The people of Lut rejected (his)
warning. We sent against them a violent Tornado with
showers of stones, (which destroyed them), except
Lut's household: them We delivered by early Dawn,-
As a Grace from Us: thus do We reward those who give
thanks. And (Lut) did warn them of Our Punishment,
but they disputed about the Warning. (Surat al-Qamar:
33-36)
Lut lived at the same time
as Ibrahim. Lut was sent as a messenger to one of Ibrahim's
neighbouring communities. These people, as the Qur'an tells
us, practiced a perversion unknown to the world up to then,
namely sodomy. When Lut told them to give up this perversion
and brought them Allah's warning, they denied him, refused
his prophethood, and carried on with their perversion. In
the end, these people were destroyed by a dreadful disaster.
The city where Lut resided is referred to as Sodom in the
Old Testament. Being situated at the north of the Red Sea,
this community is understood to have been destroyed just
as it is written in the Qur'an. Archaeological studies reveal
that the city is located in the area of the Dead Sea which
stretches along the Israel-Jordan border.
Before examining the remains of this disaster, let's see
why the people of Lut were punished in this fashion. The
Qur'an tells how Lut warned his people and what they said
in reply;
The people of Lut rejected the messengers. Behold,
their brother Lut said to them: "Will ye not fear
(Allah)? I am to you a messenger worthy of all trust.
So fear Allah and obey me. No reward do I ask of you for
it: my reward is only from the lord of the Worlds. Of
all the creatures in the world, will ye approach males,
And leave those whom Allah has created for you to be your
mates? Nay, ye are a people transgressing (all limits)!"
They said: "If thou desist not, O Lut! thou wilt
assuredly be cast out!" He said: "I do detest
your doings." (Surat ash-Shuara: 160-168)
The people of Lut threatened him in response to his inviting
them to the right way. His people detested him because of
his showing them the right way, and wanted to banish both
him and the other believers beside him. In other verses, the
event is told as follows;
We also (sent) Lut: He said to his people: "Do
ye commit lewdness such as no people in creation (ever)
committed before you? For ye practise your lusts on men
in preference to women : ye are indeed a people transgressing
beyond bounds." And his people gave no answer but
this: they said, "Drive them out of your city: these
are indeed men who want to be clean and pure!" (Surat
al-Araf: 80-82)
Lut called his people to an obvious truth and warned them
explicitly, but his people did not heed any warnings whatsoever
and continued to reject Lut and to deny the penalty of which
he told them.
And (remember) Lut: "Behold" he said to
his people: "Ye do commit lewdness, such as no people
in Creation (ever) committed before you. Do ye indeed
approach men, and cut off the highway? And practise wickedness
(even) in your councils?" But his people gave no
answer but this: they said: "Bring us the Wrath of
Allah if thou tellest the truth." (Surat al-Ankaboot:
28-29)
Receiving the above answer from his people, Lut asked for
the help of Allah,
He said: "O my Lord! help Thou me against people
who do mischief!" (Surat al-Ankaboot: 30)
"O my Lord! deliver me and my family from such
things as they do!" (Surat ash-Shuara: 169)
Upon Lut's prayer, Allah sent two angels in the form of
men. These angels visited Ibrahim before coming to Lut.
Giving Ibrahim the good news that his wife would give birth
to an infant, the messengers explained the reason of their
being sent: the insolent people of Lut were to be destroyed.
(Ibrahim) said: "And what, O ye Messengers, is
your errand (now)?" They said, "We have been
sent to a people (deep) in sin; To bring on, on them,
(a shower of) stones of clay (brimstone), Marked as from
thy Lord for those who trespass beyond bounds." (Surat
adh-Dhariyat: 31-34)
Excepting the adherents of Lut: them we are certainly
(charged) to save (from harm) - All - Except his wife,
who, We have ascertained, will be among those who will
lag behind. (Surat al-Hijr: 59-60)
After leaving Ibrahim's company, the angels, who were sent
as messengers, came to Lut. Not having met the messengers
before, Lut first became anxious, but then calmed down after
talking to them;
When Our messengers came to Lut, he was grieved on
their account and felt himself powerless (to protect)
them. He said: "This is a distressful day."
