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The Advent of Prophet Lut:
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 of Ur, an ancient town
in Mesopotamia God conferred prophethood upon him.
He was commanded to leave his native land and go to Sodom and
Gomorra to warn and reform the people who were indulged in grave
sins such as homosexual intercourse and robbery. The Holy Qur'an
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." (7:80, 81)
In another Verse the Holy Qur'an throws a light on the character
of those sinning people. It says:
"What? Do you not come to males and commit robbery on the
highways and do evil deeds in your meeting?" (29: 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 to guard themselves against the punishment
from God. He exhorted them to abandon 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 Qur'an 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." (7:82)
The same idea is expressed in the following Verses:
"They said: If you desist not, 0' 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." (26:
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 angels in the disguise of handsome young boys came
to Prophet Lut (peace be upon him) and they conveyed to him a
special message from Almighty Allah. The Prophet Lut (peace be
upon him) and his followers were directed to leave the town
because 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 ?" (11: 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." (11:79)
The Prophet was much disappointed and said:
"Would that I had strength to resist you or had some strong
support." (11: 80)
The Angels Convey Message:
The Prophet Lut (peace be upon him) warned the people of the
inevitable punishment in 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." (11:81)
The Prophet Lut is Delivered and his Nation Destroyed:
The Prophet Lut (peace be upon him) and his adherents left the
city in the fagging part of the night and took shelter in a
place of safety. Soon after an uproar took place. A sudden
tremendous noise shock the earth. It was a scary 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 were completely
destroyed. The Prophet Lut (peace be upon him) and his followers
were saved but his wife could not survive because she
sympathised with the sinners. The Holy Qur'an 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." (15:73-75)
The Prophet Lut (peace be upon him) was admitted to God's mercy
and was declared to be one of the righteous. He died in
Palestine and was buried at Bani Na'ima near Hebron.
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