Tafsir of Al-`Ankabut 29:31-32

Surah Al-'Ankabut (The Spider): Verses 31–32

When Lot prayed against his people with the words: {My Lord, grant me victory} (29:26), Allah answered his supplication and commanded His angels to destroy them. The angels came as bearers of good tidings and as warners.

They came to Abraham, bringing him the good news of righteous offspring, and said: {Indeed, We are destroyers of the people of this town} (referring to the people of Sodom).

In this account, there are two subtle points:

1. Order of Announcement: Allah made them both bearers of good news and warners. The good news signifies mercy, while the warning signifies wrath. Mercy precedes wrath, so the good news was mentioned before the warning: {Our messengers came to Abraham with good tidings} followed by {Indeed, We are destroyers...}.
2. Causality (Ta'leel): When mentioning the good news, they did not provide a reason (e.g., "because you are a messenger," or "because you are a believer," or "because you are just"). However, when mentioning the destruction, they provided a reason: {because its people were unjust}. This is because a person of virtue (like Abraham) does not receive favor without cause, and a just ruler (Allah) inflicts punishment only upon commission of a crime.

This raises two issues:

If someone asks what the connection is between this good news (of Isaac) and the warning (of destruction), the answer is: When Allah intended to destroy the people of that town, emptying the earth of its inhabitants, He preceded this by informing Abraham so that he would not grieve over the destruction of people of his own kind, knowing that Allah would fill the earth with righteous descendants.

In the account of Noah's people, Allah said: {So the flood took them} (29:14), implying they were in a state of injustice when they were seized. If it had been phrased, "So the flood took them while they were unjust," it would be similar. Here, it says: {Indeed, its people were unjust} (using the past tense kānū), not "and they are unjust" (huma zālimūn).

We say there is no difference in the core meaning: they were doomed to destruction because they persisted in injustice. However, the difference lies in the speaker and the tense:

• Noah's Account: The report is from Allah, referring to the past action: {So the flood took them} while they were unjust. They were unjust at the very moment they were subjected to the punishment.
• Lot's Account: The report is from the angels, referring to the future action: {Indeed, We are destroyers}. The angels mention what is necessary to justify Allah's command for destruction: they were unjust at the time Allah commanded us to destroy them. This clarifies the righteousness of Allah's command for everyone. The angels do not need to state whether they remain unjust now or in the future, as speaking about the King's affairs without permission is impolite. They only needed to state the condition that necessitated the command: their injustice at the time of the decree.

When Abraham heard their words, he asked about Lot, out of concern for him, or perhaps because he knew Allah does not destroy a people while His messenger is among them, leading him to ask in astonishment, "How can they be destroyed if Lot is among them?"

The angels replied: {We know best who is in it}—meaning, we know Lot is among them, and We will save him and his family, but destroy the rest.

There is a subtle point here: Both Abraham and the angels were people of goodness, each surpassing the other in virtue.

1. When Abraham heard the angels say {Indeed, We are destroyers}, he showed concern for Lot, forgetting the good news he had just received and showing no immediate joy. He said: {Lot, indeed, is in it} (29:32).
2. When the angels saw this, they surpassed him in virtue. They said: You mentioned only Lot; We will save him and his family, but We will make an exception for his wife, saying: {Except his wife; indeed, she is of those who remain behind} (i.e., among the doomed).

There are two interpretations for using al-ghābir (which means both 'past' and 'remaining'):

Interpretation 1 (Meaning 'Past'): Since the angels previously mentioned the injustice of the people ({Indeed, its people were unjust}), and Lot was then mentioned, the angels state that Lot's wife is among those whose fate is sealed (past/gone) and not among those being saved. Or, the doomed perish and their time passes away, while the saved remain. Thus, she is among those who have passed away, not among those who continue to exist.

Interpretation 2 (Meaning 'Remaining in Doom'): Since Allah had decreed destruction upon the people, everyone was subject to it except those We save. The angels said: We save Lot and his family, but as for his wife, she remains among those destined for destruction.

{And when Our messengers came to Lot, he was grieved by them and felt constrained by their presence, and said, "This is a distressing day."}

{And his people came to him, rushing toward him; and before that they had been committing evil deeds. He said, "O my people, here are my daughters—they are purer for you. So fear Allah and do not disgrace me concerning my guests. Is there not among you a right-minded man?"}

{They said, "You certainly know that we have no need of your daughters, and indeed, you know what we desire." He said, "If only I had against you some strength or could resort to some firm support."}

{They said, "O Lot, We are only messengers of your Lord. They will never reach you. So set out with your family during a portion of the night and let none of you look back, except for your wife. Indeed, what afflicts them will afflict her. Indeed, their appointed time is the morning. Is not the morning near?"}

{So when Our command came, We turned [the cities] upside down and rained upon them stones of baked clay, [falling] consecutively,}

{Marked before your Lord, and they are never far from the wrongdoers.}

{And We certainly left thereof a clear sign for a people who use reason.}