يتناول هذا النص الطويل بعض الأمثلة على رحمة الله وعلى العقوبة التي يُنزلها، ومن ذلك أن إبراهيم بُشِّر في شيخوخته بمولودٍ يُولد له، وأن لوطاً وأهل بيته، إلا امرأته، نجوا من المصير الذي حلّ بالظالمين. ويتضمن النص كذلك إشارةً إلى العقوبات المهلِكة التي نزلت بقوم مدين وبأصحاب الحِجر.

This rather long passage refers to some examples of God’s mercy and the punishment He inflicts. These include how Abraham was given in his old age the happy news of a son to be born to him, and how Lot and his household, except his wife, were saved from the fate that befell the wrongdoers. They also include a reference to the fateful punishments that befell the people of the Madyan and those of al-Ĥijr.

كل هذه القصص تأتي بعد مقدمة تقول: ﴿نَبِّئْ عِبَادِي أَنِّي أَنَا الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ * وَأَنَّ عَذَابِي هُوَ الْعَذَابُ الْأَلِيمُ﴾ (الآيتان 49-50). فبعضها يؤكد ما قيل عن رحمة الله، وبعضها يؤكد أن عذابه أليم حقًا. وتشير هذه القصص أيضًا إلى ما ورد في مطلع السورة، مؤكدةً التحذير الذي تتضمنه: ﴿ذَرْهُمْ يَأْكُلُوا وَيَتَمَتَّعُوا وَيُلْهِهِمُ الْأَمَلُ فَسَوْفَ يَعْلَمُونَ * وَمَا أَهْلَكْنَا مِن قَرْيَةٍ إِلَّا وَلَهَا كِتَابٌ مَّعْلُومٌ * مَا تَسْبِقُ مِنْ أُمَّةٍ أَجَلَهَا وَمَا يَسْتَأْخِرُونَ﴾ (الآيات 3-5). وكانت هذه أمثلةً لقرى أهلكها الله بعدما تجاهلت كل التحذيرات التي وصلتها، ولم يقع عليها عذابها إلا بعد انقضاء المدة التي أُمهلت فيها. كما تؤكد القصص الواردة في هذا المقطع ما ذُكر سابقًا في السورة عن الملائكة ومهمتهم عندما يُرسلون بأمر الله: ﴿وَقَالُوا يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِي نُزِّلَ عَلَيْهِ الذِّكْرُ إِنَّكَ لَمَجْنُونٌ * لَوْ مَا تَأْتِينَا بِالْمَلَائِكَةِ إِن كُنتَ مِنَ الصَّادِقِينَ * مَا نُنَزِّلُ الْمَلَائِكَةَ إِلَّا بِالْحَقِّ وَمَا كَانُوا إِذًا مُّنظَرِينَ﴾ (الآيات 6-8).

All these stories occur after an introduction that says: “Tell My servants that I alone am Much Forgiving, truly Merciful; and also, My punishment is indeed the most grievous suffering.” (Verses 49-50) Some of them thus confirm what has been said about God’s mercy, and some confirm that His punishment is grievous indeed. These stories also refer to what is mentioned at the opening of the sūrah, confirming the warning it contains: “Let them eat and enjoy themselves, and let their hopes beguile them. For they will surely come to know [the truth]. Never have We destroyed any community unless divine revelations have been made known to it. No community can ever forestall its term, nor can they delay it.” (Verses 3-5) These were examples of cities destroyed by God after they ignored all the warnings they had received. Their punishment only befell them after the time they were given had lapsed. The stories we have in this passage also confirm what is mentioned earlier in the sūrah concerning the angels and their mission when they are sent with God’s orders: “They say: ‘You to whom this reminder has been bestowed from on high! You are truly mad. Why do you not bring the angels before us, if you are truthful?’ We never send down angels except in accordance with the truth. And then, [the unbelievers] would be given no further respite.” (Verses 6-8)

"قُلْ لِعِبَادِي أَنِّي أَنَا الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ * وَأَنَّ عَذَابِي هُوَ الْعَذَابُ الْأَلِيمُ" (الآيتان 49-50) هذا الأمر الموجَّه إلى النبي ﷺ يأتي بعد ذكر ثواب المتقين وعقاب الظالمين، والرابط بينهما واضح لا يخفى. غير أنّ مغفرة الله ورحمته قد ذُكرتا قبل العذاب، لأنهما تتّفقان مع الفضل الذي كتبه الله على نفسه. وقد يُذكر العذاب والألم وحدهما، أو يُقدَّمان في النص، وذلك إنما يكون لوجود حاجة خاصة تقتضي هذا التقديم.

