The first is that he suppressed the grammatical subject; the implied sense is, “You are strangers.” In this way he sought their good will without confronting them with wording that might breed unease. Instead he said, “a people unknown” (25). There is no doubt that omitting the subject here is one of the refinements of eloquent discourse (1). The Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—would likewise never address anyone directly with what he disliked; rather, he would say, “What is the matter with certain people who say such-and-such and do such-and-such?” (2)

The second is that, in saying “a people unknown,” he also omitted the agent of the unfamiliarity—namely, himself, the one who did not recognize them. Allah says elsewhere, “he felt apprehensive of them” (3). Clearly, saying “unknown” (25) is subtler than saying, “I do not recognize you.”

His words, “He slipped away to his household and came back with a fat calf. Then he set it before them and said, ‘Will you not eat?’” (26–27) contain several facets of praise, the courtesies of hospitality, and the honoring of guests:

One of them lies in His phrase, “he slipped away to his household.” The verb rāgha denotes a swift and unobtrusive departure (4); it conveys eagerness to honor one’s guests, and the discreet withdrawal is a leaving