Stories of the Prophets,
stories of the Prophets,
peace be upon them.
Allah's blessings,
followed by
peace,
be upon the best of all
creation—
men of resolve,
whose station
is sublime.
The Story of Lot,
peace be upon him.
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of all the worlds,
and peace and blessings
be upon our Prophet Muhammad,
and upon all his family and Companions
altogether.
To proceed:
In the region of Jordan,
between the Hijaz and the Levant,
near the Dead Sea,
lay the town of Sodom.
That town
was inhabited by a people
who deviated from normal human nature.
Their natural disposition was inverted,
their natural disposition was perverted,
their creed was corrupted,
and their morals deteriorated.
For they disbelieved
in Allah the Exalted
and associated partners with Him.
In addition to that,
they reached the utmost extreme
in moral depravity,
utter shamelessness,
and the pinnacle of folly and ignorance.
They deviated from the sound innate disposition
upon which Allah
created humankind—
the natural inclination of the male toward the female
and vice versa.
Thus, their men began
approaching one another sexually,
forsaking what
Allah had created for them in their wives.
May Allah despise them
and despise their actions!
Along with that,
they also used to cut off the way
of travelers,
assaulting them,
killing them, and seizing
their wealth.
Furthermore, they committed in their open gatherings
vile deeds and disgraceful acts.
A number of
exegetes mentioned
that they used to pass gas openly
in their assemblies,
feeling no shame at all in doing so,
but rather laughing about it,
in addition to perpetrating
all forms of wickedness in both
words and deeds.
Lot, peace be upon him,
was the nephew of Abraham,
peace be upon him.
He followed the Prophet of Allah
Abraham, peace be upon him,
and migrated to the land of
Palestine.
So Allah chose him, singled him out,
honored him, and revealed
revelation to him. Then,
He sent him to the town of Sodom
as a prophet and messenger,
to call them to the worship of
Allah alone without any partner,
to renounce polytheism
and the worship of other than Allah,
to straighten their conduct,
and to rectify what had become corrupted in their innate disposition.
He began—
Lot, peace be upon him, began his mission
of calling to Allah
in the town of Sodom
and its neighboring settlements.
He called them to Tawhid,
to renounce polytheism,
and he cautioned and warned them of the punishment
of Allah the Exalted if they
disobeyed His command.
He censured them for their foul deed,
saying to them,
"Do you lustfully approach men
instead of women?"
“Must ye needs lust after men instead of women? Nay, but ye are folk who act senselessly.” (27:55)
They did not respond—
the people of those towns refused the call of
their prophet, Lot, peace be upon him.
Instead, they mocked him,
rejected him and his message,
and persisted blindly
in their transgression.
When Lot, peace be upon him, intensified
his denunciation of them
and began confronting them in their assemblies,
they threatened to banish him
from their town.
They said to him,
"If you do not desist, O Lot,
you will surely be among those expelled."
They would urge one
another, saying,
"Drive the family of Lot
out of your town!
They are indeed a people who keep themselves pure."
How astonishing!
The crime of Lot
and the crime of his family
was that they purified themselves,
refusing to defile themselves
or wade into the mire
in which their people wallowed!
Thus, that became a reason
to condemn them.
Yet in truth,
no one in those towns was worthy of praise
except Lot, peace be upon him,
and his family, who
abstained from these abhorrent indecencies.
However,
when the innate disposition becomes corrupted,
virtue is condemned,
and chastity becomes a crime.
He did not relent—
Lot, peace be upon him, did not cease his call,
despite the threats and intimidation
with which they tried to terrify him,
and he continued to advise them
and guide them.
When they persisted in their defiance,
they said to him
by way of challenge,
"Bring upon us the punishment of Allah,
if you are among the truthful!"
At that point,
Lot, peace be upon him, called upon
his Lord, saying,
"My Lord, help me
against the corrupting people."