“Tell My servants that I alone am Much Forgiving, truly Merciful; and also, My punishment is indeed the most grievous suffering.” (Verses 49-50) This order to the Prophet (peace be upon him) comes after the reward of God-fearing believers and the punishment of wrongdoers are mentioned. The link is self-evident. But God’s mercy and forgiveness are mentioned before the punishment, because they fit in with the grace God has committed Himself to bestow. Sometimes, only the punishment and suffering are mentioned, or they are given precedence in the text, but that is only because there is special need for such treatment.

ثم يُذكر لنا خبر لقاء النبي إبراهيم بالملائكة المرسلين إلى لوط. وقد ورد هذا الخبر في القرآن الكريم عدة مرات، كل مرة بصورة تناسب السياق الذي يرد فيه. كما ترد قصة لوط وحدها في مواضع أخرى.

We are then given an account of the encounter between the Prophet Abraham and the angels sent to Lot. This episode is mentioned several times in the Qur’ān, each time in a different way which fits the context in which it occurs. The story of Lot alone is also mentioned in other places.

For example, Lot’s story is covered in Sūrah 7, الأعراف, and a different account of Abraham and Lot’s story is given in Sūrah 11, هود. In the first we have a denunciation by Lot of the indecent practices of his community, and their reply to him: “أخرجوهم من قريتكم إنهم أناس يتطهرون” (7: 82). It also refers to saving him and his household, except his wife who was destined to stay behind with those who were to be destroyed. There is no mention of the angels coming to him or the scheme of his people against them. In the second instance, a totally different layout is given to the story of the angels with Abraham and Lot. There we have more details concerning Abraham and the happy news he was given in the presence of his wife. There is also a mention of his argument with the angels concerning Lot and his community, which is not mentioned here. Different lines are adopted in the two sūrahs in relating the events concerning the angels and Lot. In Sūrah Hūd the angels do not reveal their identity to him until his people arrived, and he had pleaded with them to spare his guests, but all his pleas fell on deaf ears. When he despaired of them, he cried out in distress:

For example, Lot’s story is covered in Sūrah 7, The Heights, and a different account of Abraham and Lot’s story is given in Sūrah 11, Hūd. In the first we have a denunciation by Lot of the indecent practices of his community, and their reply to him: “Drive them [i.e. Lot and his household] out of your land, for they are indeed people who would keep chaste.” (7: 82) It also refers to saving him and his household, except his wife who was destined to stay behind with those who were to be destroyed. There is no mention of the angels coming to him or the scheme of his people against them. In the second instance, a totally different layout is given to the story of the angels with Abraham and Lot. There we have more details concerning Abraham and the happy news he was given in the presence of his wife. There is also a mention of his argument with the angels concerning Lot and his community, which is not mentioned here. Different lines are adopted in the two sūrahs in relating the events concerning the angels and Lot. In Sūrah Hūd the angels do not reveal their identity to him until his people arrived, and he had pleaded with them to spare his guests, but all his pleas fell on deaf ears. When he despaired of them, he cried out in distress:

وَلَمَّا جَاءَتْ رُسُلُنَا لُوطًا قَالَ إِنَّكُمْ قَوْمٌ مُّنكَرُونَ۔ قَالُوا بَلْ جِئْنَاكَ بِمَا كَانُوا فِيهِ يَمْتَرُونَ۔ وَأَتَيْنَاكَ بِالْحَقِّ وَإِنَّا لَصَادِقُونَ۔ فَأَسْرِ بِأَهْلِكَ بِقِطْعٍ مِّنَ اللَّيْلِ وَاتَّبِعْ أَدْبَارَهُمْ وَلَا يَلْتَفِتْ مِنكُمْ أَحَدٌ وَامْضُوا حَيْثُ تُؤْمَرُونَ۔ وَقَضَيْنَا إِلَيْهِ ذَٰلِكَ الْأَمْرَ أَنَّ دَابِرَ هَٰؤُلَاءِ مَقْطُوعٌ مُّصْبِحِينَ۔

