The Reason why the Angels came
Allah tells us that after Ibrahim had calmed down from the excitement of this good news, he started to ask them why they had come to him. They said,
إِنَّآ أُرْسِلْنَآ إِلَى قَوْمٍ مُّجْرِمِينَ
(We have been sent to a guilty people.) meaning the people of Lut. They told him that they were going to save the family of Lut from among those people, except for his wife, because she was one of those who were doomed. Thus it was said,
إِلاَّ امْرَأَتَهُ قَدَّرْنَآ إِنَّهَا لَمِنَ الْغَـبِرِينَ
(Except for his wife, of whom We have decreed that she shall be of those who remain behind.) i.e., she was one of those who would be left behind and will be destroyed.
He said ‘So what is your business O you who have been sent by God?’
قال: لا ييئس من رحمة ربه إلا الخاطئون المنصرفون عن طريق الحق. قال: فما الأمر الخطير الذي جئتم من أجله -أيها المرسلون- من عند الله؟
يقول تعالى إخبارا عن إبراهيم عليه السلام لما ذهب عنه الروع وجاءته البشرى أنه شرع يسألهم عما جاءوا له.
ثم حكى - سبحانه - بعد ذلك ما قاله إبراهيم للملائكة ، بعد أن اطمأن إليهم ، فقال : ( قَالَ فَمَا خَطْبُكُمْ أَيُّهَا المرسلون ) .والخطب : مصدر خطب يخطب ، ومنه قولهم : هذا خطب يسير ، وخطب جلل ، وجمعه خطوب ، وخصه بعضهم بما له خطر من الأمور . وأصله الأمر العظيم الذي يكثر فيه التخاطب ويخطب له .أى : قال إبراهيم - عليه السلام - للملائكة على سبيل الاستيضاح بالتفصيل عن سبب مجيئهم : فما شأنكم الخطير الذى من أجله جئتم إلينا سوى هذه البشارة . وكأنه قد فهم أن مجيئهم إليه ليس لمجرد البشارة ، بل من وراء البشارة أمر آخر جاءوا من أجله .
يقول تعالى ذكره: قال إبراهيم للملائكة: فما شأنكم: ما أمرُكم أيُّها المرسلون؟
( قال ) إبراهيم لهم ( فما خطبكم ) ما شأنكم ( أيها المرسلون ؟ ) .
حكاية هذا الحوار بين إبراهيم والملائكة عليهم السلام لأنه يجمع بين بيان فضل إبراهيم عليه السلام وبين موعظة قريش بما حل ببعض الأمم المكذبين ، انتقل إبراهيم عليه السلام إلى سؤالهم عن سبب نزولهم إلى الأرض ، لأنه يعلم أن الملائكة لا ينزلون إلا لأمر عظيم كما قال تعالى : { ما تنزل الملائكة إلا بالحقّ } [ سورة الحجر : 8 ]. وقد نزل الملائكة يوم بدر لاستئصال سادة المشركين ورؤسائهم .والخطب تقدم في قوله تعالى { قال ما خطبكنّ } في [ سورة يوسف : 51 ].
أي: { قَالَ } الخليل عليه السلام للملائكة: { فَمَا خَطْبُكُمْ أَيُّهَا الْمُرْسَلُونَ } أي: ما شأنكم ولأي شيء أرسلتم؟
لما علم أنهم ملائكة - إذ أخبروه بأمر خارق للعادة وهو بشراهم بالولد - قال : فما خطبكم ؟ والخطب الأمر الخطير .أي فما أمركم وشأنكم وما الذي جئتم به .
Abraham was living in Palestine along the coast of the Dead Sea. His nephew, Lot, lived nearby. He preached the word of God to the people settled in this area, but they were not willing to reform themselves. Their arrogance went on increasing, so much so that God decided that they should be destroyed. These angels had come to carry out God’s will. Probably nobody, except for a few family members of Lot, had embraced the Faith at his instance. It is very difficult for those who are not members of the missionary’s household to accept him, because, for them, so many psychological impediments come in the way. However, for his own blood relations, such impediments do not exist. So, they rally the more easily to his cause. This is what happened in the case of Lot. Probably, only his daughters embraced the Faith in response to his call. The special relationship which children have with their father inclines them to listen to his call. These girls were therefore saved along with Lot. But, his wife could not become a believer from the bottom of her heart. So she was killed along with other guilty persons. In the Law of God, no concession is given to anybody.
