قَالَ فَمَا خَطْبُكُمْ أَيُّهَا الْمُرْسَلُونَ ﴿۵۷﴾ قَالُوا إِنَّا أُرْسِلْنَا إِلَى قَوْمٍ مُجْرِمِينَ ﴿۵۸﴾ إِلَّا آلَ لُوطٍ إِنَّا لَمُنَجُّوهُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ ﴿۵۹﴾ إِلَّا امْرَأَتَهُ قَدَّرْنَا إِنَّهَا لَمِنَ الْغَابِرِينَ ﴿۶۰﴾ فَلَمَّا جَاءَ آلَ لُوطٍ الْمُرْسَلُونَ ﴿۶۱﴾ قَالَ إِنَّكُمْ قَوْمٌ مُنْكَرُونَ ﴿۶۲﴾ قَالُوا بَلْ جِئْنَاكَ بِمَا كَانُوا فِيهِ يَمْتَرُونَ ﴿۶۳﴾ وَأَتَيْنَاكَ بِالْحَقِّ وَإِنَّا لَصَادِقُونَ ﴿۶۴﴾

﴾57﴿ Qaala famaa khatbukum aiyuhal mursaloon
﴾58﴿ Qaaloo innaaa ursilnaaa ilaa qawmim mujrimeen
﴾59﴿ Illaaa Aala Loot; innaa lamunajjoohum ajma'een
﴾60﴿ Illam ra atahoo qaddarnaaa innahaa laminal ghaabireen
﴾61﴿ Falamma jaaa'a Aala Lootinil mursaloon
﴾62﴿ Qaala innakum qawmum munkaroon
﴾63﴿ Qaaloo bal ji'naaka bimaa kaanoo feehi yamtaroon
﴾64﴿ Wa atainaaka bilhaqqi wa innaa lasaadiqoon

﴾57﴿ He said, So what is your great mission, O messengers
﴾58﴿ They said, Indeed, we have been sent to a guilty people
﴾59﴿ Except for the family of Lot; indeed, we will save them all together
﴾60﴿ Except for his wife; indeed, We have decreed that she will be among those who remain behind in punishment
﴾61﴿ So when the messengers came to the family of Lot
﴾62﴿ He said, Indeed, you are a people unknown to me
﴾63﴿ They said, Rather, we have brought to you that about which they were doubting
﴾64﴿ And we have brought you the true news of punishment, and indeed, we are truthful

[57] Since the angels gave Ibrahim (peace be upon him) glad tidings of a child, in truth, one angel would have been sufficient for delivering such glad tidings.
However, the fact that many angels came indicates that they were also entrusted with some greater mission. It was for this reason that Ibrahim (peace be upon him) asked them—because the word “khuṭb” is used in the context of a great or serious event.
[58,59,60] In this verse, two missions of the angels are mentioned:
1. The destruction of the criminals, which includes the deadly blast (ṣayḥah), the raining of stones, the raising of the people of Lut (peace be upon him) and turning them upside down—all of this was carried out through these angels.
2. The salvation of the family of Lut (peace be upon him), except for his wife.
Note 1: If the polytheists raise the objection that “If angels can save from punishment and sin, then prophets and saints should be able to do so too,” the answer is that (إِنَّا لَمُنَجُّوهُمْ) is included under (إِنَّا أُرْسِلْنَا)—meaning, We are merely messengers, and the message is from Allah the Exalted. “We shall surely save them” (إِنَّا لَمُنَجُّوهُمْ) indicates that the angels do not speak from themselves, rather they deliver the message of the One who sent them. The word (قَدَّرْنَا)—“We have decreed”—is also proof, because decreeing is not in the authority of the angels.
Note 2: That is, the criminal people will be destroyed, except the family of Lut (peace be upon him) who will be saved—and all of them will be saved except his wife, who will not be saved.
[from 61 to 64] This is evidence that Lut (peace be upon him) also did not have knowledge of the unseen.
(بِمَا كَانُوا فِيهِ يَمْتَرُونَ) – What is meant by this is the punishment which they doubted would descend upon them, or it could refer to the matter of tawḥīd (monotheism), in which they had doubts.
There is an implied phrase in the wording, meaning: They are punished for that which they doubted.
(بِالْحَقِّ) – This either refers to the true news (i.e. a truthful message), or it refers to the punishment itself.
(وَإِنَّا لَصَادِقُونَ) – This is mentioned with great emphasis, affirming that their warning was indeed true and fulfilled.