Welcome to our weekly program “Path Towards Enlightenment” in which we present you a fluent and easy-to-understand explanation of the ayahs of the holy Qur’an.

We start from where we left you in the last episode and here is ayah 26 of Surah Ankabut:

فَآمَنَ لَهُ لُوطٌ ۘ وَقَالَ إِنِّي مُهَاجِرٌ إِلَىٰ رَبِّي ۖ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ

“Thereupon Lot believed in him, and he said, ‘Indeed I am migrating toward my Lord. Indeed He is the All-mighty, the All-wise.”

Prophet Abraham after being delivered from the huge blaze lit by Nimrod continued his enlightening task of inviting people to the worship of the One and Only God, and to shun idols. Many reverted to the message of monotheism. Among the first and foremost monotheist followers of Abraham was his kinsman Lot, who decided to accompany Abraham on his migration from his homeland Mesopotamian to another towards the Levant, in order to safeguard faith. There is a similarity here in the migration that would take millenniums later from Mecca to Medina of the Almighty’s Last and Greatest Messenger, Prophet Mohammad (blessings of God upon him and his progeny). The Prophet of Islam’s first and foremost follower was his cousin and later son-in-law and divinely-designated vicegerent, Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb (peace upon him).

From this ayah we learn that:

1. Prophets are not like kings who seek to eliminate each other and increase power but they think of strengthening each other and spreading the message of God amongst the people.

2. The men of God are not attached to any particular place, and they migrate for the sake of God whenever circumstances require.

Now let us listen to ayah 27 of Surah Ankabut:

وَوَهَبْنَا لَهُ إِسْحَاقَ وَيَعْقُوبَ وَجَعَلْنَا فِي ذُرِّيَّتِهِ النُّبُوَّةَ وَالْكِتَابَ وَآتَيْنَاهُ أَجْرَهُ فِي الدُّنْيَا ۖ وَإِنَّهُ فِي الْآخِرَةِ لَمِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ

“And We gave him Isaac and Jacob, and We ordained among his descendants prophethood and the Book, and We gave him his reward in the world, and in the Hereafter he will indeed be among the Righteous.”

Here this ayah means to say that God granted Abraham blessed sons, in addition to the firstborn Ishmael. His second son by his wife Sarah was Isaac, who in turn was the father of Jacob, and both of them were granted prophethood and the divine scripture by God. Abraham’s children were not born in his homeland Mesopotamia, but in the land which he resided after migration. From the progeny of Jacob, who was also called Israel and was a pious person, there was a long line of Prophets like Joseph, Moses, Aaron, David, Solomon and the Virgin-born Jesus (peace upon them). From the progeny of Abraham’s firstborn son Ishmael, were other prophets and finally the Last and Greatest of them all, Prophet Mohammad (blessings of God upon him and his progeny). Thus God rewarded the pious persons in the life of the transient world, while in afterlife there are greater rewards for them.

From this ayah we learn that:

1. A pious and righteous child is a divine blessing granted to God-fearing persons.

2. In Islam there is prosperity for the true believers, both in life and in the Hereafter, which means one should not give up the world for the Hereafter.

Now we listen to ayahs 28 and 29 of Surah Ankabut:

وَلُوطًا إِذْ قَالَ لِقَوْمِهِ إِنَّكُمْ لَتَأْتُونَ الْفَاحِشَةَ مَا سَبَقَكُم بِهَا مِنْ أَحَدٍ مِّنَ الْعَالَمِينَ

أَئِنَّكُمْ لَتَأْتُونَ الرِّجَالَ وَتَقْطَعُونَ السَّبِيلَ وَتَأْتُونَ فِي نَادِيكُمُ الْمُنكَرَ ۖ فَمَا كَانَ جَوَابَ قَوْمِهِ إِلَّا أَن قَالُوا ائْتِنَا بِعَذَابِ اللَّـهِ إِن كُنتَ مِنَ الصَّادِقِينَ

“And Lot, when he said to his people, ‘You indeed commit an indecency none in the world has ever committed before you!”

“What! Do you come to men, and cut off the way, and commit outrages in your gatherings?’ But the only answer of his people was that they said, ‘Bring us Allah’s punishment should you be truthful.”

These ayahs refer to the account of Prophet Lot who propagated the message of Prophet Abraham in the land of Palestine. The people to whom he was sent were vicious and indulged in the abominable sin of sodomy. Men neglected their women, and committed the cardinal sin of cohabiting with fellow men, known as homosexual in the present world. When Lot preached to them the message of

God, asking them to give up this unnatural practice, they threatened to kill him. He warned them of the wrath of the All-Merciful God if they continued to indulge in sodomy, but they mocked at him, saying bring us the punishment of God if you are indeed truthful.

From these ayahs we learn that:

1. Religious leaders are not just responsible for inviting people to God and monotheism, but they also campaign against sins, corruption and social ills, in order to promote virtue.

2. When corruption spreads in the society, the virtuous should not keep aloof by saying this is none of our business, since we do not indulge in evil.

3. God has created men and women for each other, and thus the unnatural practices of sodomy and lesbianism are abominable sins.

4. When sins break out of privacy and are committed openly in public, offending the society, then these evil practices should be suppressed and eradicated.

Now we listen to ayah 30 of Surah Ankabut:

قَالَ رَبِّ انصُرْنِي عَلَى الْقَوْمِ الْمُفْسِدِينَ

“He said, ‘My Lord! Help me against this corruptive lot.”

When the people refused to give up sodomy and threatened Prophet Lot, he prayed to God Almighty to help him against this evil lot. The message is clear to us, and it is our duty to promote virtue and righteousness in society, by campaigning against the evil ways, including homosexuality, so as to safeguard public morals, even if the deviant ridicule and threaten us.

From this ayah we learn that:

1. Sodomy and lesbianism are abominable sins and cause corruption on earth, and should be decisively dealt with.

2. With God’s help good persons should stand firm and promulgate divine laws in society by eradicating evils practices.

AS/MG/SS