قَالَ لَوْ أَنَّ لِي بِكُمْ قُوَّةً أَوْ آوِي إِلَى رُكْنٍ شَدِيدٍ ﴿۸۰﴾ قَالُوا يَا لُوطُ إِنَّا رُسُلُ رَبِّكَ لَنْ يَصِلُوا إِلَيْكَ فَأَسْرِ بِأَهْلِكَ بِقِطْعٍ مِنَ اللَّيْلِ وَلَا يَلْتَفِتْ مِنْكُمْ أَحَدٌ إِلَّا امْرَأَتَكَ إِنَّهُ مُصِيبُهَا مَا أَصَابَهُمْ إِنَّ مَوْعِدَهُمُ الصُّبْحُ أَلَيْسَ الصُّبْحُ بِقَرِيبٍ ﴿۸۱﴾ فَلَمَّا جَاءَ أَمْرُنَا جَعَلْنَا عَالِيَهَا سَافِلَهَا وَأَمْطَرْنَا عَلَيْهَا حِجَارَةً مِنْ سِجِّيلٍ مَنْضُودٍ ﴿۸۲﴾ مُسَوَّمَةً عِنْدَ رَبِّكَ وَمَا هِيَ مِنَ الظَّالِمِينَ بِبَعِيدٍ ﴿۸۳﴾

﴾80﴿ Qaala law anna lee bikum quwwatan aw aaweee ilaa ruknin shadeed
﴾81﴿ Qaaloo yaa Lootu innaa Rusulu Rabbika lai yasiloo ilaika fa asri bi ahlika biqit 'im minal laili wa laa yaltafit minkum ahadun illam ra ataka innahoo museebuhaa maaa asaabahum; inna maw'i dahumus subh; alaisas subhu biqareeb
﴾82﴿ Falammaa jaaa'a amrunaa ja'alnaa 'aaliyahaa saafilahaa wa amtarnaa 'alaihaa hijaaratam min sijjeelim mandood
﴾83﴿ Musawwamatan 'inda Rabbik; wa maa hiya minaz zaalimena biba'eed

﴾80﴿ He said, I wish I had power over you, or I could take refuge in a strong tribe
﴾81﴿ The angels said, O Lot, indeed we are messengers from your Lord; they will never be able to harm you. So take your family during a portion of the night, and let none of you look back except your wife. Indeed, she will be struck by what strikes them. Indeed, their appointed time is the morning. Is not the morning near
﴾82﴿ So when Our punishment came, We turned their city upside down and rained upon them stones of baked clay, one after another
﴾83﴿ Marked with your Lord, and it is not far from the wrongdoers

[80] (لَوْ) — here can be understood in two ways:
1. As a wishful expression (tamannī) — meaning If only I had the strength...,
2. Or as a conditional particle (sharṭiyyah) — with the answer (jazā') omitted, implying: Had I strength, I would have surely repelled you.
The omitted jazā’ is understood as (لَدَفَعْتُكُمْ) — I would have defended against you strongly.
(قُوَّةً) — refers either to:
– Physical strength, or
– Support from fellow believers or helpers, i.e., people to assist him in resisting the corruption of his people.
(رُكْنٍ شَدِيدٍ) — the "strong support" refers to Allah the Exalted, because a prophet never forgets Allah, even in hardship.
In a ḥadīth, the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) said: "May Allah have mercy on Lūṭ — he used to take refuge in a strong support." This ḥadīth is not a criticism or blame, but rather a way of highlighting Lūṭ’s noble stance in trying to resist the evil of his people despite his isolation.
It shows his dedication to enjoining good and forbidding evil, and that even in extreme hardship, he wished for greater ability to protect the truth.
[81] (لَنْ يَصِلُوا إِلَيْكَ) — This is a reassurance to Lūṭ (peace be upon him): “Do not grieve or worry.” The angels, by saying this, were indicating: “They cannot harm us, for we are angels — and they also cannot harm you.” This was both a divine protection and a relief from fear.
At that moment, Jibrīl (peace be upon him) is reported to have struck their eyes with his wing, causing them to become blind — as also mentioned in Surah al-Qamar (54:37).
(وَلَا يَلْتَفِتْ) — means: “Let no one look back”, referring to not turning around to grieve over possessions, homes, or worldly attachments.
It is a command to leave everything behind without hesitation.
(إِلَّا امْرَأَتَكَ) — This is an exception from (بِأَهْلِكَ) — meaning: “Take your family, except your wife.” She was excluded because she was among those who would be punished, due to her belief aligning with the disbelievers — as she was a disbeliever in secret, despite being outwardly part of his household.
This also shows that shirk existed among the people of Lūṭ, not just indecency — her punishment was due to her inner alignment with their kufr.
(أَلَيْسَ الصُّبْحُ بِقَرِيبٍ) — This was likely said in response to Lūṭ (peace be upon him) hoping for the destruction to come quickly.
The angels replied: “Is the morning not near?” — meaning: Be patient just a little longer; the punishment is imminent and will descend at dawn.
This adds a tone of certainty and reassurance that Allah’s promise is about to be fulfilled.
[82] (أَمْرُنَا) — refers either to the appointed time of punishment or the punishment itself, i.e., when Allah’s command for destruction was executed.
(وَأَمْطَرْنَا) — the wāw here suggests sequence (tarattub), meaning: one event following another. It could indicate either of the following sequences:
1. That stones rained down first, followed by the overturning of the town, or
2. That the town was overturned first, and then the rain of stones followed.
Both are possible, and Allah is fully capable of either sequence — even of raining stones after the destruction, as a further layer of punishment.
This interpretation is supported by the end of the verse: (وَمَا هِيَ مِنَ الظَّالِمِينَ بِبَعِيدٍ) — This punishment is not far from the wrongdoers, implying that similar layered punishments may occur again for those who persist in wrongdoing.
(سِجِّيلٍ) — refers to baked clay stones, i.e., clay that has been hardened in fire.
This indicates that the punishment involved not just physical force, but also fire and heat, adding to its intensity and divine precision.
It shows that the material of punishment itself was prepared and deliberate, not natural or random.
[83] (مُسَوَّمَةً) — means marked or designated. It has been reported that each stone was marked with the name of the disbeliever it was meant to strike — showing that the punishment was precise and targeted, not random.
(عِنْدَ رَبِّكَ) — indicates that these stones were not of earthly origin; They were prepared and stored in the realm of divine command, emphasizing the supernatural and deliberate nature of this punishment.
--- As for the phrase (وَمَا هِيَ مِنَ الظَّالِمِينَ بِبَعِيدٍ) — And it is not far from the wrongdoers — there are three main interpretations: 1. First interpretation: The pronoun (هِيَ) refers to the stones, and the ظالمين (wrongdoers) are the people of Lūṭ themselves.
Meaning: These stones were not far from striking the wrongdoers — they came swiftly and inevitably.
2. Second interpretation: The ظالمين refers to the disbelievers of Makkah, and the verse warns that similar punishment is not far from those who follow the sins of the past nations (e.g., acts of Lūṭ's people).
So it's a warning to this Ummah: those who follow the path of past transgressors may face the same fate.
3. Third interpretation: The pronoun (هِيَ) refers to the towns (قُرًى) of the people of Lūṭ,
and الظالمين again refers to the disbelievers of Makkah.
Meaning: The fate of these destroyed towns is not far from the wrongdoers, hinting that similar destruction could fall upon them if they continue in denial and immorality.
All three explanations convey a strong message: the punishment of Allah is precise, near, and just, and those who commit similar injustices are not exempt from its reach.