Quran Universe
7:82

وَمَا كَانَ جَوَابَ قَوۡمِهِۦٓ إِلَّآ أَن قَالُوٓاْ أَخۡرِجُوهُم مِّن قَرۡيَتِكُمۡۖ إِنَّهُمۡ أُنَاسٞ يَتَطَهَّرُونَ

Wama kana jawaba qawmihi illa an qaloo akhrijoohum min qaryatikum innahum onasun yatatahharoona

But the answer of his people was only that they said, "Evict them from your city! Indeed, they are men who keep themselves pure."

Word by word
  1. وَمَاAnd not
  2. كَانَwas
  3. جَوَابَ(the) answer
  4. قَوۡمِهِۦٓ(of) his people
  5. إِلَّآexcept
  6. أَنthat
  7. قَالُوٓاْthey said
  8. أَخۡرِجُوهُمDrive them out
  9. مِّنof
  10. قَرۡيَتِكُمۡۖyour town
  11. إِنَّهُمۡIndeed,they
  12. أُنَاسٞ(are) people
  13. يَتَطَهَّرُونَwho keep themselves pure
Al-A'raf · 7:82Makkah

Throw them out. They want to stay pure.

When purity becomes the accusation

Their only answer
evict themfrom your town
because
they keep purethe "crime"
What they mocked
a real faultsomething shameful
puritynot a shame at all

They gave no argument. Their only answer was to drive Lut and the believers out. Qatadah said: they shamed them with what is not a shame at all. Their charge was that they wanted to stay pure.

You leave the room when the jokes turn filthy. Later you are the one being talked about: "Too good for us, is he?" Being mocked for staying clean is not a mark against you.

If they mock me for something, it must be embarrassing.

Sometimes I am mocked for exactly the thing I should keep.

Try this

Keep one clean habit today even if it makes you the odd one out.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir

And the answer of his people was only that they said: "Drive them out of your town, these are indeed men who want to be pure (from sins)! (82)

So they answered Prophet Lut by trying to expel and banish him from their village, along with those who believed with him. Allah indeed removed Prophet Lut safely from among them, and He destroyed them in their land in disgrace and humiliation. They said (about Lut and the believers):

إِنَّهُمْ أُنَاسٌ يَتَطَهَّرُونَ

("These are indeed men who want to be pure (from sins)!")

Qatadah commented, "They shamed them (Lut and the believers) with what is not a shame at all." Mujahid commented, "(Lut's people said about Lut and the believers,) They are a people who want to be pure from men's anuses and women's anuses!" Similar was narrated from Ibn 'Abbas.