Surah Hud Tafseer

The Coming of the Angels to Ibrahim and Their Glad Tidings to Him of Ishaq and Yaqub

Allah, the Exalted, says,

وَلَقَدْ جَاءتْ رُسُلُنَا

And verily, there came Our messengers,

The word "messengers" here means angels.

إِبْرَاهِيمَ بِالْبُـشْرَى

to Ibrahim with the glad tidings.

It has been said that the word "the glad tidings" means, "Receive the glad tidings of Ishaq."

Others have said that it means,

"The destruction of the people of Prophet Lut."

The proof of the correctness of the first view is in Allah's statement,

فَلَمَّا ذَهَبَ عَنْ إِبْرَهِيمَ الرَّوْعُ وَجَأءَتْهُ الْبُشْرَى يُجَـدِلُنَا فِى قَوْمِ لُوطٍ

Then when the fear had gone away from (the mind of) Ibrahim, and the glad tidings had reached him, he began to plead with Us for the people of Lut. (11:74)

قَالُواْ سَلَمًا قَالَ سَلَمٌ

They said:"Salaman."

He answered, "Salamun."

This means, "Upon you."

The scholars of explanation have said,

"Ibrahim's reply of `Salamun' was better than that with which they had greeted him with, because the subjective case (Salamun instead of Salaman) alludes to affirmation and eternity. "

فَمَا لَبِثَ أَن جَاء بِعِجْلٍ حَنِيذٍ

and he hastened to entertain them with a roasted calf.

This means that he (Ibrahim) left with haste in order to bring them food, as a host. The food that he brought was a calf.

The word Hanidh means roasted upon heated stones. This meaning has been reported from Ibn Abbas, Qatadah and others.

This is as Allah has said in other verses,

فَرَاغَ إِلَى أَهْلِهِ فَجَأءَ بِعِجْلٍ سَمِينٍ

فَقَرَّبَهُ إِلَيْهِمْ قَالَ أَلَا تَأْكُلُونَ

Then he turned to his household, and brought out a roasted calf. And placed it before them (saying):"Will you not eat!" (51:26-27)

This verse contains many aspects of the etiquettes of hosting guests