31 Preface وَلَمّا جاءَت رُسُلُنا إِبراهيمَ بِالبُشرىٰ قالوا إِنّا مُهلِكو أَهلِ هٰذِهِ القَريَةِ ۖ إِنَّ أَهلَها كانوا ظالِمينَYusuf AliWhen Our Messengers came to Abraham with the good news,1 they said: “We are indeed going to destroy the people of this township:2 for truly they are (addicted to) crime.”See 11:69-76. The angels, who were coming on the mission to destroy the people who were polluting the earth with their crimes, called on their way on Abraham to give the good news of the birth of a son to him in his old age. When they told him their destination, he feared for his nephew who he knew was there. They reassured him and then came on to Lut###By translating “township” I imply the two neighbouring populations of Sodom and Gomorrah, who had already gone too far in their crime, their shamelessness, and their defiance, to profit by any mercy from God.