Our messengers want the angels. Ibn Abbas said: Gabriel, peace be upon him, came to him with two angels. It was said: Gabriel, Michael, and Israfil. It was said: they were nine. And from Al-Suddi: eleven with the good tidings, which is the glad tidings of a child. It was said: about the destruction of the people of Lot, and the apparent meaning is the child, 'Peace be upon you,' we greeted you with peace. And it was read: they said, 'Peace,' and he said, 'Peace,' meaning peace. And it was said: 'Peace' and 'Salam,' like 'Haram' and 'Halal.' And it was narrated: 'We passed by and said, "

," so she greeted us... as the cloud shone with the flash of lightning.' [This is by Al-Dhiyab Al-Rumah, Ghaylan ibn 'Aqbah, who says: 'We passed by the dwellings of the beloved Mai, and we said, "

:" meaning, "

," so we were greeted with peace, meaning safety and comfort, and she greeted us and her teeth shone and she disappeared quickly, just as the cloud shines with the flash of lightning. And the lightning disappeared quickly. 'Iktil' means to shine with brightness, and 'al-lawih' refers to the cloud, due to its multiplicity of meaning.] So he did not delay in coming, rather he hastened in it. Or he did not delay in his coming. And 'al-'ajal' is the calf, and 'al-hasil' and 'al-khabsh' are terms used by the people of Al-Sarath. And the wealth of Ibrahim, peace be upon him, was a roasted calf, 'Haniid' cooked over hot stones. [The term 'Haniid' means the meat that drips with fat, as in the authentic reports.] in a trench. And it was said 'Haniid' drips with its fat, from 'Hana' the horse when it is laid down until it drips with sweat, and this is indicated by 'with a fat calf.' It is said: 'He denied' and 'He rejected' and 'He found it strange,' and 'Mankur' is rare in their speech, and likewise: 'I deny you,' but 'Mankur' and 'Mustanqar' and 'I deny you.' Al-A'sha said: 'And she denied me, and what was it that she denied... of the events except for gray hair and baldness.' [This is by Al-A'sha. It is said: 'He denied' and 'He found it strange': meaning he was ignorant of me and turned away from me: that is, the beloved denied me, and what was it that she denied of the events except for gray hair and baldness, which is the retreat of hair from the head. And it was said that Abu Ubaidah heard Bashar denying the attribution of this verse to Al-A'sha and said: 'It is fabricated upon him and does not resemble his words,' so Abu Ubaidah was amazed by his insight, as if it was established for him that he denied it.] It was said: he was descending in a corner of the land and feared that they intended him with something evil. [Mahamud said: 'It was said that he was descending in a corner of the land and feared that they intended him with something evil... etc.' Ahmad said: 'The story of Ibrahim has been mentioned in three places: this is one of them, and it indicates that he felt fear from them because he knew they were angels and did not know why they came. The second is in Al-Hijr, where it says, "

: " to the saying, "

," he was not reassured by informing him that they were angels, but by the fact that they brought him glad tidings, which indicates that he sensed that he knew they were angels and feared what they came for. The third is in Al-Dhariyat, where it says, "

: " they said, "

," and it is also like that. As for Lot, he did not realize they were angels until he was informed of that. Do you not see to His saying, "

: " they said, "

," the first thing they informed him of was that they were messengers, so the difference between this verse and the verses of Ibrahim is evidence that Ibrahim knew they were angels while Lot did not know that, and it is not far from the virtue of Ibrahim over Lot that he could discern they were angels while Lot could not, peace be upon them both.] It was said: their custom was that if someone touched their food, they would trust him, otherwise, they would fear him. And it appears that he sensed they were angels and denied them because he feared that their descent was for something that Allah had forbidden him or for the punishment of his people. Do you not see to their saying, "

: " do not fear, we have been sent to the people of Lot,"

, " and he was afraid, so he concealed [his words]. Ahmad said: 'And the meaning of "

: " is to conceal, and they said, "

," because they saw the signs of fear... etc.' Ahmad said:

And this interpretation is what al-Zamakhshari is in, and Allah knows best. Because they only knew of his fear and apprehension by his informing them of that. This is indicated by His saying in another verse: "Indeed, we are fearful of you." They said, "Do not fear," and the story is one. And Allah is the guide to what is correct. They said, "Do not fear," because they saw the effect of fear and change on his face.

