except an old woman who remained behind.
— Ali Quli Qarai
Surah Ash-Shu‘ara - Verses 168-172
قَالَ إِنِّي لِعَمَلِكُم مِّنَ الْقَالِينَ
رَبِّ نَجِّنِي وَأَهْلِي مِمَّا يَعْمَلُونَ
فَنَجَّيْنَاهُ وَأَهْلَهُ أَجْمَعِينَ
إلاَّ عَجُوزًا فِي الْغَابِرِينَ
ثُمَّ دَمَّرْنَا الْآخَرِينَ
168. “He said: ‘I do detest your doings’.”
169. “My Lord! deliver me and my family from (the vice of) what they do.”
170. “So, We did deliver him and his family all.”
171. “Except an old woman who remained behind.”
172. “Then We destroyed the others.”
The Qur’anic word /qalin/ is usually used for an intensive opposition and expression of anxiety which comes from the depth of soul. The Divine prophets do not fear of enemies’ threats and they convey their call. When Lut was threatened to be expelled and being sent out of the city, he expressed his hatred because of their action. The verse says:
Abhorring a bad thing should always be shown verbally and practically. Yes, bare anxiety is not enough. We must think of being delivered from the center of mischief. However, by this verse, the Qur’an implies that, without heeding their threats, Lut continued his words that he abhorred their doings, namely he would go on his protests and they would do whatever they could, because he was not afraid of their threats in his struggle in the path of Allah against their indecencies.
The application of the Qur’an word /qalin/ in the holy verse shows that another group of the believers also supported Lut by their intense protest, although at last those disobedient people dismissed them from the scene. It is interesting that Lut says he is the enemy of their doings; that is he had not any enmity with those people, but their deed was shameful; and if they left those actions he would be a sincere friend of them. Finally, those admonitions and advice got no effect on them and finally corruption had enveloped their entire society thoroughly.
He had sufficiently completed the argument and Lut's mission had been fulfilled. Now he must rescue both him; and those who have believed in his call from this polluted region before the time when the fatal punishment of Allah comes to destroy those indecent people. Lut as a supplication and invocation asked Allah to deliver him and his family from the vice of what they were doing. He said:
By the way, as a result of what was said, this fact became clear that Lut’s prayer for his family was not done because of emotional aspects and relationship, but it was for their Faith. Allah fulfilled this supplication, as He says:
This old woman was but the wife of Lut who, from the point of belief and religion, was in line with those misguided people and she did not believe in Lut, so, at last, she faced with the same fate. Yes, Allah delivered Lut and those few believers who were with him. By the command of Allah, they went out from that polluted land at night and left those mischievous people, who were drowned in corruption and indecency, to themselves. Early in the morning the command of Allah came. A terrible earthquake covered their land.
It utterly destroyed their good cities, beautiful firm castles and their welfare life which was polluted with unchastity, as the holy Qur’an, in a short sentence points to it, and says: