Al-Hijr: (57-60) He said, "Then what is your business..."

Issues in the Verses:

This is a question about the purpose for which God sent them. Khaṭb (خطب), sha'n (شأن), and amr (أمر) are synonymous, but the term khaṭb implies a matter of greater significance.

Objection: Since the angels had already brought him the good news of a knowledgeable male child, why did he then ask them, {فما خطبكم أيها المرسلون} (What is your business, O Messengers)?

Answers:

1. Al-Asamm said: It means, "What is the matter you have been sent for, besides the good news?"
2. Al-Qadi said: Abraham knew that if the complete purpose of their arrival was just delivering the glad tidings, one angel would have sufficed. Seeing a group of angels, he knew they had another objective beyond delivering the news, hence he asked, {فما خطبكم أيها المرسلون}.
3. It can be argued that they mentioned the good news (a knowledgeable boy) to dispel his fear and anxiety. Didn't you see that when Abraham feared, they told him, "Do not despair; We bring you good tidings of a knowledgeable boy"? If the sole purpose of their coming was this news, they would have mentioned it immediately upon entering. Since they did not, Abraham knew by this indication that their coming was not merely for this news but for another purpose, so he asked them about that purpose: {فما خطبكم أيها المرسلون}.

Then the Almighty recounted that the angels said: {إِنَّا أُرْسِلْنَا إِلَى قَوْمٍ مُجْرِمِينَ} (Indeed, we have been sent to a criminal people). They limited their statement to this because Abraham (peace be upon him) knew that when angels are sent to criminals, it is for their destruction and annihilation. Furthermore, their statement: {إِلَّا آلَ لُوطٍ إِنَّا لَمُنَجُّوهُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ} (Except the family of Lot; indeed, we will save them all) indicates that the purpose of this mission was the destruction of the people.

As for His statement: {إِلَّا آلَ لُوطٍ} (Except the family of Lot), the intent of the family of Lot (Āl Luṭ) refers to his followers who were upon his religion.

Objection: Is the statement {إِلَّا آلَ لُوطٍ} an exception (istithnā') that is discontinuous (munqaṭi') or continuous (muttasil)?

Answer: The author of Al-Kashshāf said:

1. If this exception is from the word (قوم) (people), it is a discontinuous exception (munqaṭi'), because the people were described as criminals, whereas the family of Lot were not criminals; thus, the two categories differ, necessitating a discontinuous exception.
2. If it is an exception from the pronoun in (مجرمين) (criminals), it is a continuous exception (muttasil), as if it were said: "We have been sent to a people, all of whom have committed crimes, except the family of Lot alone," similar to His saying: {فَمَا وَجَدْنَا فِيهَا غَيْرَ بَيْتٍ مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ} (And We found therein not more than one house of Muslims) [Adh-Dhariyat: 36].

The author of Al-Kashshāf continued: The meaning differs based on these two interpretations. In the case of the discontinuous exception, the family of Lot is excluded from the ruling of the mission itself, meaning the angels were not sent to the family of Lot at all. In the case of the continuous exception, the angels were sent to all of them, intending to destroy these ones and save those ones.

Regarding His statement: {إِنَّا لَمُنَجُّوهُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ} (Indeed, we will save them all), know that Hamzah and Al-Kisā'ī read it as {مُنْجُوهُمْ} (with a light nūn), while the rest read it with the shaddah (doubled nūn). Both are linguistic variations.

As for His statement: {أَجْمَعِينَ إِلَّا امْرَأَتَهُ} (all of them, except his wife), the author of Al-Kashshāf said: This is an exception from the genitive pronoun in {لَمُنَجُّوهُمْ} (We will save them). This is not a case of exception upon exception (istithnā' min al-istithnā'), because exception upon exception occurs when the ruling is unified, such as saying: "We destroyed them, except the family of Lot, except his wife," or "You are divorced three times, except two, except one," or "I owe ten dirhams, except three, except one dirham." In this verse, however, the two rulings differ. His statement {إِلَّا آلَ لُوطٍ} relates to either {أُرْسِلْنَا} (We were sent) or {مُجْرِمِينَ} (criminals), while {إِلَّا امْرَأَتَهُ} relates to {لَمُنَجُّوهُمْ} (We will save them). How, then, can this be an exception upon an exception?

As for His statement: {امْرَأَتَهُ قَدَّرْنَا إِنَّهَا لَمِنَ الْغَابِرِينَ} (his wife—We decreed that she would be among those who remain behind), there are several issues:

In language, taqdīr means making one thing equal to another in measure. One says: "Measure this thing by that," meaning, "Make it equal to its measure." God Almighty's statement {قَدَّرَ الأَقْوَاتَ} (determined the provisions) means He made them according to the measure of sufficiency. Taqdīr is also interpreted as Qadā’ (Judgment/Decree): "God decreed such-and-such for him," meaning He made it according to the measure sufficient for him, whether in good or evil. Some say the meaning of {قَدَّرْنَا} is "We wrote" (كتبنا). Al-Zajjāj said: "We managed/arranged" (دبرنا). Others say: "We judged" (قضينا). All meanings are close.

Abu Bakr, from 'Āṣim, recited {قَدَرْنَا} (with a light dāl) here and in Surah An-Naml. The rest recited it with the shaddah (doubled dāl). Al-Wāḥidī said: One can say qadartu ash-shay’a and qadartuhu. This is supported by Ibn Kathīr's recitation: {نَحْنُ قَدَرْنَا بَيْنَكُمُ الْمَوْتَ} (We have determined death among you) [Al-Wāqi'ah: 60] lightly, and Al-Kisā'ī's recitation: {وَالَّذِي قَدَّرَ فَهَدَى} (And who determined and then guided) [Al-A'lā: 3]. He added that the form with the shaddah is more commonly used in this context, citing {وَقَدَّرَ فِيهَا أَقْوَاتَهَا} (and determined therein its provisions) [Fussilat: 10] and {وَخَلَقَ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ فَقَدَّرَهُ تَقْدِيرًا} (and He created everything and determined it with a [definite] determination) [Al-Insān: 2].

One might ask: Why did the angels attribute the action of decreeing (taqdīr) to themselves when it belongs to God, and why didn't they say, "God decreed"?

Answer: They used this phrasing due to their closeness and special relationship with God Almighty, just as the King's close associates might say, "We managed this matter," or "We commanded this," even though the true manager and commander is the King. They mention this to show their special status with that King. Thus it is here, and God knows best.

This phrase is in the position of the object of the decree (maf'ūl al-taqdīr). It means: We decreed that she would remain behind and stay with those who perish, just as they perish. She will not be among those who remain safe with Lot to attain salvation. God knows best.

7 < {فَلَمَّا جَاءَ آلَ لُوطٍ الْمُرْسَلُونَ * قَالَ إِنَّكُمْ قَوْمٌ مُنْكَرُونَ * قَالُوا بَلْ جِئْنَاكَ بِمَا كَانُوا فِيهِ يَمْتَرُونَ * وَآتَيْنَاكَ بِالْحَقِّ وَإِنَّا لَصَادِقُونَ} > 7

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Translation: When the messengers came to the family of Lot, he said, "Indeed, you are a people unknown [to me]." They said, "Nay, but we have come to you with that about which they used to doubt. And we have brought you the Truth, and indeed, we are truthful."