Allah the Exalted said,
"And [mention] Lot,
when he said to his people,
'Indeed, you commit
such immorality
as no one has ever preceded you
in it
among all
of creation.
Do you indeed approach
men, cut off
the highway, and commit
in your assemblies
wicked deeds?'
But the only answer of his people
was that they said,
'Bring upon us the punishment of Allah,
was that they said,
'Bring upon us the punishment of Allah,
if you are among the truthful.'
He said, 'My Lord, help me
against the corrupting people.'"
Allah answered the supplication of His servant
and prophet, Lot, peace be upon him,
and destruction was decreed
upon the wrongdoing,
corrupt people.
Thereupon,
Allah sent to that town
and the surrounding villages
that shared in its sin—
He sent to them three
of the angels,
namely Gabriel, Michael,
and Israfil.
They took the form of humans
with handsome faces,
and they headed first,
by the command of Allah the Exalted,
to Abraham in Palestine.
They gave him and his wife Sarah the glad tidings
that Allah would grant them
Isaac, and after
Isaac, Jacob, peace be upon them both.
Then they informed him that they were sent
from Allah Almighty to destroy
the people of Lot.
Thereupon, Abraham, peace be upon him,
began to debate with them regarding this matter,
and said to them:
"Would you destroy a town in which there are
fifty Muslims?"
He asked: "Would you destroy
a town in which there are
forty Muslims?"
They replied: "No."
He asked: "Would you destroy
a town in which there are ten
Muslims?"
They replied: "No."
He asked: "Would you destroy
a town in which there is a single Muslim?"
They replied: "No."
At that point, he said to them:
"Indeed, within it is
Lot, the Prophet of Allah
and His Messenger."
The angels said:
“He said: Lo! Lot is there. They said: We are best aware of who is there. We are to deliver him and his household, all save his wife, who is of those who stay behind.” (29:32)
"We shall surely save him
and his family, except his wife;
she is of those who are destined to perish."
Then they said to him:
"O Abraham,
desist from this pleading,
for indeed there has already come
the decree of your Lord concerning them,
and indeed there is coming upon them
a punishment that cannot be averted."
Allah Almighty says:
"And when the fright had departed
from Abraham
and there had reached him
the glad tidings,
he began to plead with Us
regarding the people of Lot.
Indeed,
Abraham was forbearing,
tender-hearted,
and ever turning to Allah.
'O Abraham,
desist from this!
Indeed,
there has already come
the decree of your Lord,
and indeed there is
coming upon them a punishment
that cannot be averted.'"
The angels,
the emissaries of Allah, departed
towards Lot, peace be upon him.
When they entered the town,
they found his daughter
drawing water.
When she saw them,
she said to them: "Who are you?
Your appearance is unfamiliar
in these lands."
They said to her:
"We are guests."
She feared for them from the townspeople
and said to them:
"Do not leave your place
until I return to you."
So she went to her father
and said: "O my father,
I have seen men
of handsome faces,
who are not from this land,
and I truly fear for them
from our people,
so attend to their matter."
So Lot, peace be upon him, went to them,
and when he saw them,
he was troubled on their account
and felt utter distress for them,
and said to himself:
"This is a distressing day."
Even though this
was not the usual manner of the prophets
nor their custom with their guests,
the situation confronting
Lot, peace be upon him,
was far graver than that;
for he feared for them
that their honor would be violated
by its wrongdoing inhabitants.
Lot, peace be upon him, took them
to his home.
But when his wife learned
of their presence, she informed her people
by kindling
a fire in her house
whose smoke billowed outside,
as a prearranged signal between her
and her people indicating the presence
of guests in their home.
And this was her treachery
toward her husband, as Allah mentioned
in the Holy Qur'an.
So the people of Lot came
rushing toward him breathlessly,
intending to seize the guests
from him, as though
they had stumbled upon
a prized catch. Allah
Almighty said:
"And the people of
the city came rejoicing.
