Surah Al Anbiya Tafseer

وَجَعَلْنَاهُمْ أَيِمَّةً

And We made them leaders,

means, examples to be followed.

يَهْدُونَ بِأَمْرِنَا

guiding by Our command,

inviting to Him by His leave.

Allah says:

وَأَوْحَيْنَا إِلَيْهِمْ فِعْلَ الْخَيْرَاتِ وَإِقَامَ الصَّلَأةِ وَإِيتَاء الزَّكَاةِ

and We revealed to them the doing of good deeds, performing Salah, and the giving of Zakah,

Here the general is followed by the specific.

وَكَانُوا لَنَا عَابِدِينَ

and of Us (Alone) they were the worshippers.

means, they did what they enjoined others to do.

The Prophet Lut

Then Allah mentions Lut, whose full name was Lut bin Haran bin Azar. He believed in Ibrahim and followed him, and migrated with him, as Allah says:

فَـَامَنَ لَهُ لُوطٌ وَقَالَ إِنِّى مُهَاجِرٌ إِلَى رَبِّى

So Lut believed in him. He (Ibrahim) said:"I will emigrate for the sake of my Lord." (29:26)

Allah gave him wisdom and knowledge; He sent Revelation to him, made him a Prophet and appointed him to Sadum (Sodom) and its vicinity, but they rejected him and resisted him, so Allah utterly destroyed them, as He tells us in several places in His Book.

Allah says;

وَلُوطًا اتَيْنَاهُ حُكْمًا وَعِلْمًا وَنَجَّيْنَاهُ مِنَ الْقَرْيَةِ الَّتِي كَانَت تَّعْمَلُ الْخَبَايِثَ إِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا قَوْمَ سَوْءٍ فَاسِقِينَ