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Towards Understanding the Quran
With kind permission: Islamic Foundation UK
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 Surah Hud 11:69-75 [7/10]
  
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Verse Summary -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
وَلَقَدْAnd certainly
جَآءَتْcame
رُسُلُنَآOur messengers
إِبْرَٲهِيمَ(to) Ibrahim
بِٱلْبُشْرَىٰwith glad tidings,
قَالُواْthey said,
سَلَـٰمًا‌ۖ"Peace."
قَالَHe said,
سَلَـٰمٌ‌ۖ"Peace,"
فَمَا لَبِثَand not he delayed
أَنto
جَآءَbring
بِعِجْلٍa calf
حَنِيذٍroasted.
﴿٦٩﴾
فَلَمَّاBut when
رَءَآhe saw
أَيْدِيَهُمْtheir hands
لَاnot
تَصِلُreaching
إِلَيْهِto it,
نَكِرَهُمْhe felt unfamiliar of them
وَأَوْجَسَand felt apprehension
مِنْهُمْfrom them
خِيفَةً‌ۚ[a fear].
قَالُواْThey said,
لَا"(Do) not
تَخَفْfear.
إِنَّآIndeed, we
أُرْسِلْنَآ[we] have been sent
إِلَىٰto
قَوْمِ(the) people
لُوطٍ(of) Lut."
﴿٧٠﴾
وَٱمْرَأَتُهُۥAnd his wife
قَآئِمَةٌ(was) standing
فَضَحِكَتْand she laughed.
فَبَشَّرْنَـٰهَاThen We gave her glad tidings
بِإِسْحَـٰقَof Ishaq,
وَمِن وَرَآءِand after
إِسْحَـٰقَIshaq
يَعْقُوبَ(of) Yaqub.
﴿٧١﴾
قَالَتْShe said,
يَـٰوَيْلَتَىٰٓ"Woe to me!
ءَأَلِدُShall I bear a child
وَأَنَا۟while I am
عَجُوزٌan old woman
وَهَـٰذَاand this,
بَعْلِىmy husband,
شَيْخًا‌ۖ(is) an old man?
إِنَّIndeed,
هَـٰذَاthis
لَشَىْءٌ(is) surely a thing
عَجِيبٌamazing."
﴿٧٢﴾
قَالُوٓاْThey said,
أَتَعْجَبِينَ"Are you amazed
مِنْat
أَمْرِ ٱللَّهِ‌ۖ(the) decree of Allah?
رَحْمَتُ ٱللَّهِThe Mercy of Allah
وَبَرَكَـٰتُهُۥand His blessings
عَلَيْكُمْ(be) upon you,
أَهْلَpeople
ٱلْبَيْتِ‌ۚ(of) the house.
إِنَّهُۥIndeed, He
حَمِيدٌ(is) All-Praiseworthy,
مَّجِيدٌAll-Glorious."
﴿٧٣﴾
فَلَمَّاAnd when
ذَهَبَ(had) gone away
عَنْfrom
إِبْرَٲهِيمَIbrahim
ٱلرَّوْعُthe fright,
وَجَآءَتْهُand had reached him
ٱلْبُشْرَىٰthe glad tidings,
يُجَـٰدِلُنَاhe argued with Us,
فِىconcerning
قَوْمِthe people
لُوطٍof Lut.
﴿٧٤﴾
إِنَّIndeed,
إِبْرَٲهِيمَIbrahim
لَحَلِيمٌ(was) certainly forbearing,
أَوَّٲهٌimploring,
مُّنِيبٌand oft-returning.
﴿٧٥﴾


وَلَقَدۡ جَآءَتۡ رُسُلُنَاۤ اِبۡرٰهِيۡمَ بِالۡبُشۡرٰى قَالُوۡا سَلٰمًا​ ؕ قَالَ سَلٰمٌ​ فَمَا لَبِثَ اَنۡ جَآءَ بِعِجۡلٍ حَنِيۡذٍ‏  فَلَمَّا رَاٰۤ اَيۡدِيَهُمۡ لَا تَصِلُ اِلَيۡهِ نَـكِرَهُمۡ وَاَوۡجَسَ مِنۡهُمۡ خِيۡفَةً​  ؕ قَالُوۡا لَا تَخَفۡ اِنَّاۤ اُرۡسِلۡنَاۤ اِلٰى قَوۡمِ لُوۡطٍ ؕ‏  وَامۡرَاَ تُهٗ قَآئِمَةٌ فَضَحِكَتۡ فَبَشَّرۡنٰهَا بِاِسۡحٰقَ ۙ وَمِنۡ وَّرَآءِ اِسۡحٰقَ يَعۡقُوۡبَ‏  قَالَتۡ يٰوَيۡلَتٰٓى ءَاَلِدُ وَاَنَا عَجُوۡزٌ وَّهٰذَا بَعۡلِىۡ شَيۡخًا ​ؕ اِنَّ هٰذَا لَشَىۡءٌ عَجِيۡبٌ‏  قَالُوۡۤا اَتَعۡجَبِيۡنَ مِنۡ اَمۡرِ اللّٰهِ​ رَحۡمَتُ اللّٰهِ وَبَرَكٰتُهٗ عَلَيۡكُمۡ اَهۡلَ الۡبَيۡتِ​ؕ اِنَّهٗ حَمِيۡدٌ مَّجِيۡدٌ‏  فَلَمَّا ذَهَبَ عَنۡ اِبۡرٰهِيۡمَ الرَّوۡعُ وَجَآءَتۡهُ الۡبُشۡرٰى يُجَادِلُـنَا فِىۡ قَوۡمِ لُوۡطٍؕ‏  اِنَّ اِبۡرٰهِيۡمَ لَحَـلِيۡمٌ اَوَّاهٌ مُّنِيۡبٌ‏ 

