Lot’s Mission
The Qur’an
“Lot’s Mission”
Sura 7
The Elevated Places
80. And (We sent) Lut when he said to his people: What! do you commit an indecency which any one in the world has not done before you?
81. Most surely you come to males in lust besides females; nay you are an extravagant people.
82. And the answer of his people was no other than that they said: Turn them out of your town, surely they are a people who seek to purify (themselves).
83 So We delivered him and his followers, except his wife; she was of those who remained behind.
84. And We rained upon them a rain; consider then what was the end of the guilty.
Sura 11
The Holy Prophet
77. And when Our messengers came to Lut, he was grieved for them, and he lacked strength to protect them, and said: This is a hard day.
78. And his people came to him, (as if) rushed on towards him, and already they did evil deeds. He said: O my people! these are my daughters-- they are purer for you, so guard against (the punishment of) Allah and do not disgrace me with regard to my guests; is there not among you one right-minded man?
79. They said: Certainly you know that we have no claim on your daughters, and most surely you know what we desire.
80. He said: Ah! that I had power to suppress you, rather I shall have recourse to a strong support.
81. They said: O Lut! we are the messengers of your Lord; they shall by no means reach you; so remove your followers in a part of the night-- and let none of you turn back-- except your wife, for surely whatsoever befalls them shall befall her; surely their appointed time is the morning; is not the morning nigh?
82. So when Our decree came to pass, We turned them upside down and rained down upon them stones, of what had been decreed, one after another.
83. Marked (for punishment) with your Lord and it is not far off from the unjust.
Sura 15
The Rock
61. So when the messengers came to Lut’s followers,
62. He said: Surely you are an unknown people.
63. They said: Nay, we have come to you with that about which they disputed.
64. And we have come to you with the truth, and we are most surely truthful.
65. Therefore go forth with your followers in a part of the night and yourself follow their rear, and let not any one of you turn round, and go forth whither you are commanded.
66. And We revealed to him this decree, that the roots of these shall be cut off in the morning.
67. And the people of the town came rejoicing.
68. He said: Surely these are my guests, therefore do not disgrace me,
69. And guard against (the punishment of) Allah and do not put me to shame.
70. They said: Have we not forbidden you from (other) people?
71. He said: These are my daughters, if you will do (aught).
72. By your life! they were blindly wandering on in their intoxication.
73. So the rumbling overtook them (while) entering upon the time of sunrise;
74. Thus did We turn it upside down, and rained down upon them stones of what had been decreed.
75. Surely in this are signs for those who examine.
Sura 26
The Poets
160. The people of Lut gave the lie to the apostles.
161. When their brother Lut said to them: Will you not guard (against evil)?
162. Surely I am a faithful apostle to you;
163. Therefore guard against (the punishment of) Allah and obey me:
164. And I do not ask you any reward for it; my reward is only with the Lord of the worlds;
165. What! do you come to the males from among the creatures
166. And leave what your Lord has created for you of your wives? Nay, you are a people exceeding limits.
167. They said: If you desist not, O Lut! you shall surely be of those who are expelled.
168. He said: Surely I am of those who utterly abhor your conduct.
169. My Lord ! deliver me and my followers from what they do.
170. So We delivered him and his followers all,
171. Except an old woman, among those who remained behind.
172. Then We utterly destroyed the others.
173. And We rained down upon them a rain, and evil was the rain on those warned.
Sura 27
The Ant
54. And (We sent) Lut, when he said to his people: What! do you commit indecency while you see?
55. What! do you indeed approach men lustfully rather than women? Nay, you are a people who act ignorantly.
56. But the answer of his people was no other except that they said: Turn out Lut’s followers from your town; surely they are a people who would keep pure!
57. But We delivered him and his followers except his wife; We ordained her to be of those who remained behind.
58. And We rained on them a rain, and evil was the rain of those who had been warned.
Sura 29
The Spider
26. And Lut believed in Him, and he said: I am fleeing to my Lord, surely He is the Mighty, the Wise.
28. And (We sent) Lut when he said to his people: Most surely you are guilty of an indecency which none of the nations has ever done before you;
29. What! do you come to the males and commit robbery on the highway, and you commit evil deeds in your assemblies? But nothing was the answer of his people except that they said: Bring on us Allah’s punishment, if you are one of the truthful.
30. He said: My Lord! help me against the mischievous people.
31. And when Our messengers came to Ibrahim with the good news, they said: Surely we are going to destroy the people of this town, for its people are unjust.
32. He said: Surely in it is Lut. They said: We know well who is in it; we shall certainly deliver him and his followers, except his wife; she shall be of those who remain behind.
33. And when Our messengers came to Lut he was grieved on account of them, and he felt powerless (to protect) them; and they said: Fear not, nor grieve; surely we will deliver you and your followers, except your wife; she shall be of those who remain behind.
34. Surely We will cause to come down upon the people of this town a punishment from heaven, because they transgressed.
35. And certainly We have left a clear sign of it for a people who understand.
Sura 50
Qaf
12. (Others) before them rejected (prophets): the people of Nuh and the dwellers of Ar-Rass and Samood,
13. And Ad and Firon and Lut’s brethren…
The Bible
“Lot’s Mission”
Genesis
Chapter 13
7. And there was a strife between the herdmen of Abram’s cattle and the herdmen of Lot’s cattle: and the Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelled then in the land.
8. And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we be brethren.
9. Is not the whole land before thee? separate thyself, I pray thee, from me: if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left.
10. And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar.
11. Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other.
12. Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom.
13. But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly.
14. And the LORD said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward:
15. For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.
16. And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered.
17. Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee.
18. Then Abram removed his tent, and came and dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and built there an altar unto the LORD.
Genesis
Chapter 14
11. And they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their victuals, and went their way.
12. And they took Lot, Abram’s brother’s son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed.
Second Peter
Chapter 2
6. And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly;
7. And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked:
8. (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;)
9. The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:
Genesis
Chapter 19
1. And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground;
2. And he said, Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servant’s house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your ways. And they said, Nay; but we will abide in the street all night.
3. And he pressed upon them greatly; and they turned in unto him, and entered into his house; and he made them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they did eat.
4. But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both old and young, all the people from every quarter:
5. And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them.
6. And Lot went out at the door unto them, and shut the door after him,
7. And said, I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly.
8. Behold now, I have two daughters which have not known man; let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you, and do ye to them as is good in your eyes: only unto these men do nothing; for therefore came they under the shadow of my roof.
9. And they said, Stand back. And they said again, This one fellow came in to sojourn, and he will needs be a judge: now will we deal worse with thee, than with them. And they pressed sore upon the man, even Lot, and came near to break the door.
10. But the men put forth their hand, and pulled Lot into the house to them, and shut to the door.
11. And they smote the men that were at the door of the house with blindness, both small and great: so that they wearied themselves to find the door.
12. And the men said unto Lot, Hast thou here any besides? son in law, and thy sons, and thy daughters, and whatsoever thou hast in the city, bring them out of this place:
13. For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the LORD; and the LORD hath sent us to destroy it.
14. And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons in law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for the LORD will destroy this city. But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law.
15. And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are here; lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city.
16. And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; the LORD being merciful unto him: and they brought him forth, and set him without the city.
17. And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed.
18. And Lot said unto them, Oh, not so, my Lord:
19. Behold now, thy servant hath found grace in thy sight, and thou hast magnified thy mercy, which thou hast shewed unto me in saving my life; and I cannot escape to the mountain, lest some evil take me, and I die:
20. Behold now, this city is near to flee unto, and it is a little one: Oh, let me escape thither, (is it not a little one?) and my soul shall live.
21. And he said unto him, See, I have accepted thee concerning this thing also, that I will not overthrow this city, for the which thou hast spoken.
22. Haste thee, escape thither; for I cannot do any thing till thou be come thither. Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar.
23. The sun was risen upon the earth when Lot entered into Zoar.
24. Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven;
25. And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground.
26. But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.
27. And Abraham gat up early in the morning to the place where he stood before the LORD:
28. And he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain, and beheld, and, lo, the smoke of the country went up as the smoke of a furnace.
29. And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when he overthrew the cities in the which Lot dwelt.
30. And Lot went up out of Zoar, and dwelt in the mountain, and his two daughters with him; for he feared to dwell in Zoar: and he dwelt in a cave, he and his two daughters.
31. And the firstborn said unto the younger, Our father is old, and there is not a man in the earth to come in unto us after the manner of all the earth:
32. Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father.
33. And they made their father drink wine that night: and the firstborn went in, and lay with her father; and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose.
34. And it came to pass on the morrow, that the firstborn said unto the younger, Behold, I lay yesternight with my father: let us make him drink wine this night also; and go thou in, and lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our Father.
35. And they made their father drink wine that night also: and the younger arose, and lay with him; and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose.
36. Thus were both the daughters of Lot with child by their father.
37. And the firstborn bare a son, and called his name Moab: the same is the father of the Moabites unto this day.
38. And the younger, she also bare a son, and called his name Benammi: the same is the father of the children of Ammon unto this day.
COMMENTARY
In the Qur’an:
1. God had sent Lut (Lot) to be a witness for Him before a sinful generation, but the people of Sodom rejected the message. Lot asked God to destroy them and save his family, to which God complies.
2. Lot’s wife was predestined for destruction: “...To her will happen what happens to the people.”
3. Angels came to Ibrahim (Abraham) and announced the “good news” that Sodom will be destroyed.
4. The brothers (or neighbours) of Lot rejected the message.
In the Bible:
1. Lot chose Sodom not because he followed God’s command, but because of the riches of that land. He became very prosperous there. The angels who came to Lot’s house did not want to stay in his house. Contrary to Abraham, a picture of the mature spiritual believer, Lot is a picture of the carnal believer. Lot did not even leave with the angels after they told him about the plan to destroy Sodom; they had to force him out of the city! “…And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; the LORD being merciful unto him: and they brought him forth, and set him without the city…” Lot did not ask God to deliver him from Sodom, but actually liked this city and even lingered before leaving on the eve of its destruction.
2. The angels wanted to save all of Lot’s immediate family: “…the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters;”. They physically seized him, his wife and his daughters and forced them leave Sodom. Lot’s wife perished (she turned into a pillar of salt) by the time they reached the city called Zoar. She had disobeyed God’s command by looking back at the destruction behind them.
3. God Himself had told Abraham about the coming destruction of Sodom, and never referred to this as a “good” message. Abraham even pleaded with God not to destroy entire city for the sake of at least ten righteous persons. Although God agreed to Abraham’s request, there could not be found at least ten righteous persons and therefore the city had to be destroyed.
4. The sons-in-law (not his brothers or neighbours ) of Lot rejected the warning. Lot is not recorded as having any brothers. No other inhabitants of the city were warned by Lot about the coming destruction.
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