And when the messengers [of God] came to the house of Lot, he said: ‘You are unknown here.’ They answered: ‘No, but we bring you news of that over which they have been disputing. We are bringing you the certainty [of its fulfilment], for we are speaking the truth indeed. Depart with your household in the dead of night, with yourself following them in the rear. Let none of you look back, but proceed to where you are commanded.’ And We made plain the case to him, that the last remnant of those [wrongdoers] will be wiped out by the morning. (Verses 61-66)

كما سبق بيانه، تذكر السورة أن الملائكة يكشفون لوطٍ حقيقتهم فورًا، وأنهم جاءوا لإنفاذ ما كان قومه يتنازعون فيه بشأن عقوبتهم على أعمالهم السيئة. وهذا العذاب يأتي تحقيقًا لوعيد الله، مؤكدًا أنّ الملائكة إذا أُرسلوا إلى قومٍ كان عذابهم عاجلًا.

As indicated earlier, the sūrah states that the angels immediately reveal their true identity to Lot and that they have come to accomplish what his people disputed about their punishment for their misdeeds. That punishment comes in fulfilment of God’s warnings, confirming the fact that when angels are sent to a community, their punishment is immediate.

قَالَ: «إِنَّكُمْ قَوْمٌ مُنْكَرُونَ». (الآية ٦٢) قالَ ذلك وهو متضايق، لأنه كان على علم تام بعادات قومه، وكان يتوقع ما سيحاولون فعله بضيوفه. فقد كان غريبًا بين قومه، وكانوا مستكبرين في فجورهم. ولذلك يخبر ضيوفه أن القدوم إلى مدينة يُعرف أهلها بسوء السمعة ليس من الحكمة. قالوا: «بَلْ جِئْنَاكَ بِمَا كَانُوا فِيهِ يَمْتَرُونَ، وَأَتَيْنَاكَ بِالْحَقِّ وَإِنَّا لَصَادِقُونَ». (الآيتان ٦٣-٦٤) وكل هذه التأكيدات تدل على مدى قلق لوط وكربه، فهو يريد أن يُكرم ضيوفه، وفي الوقت نفسه يريد أن يحميهم من مكائد قومه. ولذلك يطمئنونه مرارًا قبل أن يعطوه تعليماتهم: «فَأَسْرِ بِأَهْلِكَ بِقِطْعٍ مِنَ اللَّيْلِ وَاتَّبِعْ أَدْبَارَهُمْ، وَلَا يَلْتَفِتْ مِنْكُمْ أَحَدٌ، وَامْضُوا حَيْثُ تُؤْمَرُونَ». (الآية ٦٥) فكان على لوط أن يخرج من المدينة ليلًا، قبل طلوع الفجر. وكان عليه أن يسير خلف من سيُنجَّون معه ليتأكد أن لا أحد يتخلف، ولا أحد ينظر إلى الوراء، كالمهجَّرين الذين لا يرغبون في مغادرة وطنهم.

“He said: ‘You are unknown here.’“ (Verse 62) He said this in irritation, as he was fully aware of the habits of his people and expected what they would try to do with his guests. He was a stranger among his people, and they were arrogant in their immorality. Hence he tells his guests that it is unwise of them to come to a city when the reputation of its people is well known. “They answered: ‘No, but we bring you news of that over which they have been disputing. We are bringing you the certainty [of its fulfilment], for we are speaking the truth indeed.’” (Verses 63-64) All these assertions serve to tell us the extent of Lot’s alarm and distress, as he wants to be hospitable yet also protect his guests against the designs of his people. Hence, they reassure him time after time, before giving him his instructions: “Depart with your household in the dead of night, with yourself following them in the rear. Let none of you look back, but proceed to where you are commanded.” (Verse 65) Thus Lot was to leave the town by night, before the break of dawn. He was to walk behind those who would be saved with him to make sure that no one was left behind, and no one looked behind, like displaced people unwilling to leave their homeland.