He said: 'Indeed,
these are
my guests, so do not
disgrace me.
And fear Allah
and do not humiliate me.'
They said: 'Have we not
forbidden you from protecting people?'
He said:
'These are
my daughters, if
you must do so.'
By your life,
indeed they were, in
their intoxication, wandering blindly."
Perhaps
the intention of Lot, peace be upon him,
in saying "these are my daughters"
“He said: Here are my daughters, if ye must be doing (so).” (15:71)
— and Allah knows best —
was to silence and incapacitate them with an impossible alternative;
like a person saying to someone
who intends to kill their guest,
trying to stop him:
"Take this son of mine and kill him,
but do not kill my guest,"
knowing with full certainty
that he will not kill
his son, for he has no
desire for him,
and only wants to kill his guest
alone.
Thus, this statement was made
by way of
silencing and demonstrating their bad faith,
not by way of literal consent.
The proof of this
is that they replied to him:
"You already know, O Lot, what we want,
and you well know
that we have no desire for your daughters,
nor have we any
claim to them; so bring out to us
your guests."
Then Lot, peace be upon him, said to them,
when they overwhelmed him
and tried to break down the door of his house
to seize his guests;
he said to them:
"If only I had the strength to resist you,
or could take refuge
with a powerful clan
that would defend me against you!"
The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"May Allah have mercy
upon Lot;
he was indeed taking refuge in a strong
pillar" —
meaning Allah, the Exalted and Glorious.
These events were unfolding
right before the eyes of the guests
in complete serenity,
indifferent to what was transpiring
between Lot and his people.
And when the matter reached
its utmost limit
and they saw the inability of Lot, peace be upon him,
to confront his people,
they said to him:
"Be at ease, O Lot,
for we are not mortals;
we are the messengers of your Lord to you,
and we are about to destroy the people of
this town.
These wicked people
will never be able to harm you in any way.
So do not fear
and do not grieve, O Lot;
indeed, we are going to save you
and your family."
Then Gabriel, peace be upon him, stepped out toward them
as they were trying to break down the door,
and struck their faces
with the edge of his wing,
blotting out their eyes
so that they were struck blind;
So they began jostling one another,
colliding with each other,
not knowing where to go.
Then they returned to their homes,
threatening Lot,
saying:
"We will deal with you tomorrow."
When things calmed down
and the Prophet of Allah,
Lot (peace be upon him), was reassured,
the angels said to him:
"When night falls,
set out with your family
and leave this town,
and let none of you look back
at them when the punishment descends
upon them,
for she will surely be struck
by what strikes them."
But Lot (peace be upon him) sought to hasten
the punishment upon them,
so the angels said to him:
"Indeed, their appointed time
is the morning.
Is not the morning near, O Lot?"
Lot (peace be upon him) set out
with his daughters
once darkness had fallen,
while his wife refused to leave
with them,
choosing instead to remain with her people,
because she adhered to their religion.
Then, when the morning
dawned, there came
the command of Allah Almighty
to destroy those wrongdoing towns.
So Gabriel
(peace be upon him) lifted them from the face
of the earth on the tip of his wing,
until he reached the heavens with them,
and the dwellers of heaven heard
the barking of dogs and the crowing
of roosters. Then
he turned them upside down,
and Allah followed that up against them
with stones from Hellfire,
raining continuously upon them
like a layered necklace,
upon each stone
being the name of the man at whom it was to be thrown.
Allah Almighty said:
"And when
Our messengers came to Lot,
he was distressed on their account
and felt powerless to protect them,
and said, 'This is a dreadful
day.'
And there came to him
his people, rushing
toward him; and before that,
they had been committing
evil deeds.
He said, 'O my people,
these are my daughters;
they are purer
for you. So fear
Allah, and do not disgrace me
concerning my guests.
Is there not among you
a single right-minded man?'
They said, 'You have already
known that we have no right to your daughters,
“They said: Well thou knowest that we have no right to thy daughters, and well thou knowest what we want.” (11:79)
and indeed you
surely know what we want.'
