Prophet Lut (Lot) and the People of Sodom

Prophet Lut (Lot, peace be upon him) was the nephew of Ibrahim (peace be upon him) and migrated with him from Mesopotamia. Allah sent Lut as a prophet to the people of Sodom and Gomorrah (the cities of the plain), who were engaged in a sin that no people before them had committed. The Quran states: "Indeed, you approach men with desire, instead of women. Rather, you are a transgressing people" (Quran 7:81). The story of Lut is mentioned in multiple surahs and serves as one of the Quran's most emphatic moral warnings.

Lut's Mission

Lut called his people to abandon their unprecedented sin and return to the natural way ordained by Allah. He said: "Do you approach males among the worlds and leave what your Lord has created for you as mates? Rather, you are a transgressing people" (Quran 26:165-166). Despite his persistent call, the people responded with threats of expulsion: "They said, 'If you do not desist, O Lut, you will surely be of those evicted'" (Quran 26:167). Their sin had become so normalized in their society that the one who objected to it was treated as the deviant. They even demanded that Lut hand over his angelic guests (whom they saw as beautiful men) for abuse.

The Angels' Visit

Allah sent angels in human form to both Ibrahim and Lut. They visited Ibrahim first and gave him glad tidings of a son (Ishaq) while informing him of the impending destruction of Lut's people. Ibrahim pleaded with Allah for them, but the decree was final. When the angels arrived at Lut's home, his people rushed to his door demanding access to his guests. Lut was in deep distress: "He said, 'If only I had against you some power or could take refuge in a strong support'" (Quran 11:80). The angels then revealed their identity and told Lut to leave with his family during the night.

The Destruction

The punishment was comprehensive and dramatic: "So when Our command came, We made the highest part of the city its lowest and rained upon them stones of hard clay, layer upon layer, marked from your Lord" (Quran 11:82-83). The cities were literally inverted, lifted and flipped, then bombarded with stones of baked clay. The area where these cities stood is believed by many scholars to be the Dead Sea region, the lowest point on earth's surface, which may itself be a geological testimony to the described inversion. Lut's wife perished with the disbelievers because she had secretly sympathized with them and betrayed her husband's mission: "So We saved him and his family, except his wife; she was of those who remained behind" (Quran 7:83).