وَأَخَذَ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا الصَّيْحَةُ فَأَصْبَحُوا فِي دِيَارِهِمْ جَاثِمِينَ ﴿۶۷﴾ كَأَنْ لَمْ يَغْنَوْا فِيهَا أَلَا إِنَّ ثَمُودَ كَفَرُوا رَبَّهُمْ أَلَا بُعْدًا لِثَمُودَ ﴿۶۸﴾ وَلَقَدْ جَاءَتْ رُسُلُنَا إِبْرَاهِيمَ بِالْبُشْرَى قَالُوا سَلَامًا قَالَ سَلَامٌ فَمَا لَبِثَ أَنْ جَاءَ بِعِجْلٍ حَنِيذٍ ﴿۶۹﴾ فَلَمَّا رَأَى أَيْدِيَهُمْ لَا تَصِلُ إِلَيْهِ نَكِرَهُمْ وَأَوْجَسَ مِنْهُمْ خِيفَةً قَالُوا لَا تَخَفْ إِنَّا أُرْسِلْنَا إِلَى قَوْمِ لُوطٍ ﴿۷۰﴾

﴾67﴿ Wa akhazal lazeena zalamus saihatu fa asbahoo fee diyaarihim jaasimeena
﴾68﴿ Ka al lam yaghnaw feehaaa; alaaa inna Samooda kafaroo Rabbahum; alaa bu'dal li Samood
﴾69﴿ Wa laqad jaaa'at Rusulunaaa Ibraaheema bilbushraa qaaloo salaaman qaala salaamun famaa labisa an jaaa'a bi'ijlin haneez
﴾70﴿ Falammaa ra aaa aidiyahum laa tasilu ilaihi nakirahum wa awjasa minhum kheefah; qaaloo laa takhaf innaaa ursilnaaa ilaa qawmi Loot

﴾67﴿ And the oppressors were seized by a terrifying sound, and they turned into dead bodies lying face down in their homes
﴾68﴿ They perished as if they had never existed in that place, beware! Indeed, the people of Thamud disbelieved in their Lord. Beware! Destruction is the fate of the people of Thamud
﴾69﴿ And indeed, Our angels came to Abraham, peace be upon him, with glad tidings. They said, 'Peace be upon you.' He replied, 'Peace be upon you as well.' Then he did not delay and brought them a roasted calf
﴾70﴿ So when he (Abraham) saw that their hands did not reach out to the food, he found them strange and felt a fear of them in his heart. They said, Do not fear; indeed, we have been sent to the people of Lot (peace be upon him)

