أَئِنَّكُمْ لَتَأْتُونَ ٱلرِّجَالَ شَهْوَةً مِّن دُونِ ٱلنِّسَآءِ ۚ بَلْ أَنتُمْ قَوْمٌ تَجْهَلُونَ 55
Translations
Do you indeed approach men with desire instead of women? Rather, you are a people behaving ignorantly."
Transliteration
A-innakum lata'toon ar-rijala shahwatan min dooni an-nisa'i, bal antum qawmun tajhaloon
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah is part of Prophet Lut's (Lot's) remonstration with his people, condemning their practice of approaching men with lust instead of women. The phrase 'you are a people who are ignorant' (tajhaloon) emphasizes that this behavior stems from profound spiritual blindness and deviation from natural disposition (fitrah). Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari note this ayah addresses the gravity of homosexual behavior, presenting it as a rejection of Allah's natural order and a manifestation of gross ignorance of moral truth.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears within the narrative of Prophet Lut in Surah An-Naml, which recounts the dialogue between Lut and his people regarding their immoral practices. The Meccan context addresses the early Muslim community's understanding of divine moral boundaries and historical examples of civilizations destroyed for moral transgression. This surah emphasizes divine wisdom in sending prophets to warn nations.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: 'The greatest curse from Allah upon a nation is when it becomes general among them the deed of the people of Lut' (Tirmidhi). Additionally, the Quran repeatedly references the people of Lut as a warning example: 'And [We had sent] Lot when he said to his people, 'Do you commit such immorality as no one has preceded you with from among the worlds?'' (7:80).
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that deviating from Allah's natural moral order represents a fundamental disconnection from truth and wisdom; believers should reflect on how spiritual ignorance (jahiliyyah) can obscure moral reality, and recognize that adherence to divine commandments is rooted in understanding, not arbitrary restriction.
Related Ayahs
إِنَّ رَبَّكَ يَقْضِى بَيْنَهُم بِحُكْمِهِۦ ۚ وَهُوَ ٱلْعَزِيزُ ٱلْعَلِيمُ
Indeed, your Lord will judge between them by His [wise] judgement. And He is the Exalted in Might, the Knowing.
إِنَّمَآ أُمِرْتُ أَنْ أَعْبُدَ رَبَّ هَـٰذِهِ ٱلْبَلْدَةِ ٱلَّذِى حَرَّمَهَا وَلَهُۥ كُلُّ شَىْءٍ ۖ وَأُمِرْتُ أَنْ أَكُونَ مِنَ ٱلْمُسْلِمِينَ
[Say, O Muḥammad], "I have only been commanded to worship the Lord of this city, who made it sacred and to whom [belongs] all things. And I am commanded to be of the Muslims [i.e., those who submit to Allāh].
قَالُوا۟ نَحْنُ أُو۟لُوا۟ قُوَّةٍ وَأُو۟لُوا۟ بَأْسٍ شَدِيدٍ وَٱلْأَمْرُ إِلَيْكِ فَٱنظُرِى مَاذَا تَأْمُرِينَ
They said, "We are men of strength and of great military might, but the command is yours, so see what you will command."
أَمَّنْ خَلَقَ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ وَأَنزَلَ لَكُم مِّنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ مَآءً فَأَنۢبَتْنَا بِهِۦ حَدَآئِقَ ذَاتَ بَهْجَةٍ مَّا كَانَ لَكُمْ أَن تُنۢبِتُوا۟ شَجَرَهَآ ۗ أَءِلَـٰهٌ مَّعَ ٱللَّهِ ۚ بَلْ هُمْ قَوْمٌ يَعْدِلُونَ
[More precisely], is He [not best] who created the heavens and the earth and sent down for you rain from the sky, causing to grow thereby gardens of joyful beauty which you could not [otherwise] have grown the trees thereof? Is there a deity with Allāh? [No], but they are a people who ascribe equals [to Him].