He Began to Plead With Us for the People of Lūṭ

Now, in this meeting, the angels delivered this news, that he would have a child, and his name is Isḥāq. Ibrāhīm is thinking about something else. Ibrāhīm is concerned. We would expect that Ibrāhīm would be concerned about the news that he would have a son. No, he was thinking about something else. He thanked Allah (swt) that Allah would give him Isḥāq, but he is concerned; he is thinking about something else at that moment. And he just waited until the conversation about Isḥāq and Yaʿqūb was over, and then:

Then, when the fear had gone away from the mind of Ibrāhīm, and the glad tidings had reached him, he began to plead with Us for the people of Lūṭ. Ibrāhīm was concerned. The angels said that they would destroy the people of Lūṭ. Ibrāhīm was concerned for two reasons. First of all, because Lūṭ was still there.

And in another ayah, Ibrāhīm is telling the angels: Lūṭ is there. Ibrāhīm is concerned because his nephew, the righteous Nabī of Allah, Lūṭ, is still in the village. And Ibrāhīm thought that maybe the punishment will come and destroy everyone in the village. And Ibrāhīm also, because of his gentleness and his mercy, he was pleading for the people of Lūṭ. He wanted to give them another chance; maybe they would repent to Allah and believe. So he's pleading for them: give them another chance.

But the angels told him: yā Ibrāhīmu aʿriḍ ʿan hādhā. O Ibrāhīm, leave this issue alone. Leave this matter alone. Innahu qad jāʾa amru rabbik: the order of Allah has already been revealed. There's no change in it. You cannot plead for this. You cannot make any shafāʿah on this. The order of Allah (swt), the commandment of Allah, has already descended. And they said: wa innahum ātīhim ʿadhābun ghayru mardūd. And verily, verily, there will come a torment for them that cannot be turned back. The punishment, there's no way it can be turned back. That's it.