Prophet Lut (Lot) AS was the nephew of Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) AS. He was the son of Haran, the brother of Ibrahim. Lut believed in Ibrahim's message and emigrated with him to the land of Canaan. Afterwards, Allah commanded Lut to go to the city of Sodom (Sadum), located on the western shore of the Dead Sea, to guide its people to the right path. He settled there, married, and had daughters.
The people of Sodom were incredibly wicked. They were highway robbers who attacked travelers, they betrayed one another, and they practiced a heinous sin that no nation before them had ever committed: men approaching men with desire instead of women. This unnatural practice was widespread and done openly in their assemblies without shame.
Prophet Lut (AS) called them to worship Allah alone and to abandon their immoral practices. He warned them of Allah's severe punishment if they did not repent. However, they mocked him and threatened to expel him from the city, saying that he and his family were "people who wish to be pure."
They challenged Lut, saying: "Bring Allah's Torment upon us if you are one of the truthful." Lut prayed to Allah to support him against these corrupt people.
Before punishing the people of Sodom, Allah sent angels (Jibreel, Mikael, and Israfil) in the form of handsome young men to Prophet Ibrahim. They gave him the glad tidings of the birth of Ishaq (Isaac) and Yaqub (Jacob). Ibrahim then asked them about their primary mission. They revealed they were sent to destroy the people of Lut.
The angels then proceeded to Sodom disguised as extremely handsome young men. They arrived at the city gate where Lut was sitting. When Lut saw them, he was distressed and felt helpless because he knew the wickedness of his people and feared they would try to harm or abuse his guests. He tried to convince the guests to not enter the city, hinting at the corruption of the people, but the angels insisted.
Lut took the guests to his home secretly. However, his wife, who was a disbeliever in her heart, slipped out and informed the wicked people of the city: "In the house of Lut, there are men the likes of whom I have never seen before." This betrayal sealed her fate.
The men of Sodom rushed to Lut’s house, blinded by their lust, demanding that he hand over his guests. Lut stood at the door, pleading with them to fear Allah and not disgrace him before his guests. In his desperation, he even offered them his "daughters" (referring to the women of the community for lawful marriage) if they would only desist from their sin. But they mocked him.
Seeing Lut's distress, the angels revealed their true identity. They told him: "O Lut! Verily, we are the Messengers from your Lord! They shall not reach you!" Jibreel (AS) then stepped out and struck the faces of the mob with his wing, blinding them instantly. They stumbled back, confused and threatened to return in the morning.
Lut left with his family (his daughters) in the darkness of the night. As the sun rose, the decree of Allah came to pass. A terrifying cry (As-Saihah) seized the people. Jibreel (AS) lifted the entire city with the tip of his wing up into the sky until the angels of the heavens could hear the barking of their dogs and the crowing of their roosters. Then, he turned the city upside down and dashed it to the earth.
This was followed by a rain of stones of baked clay, layer upon layer, each stone marked by Allah for a specific sinner.
As they were fleeing, Lut's wife looked back at the city, perhaps out of sympathy for her people or because her heart was still attached to them. A stone from the sky struck her, and she was destroyed along with the wicked. Allah saved Lut and his believing daughters, leaving the ruins of Sodom as a lasting sign for travelers and a warning for those who transgress the bounds of nature and Allah's laws.