Al-'Ankabut · Makki · ayah 32 of 69

Al-'Ankabut 29:32

قَالَ إِنَّ فِيهَا لُوطًا ۚ قَالُوا۟ نَحْنُ أَعْلَمُ بِمَن فِيهَا ۖ لَنُنَجِّيَنَّهُۥ وَأَهْلَهُۥٓ إِلَّا ٱمْرَأَتَهُۥ كَانَتْ مِنَ ٱلْغَـٰبِرِينَ

“[Abraham] said, "Indeed, within it is Lot." They said, "We are more knowing of who is within it. We will surely save him and his family, except his wife. She is to be of those who remain behind."”

Saheeh International

Essence

Told of the town's end, Ibrahim speaks first for Lut; the envoys answer that they know who is there, and will save his household.

A reflection

He forgot his own good news

Ibrahim has just been told he will have a son in his old age, and a grandson after him. It is the news of a lifetime. Then, in the same breath, the envoys mention a town. And Ibrahim's first words are not about his son at all. Inna fīhā Lūṭan: but Lut is in it.

One commentary dwells on this. Ibrahim showed no joy at his own news in that moment, it says. He forgot himself, and what he had been given, out of concern for Lut. Then it adds a lovely detail. The envoys, seeing his concern, answered with more than he had asked. He named Lut alone. They promised Lut and his family. Everyone in the conversation, the commentary says, was trying to outdo the other in goodness.

Picture a man at a visa office after a long, anxious wait. The officer slides a paper across: approved. His shoulders drop with relief. Then, before he has even folded the paper, he leans forward. 'My cousin applied the same week. Is there any news on his file?'

That reflex says a great deal about a person. Good news is a test of the heart as much as bad news is. Some people, given a gift, close their hands around it. Others, at once, look for whoever has been left out.

The Prophet ﷺ made this a condition of faith itself. 'None of you believes until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself.' It is in both Sahihs.

The next time good news reaches you, notice your first thought after the relief. Whose name comes to mind? If the answer is someone else's, you are standing, for a moment, where Ibrahim stood.

The full entry has 5 more reflections, questions to sit with, and "Live it today" - with the words, the roots and the tafsir alongside. Free, no account, works offline.