Tafsir of Hud 11:69-73

{Our messengers} He means the angels. Ibn Abbas said: Gabriel (peace be upon him) came to him with two other angels. Others say: Gabriel, Michael, and Israfil. Some say there were nine, and al-Suddi said: eleven.

{With the glad tidings} This refers to the news of a son. Some say it refers to the destruction of the people of Lot, but the apparent meaning is the son.

{Peace} Meaning: We greet you with peace. {Peace} Meaning: Your affair is peace. It was also recited as: “So they said: Salama, he said: Salam,” meaning the same. It is said that Salam and Salama are like Haram and Harama.

{He did not delay in bringing it} He did not delay in bringing it; rather, he hastened. Or, it means his arrival was not delayed. {A roasted calf} Al-’ijl is the calf of a cow. It is also called al-haseel and al-khabash in the dialect of the people of al-Sarah. Abraham’s (peace be upon him) wealth at that time consisted of cattle. Hanidh means roasted over hot stones in a trench. It is said that Hanidh means it was dripping with fat, derived from the phrase "I hanadhtu the horse," meaning I covered it with a blanket until it dripped with sweat. This is supported by the verse: {A fat calf} (al-Dhariyat: 26).

{He felt a sense of fear of them} It is said he was staying at the edge of the land and feared they might intend him harm. Others say it was their custom that if a traveler did not eat their food, they feared them, and if they did, they felt secure. The apparent meaning is that he sensed they were angels, but he felt fear because he worried they had come for a matter God disapproved of, or to punish his people. Do you not see their words: {Do not fear, we have been sent to the people of Lot}? This is only said to someone who recognizes them but does not know why they were sent. {He felt} Meaning: He concealed [the fear]. They said {Do not fear} because they saw the signs of fear and change on his face, or because God informed them, or because they knew that his realization that they were angels necessitated fear, as they only descended with punishment.

{His wife was standing} It is said she was standing behind a curtain listening to their conversation. Others say she was standing over them, serving them. In the codex of Abdullah, it reads: "His wife was standing and he was sitting."

{She laughed} She laughed because her fear vanished, or because of the destruction of the wicked. Or, her laughter was one of denial due to their heedlessness, even though the punishment was overshadowing them. It is also said she used to tell Abraham: "Take Lot, your nephew, to yourself, for I know that punishment is coming to these people," so she laughed with joy when the matter turned out as she had surmised. Some say she laughed and then menstruated.

{Isaac, and after Isaac, Jacob} Raised as an ibtida’ (subject), as if to say: "And after Isaac, Jacob is born or exists." It is said al-wara’ (after/behind) refers to the son’s son. Al-Sha’bi was asked: "Is this your son?" He replied: "Yes, from al-wara’," meaning his grandson. It was also recited in the accusative, as if to say: "We granted her Isaac, and after Isaac, Jacob."

{Oh, woe is me!} The alif in ya waylata is a substitute for the possessive ya. The same applies to ya lahafa and ya ‘ajaba. Al-Hasan recited ya waylati with the ya according to the original form. {And this husband of mine is an old man} In the accusative, governed by what the demonstrative pronoun implies. It was also recited as shaykhun (nominative), as the predicate of a deleted subject: "This husband of mine is an old man."

It is said she was given the glad tidings when she was ninety-eight, and Abraham was one hundred and twenty. {This is a strange thing} That a child should be born to two elderly people. This is a rejection based on the customs God has established. The angels rebuked her for her astonishment: {Do you wonder at the command of God?} because she was in the house of signs and the place where miracles and extraordinary matters descended. She should have been dignified and not swayed as women are who are raised outside the houses of prophecy. She should have glorified and praised God instead of wondering. The angels pointed to this in their words: {The mercy of God and His blessings be upon you, O people of the house}. They meant that this and its like are things with which the Lord of Might honors you and singles you out, O people of the house of prophecy; therefore, it is not a place for wonder.

{The mercy of God and His blessings be upon you} This is a new sentence used to explain the rebuke of her wonder, as if to say: "Beware of wondering, for such mercy and blessings from God are abundant upon you." It is said that "mercy" is prophecy, and "blessings" are the tribes from the Children of Israel, for the prophets are from them, and all are from the descendants of Abraham. {Praiseworthy} The doer of that for which He deserves praise from His servants. {Glorious} Generous, abundant in His kindness toward them. {O people of the house} In the accusative as a vocative or for specification, as it is a praise for them, meaning: the people of the house of the Friend of the Most Merciful.