And when leaving caution in employing the stratagem for the way of salvation from the warning of the great warners, who have a strong inclination towards folly, indicated that they have surpassed that to the violation of the sanctity of the warner. He said, swearing that such a thing hardly occurs, so one cannot believe whoever narrates it: "And certainly they attempted to seduce him," meaning: they increased in the denial that necessitates punishment by engaging in a lengthy process that requires twisting and turning "away from their guest" to hand them over to them, while they are angels in the form of young men. They were singled out, even though the intended meaning was the species, as a way of emphasizing that if the guest were one. "So We blinded their eyes," meaning: as a result of their seduction, We caused their eyes to be blinded by Our greatness, "and We made them equal with all other faces, so that no slit could be seen in them." Al-Baghawi said: This is the saying of most of the commentators. And that was by a gesture made to them by Gabriel, blessings and peace be upon him. Al-Qushayri said: He wiped with his wings over their faces, and they became blind and could not find their way out. Ibn Jarir said: The Arabs say: The wind blinded the flags when it buried them with what was blown over them from dust. So they ran away hastily towards the door, not finding their way to it nor reaching it, but they collided with the walls out of fear of what was greater than that, while they said: "With Lut are the most bewitched of people," and their minds did not lead them to believe and save themselves from what had befallen them. Al-Qushayri said: And thus Allah, glorified and exalted is He, enacted His tradition among His allies by blinding the hearts of their enemies until it becomes confusing for them how to harm His allies and save them from their plots. And when the first of their punishment came, He said: "So taste," meaning: as a result of that, a speaker said about Allah with the tongue of statement or state: O deniers, taste because of your denial of My messengers in their warning "My punishment and My warnings," meaning: and the consequence of My warning on the tongues of My messengers.