Tafsir of An-Naml 27:56

"So the answer of his people was nothing but that they said, 'Expel the family of Lot'"—that is, those who followed his religion. His own expulsion, peace be upon him, is understood as a priority (a fortiori). Some researchers have stated that "the family of Lot" refers to him, peace be upon him, and those who followed his religion, just as "the children of Adam" refers to Adam and his children. In any case, it does not include his wife, peace be upon him.

His saying, glory be to Him, "nothing but..." and so forth, is an empty exclusion (istithna' mufarragh) occurring in the position of the noun of kana. Al-Hasan and Ibn Abi Ishaq read "answer" (jawab) in the nominative case (raf'), in which case it occupies the position of the predicate. The verification of the discussion regarding this type of structure has already passed.

Regarding His saying, the Exalted and Majestic: "from your town" (by attributing the town to 'you' [plural]), it serves to belittle the matter of their expulsion.

His saying, "Indeed, they are people who keep themselves pure": This is a justification for the command in a manner that includes mockery—meaning they are people who claim purity and transcendence from our deeds or from filth, and they consider our deeds to be filth, while they are affected and pretentious in displaying what is not in them.

The apparent meaning is that this answer was issued by them during the final stage of his sermons, peace be upon him, regarding commandments and prohibitions, not that no other speech was issued by them besides this.