DAY 265: Hud 69-83

•  And surely Our messenger-angels came to Abraham with good news ˹of a son˺. They greeted ˹him with˺, “Peace!” And he replied, “Peace ˹be upon you˺!” Then it was not long before he brought ˹them˺ a ˹fat,˺ roasted calf. And when he saw that their hands did not reach for the food, he became suspicious and fearful of them. They reassured ˹him˺, “Do not be afraid! We are ˹angels˺ sent ˹only˺ against the people of Lot.” And his wife was standing by, so she laughed, then We gave her good news of ˹the birth of˺ Isaac, and, after him, Jacob. She wondered, “Oh, my! How can I have a child in this old age, and my husband here is an old man? This is truly an astonishing thing!” They responded, “Are you astonished by Allah’s decree? May Allah’s mercy and blessings be upon you, O  people of this house. Indeed, He is Praiseworthy, All-Glorious.” Then after the fear had left Abraham, and the good news had reached him, he began to plead with Us for the people of Lot. Truly, Abraham was forbearing, tender-hearted, and ever turning ˹to his Lord˺. ˹The angels said,˺ “O Abraham! Plead no more! Your Lord’s decree has already come, and they will certainly be afflicted with a punishment that cannot be averted!” When Our messenger-angels came to Lot, he was distressed and worried by their arrival. He said, “This is a terrible day.” And ˹the men of˺ his people—who were used to shameful deeds—came to him rushing. He pleaded, “O my people! Here are my daughters ˹for marriage˺—they are pure for you. So fear Allah, and do not humiliate me by disrespecting my guests. Is there not ˹even˺ a single right-minded man among you?” They argued, “You certainly know that we have no need for your daughters. You already know what we desire!” He responded, “If only I had the strength ˹to resist you˺ or could rely on a strong supporter.” The angels said, “O Lot! We are the messengers of your Lord. They will never reach you. So travel with your family in the dark of night, and do not let any of you look back, except your wife. She will certainly suffer the fate of the others. Their appointed time is the morning. Is the morning not near?” When Our command came, We turned the cities upside down and rained down on them clustered stones of baked clay, marked by your Lord ˹O Prophet˺. And these stones are not far from the ˹pagan˺ wrongdoers!
  (
      Contrast of Messages: The same divine emissaries bring joy and the fulfillment of a promise to the righteous household of Ibrahim, and absolute judgment to the corrupt society of Lut.
      The Limit of Intercession: Even the great intercessor, Ibrahim, could not avert a decree that had become inevitable due to a society's irreversible corruption.
      The Nature of Societal Sin: The people of Lut represent a transgression that disrupts the very foundation of natural law, family, and society, moving beyond mere polytheism to active, aggressive depravity.
      Salvation is for the Committed Believer: Salvation required Lut and his family to physically and emotionally separate from the corrupt society without looking back, a powerful metaphor for the complete renunciation of disbelief.
      
      The same divine messengers brought both the joyful promise of a prophetic lineage to Ibrahim's righteous household and the utter annihilation of Lut's people for their irreversible societal corruption, demonstrating that divine decree brings either mercy or irrevocable justice based on a people's spiritual state.
  )