ورَدَ أنَّ هذه المدنَ دُمِّرت بظاهرةٍ طبيعيةٍ تشبه الزلازلَ وثورانَ البراكينِ، وكثيرًا ما تصحبها هبوطُ الأرضِ وتساقطُ الحجارةِ، فتُغمرُ أحيانًا قُرًى ومدنًا كاملةً. ويُقالُ إنَّ البحرَ الميتَ تكوَّنَ بعدَ هذا الحدثِ، الذي شهدَ انهيارَ سدومَ وعمورةَ، حينما انهارَ سطحُ الأرضِ مكوِّنًا بحيرةً امتلأتْ بالماءِ فيما بعدُ. ولن نحاولَ تفسيرَ عقوبتِهم بعينِها بأنها زلزالٌ أو بركانٌ، لأنَّ منهجَنا يقومُ على الإيمانِ التامِّ الذي لا يقبلُ مثلَ هذه التفسيراتِ.

The towns were ruined by a natural phenomenon which seems similar to that of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, which are sometimes accompanied by earth subsidence and a showering of stones. Sometimes complete villages and towns are so immersed. It is said that the Dead Sea was formed after this event, which witnessed the sinking of Sodom and Gomorrah, when the surface of the earth collapsed forming a lake that was later filled with water. We will not try to explain their particular punishment as an earthquake or a volcano, for our approach is based instead on complete faith that does not admit such explanations.

نعلم يقينًا أن جميع الظواهر الطبيعية تجري وفق سنّة وضعها الله تعالى للكون. لكن لا تقع أي ظاهرة أو حادثة على سبيل الوجوب والحتم، بل تقع تحقيقًا لمشيئة الله، وهي مشيئة تتعلق بذلك الموقف بعينه. ولا تعارض بين جريان سنّة الله وحاجة كل حادثة إلى مشيئة من الله. ونعلم يقينًا أيضًا أن الله تعالى قد يحقق في بعض الأحيان، بحكمته، مشيئةً معينةً له عن طريق حادثة بعينها، لغاية محددة. وما أهلك قرى لوط لا يلزم أن يكون زلزالًا عاديًا أو بركانًا، بل قد يكون الله تعالى أراد أن ينزل بهم ما شاء من عذاب، في الوقت الذي اختاره، وبالطريقة التي حددها. وهذا هو المنهج الذي يُفسَّر به، على أساس الإيمان، جميع الخوارق التي وقعت في عهد جميع الأنبياء.

We know for certain that all natural phenomena operate in accordance with a law that God has laid down for the universe. But no phenomenon or event occurs on the basis of inevitability. It occurs in fulfilment of God’s will, which applies particularly to that situation. There is no conflict between the operation of God’s law and the need for an act of God’s will for every event. We also know for certain that in some cases God, in His wisdom, accomplishes a particular will of His through a certain event, in order to serve a certain purpose. What destroyed Lot’s townships need not be an ordinary earthquake or volcano. God might have willed to inflict on them whatever scourge He might have chosen, at the time of His choice and by the method He determined. That is the approach to explain, on the basis of faith, all miraculous events that took place at the times of all prophets.

كانت تلك المدن على طريق يسلكه الناس بانتظام بين الحجاز والشام، وفيها دروس عظيمة لمن أراد أن يعتبر بالعاقبة التي حلّت بالأمم السابقة التي عصت رسل الله وكذّبتهم. لكن هذه العبر لا تنفع إلا من كان مستعدًا للاعتبار بها: ﴿إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَآيَاتٍ لِّلْمُتَوَسِّمِينَ * وَإِنَّهَا لَبِسَبِيلٍ مُّقِيمٍ * إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَآيَةً لِّلْمُؤْمِنِينَ﴾ (الآيات ٧٥-٧٧). وهكذا تحقق الإنذار، فكان إرسال الملائكة علامةً على عذاب الله الذي لا يستطيع أحد أن يدفعه أو يفلت منه.