Prophet Lut (peace be upon him) is one of the noble prophets and messengers. Allah, the Exalted, mentioned him twenty-seven times in the Holy Quran. His story with his people is detailed in some chapters and summarized in others. He believed in Abraham (peace be upon him) and migrated with him to the Levant (Ash-Sham). Allah the Almighty then sent him to the people of Sodom—which is located today within the occupied Palestinian territories—and its surrounding villages. He called them to Allah, Almighty and Majestic, commanding them to do good and forbidding them from the sins and abominations they committed.  Allah explained in Surah Al-Araf:80 ”And Lut, when he said to his people, “Do you commit lewdness no people anywhere have ever committed before you?” (وَلُوطًا إِذْ قَالَ لِقَوْمِهِ أَتَأْتُونَ الْفَاحِشَةَ مَا سَبَقَكُمْ بِهَا مِنْ أَحَدٍ مِنَ الْعَالَمِينَ). They invented various forms of evils and abominations, and they were the very first to practice homosexuality among men. They used to highway-rob travelers, betray their companions, encourage one another in sin, and never forbid each other from wrongdoings.

The Call of Lut (Peace Be Upon Him) to His People

   Allah sent Lut (peace and blessings be upon him) to them, so he called them to worship Allah and to abandon these prohibitions and abominations. He informed them—as was the way of all the messengers, peace and blessings be upon them all—that he is a trustworthy messenger, and that he asks no reward from them for calling them to the clear truth:

{وَمَا أَسْأَلُكُمْ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ أَجْرٍ ۖ إِنْ أَجْرِيَ إِلَّا عَلَىٰ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ} (الشعراء:164)
“And I do not ask you for it any reward. My reward is only from the Lord of the worlds.” (Ash-Shu’ara: 164)

   None believed in him except the members of his household; yet, even they did not all believe in him, as his own wife was a disbeliever. The stance of Prophet Lut’s people was epitomized by aversion, mockery, disdain, and overt threats and intimidation.  Allah said:
”But his people’s only response was to say, “Expel them from your town; they are purist people.””

(وَمَا كَانَ جَوَابَ قَوْمِهِ إِلَّا أَنْ قَالُوا أَخْرِجُوهُمْ مِنْ قَرْيَتِكُمْ ۖ إِنَّهُمْ أُنَاسٌ يَتَطَهَّرُونَ)  (Surah Al-Araf:82).
In addition, Lut, peace be upon him, attempted to turn his people away from the obscenity they were committing by urging them to marry the women whom Allah had created for that purpose. This is reflected in the words of the Almighty:

{هَٰؤُلَاءِ بَنَاتِي هُنَّ أَطْهَرُ لَكُمْ}

“These are my daughters; they are purer for you.” (Hud: 78)

The Angel Messengers to Lut

    Lut, peace and blessings be upon him, prayed to his Lord for victory over his people when they persisted in their disbelief and continued blindly in their transgression. The messengers and angels of Allah entered the village of Sodom in the guise of handsome young men. Upon seeing them, the daughter of Lut, peace be upon him, rushed to inform her father, fearing that the wickedness of the townspeople would befall them. Lut hurried to them, deeply distressed; he could not turn them away as guests, yet he dreaded the harm that might come to them. He began warning them about the villagers, hoping they would turn back, and repeated his warnings, but they proceeded until they entered his home.

{وَلَمَّا جَاءَتْ رُسُلُنَا لُوطًا سِيءَ بِهِمْ وَضَاقَ بِهِمْ ذَرْعًا وَقَالَ هَٰذَا يَوْمٌ عَصِيبٌ}

“And when Our messengers came to Lut, he was distressed for them and felt for them great discomfort and said, ‘This is a distressful day.'” (Hud: 77)

   No one from the townspeople had seen them. However, no sooner had his wife witnessed the guests than she slipped out without him noticing, rushing to her people to break the news. The news spread like wildfire, and the people of Lut came rushing towards him. Lut wondered to himself, “Who could have told them?” As the crowd gathered and stood at his doorstep, Lut went out to them and began to preach, saying to them: “Before you are the women—your wives—they are purer for you.”

The Punishment of the people of Lut

    When the angels witnessed the distress that befell Lut, peace be upon him, as he was trying to convince his people, they informed him that they were angels and that no one could harm them. After the angels informed Lut that they were messengers sent by the Lord of the Worlds to destroy the disbelieving people, they requested him to leave the village with his family by night, as the punishment would strike his people in the morning. They also commanded him and those with him not to look back at the destruction of the disbelievers. Gabriel went out to them, and with a single blow, he blinded them. This is as Allah Almighty says:

{وَلَقَدْ رَاوَدُوهُ عَن ضَيْفِهِ فَطَمَسْنَا أَعْيُنَهُمْ فَذُوقُوا عَذَابِي وَنُذُرِ} 

“And they demanded from him his guests, so We blinded their eyes, [saying], ‘Taste My punishment and My warnings.'” (Al-Qamar: 37)

   In the morning, The angel Gabriel, peace be upon him, arrived. He placed his wing beneath the village and lifted it up to the heavens, to the extent that the angels heard the crowing of their roosters, and the villagers heard the glorification of the angels. Then, marked stones, designated for each one of them, rained down upon them. Afterwards, the piercing cry (Al-Sayhah) annihilated them, destroying the village and everything within it. Then, he overturned it, casting it back to the earth, and its location became a lake (the Lake of Lut’s people).

{فَلَمَّا جَاءَ أَمْرُنَا جَعَلْنَا عَالِيَهَا سَافِلَهَا وَأَمْطَرْنَا عَلَيْهَا حِجَارَةً مِّن سِجِّيلٍ مَّنضُودٍ * مُّسَوَّمَةً عِندَ رَبِّكَ ۖ وَمَا هِيَ مِنَ الظَّالِمِينَ بِبَعِيدٍ}
“So when Our command came, We made the highest part [of the city] its lowest and rained upon them stones of layered hard clay, marked from your Lord. And Allah’s punishment is not far from the wrongdoers.” (Hud: 82-83).

   The story of Prophet Lut serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of obeying Allah’s messengers and maintaining pure monotheism. Ultimately, Allah always saves the believers and those who follow His messengers—just as He saved Lut and his family, except for his wife—granting them true salvation in this life and the hereafter.