Translation
(11:69) Indeed Our messengers came to Abraham, bearing glad tidings. They greeted him with 'peace', and Abraham answered back to them 'peace', and hurriedly brought to them a roasted calf.75 (11:70) When he perceived that their hands could not reach it, he mistrusted them, and felt afraid of them.76 They said: 'Do not be afraid. We have been sent to the people of Lot.77 (11:71) And Abraham's wife was standing by and on hearing this she laughed.78 And We gave her the good news of (the birth of) Isaac, and after Isaac, of Jacob.79 (11:72) She said: 'Woe is me!80 Shall I bear a child now that I am an old woman and my husband is well advanced in years.81 This is indeed strange!' (11:73) They said: 'Do you wonder at Allah's decree?82 Allah's mercy and His blessings be upon you, O people of the house. Surely, He is Praiseworthy, Glorious.' (11:74) Thus when fear had left Abraham and the good news had been conveyed to him, he began to dispute with Us concerning the people of Lot.83 (11:75) Surely Abraham was forbearing, tenderhearted and oft-turning to Allah.

Commentary

75. This shows that the angels had come to Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him) in the form of human beings and had not disclosed their identity. Therefore he took them for strangers and brought a roasted calf for their entertainment.

76. Some commentators are of the view that Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him) was afraid of them because of their refusal to eat his meal. He had concluded that they had come to him with some evil intention. For, according to the Arab tradition, if some strangers refused hospitality, it meant that they had not come as guests but as enemies to plunder. But this view is not supported by the succeeding verse.

77. The wording of their answer shows that Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him) had understood from their refusal to eat that they were angels. But he was afraid of their visit because he knew that the coming of the angels in the human shape did not bode well: So he was fearful that they might have come to take them to task for some offense committed by the people of his household or of his habitation or by himself. Had it been the same thing that the commentators presumed, then their answer should have been, “Don’t fear us for we are angels from your Lord.” But the answer they gave to remove his fear, “Don’t have any fear for we have been sent to the people of Lot (and not to you),” shows that Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him) knew that they were angels but was troubled in his mind as to the reason of their visit in the human form. This was because the angels came in human form when some one was either to be put to a hard trial or punished severely for some offense.

78. It appears from this that the news of the visit of the angels in the human form had made the people of the house uneasy. So Prophet Abraham’s Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him) wife had also come there to know what the matter was. She laughed with joy when she learned that the angels were sent not to punish their people but the people of Lot (peace be upon him).

79. The angels told the good news of a son to Sarah instead of Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him) because he already had a son, Ismail from Hajirah but had no child from her. Therefore to remove her sorrow they told her the good news that a son, Isaac, will be born to her, who will have a son, Jacob, both of whom will be great Messengers of Allah.

80. These words were not used by her in their literal sense as an exclamation of grief and lamentation. She uttered these words merely to express surprise at the news.

81. According to the Bible Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him) was 100 years old at the time and Sarah was 90 years.

82. The question was posed to her to remind her that though people of old age do not bear children, it is not beyond Allah’s power to bring this about. Therefore a true believer like her should not show any surprise at the good news when it is conveyed to her from Allah.

83. “He began to argue with Us” is the expression of affection and endearment which manifests the nature of close relationship of Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him) with his Lord. This helps depict the picture of the argument that the servant had with his Lord for pleading the case of the people of Lot. He pleaded persistently: Lord, avert the coming scourge from the people of Lot. The Lord replied: These people have become so degraded that no good was left in them and their crimes have become so heinous that they deserve no leniency at all. But the servant still persisted: Lord, give them more respite, even if a little good yet remains in them; maybe it should bear some fruit. This dispute has been recorded in the Bible rather in detail, but the concise mention in the Quran is more meaningful. (For comparison please refer to Genesis 18: 23-32).