Or they recognized him by Allah's definition. Or they knew that his knowledge that they were angels necessitated fear, because they would not descend except with punishment. And his wife was standing. It was said that she was standing behind the curtain, listening to their conversation. It was said that she was standing over them, serving them. In the Mushaf of Abdullah: "And his wife was standing while he was sitting." She laughed with joy at the removal of fear. [He returned to his words. He said: "And his wife laughed because she was pleased with the removal of fear..." Ahmad said: "This interpretation is unlikely, as she said afterwards: 'Woe to me! Shall I give birth while I am an old woman, and this is my husband, an old man? Indeed, this is something amazing.' If her menstruation had occurred before her glad tidings, she would not have been astonished, for there is no amazement in the pregnancy of one who menstruates. And menstruation, in general, is a sign of the possibility of pregnancy. And Allah is the guide to what is correct.] Or due to the destruction of the people of wickedness. Or her laughter was a laughter of denial of their negligence while punishment was approaching them. It was said that she was saying to Ibrahim: "Take Lot, your nephew, with you, for I know that punishment will descend upon these people," and she laughed with joy when the matter came as she imagined. It was said that she laughed and then menstruated.

And Muhammad ibn Ziyad al-A'rabi read "And she laughed" with a فتح (fathah) on the حاء (ha). Ya'qub is raised as a subject, as if it were said: "And behind Isaac is a born or existing Ya'qub," meaning after him. It was said that behind refers to the child of the child. And from al-Shabi, it was said to him: "Is this your son?" He said: "Yes, from behind," meaning the child of his child. And it was read Ya'qub in the accusative, as if it were said: "And We granted her Isaac, and behind Isaac is Ya'qub," in the manner of His saying: "... they are not reformers of kin... nor a crow." [The explanation of this witness was provided in the first part, page 381, so refer to it if you wish, the corrector.]

The ألف (alif) in "Woe to me!" is substituted for the ياء (ya) of the addition, and likewise in "O my regret!" and "O my amazement!" And al-Hasan read: "Woe to me!" with the ياء (ya) on the original. And شيخاً (shaykhan) is in the accusative due to what is indicated by the demonstrative pronoun. And it was read شيخ (shaykh) as if it were a predicate of a deleted subject, meaning: "This is my husband, he is an old man." Or "my husband" is an apposition to the subject, and "old man" is a predicate, or they may both be predicates. It was said that she was given glad tidings while she was eighty-eight years old, and Ibrahim was one hundred and twenty years old. "Indeed, this is something amazing" that a child is born from two old people, and this is an astonishment based on the custom that Allah has established. And the angels denied her astonishment and said: "Are you astonished at the command of Allah?" because she was in the house of signs and the place of miracles and extraordinary matters. Thus, she should have been composed and not let what dazzles other young women outside the houses of prophethood dazzle her, and she should have glorified Allah and praised Him instead of being astonished. And to this, the angels, blessings of Allah be upon them, referred in their saying: "The mercy of Allah and His blessings be upon you, O people of the house." They intended that this and similar matters are what your Lord of Glory honors you with and specifically bestows upon you, O people of the house of prophethood, so it is not a place of amazement. And the command of Allah is His power and wisdom. And His saying: "The mercy of Allah and His blessings be upon you" is a statement that explains the denial of astonishment, as if it were said: "Beware of astonishment, for such mercy and blessing are abundant from Allah upon you." And it was said that mercy is prophethood, and blessings are the descendants from the Children of Israel, for the prophets are from them, and they are all from the offspring of Ibrahim. He is Praiseworthy, the doer of what deserves praise from His servants, Majestic, Generous, and abundant in kindness to them. And the people of the house are in the accusative as a vocative or as a specification, for the people of the house is a praise for them, as the intended meaning is: the people of the house of the Friend of the Merciful.