al-Dhāriyāt

قَالَ فَمَا خَطْبُكُمْ أيُّهَا الْمُرْسَلُونَ

قَالُوا إِنَّا اُرْسِلْنَا إِلَی قَوْمٍ مُّجْرِمِينَ

لِنُرْسِلَ عَلَيْهِمْ حِجَارَةً مِّن طِينٍ

مُسَوَّمَةً عِندَ رَبِّكَ لِلْمُسْرِفِينَ

31. [Abraham] said: “Then for what purpose you have come, O Messengers?”

32. They said: “We have been sent to a wrong-doing people,

33. To send down upon them stones of baked clay [for their perdition].

34. [Stones] marked by your Lord for [the perdition of] transgressors of Divine Bounds.

The Arabic word khatb designates ‘significant affair or concern’ and musawwama denotes ‘marked.’ Lot (as) was a relative of Abraham (as) who propagated monotheism in the region of Sodom, Jordan, at the time. Lot’s (as) people were promiscuous and also sodomizers inattentive to Prophet Lot’s (as) warnings. As a consequence, God Almighty caused the destruction of their region and their story is mentioned in Chapters 7, 11, 15, and 29. The blessed Verse 31 is saying that when Prophet Abraham (as) recognized the angels through the light of his heart and learned that they were on a significant mission, he inquired about their purpose.

The blessed Verse 32 is saying that since Prophet Abraham (as) occupied a place higher than that of Prophet Lot (as), the former was informed by God Almighty through His angels that He intended to cause the destruction of the people of Lot (as) inhabiting Mu’tafaka turning a deaf ear to Lot’s warnings against their committing such obscene acts. Thus they brought Divine torment upon themselves. Replying to Prophet Abraham (as), the angels informed him that they had been sent by God Almighty to send down upon them stones of baked clay.

The blessed Verse 34 is saying: “O Muhammad (S)! Those stones marked by your Lord are for those people leading their lives in pleasures of the flesh, disbelief, and sin.” The blessed Verse may make a reference to the point that the recompense of any act is to be consistent with it (jaza’an wifaqan). Since the promiscuous deeds of the people of Mu’tafaka were the lowliest acts against the laws of nature and human practice, but quite bestial, their chastisement had to be inflicted upon them by means of the lowliest of things, namely baked clay.

It may be for the same reason that the punishment for sodomy is being stoned so that the sodomizer tastes the most excruciating torment in this world and others may take a lesson and refrain from committing such act of obscenity.