Transliteration:( Wa 'amtarnaa 'alaihim mataran fanzur kaifa kaana aaqibatul mujrimeen )
"And We showered upon them a rain [201]. Then behold! What was the end of the sinners [202]?"
The "rain" mentioned here refers to a divinely sent punishment. First, Hazrat Jibraeel (عليه السلام) lifted their entire land like a board, raised it toward the sky, and then flipped it upside down. After that, stones made of sulfur and fire rained down upon them.
According to some scholars, the residents were sunk into the earth, while others, particularly travelers, were struck down by this fiery rain. This dual destruction—earthquake and rain of fire—signaled the complete annihilation of a nation steeped in indecency and rebellion.
Two important points emerge:
Immorality, especially sexual perversion, is among the gravest sins. The people of Prophet Lut (عليه السلام) received a unique and unmatched punishment due to their extreme immorality. Even today, the Islamic punishment for adultery—stoning to death—is harsher than for murder, highlighting the severity of this sin in the sight of Allah.
Reflecting on the destruction of sinful nations is an act of worship. It cultivates hatred for sin and encourages moral correction. Similarly, studying the lives of obedient, righteous communities instills love for goodness and inspires devotion. Both forms of reflection help purify the heart and align it with divine guidance.
The tafsir of Surah Al-A’raf verse 84 by Ibn Kathir is unavailable here.
Please refer to Surah A’raf ayat 83 which provides the complete commentary from verse 83 through 84.
(7:84) and We let loose a shower [of stones] upon them,[67] Observe, then, the end of the evil-doers.[68]
67. The ‘rainfall’ in the verse does not refer to the descent of water from the sky. It refers rather to the volley of stones. The Qur’an itself mentions that their habitations were turned upside down and ruined. See (verse 85); also (Hud 11:82-3); (al-Hijr 15:74-E.)
68. In light of this verse and other references in the Qur’an, sodomy is established as one of the deadliest sins; and that it incurred God’s scourge on those who indulged in it. We also know from the teachings of the Prophet (peace be on him) that the Islamic state should purge society of this crime and severely punish those guilty of it. There are several traditions from the Prophet (peace be on him) which mention that very severe punishments were inflicted on both partners of this act. According to one tradition, the Prophet (peace be on him) ordered that both partners be put to death. (See Ibn Majah, Kitab al-Hudud, ‘Bab man ‘amila ‘Amal Qawm ut’- Ed.) In another tradition it has been added that the culprits should be put to death whether they are married or un-married. (Ibn Majah, Kitab al-Hudad – Ed.) In another tradition it has been said that both parties should be stoned (to death). (Ibn Majah, Kitab al-Hudad, ‘Bab man amila ‘Amal Qawm Lut ‘ – Ed.) However, since no case of sodomy was reported in the lifetime of the Prophet (peace be on him), the punishment did not acquire a very clear and definitive shape. Among the Companions, ‘Ali is of the view that such sinners should be beheaded and instead of being buried should be cremated. Abu Bakr also held the same view. However, ‘Urnar and ‘Uthman suggest that the sinners be made to stand under the roof of a dilapidated building, which should then be pulled down upon them. Ibn ‘Abbas holds the view that those guilty of such a sinful act should be thrown from the top of the tallest building of the habitation and then pelted with stones. (See al-Fiqh ‘ala al-Madhahib al-Arba’ah, vol. 5, pp. 141-2 – Ed.) As for the jurists, Shafi pronounces the punishment of death on both partners to sodomy irrespective of their marital status, and of their role whether it be active or passive. According to Sha’bi, Zuhri, Malik and Ahmad b. Hanbal, they should be stoned to death. Sa’id b. al-Musayyib, ‘Ata’, Hasan Basri, Ibrahim Nakha’i, Sufyan Thawri and Awa’i believe that such sinners deserve the same punishment as laid down for unlawful sexual-intercourse: that unmarried ones should be lashed a hundred times and exiled, and that married ones should be stoned to death. Abu Hanifah, however, does not recommend any specific punishment. For him, the sinner should be awarded, depending on the circumstances of each case, some deterrent punishment. According to one of the reports, the same was the view of Shafi’i. (See Ibn Qudamah, al-Mughni, vol. 8, pp. 187-8 – Ed.)
It should also be made clear that it is altogether unlawful for the husband to perpetrate this act on his wife. The Prophet (peace be on him), according to a tradition in Abu Da’ud, said: ‘Cursed be he who commits this act with a woman.’ (Abu Da’ud, Kitab al-Nikah, ‘Bab fi Jami ‘ al Nikah’ – Ed.) In other collections of Hadith such as Sunan of Ibn Majah and Musnad of Ahmad b. Hanbal. we find the following saying of the Prophet (peace be on him): ‘God will not even look at him who commits this act of sodomy with his wife in her rectum.’ (Ibn Majah, Kitab al-Nikah’, ‘Bab al-Nahy’an Ityan al-Nisa’ fi Adbarihinn’, Ahmad b. Hanbal, Musnad, vol. 2, p. 344 – Ed.) Likewise the following saying of the Prophet (peace be on him) is mentioned in Tirmidhi: ‘He who makes sexual intercourse with a menstruating woman, or indulges in sodomy with a woman. or calls on a soothsayer, believing him to be true, denies the faith sent down to Muhammad (peace be on him).’ (Ibn Majah, Kitab al-Taharah, ‘Bab al-Nahy ‘an ityan al-Ha’id’- Ed.)
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