Surah Al-Hijr, Ayah 62

The Angels coming to Lut

Allah tells us about when the angels came to Lut in the form of young men with handsome faces. When they entered his home, he said:

قَالَ إِنَّكُمْ قَوْمٌ مُّنكَرُونَ - قَالُواْ بَلْ جِئْنَـكَ بِمَا كَانُواْ فِيهِ يَمْتَرُونَ

("Verily, you are people unknown to me." They said: "Nay, we have come to you with that (torment) which they have been doubting.") meaning that they were bringing the punishment and destruction that the people doubted they would ever suffer from.

وَآتَيْنَـكَ بِالْحَقِّ

(And we have brought you the truth) is like the Ayah,

مَا نُنَزِّلُ الْمَلَـئِكَةَ إِلاَّ بِالحَقِّ

(We do not send the angels down except with the truth) 15:8 and

وِإِنَّا لَصَـدِقُونَ

(and certainly, we tell the truth.) They said this in affirmation of the news that they brought him, that he would be saved and his people would be destroyed.

From verse 48: لَا يَمَسُّهُمْ فِيهَا نَصَبٌ وَمَا هُم مِّنْهَا بِمُخْرَ‌جِينَ (No weariness shall touch them therein nor will they be expelled from there), we learn about two features of Jannah: (1) No one shall ever feel tired or weak. This is contrary to what happens in our mortal world where hard work naturally results in fatigue. In fact, even a state of total rest and fun would sometimes tire a person out, no matter how enjoyable are things one is occupied with. (2) The other feature of Jannah we discover is that the blessings once received there shall be eternal. These blessings shall never diminish nor shall anyone be expelled from there. In Surah Sad, it was said:إِنَّ هَـٰذَا لَرِ‌زْقُنَا مَا لَهُ مِن نَّفَادٍ (This is sustenance provided by Us which is never to exhaust - 38:54). And in the present verse, it was said: وَمَا هُم مِّنْهَا بِمُخْرَ‌جِينَ (nor will they be expelled from there) that is, they shall never be deprived of the state of bliss bestowed upon them. This is contrary to the affairs of the mortal world where the recipient of the best of conveniences lives under the apprehension that the Over of the facilities may become displeased with him one of those days and expel him out.

Abraham was living in Palestine along the coast of the Dead Sea. His nephew, Lot, lived nearby. He preached the word of God to the people settled in this area, but they were not willing to reform themselves. Their arrogance went on increasing, so much so that God decided that they should be destroyed. These angels had come to carry out God’s will. Probably nobody, except for a few family members of Lot, had embraced the Faith at his instance. It is very difficult for those who are not members of the missionary’s household to accept him, because, for them, so many psychological impediments come in the way. However, for his own blood relations, such impediments do not exist. So, they rally the more easily to his cause. This is what happened in the case of Lot. Probably, only his daughters embraced the Faith in response to his call. The special relationship which children have with their father inclines them to listen to his call. These girls were therefore saved along with Lot. But, his wife could not become a believer from the bottom of her heart. So she was killed along with other guilty persons. In the Law of God, no concession is given to anybody.