The Prophet Lut (peace be upon him) was contemporary of Prophet
Ibrahim(peace be upon him). He was a nephew and follower of the Faith
of his uncle. He was the resident ofUr, an ancient town inMesopotamia.
God conferred prophethood upon him. He was commanded to leave his
native land and go toSodom and Gomorrato warn and reform the people
who were indulged ingrave sinssuch as homosexual intercourse and
robbery. The Holy Quran says:
"And Lut (remember) when he said to his folk: Will you commit
abomination such as no creature ever did before. Lo! you come with
lust unto men instead of women. Nay, but you are wanton folk." ( Surah
7: Verses 80-81)
In another Verse the Holy Quran throws a light on the character of
thosesinning people. It says:
"What? Do you not come to males and commit robbery on the highways and
do evil deeds in your meeting?" ( Surah 29: Verse 29)
The Prophet Lut Preaches and is Opposed
The Prophet Lut (peace be upon him) was an alien to those people. He
began to preach the religion of God energetically. He advised the
people toguard themselvesagainst the punishment from God. He exhorted
them toabandon sinful ways. He told them that God had created woman
for them to satisfy their lust. They did not listen to the admonitions
of their Prophet. They ridiculed and threatened him of dire
consequences. They retorted that he would be expelled from that town
in case he did not stop preaching and rebuking them. The Holy Quran
affirms:
"And the answer of his people was only that they said (to one
another): Turn them out of your township. They are folk who seek to
keep pure." ( Surah 7: Verse 82)
The same idea is expressed in the following Verses:
"They said: If you desist not, O' Lut, you will soon be of the
outcast. He said: I am, in fact, of those who hate your conduct. My
Lord! save me and my household from what they do." ( Surah 26: Verses
167-169)
Gradually time passed by and the Prophet Lut (peace be upon him) did
not achieve remarkable success on reforming those sinful persons. They
were shamelessly addicted to grave sins and his warnings simply
exasperated them.
Angels Appear as Guests
One day,three angelsin thedisguise of handsome young boyscame to
Prophet Lut (peace be upon him) and they conveyed to him a special
message fromAlmighty Allah.
The Prophet Lut (peace be upon him) and his followers weredirected to
leave the townbecause something very dreadful was going to happen.
When the people got wind of the visit of charming boys they tried to
invade the house of Prophet Lut (peace be upon him) and demanded of
him to deliver the guests to them. The Prophet was much upset and he
said:
"O' my people! Here are my daughters! They are purer for you! Beware
of Allah and degrade me not in (the presence of) my guests. Is there
not among you any upright man ?" ( Surah 11: Verse 78)
They rejected this appeal of the Prophet and said:
"Well, you know that we have no right to your daughters and well, you
know what we want." ( Surah 11: Verse 79)
The Prophet was much disappointed and said:
"Would that I had strength to resist you or had some strong support."
( Surah 11: Verse 80)
The Angels Convey Message
The Prophet Lut (peace be upon him) warned the people of theinevitable
punishmentin case they insisted on committing indecency. They laughed
and doubted his character. When all efforts were ended in smoke, the
angels who were in the form of human beings, said:
"O' Lut, Lo! We are messengers of thy Lord; they shall not reach thee.
So travel with thy people in a part of the night and not one of you
turn round all save thy wife." ( Surah 11: Verse 81)
The Prophet Lut is Delivered and his Nation Destroyed
The Prophet Lut (peace be upon him) and his adherentsleft the cityin
the fagging part of the night and took shelter in a place of safety.
Soon after an uproar took place. A suddentremendous noiseshock the
earth. It was ascary and dreadful earthquake. The houses crumbled down
and lofty buildings smashed to nothing but rubble. The rocks that went
up in the air hit those who tried to escape. All arrogant sinners
werecompletely destroyed.
The Prophet Lut (peace be upon him) and his followers were saved but
his wife could not survive because she sympathized with the sinners.
The Holy Quran gives a brief description of this mishap in the
following Verses:
"Then the (awful) cry overtook them at the sunrise: And We utterly
confounded them, and We rained upon them stones of heated clay. Lo!
therein verily are portents for those who read the signs." ( Surah
15: Verses 73-75)
The Prophet Lut (peace be upon him) wasadmitted to God's mercyand was
declared to be one of therighteous. He died inPalestineand was buried
atBani Na'ima near Hebron.
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