And when it was as if it was said: This reprimand necessitates the utmost shyness. Rather, it drives every one who hears it from them to a place where he does not know a covering for his condition. So I wish I knew what their state was at that moment! It was said: It was as if they responded to him with great insolence and increased wickedness beyond measure. Their response was nothing but harm to Lot - blessings and peace be upon him - and his family, due to what they deserved from them of severe warning, which is the aim of the surah. He then referred to his saying: "And what was the response of his people" meaning: those who are of great strength and immense determination and capable of carrying out what they attempt, "except that they said."

And when the aim was to indicate that they hastened in their response to him with what would harm him, he implied what does not cause doubt by implying. Or that when the context was to indicate the vile, it indicated that there is no one more vile than these who had reached such a low that they counted the pure and the cleansed among those whose tongues are protected from mentioning it. So Allah, glorified and exalted is He, said, alluding to that in the narration of their words: "Drive them out" meaning: those being spoken of, and they are Lot and those who joined him, "from your town." The intent of indicating the hastening in this is to console the Prophet - blessings and peace be upon him - from the rejection of his people to his words, so that there would not be in his heart any distress from their warning to them. Then they justified their expulsion by saying: "Indeed, they are people" meaning: weak, "who purify themselves." And it was as if they intended by the act of purification to attribute themselves to the love of this vile act, and that their leaving it is merely a pretense and a burden on their souls to turn away from what they are inclined towards, and a turning towards purity from a direction that is not genuine, and a display of it for show, as indicated by the appearance of the letter of the act. And in it, along with that, there is a hint of mockery, and their limiting their response to this meaning, which is conveyed by this wording, does not contradict the verse of Al-Ankabut which states: "So what was the response of his people except that they said, 'Bring us the punishment of Allah'" [Al-Ankabut: 29]; because the generality of the response to this is permissible, and the meaning is: So what was their saying - in response to him - except their bringing forth what is not a proper response, and that is the implication of this saying and others that do not relate to the response. Or that this response, since it contains denial and an indication of insistence and harshness towards the Messenger of Allah - blessings and peace be upon him - necessitating punishment, was as if they uttered it when they said: "Bring us the punishment of Allah" [Al-Ankabut: 29], making their utterance of the cause an utterance of the effect. Or that they employed for every situation a saying, and it is supported by the fact that the meaning was the same here and in the ants, limiting the response to this, meaning: So what was their response to this saying except this; and when it increased them in Al-Ankabut in the reprimand, saying: "Do you indeed approach men and cut off the way and come in your gatherings with evil?" [Al-Ankabut: 29] They came to him with a more eloquent denial and mockery; so they said: "Bring us the punishment of Allah" [Al-Ankabut: 29] - the verse.