Ushbu uzun parchada Xudoning rahmatining va U yuborgan jazoning ba'zi misollariga ishora qilinadi. Bularga Ibrohimning keksayganda o'ziga o'g'il tug'ilishi haqida xushxabar berilgani, Lutning va uning ahli-ayoli (xotinidan tashqari) zolimlarga tushgan azobdan najot topgani kiradi. Shuningdek, bunga Madyan xalqi va al-Hijr xalqiga tushgan halokatli jazolar haqidagi ishora ham kiradi.

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.

Ushbu hikoyalarning barchasi quyidagi kirish bilan boshlanadi: “Bandalarimga xabar bering: Men — albatta, Men mag‘firatlidirman, rahmlidirman. Va Mening azobim ham, albatta, achinarli azobdir.” (49-50-oyatlar) Ulardan ba’zilari Allohning rahmati haqida aytilganlarni tasdiqlaydi, ba’zilari esa Uning azobi haqiqatan ham og‘ir ekanini tasdiqlaydi. Bu hikoyalar surаning boshida keltirilgan narsaga ham ishora qiladi va undagi ogohlantirishni tasdiqlaydi: “Ular yesinlar va bahramand bo‘lsinlar, orzu-umidlar ularni ovutib qo‘ysin. Albatta, ular (haqiqatni) bilib oladilar. Biz hech bir qishloqni, unga ogohlantiruvchilar kelmagan holda, halok qilmaganmiz. Hech bir ummat o‘z ajalidan oldinga ham o‘tolmaydi, orqaga ham qololmaydi.” (3-5-oyatlar) Bular Allohning barcha ogohlantirishlarni e’tiborsiz qoldirgan shaharlarni halok qilgan misollari edi. Ularning jazosi berilgan muddat tugagandan keyingina ularga yetdi. Ushbu parchadagi hikoyalar surаning oldinroq keltirilgan, farishtalar va ularning Allohning amri bilan yuborilgandagi vazifasi haqidagi so‘zlarini ham tasdiqlaydi: “Ular dedilar: ‘Ey, sizga Zikr nozil qilingan kishi! Albatta, siz devonasiz. Agar rostgo‘y bo‘lsangiz, nega bizning oldimizga farishtalarni olib kelmaysiz?’ Biz farishtalarni faqat haq bilan yuboramiz, shunda (kofirlar)ga hech qanday muhlat berilmas edi.” (6-8-oyatlar)

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)

"Bandalarimga ayt, Men, albatta, Kechiruvchi va Rahmli Zotman; va Mening azobim ham, albatta, eng alamli azobdir", deb. (49-50-oyatlar) Payg'ambarga (ﷺ) berilgan bu buyruq, taqvodor mo'minlarning mukofoti va zolimlarning jazosi zikr etilganidan keyin kelmoqda. Bog'liqlik o'z-o'zidan ayon. Biroq Alloh taolo rahmati va mag'firatini azobdan oldin zikr etgan, chunki bu Uning O'z zimmasiga olgan inoyatiga mos keladi. Ba'zan faqat azob va jazo zikr etiladi yoki matnda ular oldinga qo'yiladi, lekin bu faqat shunday yo'sinni talab qiladigan alohida ehtiyoj tufayli bo'ladi.

“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.

Bizga Ibrohim payg'ambar bilan farishtalar o'rtasida, Lut qavmiga yuborilgan farishtalarning uchrashuvi haqidagi hikoya keltiriladi. Bu voqea Qur'oni Karimda bir necha marta zikr qilinadi, har safar u kontekstga mos keladigan turli usulda bayon etiladi. Lut haqidagi qissaning o'zi ham Qur'onning boshqa joylarida zikr qilinadi.

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.

Masalan, Lut (alayhissalom) qissasi A'rof surasi, ya'ni 7-surada bayon qilingan, Hud surasida (11-sura) esa Ibrohim va Lut qissasining boshqacha bayoni berilgan. Birinchisida Lutning o'z qavmining buzuq amallarini qoralashi va ularning unga javobi keltiriladi: "Ularni (ya'ni Lut va uning ahlini) yurtingizdan haydab chiqaringlar, chunki ular juda pokiza bo'lishni xohlaydigan odamlardir." (7: 82) Shuningdek, unga va uning ahliga najot berilgani, faqat xotini bundan mustasno, chunki u halok bo'ladiganlar bilan qolishi taqdir qilingani zikr qilinadi. Bu yerda farishtalarning uning oldiga kelgani yoki qavmining ular ustidan qurgan rejasi haqida hech narsa aytilmagan. Ikkinchi holatda esa, Ibrohim va Lut bilan farishtalar qissasi mutlaqo boshqacha tartibda berilgan. U yerda Ibrohim va uning xotini huzuridagi quvonchli xabar haqida batafsilroq ma'lumot bor. Shuningdek, farishtalar bilan Lut va uning qavmi haqida Ibrohimning bahslashgani zikr etilgan, bu esa u yerda keltirilmagan. Ikki surada farishtalar va Lut haqidagi voqealar turlicha yo'nalishda bayon qilingan. Hud surasida farishtalar qavmi kelguncha o'zlarining kimligini unga oshkor qilmaydilar. U esa mehmonlarini himoya qilishlari uchun qavmiga iltijo qilgan, ammo barcha iltijolari quloqsiz qulog'larga tegib ketgan. Ulardan umidi uzilgach, u qattiq qayg'uga tushib, faryod qildi:

