Transliteration:( Falammaa ra aaa aidiyahum laa tasilu ilaihi nakirahum wa awjasa minhum kheefah; qaaloo laa takhaf innaaa ursilnaaa ilaa qawmi Loot )
"Then when he saw that their hands did not reach toward the food, he thought of them as strangers and began to fear [145]. They said, 'Fear not; we have been sent to the people of Lut.'"
✅ [145] The Fear of Strangers and Recognition of the Angel
In ancient times, if guests did not eat from the food offered by the host, it was considered a sign of confrontation or that they had come with an ulterior motive, often linked to hostility. Hazrat Ibrahim (peace be upon him) began to feel fear because the messengers did not touch the food, which was unusual and a sign of suspicion.
From this, we learn that fear of others, when not in opposition to Allah’s will, does not contradict trust in Allah or the mission of Prophethood. The Prophets may feel fear for legitimate reasons, even though they are divinely protected. Additionally, when an angel arrives with divine revelation, it is essential that the Prophet recognizes him. If the angel's visit is for some other purpose, it is possible that the Prophet may not immediately recognize the visitor as an angel, which is what happened here until the messengers identified themselves.
The tafsir of Surah Hud verse 70 by Ibn Kathir is unavailable here.
Please refer to Surah Hud ayat 69 which provides the complete commentary from verse 69 through 73.
(11:70) When he perceived that their hands could not reach it, he mistrusted them, and felt afraid of them.[76] They said: ‘Do not be afraid. We have been sent to the people of Lot.[77]
76. Some commentators are of the view that Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him) was afraid of them because of their refusal to eat his meal. He had concluded that they had come to him with some evil intention. For, according to the Arab tradition, if some strangers refused hospitality, it meant that they had not come as guests but as enemies to plunder. But this view is not supported by the succeeding verse.
77. The wording of their answer shows that Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him) had understood from their refusal to eat that they were angels. But he was afraid of their visit because he knew that the coming of the angels in the human shape did not bode well: So he was fearful that they might have come to take them to task for some offense committed by the people of his household or of his habitation or by himself. Had it been the same thing that the commentators presumed, then their answer should have been, “Don’t fear us for we are angels from your Lord.” But the answer they gave to remove his fear, “Don’t have any fear for we have been sent to the people of Lot (and not to you),” shows that Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him) knew that they were angels but was troubled in his mind as to the reason of their visit in the human form. This was because the angels came in human form when some one was either to be put to a hard trial or punished severely for some offense.
[563]- Traditionally, if a guest refused to eat, it meant that he harbored ill will toward the host or intended him harm.
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