[67] When they disrespected Ṣāliḥ (peace be upon him) with their loud voices and insulting words — as mentioned earlier in this surah — Allah responded by sending upon them the punishment of the mighty blast (ṣayḥah).
This connection is also discussed in more detail in the tafsīr of Surah al-A‘rāf.
The word (جَاثِمِينَ) refers to those who are collapsed or fallen flat, and it carries three layers of meaning:
1. They fell on their faces out of awe and terror from the punishment.
2. They had no strength to stand, due to the overwhelming power of the blast.
3. Ultimately, they died in that very state — struck down where they stood, lifeless.
This word captures the complete helplessness, humiliation, and final destruction of those who opposed the truth.
[68] (كَأَنْ لَمْ يَغْنَوْا فِيهَا) — means as if they had never lived there at all.
This is a powerful expression used to indicate the complete destruction and erasure of their existence — as if the town and its people had never even existed.
(كَفَرُوا رَبَّهُمْ) — states the reason for their punishment: their rejection and denial of their Lord.
It reinforces that disbelief was the true cause of their downfall.
(أَلَا بُعْدًا) — this can be understood in two ways:
1. As a statement of fact (jumlah khabariyyah), expressing that they have now been cast far away, after the punishment — removed from mercy and from the earth itself.
2. Or as a supplication (jumlah du‘ā’iyyah) — a curse or invocation against them, meaning: “May they be far removed [from Allah’s mercy],” especially in regard to the Hereafter.
Both meanings convey their complete ruin in this world and eternal loss in the next.
[69] This is the fourth narrative, and it relates to the second central claim of the surah — that knowledge of the unseen (ʿilm al-ghayb) is exclusive to Allah.
This is shown by the fact that Ibrāhīm (peace be upon him) had no knowledge about the reality of the guests (angels) who came to him.
The phrase (وَلَقَدْ) — the wāw of connection (waaw al-ʿaṭf) — links this story to the previous ones, showing that the central theme of all these stories is affirming Tawḥīd.
The use of (لَقَدْ) adds emphasis, because the deniers greatly doubted the unseen, so this event serves as a rebuttal to them.
The term (رُسُلُنَا) — Our messengers — clarifies the true identity and purpose of these guests: they were angels sent with a mission, not ordinary travelers.
In Surah al-Ḥijr (51) and Surah adh-Dhāriyāt (24), the angels are referred to as (ضَيف) — guests, because that’s how they initially appeared to Ibrāhīm (peace be upon him).
(بِالْبُشْرَى) — they came bringing glad tidings.
This could mean either:
The good news of the destruction of the people of Lūṭ, or
The glad tidings of a son to Ibrāhīm (peace be upon him), i.e., Ishāq.
Though the primary mission was the good news, the verse first mentions salām (peace) and offering of food, indicating the etiquette of guests and heavenly beings.
This also shows that greeting with salām is the way of both angels and prophets.
The phrase (سَلَامٌ) — using ḍammah (u) — is a nominal sentence, which implies permanence and dignity.
This is preferred over the form (سَلَّمًا) with fatḥah (a), which is verbal and suggests something passing or temporary.
So the response (فَما لَبِثَ...) becomes a beautiful reply to the noble form of salām.
As for (سَلَّمًا) — it is a maf‘ūl (object) either for:
An implied verb, such as سَلَّمْنَا سَلَامًا (we offered salām), or
For (قَالُوا) — as in they said salām in a gracious manner.
In (أَنْ جَاءَ) — the "an" can be interpreted as:
Meaning ḥattā (until): they did not delay until he brought..., or
That "min" is implied: from the moment they came...
This rich wording captures the depth of prophetic etiquette, angelic mission, and divine knowledge, all reinforcing the truth of Tawḥīd and Prophethood.
[70] (لَا تَصِلُ) — is a figurative expression meaning they did not eat.
It’s a polite and indirect way of stating that the guests refused or refrained from touching the food.
(نَكِرَهُمْ) — he found them unfamiliar or suspicious — because the customary etiquette for guests is to begin eating quickly as a sign of goodwill and peace.
When they did not follow this custom, Ibrāhīm (peace be upon him) became cautious and uncomfortable.
(خِيفَةً) — means he felt fear, specifically the fear of harm or unwanted confrontation, thinking they might have come with ill intent.
(قَالُوا لَا تَخَفْ) — They said: Do not fear.
One might ask: How did the angels know what was in Ibrāhīm’s heart — isn’t that knowledge of the unseen?
The answer is found in Surah al-Ḥijr (51), where Ibrāhīm himself expressed his fear verbally.
So the angels were responding to his spoken words, not reading his heart.
(لَا تَخَفْ إِنَّا أُرْسِلْنَا) — Do not fear, for we have been sent —
Meaning: We have not been sent to harm you, but to bring punishment upon the people of Lūṭ.
The verb (أُرْسِلْنَا) shows clearly that they were angels, as only angels are sent on divine missions, and angels do not eat — which explains why Ibrāhīm’s fear subsided after learning their true identity.
(إِلَى قَوْمِ لُوطٍ) — this is the second purpose of their mission: to deliver the punishment to Lūṭ’s people.
Thus, the verse connects the arrival of divine mercy to Ibrāhīm and the arrival of divine wrath to the disbelievers.