteration
Wa jaa'ahu qawmuhu yuhraʿūna ilayhi wa min qablu kānū yaʿmalūnas-sayyiāt. Qāla yā qawmi hā'ulā'i banātī hunna aṭharu lakum. Fattaqullāha wa lā tukhzūnī fī ḍayfī. A laysa minkum rajulun rashīd.
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah depicts Prophet Lūt's desperate appeal to his people when they came rushing toward him with lustful intent toward his male guests. Recognizing the gravity of their sin, Lūt offered his daughters as a lawful alternative, emphasizing their purity, while simultaneously invoking taqwa (fear of Allah) and appealing to their sense of honor and wisdom. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurṭubī, this passage illustrates the prophet's moral courage and his people's deliberate rejection of divine guidance, with the rhetorical question 'Is there not among you one man of sense?' highlighting their descent into moral depravity.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of the narrative of Lūt (Lot) in Surah Hud, which is a Meccan surah addressing the Quraysh about divine justice and the punishment of previous peoples. The context describes the moment when Lūt's people approached his house with intent to commit the sin of sodomy against his guests, prompting the prophet's final plea for moral reform before their inevitable destruction.
Related Hadiths
The story of Lūt and his people is mentioned in several aḥādīth condemning sodomy as a grave sin. See Sunan Ibn Mājah and Sunan At-Tirmidhi regarding the Prophet Muhammad's condemnation of the actions of Lūt's people and their punishment.
Themes
Key Lesson
Even when facing hostile rejection, believers must maintain their principles and appeal to the conscience and reason of others, understanding that those who persistently reject divine guidance despite clear warnings face inevitable divine consequences. The ayah teaches that true leadership involves standing firm for morality even when surrounded by widespread corruption.
Related Ayahs
وَلَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا نُوحًا إِلَىٰ قَوْمِهِۦٓ إِنِّى لَكُمْ نَذِيرٌ مُّبِينٌ
And We had certainly sent Noah to his people, [saying], "Indeed, I am to you a clear warner
۞ وَإِلَىٰ مَدْيَنَ أَخَاهُمْ شُعَيْبًا ۚ قَالَ يَـٰقَوْمِ ٱعْبُدُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ مَا لَكُم مِّنْ إِلَـٰهٍ غَيْرُهُۥ ۖ وَلَا تَنقُصُوا۟ ٱلْمِكْيَالَ وَٱلْمِيزَانَ ۚ إِنِّىٓ أَرَىٰكُم بِخَيْرٍ وَإِنِّىٓ أَخَافُ عَلَيْكُمْ عَذَابَ يَوْمٍ مُّحِيطٍ
And to Madyan [We sent] their brother Shuʿayb. He said, "O my people, worship Allāh; you have no deity other than Him. And do not decrease from the measure and the scale. Indeed, I see you in prosperity, but indeed, I fear for you the punishment of an all-encompassing Day.
خَـٰلِدِينَ فِيهَا مَا دَامَتِ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتُ وَٱلْأَرْضُ إِلَّا مَا شَآءَ رَبُّكَ ۚ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ فَعَّالٌ لِّمَا يُرِيدُ
[They will be] abiding therein as long as the heavens and the earth endure, except what your Lord should will. Indeed, your Lord is an effecter of what He intends.
ٱلَّذِينَ يَصُدُّونَ عَن سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ وَيَبْغُونَهَا عِوَجًا وَهُم بِٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ هُمْ كَـٰفِرُونَ
Who averted [people] from the way of Allāh and sought to make it [seem] deviant while they, concerning the Hereafter, were disbelievers.