He said,
“He said: Would that I had strength to resist you or had some strong support (among you)!” (11:80)
'If only I had against you some power, or could take refuge
in a strong
support!'
They said, 'O
Lot, indeed we are
messengers of your Lord;
they will never reach you.
So travel with your family
in a portion
of the night,
and let not
any of you look back—
except your wife;
indeed, there will strike her
what strikes them.
Indeed,
their appointed time is the morning.
Is not the morning
near?'
So when there came
Our command,
We made its highest part
its lowest,
We made its highest part
its lowest,
and rained upon it
stones,
and rained upon it stones
of layered
baked clay,
marked
in the presence of your Lord.
And it is not
from the wrongdoers
far off."
Allah Almighty has mentioned
Lot (peace be upon him)
in the Qur'an twenty-seven times,
and there were mentioned
the events of his story with his people
in more than one surah.
Among the most important lessons derived
from the story of the Prophet of Allah,
Lot (peace be upon him), are:
First:
The heinousness of the crime of the people
of Lot,
and that it is the sin at which
the Throne of the Most Merciful shakes due to its enormity,
and Allah's refuge is sought from it.
Second:
When human nature is perverted,
it perceives the repulsive as good,
and a crime becomes to it
something customary.
Third:
The collapse of morals
is the cause of the destruction of societies,
as it has been said:
"Nations endure only as long as their morals remain;
if their morals
depart, they depart as well."
Fourth:
The people of Lot
were the first to innovate the obscene act
of approaching males,
so upon them is its burden and the burden of everyone
who practices it after them.
Allah Almighty said regarding them:
"Indeed, you commit
an immorality such as
no one has preceded you in doing
among all the worlds."
Fifth:
The generosity of the prophets (peace be upon them),
their care for their guests,
and their defense of them;
and Lot (peace be upon him)
is an exemplar of that.
Sixth:
A wife has no true bond
with her husband if she follows
a religion that opposes his religion.
Seventh:
It is not permissible for us to name
this obscenity—which
is the attraction to males—
"liwat,"
nor is it permissible for us to call the man
who commits this obscenity
a "luti,"
because the name of Lot
is a noble name,
carrying the meaning of a reformer,
while the root "al-liwat" signifies
mending and plastering.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) informed us
that when the Hour
is established,
the first person to be struck down
will be a man plastering his water basin—
that is, repairing his basin.
Furthermore,
it is not permissible to attribute this act
to Lot (peace be upon him);
the term "luti"
derives from Lot (peace be upon him),
and Lot (peace be upon him)
is entirely innocent of it.
How then could someone who commits
this heinous act be attributed to him?
Rather, we should name it as
the Prophet (peace be upon him) named it,
saying:
"the act of the people of Lot,"
or saying:
"that man
commits the act of the people of Lot."
Eighth:
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah transmitted
the consensus of the Companions and others
that whoever commits this act
is to be executed,
Even though they differed
over the manner of execution:
Abu Bakr al-Siddiq,
may Allah be pleased with him, said
that he is to be thrown from a high cliff,
just as was done to the people of Lot;
'Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, said
that a wall should be collapsed upon him;
and Ibn 'Abbas,
may Allah be pleased with them both, said
that he is to be stoned to death with rocks—
both the active and passive partners—
just as is done in the case of adultery.
We seek refuge in Allah from this.
Ninth:
When matters become severely constricted,
relief arrives
from Allah, the Most High, the All-Powerful.
And Allah, Glorified and Exalted be He,
never abandons His allies;
rather, He delivers them
and destroys the wrongdoing people.
This discourse
will be continued, Allah willing.
And Allah knows best.
All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds.
May peace and blessings
be upon our Prophet Muhammad,
and upon his family
and all his Companions.
You have been listening to
Stories of the Prophets.
And may peace and blessings be upon him.