Tafsir of Al-Hijr 15:67-77

{The people of the city} The people of Sodom, whose judge is proverbial for injustice, came rejoicing at the [sight of the] angels.

{Do not disgrace me} Do not bring shame upon me regarding my guests; for whoever is wronged through his guest or neighbor is himself wronged, just as whoever honors those connected to him is himself honored.

{And do not put me to shame} Do not humiliate me by humiliating my guests. Al-khizy means abasement. Alternatively, it means "do not make me feel ashamed," from al-khazayah, which is bashfulness.

{Regarding the worlds} [Meaning:] Do not prevent me from protecting anyone from them, or from defending them, or from standing between us and them. They used to harass everyone, and Lot (peace be upon him) would forbid the evil and stand as a barrier between them and those they harassed. They threatened him, saying: "If you do not desist, O Lot, you will surely be among those expelled." It is also said: [It means] do not prevent me from hosting people and lodging them, for they had forbidden him from ever hosting anyone.

{These are my daughters} A reference to the women; for the nation of every prophet considers his men their sons and his women their daughters. It is as if he said to them: "These are my daughters, so marry them and leave my guests alone, do not harass them."

{If you must act} An expression of doubt regarding their acceptance of his words, as if he said: "If you do what I tell you—though I do not think you will." It is also said: "If you desire to satisfy your lust in what God has made lawful, rather than what He has forbidden."

{By your life} Implied as a statement; meaning the angels said to Lot (peace be upon him): "By your life..."

{They are in their intoxication} Meaning their deviation, which has robbed them of their reason and their ability to distinguish between the error they are in and the truth to which you are directing them—by choosing daughters over sons.

{Wandering blindly} They are bewildered; how then could they accept your words or listen to your advice? It is also said that the address is to the Messenger of God (peace be upon him), and that He swore by his life—a life He never swore by for anyone else, as an honor to him. Al-ʿumr and al-ʿamr are the same, though they preferred the oath with the fatha (vowel) for its lightness, as it is frequently used on their tongues. For this reason, they omitted the predicate; its estimation is: "By your life, [this is] what I swear by," just as they omitted the verb in your saying: "By God (Billahi)." It is also read as fi sakrihim (in their intoxication) and fi sakaratihim (in their intoxications).

{The blast} The blast of Gabriel (peace be upon him).

{At sunrise} Entering into the sunrise, which is the rising of the sun.

{Of baked clay} It is said: from clay, upon which is a mark from the sijill (scroll/record). The evidence for this is the Almighty’s saying: {Stones of clay, marked by your Lord} (Adh-Dhariyat: 33–34), meaning marked with a writing.

{For those who observe signs} For those who possess insight and contemplation. The reality of the mutawassimun (those who observe signs) are the observers who are firm in their gaze until they know the true nature of a thing’s mark. It is said: "I observed a sign in such-and-such," meaning I recognized its mark in him.

{Its top, its bottom} The pronoun refers to the cities of the people of Lot.

{And indeed, they are on a path that remains} Established, traveled by people, and not yet erased. They see those ruins, and this is a warning to the Quraysh, like His saying: {And indeed, you pass by them in the morning} (As-Saffat: 137).

{And the companions of the thicket were indeed wrongdoers. So We took retribution from them, and both of them are on a clear path.}