Va elchilar Lut xonadoniga kelganda, u: «Siz bu yerda notanishsiz», dedi. Ular javob berdilar: «Yo‘q, biz sizga ular bahslashib kelgan narsaning xabarini olib keldik. Biz sizga haqiqatni keltirdik, chunki biz rostgo‘ymiz. Kechaning bir qismida ahli oilangiz bilan yo‘lga chiqing va orqangizdan o‘zingiz boring. Ulardan hech kim orqasiga qaramasin, buyurilgan joyga davom eting». Biz unga bu ishni aniq qilib bayon qildik: ertalabga borib, o‘sha (zolim) qavmning qolgan-qutgan kishilari ham yo‘q qilinadi.

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)

Yuqorida aytib o'tilganidek, surada farishtalar Lutga o'zlarining haqiqiy kimliklarini darhol oshkor qilishlari va uning qavmi o'z gunohlari uchun jazo borasida bahslashgan narsani amalga oshirish uchun kelganliklari aytilgan. Bu jazo Xudoning ogohlantirishlarini amalga oshirish tariqasida keladi va farishtalar biror jamoaga yuborilganda, ularning jazosi darhol bo'lishini tasdiqlaydi.

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.

"U aytdi: «Siz bu yerda notanish odamlarsiz.»" (62-oyat) U bu gapni g‘azab bilan aytdi, chunki u o‘z qavmining odatlarini yaxshi bilar va mehmonlariga nisbatan nima qilishlarini kutardi. U o‘z qavmi orasida begona edi, ular esa buzuqligi bilan takabbur edilar. Shuning uchun u mehmonlariga, shahar aholisining obro‘si ma’lum bo‘lgan shaharga kelish ularning ishi emasligini aytadi. "Ular javob berdilar: «Yo‘q, biz sizga ular shubha qilib kelgan narsani olib keldik. Biz sizga haqiqatni olib keldik, albatta biz rostgo‘ymiz»." (63-64-oyatlar) Bu barcha so‘zlar Lutning qanchalik xavotirda va qayg‘uda ekanini bildiradi, chunki u mehmondo‘st bo‘lishni, shu bilan birga mehmonlarini qavmining makriga qarshi himoya qilishni istaydi. Shu sababli ular unga vaqti-vaqti bilan tasalli berib, so‘ngra yo‘riqnomasini beradilar: "Oilangiz bilan tunning so‘nggi qismida yo‘lga chiqing, siz esa ularning orqasidan boring. Sizlardan hech kim orqasiga qaramasin, faqat buyurilgan joyga boringlar." (65-oyat) Shunday qilib, Lut shaharni tong otishidan oldin, tunda tark etishi kerak edi. U o‘zi bilan birga qutqariladiganlarning orqasidan yurishi kerak edi, toki hech kim qolib ketmasin va hech kim orqasiga qaramasin, xuddi o‘z vatanini tark etishni istamagan ko‘chirilgan odamlar kabi.

Shaharlar tabiiy hodisa tufayli vayron bo'lgan, bu hodisa zilzila va vulqon otilishlariga o'xshaydi, ular ba'zan yer cho'kishi va toshlar yog'ishi bilan birga kechadi. Ba'zan butun qishloqlar va shaharlar shu tarzda yer ostida qoladi. Aytilishicha, Mertvoye more (O'lik dengiz) shu voqeadan keyin paydo bo'lgan, bu hodisada Sodom va G'amora cho'kib ketgan, yer yuzasi qulab, keyinchalik suv bilan to'lgan ko'l hosil bo'lgan. Biz ularning maxsus jazosini zilzila yoki vulqon sifatida izohlashga urinmaymiz, chunki bizning yondashuvimiz bunday izohlarni qabul qilmaydigan to'liq imonga asoslangan.

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.

Biz shubhasiz bilamizki, barcha tabiiy hodisalar Olloh taolo koinot uchun belgilagan qonunga muvofiq amalga oshadi. Ammo hech bir hodisa yoki voqea zaruriyat asosida yuz bermaydi. U Xudoning irodasini ijro etish uchun, aynan o‘sha vaziyatga tegishli bo‘lgan holda sodir bo‘ladi. Xudo qonunining amal qilishi bilan har bir voqea uchun Xudoning irodasi zarur bo‘lishi o‘rtasida hech qanday ziddiyat yo‘q. Biz yana shuni ham aniq bilamizki, ba’zi hollarda Xudo o‘z donoligi bilan, muayyan maqsadga xizmat qilish uchun, Uning ma’lum irodasini ma’lum bir hodisa orqali amalga oshiradi. Lut qavmining shaharlarini vayron qilgan narsa oddiy zilzila yoki vulqon bo‘lishi shart emas. Xudo ularga O‘zi tanlagan istalgan balo-qazoni, O‘zi belgilagan vaqtda va O‘zi xohlagan usulda nozil qilishni irodа qilgan bo‘lishi mumkin. Barcha payg‘ambarlar davrida yuz bergan barcha mo‘jizaviy voqealarni iymon asosida izohlashning yo‘li ana shudir.

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.