(Surah Hud: 77)
He said: "Ye appear to be uncommon folk."
They said: "Yea, we have come to thee to accomplish
that of which they doubt. We have brought to thee that
which is inevitably due, and assuredly we tell the truth.
Then travel by night with thy household, when a portion
of the night (yet remains), and do thou bring up the rear:
let no one amongst you look back, but pass on whither
ye are ordered." And We made known this decree to
him, that the last remnants of those (sinners) should
be cut off by the morning. (Surat al-Hijr: 62-66)
Meanwhile, his people had learned that Lut had visitors. They
did not hesitate to approach these visitors perversely as
they had approached others before. They encircled the house.
Being afraid for his visitors, Lut addressed his people as
follows;
Lut said: "These are my guests: disgrace me not:
But fear Allah, and shame me not." (Surat al-Hijr:
68-69)
The people of Lut retorted;They said: "Did we
not forbid thee (to speak) for all and sundry?" (Surat
al-Hijr: 70)
Thinking that he and his visitors subjected to evil treatment,
Lut said:
"Would that I had power to suppress you or that
I could betake myself to some powerful support."
(Surah Hud: 80)
His "visitors" reminded him that they were the messengers
of Allah and said;
(The Messengers) said: "O Lut! We are Messengers
from thy Lord! By no means shall they reach thee! now
travel with thy family while yet a part of the night remains,
and let not any of you look back: but thy wife (will remain
behind): To her will happen what happens to the people.
Morning is their time appointed: Is not the morning nigh?"
(Surah Hud: 81)
When the perversity of the city people reached its fullest
extent, Allah saved Lut by means of the angels. In the morning,
his people were destroyed by the disaster of which Lut had
informed them in advance.
And they even sought to snatch away his guests from
him, but We blinded their eyes. (They heard:) "Now
taste ye My Wrath and My Warning." Early on the morrow
an abiding Punishment seized them. (Surat al-Qamar: 37-38)
The verses describe the destruction of this people as follows;
But the (mighty) Blast overtook them before morning,
And We turned (the cities) upside down, and rained down
on them brimstones hard as baked clay. Behold! in this
are Signs for those who by tokens do understand. And the
(cities were) right on the high-road. (Surat al-Hijr:
73-76)
When Our Decree issued, We turned (the cities) upside
down, and rained down on them brimstones hard as baked
clay, spread, layer on layer,-Marked as from thy Lord:
Nor are they ever far from those who do wrong! (Surah
Hud: 82-83)
But the rest We destroyed utterly. We rained down
on them a shower (of brimstone): and evil was the shower
on those who were admonished (but heeded not)! : Verily
in this is a Sign: but most of them do not believe. And
verily thy Lord is He, the Exalted in Might, Most Merciful.(Surat
ash-Shuara: 172-175)
When the people were destroyed, only Lut and the believers,
who were only as many as one "household", were
saved. Lut's wife did not believe either and she was also
destroyed.
We also (sent) Lut: He said to his people: "Do
ye commit lewdness such as no people in creation (ever)
committed before you?
"For ye practise your lusts on men in preference
to women : ye are indeed a people transgressing beyond
bounds."
And his people gave no answer but this: they said,
"Drive them out of your city: these are indeed men
who want to be clean and pure!"
But we saved him and his family, except his wife:
she was of those who legged behind.
And we rained down on them a shower (of brimstone):
Then see what was the end of those who indulged in sin
and crime! (Surat al-Araf: 80-84)
Thus, Prophet Lut was saved along with the believers and his
family with the exception of his wife. As described in the
Old Testament, he emigrated with Ibrahim. As for the perverted
people, they were destroyed and their dwellings were razed
to the ground.
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