فَمَا وَجَدْنَا فِيهَا غَيْرَ بَيْتٍ مِّنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ
“But we didn’t find in it except a house of Muslims”.
The verb وَجَدَ (wajada), “to find,” here is not in the sense of searching and then discovering. Such a notion does not befit Allah whose knowledge is absolute and perfect. In this context it conveys determining and stating a fact or judgement.
Closer in sense to: “we determined” or “we observed”.
English similarly allows “find” to mean concluding a matter, e.g., “We found that you are not suitable for this job.” It states a determination rather than a discovery through search.
This can imply there was a prior reality upon which the determination was made — an opportunity was given to show worth, and the conclusion was failure.
On the variation between “Believers (Mu’minīn)” and “Muslims (Muslimīn)” and the basis of salvation.
Ibn ‘Ashour notes that those saved — Lūt (as) and his household except his wife — are described with the attributes of Mu’minīn (Believers) and Muslimīn (Muslims).
“He called them ‘Mu’minīn’ to indicate that their īmān was the reason for their being saved... He then called them ‘Muslimīn’ because they are the household of a Prophet... Thus, the variation serves to highlight and honour both qualities, and to indicate that salvation depends on their combination.”
Mu’min: “the one who affirms what must be affirmed” (belief).
Muslim: “one who submits to the dictates of that belief” (action).
Both inner affirmation (īmān) and outward submission (islām) are honoured.
The āyah indicates that the wife of Lūt used to give the appearance of following her husband (i.e., that she was Muslim) whilst concealing disbelief and collaborating with the inhabitants of the town with their corruption.
Thus the household of Lūt were all “Muslimīn” but they were not all “Mu’minīn.” Only those characterised by both īmān and islām in combination were saved.
“There is no salvation except through the combination of both.”
“We didn’t find” conveys a Divine conclusion — an observed judgement — not a search.
Īmān (affirmation) and Islām (submission) must align — both are praised and necessary.
Described as “Muslimīn,” but not all were “Mu’minīn”; only those combining both were saved.
فَمَا وَجَدْنَا فِيهَا غَيْرَ بَيْتٍ مِّنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ
“But we didn’t find in it except a house of Muslims”.
The phrasing honours those saved with the description of “Muslimīn,” while the broader discussion highlights the necessity of both īmān and islām together.