Tafsir of Ad-Dhariyat 51:36

"Then We found not in it other than a house," meaning other than the inhabitants of a house; this is clarified by His saying: "of the Muslims."

The discourse implies the addition of a noun (i.e., inhabitants of a house). It is also permitted that the term "house" itself is meant to denote the group metaphorically, with the intended meaning being them, as Ibn al-Mundhir and Ibn Abi Hatim narrated from Mujahid that it was Lot and his two daughters. Ibn Abi Hatim also narrated from Sa'id ibn Jubayr that he said: "They were thirteen."

The verse has been used as evidence for the unity of Faith (Iman) and Submission (Islam) due to the semantic exclusion, for the meaning is: "So We brought out whoever was in it of the believers, and there was none brought out except the people of one house; otherwise, the speech would not be coherent." You know that this indicates they both apply to the same entity and are inseparable, like "rational" and "human," but as for unity in concept—which is the subject of disagreement among the scholars of jurisprudence and tradition—then no; thus, the inference from this verse for their unity in concept is weak. Yes, it does indicate that they are both attributes of praise from various aspects, such as the merit of being brought out, the distinction between the two descriptions, and making each one independent by rendering it the cause of salvation.

The expressions "whoever was in it" (man kana fiha) initially, and "other than a house" (ghayra baytin) subsequently, contain an indication of hyperbole, for their possessor is preserved—whoever he may be and wherever he may be—and so on.

The meaning of "finding" (al-wijdan), when attributed to Him, Most High, is "knowledge," according to what al-Raghib stated. Some prominent scholars held that one does not say "I found such-and-such" except after searching and investigating. They interpreted the meaning of the verse as: So Our angels brought out "whoever was in it of the believers," and Our angels did not find in it "other than a house of the Muslims." Or, there is another form of metaphor in the speech, so do not be heedless.