From verse 48: لَا يَمَسُّهُمْ فِيهَا نَصَبٌ وَمَا هُم مِّنْهَا بِمُخْرَجِينَ (No weariness shall touch them therein nor will they be expelled from there), we learn about two features of Jannah: (1) No one shall ever feel tired or weak. This is contrary to what happens in our mortal world where hard work naturally results in fatigue. In fact, even a state of total rest and fun would sometimes tire a person out, no matter how enjoyable are things one is occupied with. (2) The other feature of Jannah we discover is that the blessings once received there shall be eternal. These blessings shall never diminish nor shall anyone be expelled from there. In Surah Sad, it was said:إِنَّ هَـٰذَا لَرِزْقُنَا مَا لَهُ مِن نَّفَادٍ (This is sustenance provided by Us which is never to exhaust - 38:54). And in the present verse, it was said: وَمَا هُم مِّنْهَا بِمُخْرَجِينَ (nor will they be expelled from there) that is, they shall never be deprived of the state of bliss bestowed upon them. This is contrary to the affairs of the mortal world where the recipient of the best of conveniences lives under the apprehension that the Over of the facilities may become displeased with him one of those days and expel him out.
As for the third probability, that the blessings of Jannah may remain everlasting, nor one is expelled from there, but one may himself get bored by living there and wish to go out, the Qur’ an has demolished this probability in one sentence of Surah Al-Kahf with the following words: لَا يَبْغُونَ عَنْهَا حِوَلًا (That is, these people too would never seek to return from there - 18:108).
(He said) Abraham said to Gabriel and his aids: (And afterward what is your business) what is the matter, why did you come, O you messengers (of Allah)?)
The Reason why the Angels came
Allah tells us that after Ibrahim had calmed down from the excitement of this good news, he started to ask them why they had come to him. They said,
إِنَّآ أُرْسِلْنَآ إِلَى قَوْمٍ مُّجْرِمِينَ
(We have been sent to a guilty people.) meaning the people of Lut. They told him that they were going to save the family of Lut from among those people, except for his wife, because she was one of those who were doomed. Thus it was said,
إِلاَّ امْرَأَتَهُ قَدَّرْنَآ إِنَّهَا لَمِنَ الْغَـبِرِينَ
(Except for his wife, of whom We have decreed that she shall be of those who remain behind.) i.e., she was one of those who would be left behind and will be destroyed.
He said ‘So what is your business O you who have been sent by God?’
قال: لا ييئس من رحمة ربه إلا الخاطئون المنصرفون عن طريق الحق. قال: فما الأمر الخطير الذي جئتم من أجله -أيها المرسلون- من عند الله؟
يقول تعالى إخبارا عن إبراهيم عليه السلام لما ذهب عنه الروع وجاءته البشرى أنه شرع يسألهم عما جاءوا له.
ثم حكى - سبحانه - بعد ذلك ما قاله إبراهيم للملائكة ، بعد أن اطمأن إليهم ، فقال : ( قَالَ فَمَا خَطْبُكُمْ أَيُّهَا المرسلون ) .والخطب : مصدر خطب يخطب ، ومنه قولهم : هذا خطب يسير ، وخطب جلل ، وجمعه خطوب ، وخصه بعضهم بما له خطر من الأمور . وأصله الأمر العظيم الذي يكثر فيه التخاطب ويخطب له .أى : قال إبراهيم - عليه السلام - للملائكة على سبيل الاستيضاح بالتفصيل عن سبب مجيئهم : فما شأنكم الخطير الذى من أجله جئتم إلينا سوى هذه البشارة . وكأنه قد فهم أن مجيئهم إليه ليس لمجرد البشارة ، بل من وراء البشارة أمر آخر جاءوا من أجله .
