His saying, glorified and exalted is He: "He said, 'Indeed, there is Lot in it.' They said, 'We know better who is in it. We will surely save him and his family, except for his wife; she is of those who remain behind.'" "And when our messengers came to Lot, he was distressed by them and felt himself straitened. He said, 'Do not fear and do not grieve. Indeed, we will save you and your family, except for your wife; she is of those who remain behind.'" "Indeed, we are about to bring down upon the people of this city a punishment from the heaven because they have been defiantly disobedient." "And indeed, we left from it a sign clear for a people who use reason."

It has been narrated from Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them, that when Ibrahim, peace be upon him, learned from the angels that the village of Lot was to be punished, he felt compassion for the believers and argued with the angels. He said, 'What if there are a hundred houses of believers among them? Will you leave them?' They said, 'There are none of them.' So he continued to descend until he reached ten houses. The angels said to him, 'There are not ten, nor five, nor three, nor two.' At that point, Ibrahim, peace be upon him, said, 'Indeed, there is Lot in it.' They responded to him then by saying, 'We know better who is in it,' meaning: 'Do not fear that injustice will befall a believer.'

Nafi, Abu Amr, and Ibn Amer read: 'We will surely save him' with a fatha on the middle noon and a shadda on the jeem, and 'We will save you' with a fatha on the noon and a shadda on the jeem. Hamza and Al-Kisai read: 'We will save him' with a sukoon on the noon and a takhfif of the jeem, and Ibn Kathir and Asim in the narration of Abu Bakr read: 'We will surely save him' with the shadda, and 'We will save you' with the takhfif. A group read: 'We will save him' with a sukoon on the last noon of the word, and this comes as he has lightened the shadda noon while intending it.

And Lot's wife was a disbeliever, and she alerted his guests. 'Al-Ghabir' means the remaining, and its meaning is: of those who remain in punishment. A group said: 'Of those who remain' means: of those who have gone and remained of the people, and perhaps in their disbelief. The pronoun in 'them' in both instances refers back to the guests, the messengers, and that is due to his fear from his people upon them. When they informed him of what they were in, it relieved him. Most of the reciters read: 'He was distressed' with a kasra on the seen, while Isa and Talha read it with a damma. 'Al-Rijz' means punishment, and His saying, glorified and exalted is He: 'Because they have been defiantly disobedient' means: their punishment is because of their disobedience. And likewise, every nation that Allah punished was punished for disobedience and sin, but with the condition that it be coupled with disbelief that necessitates the punishment of the Hereafter. Abu Haywah and Al-Amash read: 'They are defiantly disobedient' with a kasra on the seen.

And His saying, glorified and exalted is He: 'And indeed, we left from it' means: from what was reported about it and what remained of its trace. 'Man' is for the beginning of the limit, and it is correct that it can be for part of it, intending what was left of the remnants of that village and its appearance. The sign is a place of reflection, a sign of power, and a deterrent for souls from falling into the wrath of Allah, glorified and exalted is He.

And the majority of the reciters read: "Munjiloon" with a lightening of the zay. Ibn 'Amir read: "Munazziloon" with a strengthening of the zay, and this is the reading of Al-Hasan and 'Asim - with a difference from both of them. Al-A'mash read: Al-Hasan and 'Asim with a difference from it - and Al-A'mash read: "Indeed, we are Mursaloon" instead of "Munjiloon." Ibn Muhaisin read: "Rijzan" with a damming of the ra.