|
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. |