يقول تعالى ذكره: قال إبراهيم للملائكة: فما شأنكم: ما أمرُكم أيُّها المرسلون؟
( قال ) إبراهيم لهم ( فما خطبكم ) ما شأنكم ( أيها المرسلون ؟ ) .
حكاية هذا الحوار بين إبراهيم والملائكة عليهم السلام لأنه يجمع بين بيان فضل إبراهيم عليه السلام وبين موعظة قريش بما حل ببعض الأمم المكذبين ، انتقل إبراهيم عليه السلام إلى سؤالهم عن سبب نزولهم إلى الأرض ، لأنه يعلم أن الملائكة لا ينزلون إلا لأمر عظيم كما قال تعالى : { ما تنزل الملائكة إلا بالحقّ } [ سورة الحجر : 8 ]. وقد نزل الملائكة يوم بدر لاستئصال سادة المشركين ورؤسائهم .والخطب تقدم في قوله تعالى { قال ما خطبكنّ } في [ سورة يوسف : 51 ].
أي: { قَالَ } الخليل عليه السلام للملائكة: { فَمَا خَطْبُكُمْ أَيُّهَا الْمُرْسَلُونَ } أي: ما شأنكم ولأي شيء أرسلتم؟
لما علم أنهم ملائكة - إذ أخبروه بأمر خارق للعادة وهو بشراهم بالولد - قال : فما خطبكم ؟ والخطب الأمر الخطير .أي فما أمركم وشأنكم وما الذي جئتم به .
Abraham was living in Palestine along the coast of the Dead Sea. His nephew, Lot, lived nearby. He preached the word of God to the people settled in this area, but they were not willing to reform themselves. Their arrogance went on increasing, so much so that God decided that they should be destroyed. These angels had come to carry out God’s will. Probably nobody, except for a few family members of Lot, had embraced the Faith at his instance. It is very difficult for those who are not members of the missionary’s household to accept him, because, for them, so many psychological impediments come in the way. However, for his own blood relations, such impediments do not exist. So, they rally the more easily to his cause. This is what happened in the case of Lot. Probably, only his daughters embraced the Faith in response to his call. The special relationship which children have with their father inclines them to listen to his call. These girls were therefore saved along with Lot. But, his wife could not become a believer from the bottom of her heart. So she was killed along with other guilty persons. In the Law of God, no concession is given to anybody.
From verse 48: لَا يَمَسُّهُمْ فِيهَا نَصَبٌ وَمَا هُم مِّنْهَا بِمُخْرَجِينَ (No weariness shall touch them therein nor will they be expelled from there), we learn about two features of Jannah: (1) No one shall ever feel tired or weak. This is contrary to what happens in our mortal world where hard work naturally results in fatigue. In fact, even a state of total rest and fun would sometimes tire a person out, no matter how enjoyable are things one is occupied with. (2) The other feature of Jannah we discover is that the blessings once received there shall be eternal. These blessings shall never diminish nor shall anyone be expelled from there. In Surah Sad, it was said:إِنَّ هَـٰذَا لَرِزْقُنَا مَا لَهُ مِن نَّفَادٍ (This is sustenance provided by Us which is never to exhaust - 38:54). And in the present verse, it was said: وَمَا هُم مِّنْهَا بِمُخْرَجِينَ (nor will they be expelled from there) that is, they shall never be deprived of the state of bliss bestowed upon them. This is contrary to the affairs of the mortal world where the recipient of the best of conveniences lives under the apprehension that the Over of the facilities may become displeased with him one of those days and expel him out.
As for the third probability, that the blessings of Jannah may remain everlasting, nor one is expelled from there, but one may himself get bored by living there and wish to go out, the Qur’ an has demolished this probability in one sentence of Surah Al-Kahf with the following words: لَا يَبْغُونَ عَنْهَا حِوَلًا (That is, these people too would never seek to return from there - 18:108).
(He said) Abraham said to Gabriel and his aids: (And afterward what is your business) what is the matter, why did you come, O you messengers (of Allah)?)