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
يَقْدُمُ قَوْمَهُۥ يَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ فَأَوْرَدَهُمُ ٱلنَّارَ ۖ وَبِئْسَ ٱلْوِرْدُ ٱلْمَوْرُودُ
He will precede his people on the Day of Resurrection and lead them into the Fire; and wretched is the place to which they are led.
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
وَيَصْنَعُ ٱلْفُلْكَ وَكُلَّمَا مَرَّ عَلَيْهِ مَلَأٌ مِّن قَوْمِهِۦ سَخِرُوا۟ مِنْهُ ۚ قَالَ إِن تَسْخَرُوا۟ مِنَّا فَإِنَّا نَسْخَرُ مِنكُمْ كَمَا تَسْخَرُونَ
And he constructed the ship, and whenever an assembly of the eminent of his people passed by him, they ridiculed him. He said, "If you ridicule us, then we will ridicule you just as you ridicule.
وَلَئِنْ أَذَقْنَـٰهُ نَعْمَآءَ بَعْدَ ضَرَّآءَ مَسَّتْهُ لَيَقُولَنَّ ذَهَبَ ٱلسَّيِّـَٔاتُ عَنِّىٓ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ لَفَرِحٌ فَخُورٌ
But if We give him a taste of favor after hardship has touched him, he will surely say, "Bad times have left me." Indeed, he is exultant and boastful -