The Spider (Al-‘Ankabut)
Verses 28-30 GROUP_1029 29.28-30
28
وَلُوطًا إِذْ قَالَ لِقَوْمِهِ إِنَّكُمْ لَتَأْتُونَ الْفَاحِشَةَ مَا سَبَقَكُم بِهَا مِنْ أَحَدٍ مِّنَ الْعَالَمِينَ
We sent Lot to his people and he said to them, ‘Indeed you commit obscenity such as no people before you have ever committed.
29
أَئِنَّكُمْ لَتَأْتُونَ الرِّجَالَ وَتَقْطَعُونَ السَّبِيلَ وَتَأْتُونَ فِي نَادِيكُمُ الْمُنكَرَ فَمَا كَانَ جَوَابَ قَوْمِهِ إِلَّا أَن قَالُوا ائْتِنَا بِعَذَابِ اللَّهِ إِن كُنتَ مِنَ الصَّادِقِينَ
You approach men and waylay them on the road and commit depravities within your gatherings.’ But his people’s only reply was, ‘Bring down God’s punishment upon us, if what you say be true.’
30
قَالَ رَبِّ انصُرْنِي عَلَى الْقَوْمِ الْمُفْسِدِينَ
Lot prayed, ‘Lord, help me against this wicked people.’
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Commentary
(a) Lot left Babylon and settled in Jordan. God made him a prophet and assigned to him the task of reforming his community. This community inhabited the town of Sodom near the Dead Sea and was addicted to the unnatural habit of sodomy. Through this evil, other evils had become prevalent among them. But they would not reform themselves. The words, ‘Bring down God’s punishment upon us’ were directed at Lot and not at God. Lot’s people so looked down upon Lot that, according to them, it was impossible that, on disobeying him, they would have to face God’s scourge. So, they challenged him to bring God’s punishment down on them if what he said was really true.