Quran Universe
7:83

فَأَنجَيۡنَٰهُ وَأَهۡلَهُۥٓ إِلَّا ٱمۡرَأَتَهُۥ كَانَتۡ مِنَ ٱلۡغَٰبِرِينَ

Faanjaynahu waahlahu illa imraatahu kanat mina alghabireena

So We saved him and his family, except for his wife; she was of those who remained [with the evildoers].

Word by word
  1. فَأَنجَيۡنَٰهُSo We saved him
  2. وَأَهۡلَهُۥٓand his family
  3. إِلَّاexcept
  4. ٱمۡرَأَتَهُۥhis wife
  5. كَانَتۡshe was
  6. مِنَof
  7. ٱلۡغَٰبِرِينَthose who stayed behind
Al-A'raf · 7:83Makkah

Saved with his family, except the wife who stayed behind.

Being close to a prophet is not enough

Who was saved
Lutsaved
his familythe one believing house
his wifestayed with her people
What saves
who I am related toa prophet's wife
what I believe and domy own choice

Only Lut's household believed in him. The tafsir says his wife stayed on her people's religion and signaled to them who visited him. So he was told to leave at night without her, and she remained with those destroyed.

Your father is the imam, your aunt teaches Quran, your husband prays every night. None of that is your own deed. You can live in a believing house and still stay behind.

Being from a religious family keeps me safe.

Only my own faith and deeds save me, not who I live with.

Try this

Do one act of worship today that is entirely your own, not part of a family routine.

Related51:35
Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir

Then We saved him and his family, except his wife; she was of the Ghabirin (those who lagged behind)(83)And We rained down on them a rain (of stones). Then see what was the end of the criminals (84)

Allah says, We saved Lut and his family, for only his household believed in him.

Allah said in another Ayah,

فَأَخْرَجْنَا مَن كَانَ فِيهَا مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ - فَمَا وَجَدْنَا فِيهَا غَيْرَ بَيْتٍ مِّنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ

(So We brought out from therein the believers. But We found not there any household of the Muslims except one [of Lut and his daughters])[51:35-36].

Only his wife (from his family) did not believe, remaining on the religion of her people. She used to conspire with them against Lut and inform them of who came to visit him, using certain signals that they agreed on. This is why when Lut was commanded to leave by night with his family, he was ordered not to inform his wife or take her with him. Some said that she followed them, and when the torment struck her people, she looked back and suffered the same punishment as them. However, it appears that she did not leave the town and that Lut did not tell her that they would depart. So she remained with her people, as apparent from Allah's statement,

إِلَّا امْرَأَتَهُ كَانَتْ مِنَ الْغَابِرِينَ

(except his wife; she was of the Ghabirin) meaning, of those who remained, or they say: of those who were destroyed, and this is the more obvious explanation. Allah's statement,

وَأَمْطَرْنَا عَلَيْهِم مَّطَرًا

(And We rained down on them a rain) is explained by His other statement,

وَأَمْطَرْنَا عَلَيْهَا حِجَارَةً مِّن سِجِّيلٍ مَّنضُودٍ - مُّسَوَّمَةً عِندَ رَبِّكَ وَمَا هِيَ مِنَ الظَّالِمِينَ بِبَعِيدٍ

(And rained on them stones of baked clay, in a well-arranged manner one after another. Marked from your Lord; and they are not ever far from the wrongdoers.)[11:82-83]. Allah said here,

فَانظُرْ كَيْفَ كَانَ عَاقِبَةُ الْمُجْرِمِينَ

(Then see what was the end of the criminals.)

This Ayah means: 'See, O Muhammad, the end of those who dared to disobey Allah and reject His Messengers.'

Imam Ahmad, Abu Dawud, At-Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, all recorded a Hadith [from] Ibn 'Abbas who said that Allah's Messenger ﷺ said;

مَنْ وَجَدْتُمُوهُ يَعْمَلُ عَمَلَ قَوْمِ لُوطٍ فَاقْتُلُوا الْفَاعِلَ وَالْمَفْعُول بِهِ

(Whoever is found doing the act of the people of Lut, then kill them; the doer and the one it is done to.)