1. The Story of the Prophet Luut and
Sodomy

2.  Prophet Luut left Egypt, accompanied by his
uncle Ibraaheem and headed to the city of Sodom
in Palestine, which was on the western shore of
the Dead Sea.
 This city was filled with evil. Its residents
waylaid, robbed and killed travellers. Another
common evil among them was that their men
used to have sex with men instead of women. This
unnatural act later became known as
sodomy, after the city of Sodom. It was practiced
openly and unashamedly.

3.  It was at the height of these crimes and sins that
Allaah revealed to Prophet Luut that he should
summon the people to give up their indecent
behaviour, but their immoral habits were so
deeply ingrained that they were deaf to Luut's
preaching. Addicted to their unnatural
desires, they refused to accept the call to
repentance, even when Luut warned them of
Allaah's punishment. Instead, they threatened to
drive him out of the city if he continued
preaching against their evil habits.

4.  Allaah Almighty revealed (what means): "The people of
Luut denied the messengers. When their brother Luut said
to them: 'Will you not fear Allaah? Indeed, I am to you a
trustworthy messenger. So fear Allaah and obey me. And I
do not ask you for it any payment. My payment is only from
the Lord of the worlds. Do you approach males among the
worlds. And leave what your Lord has created for you as
mates? But you are a people transgressing.' They said: 'If
you do not desist, O Luut, you will surely be of those
evicted.' He said: 'Indeed, I am, toward your deed, of those
who detest [it]. My Lord! Save me and my family from [the
consequence of] what they do.' So We saved him and his
family, all. Except an old woman [i.e., the wife of Luut]
among those who remained behind." [Quran: 26:160-171]

5.  The sinful actions of Prophet Luut's people
saddened his heart. Their abominable reputation
spread throughout the land, while he continued
to struggle against them. As the years passed, he
persisted in his mission, but to no avail. No one
responded to his call and believed except for the
members of his family; even in his household, not
all the members believed: Luut's wife was a
disbeliever.

6.  If home is the place of comfort and rest, then
Luut found none, for he was tormented both
within and outside his home. His life was
continuous agony as he suffered greatly, but he
remained patient and steadfast as a Messenger to
his people. Instead of heeding to him, they
belittled his message, and mockingly challenged
him, saying (what means): "…'Bring us the
punishment of Allaah, if you should be of the
truthful!" [Quran: 29:29]

7.  If home is the place of comfort and rest, then
Luut found none, for he was tormented both
within and outside his home. His life was
continuous agony as he suffered greatly, but he
remained patient and steadfast as a Messenger to
his people. Instead of heeding to him, they
belittled his message, and mockingly challenged
him, saying (what means): "…'Bring us the
punishment of Allaah, if you should be of the
truthful!" [Quran: 29:29]

8.  One of the three men (angels) asked her: "O maiden!
Is there a place to rest?"
 Remembering the evil character of her people, she
replied: "Stay here and do not enter the town until I
inform my father and return." Leaving her jug by the
river, she swiftly ran home.
 "O father!" she cried. "You are wanted by young men at
the town gate and I have never before seen the like of
their faces!"
 Luut felt distressed as he quickly ran to his guests.
 They visited him at home as guests. After ushering
them in hospitably, he asked them where they came
from and where they were going.

9.  They did not reply to his questions. Instead they
asked if he could host them. He began talking
with them and impressed upon them the
repulsive nature of his people. Luut was filled
with turmoil; he wanted to convince his guests
without offending them, not to spend the night
there, yet at the same time he wanted to extend to
them the expected hospitality normally accorded
to guests. In vain, he tried to make them
understand the perilous situation. At
last, therefore, he requested them to wait until
nightfall, for then no one would see them.

10.  When darkness shrouded the
town, Luut escorted his guests to his home. No
one was aware of their presence. However, as soon
as Luut's wife saw them, she slipped out of the
house quietly so that no one noticed her.
Quickly, she ran to her people with the news and
spread it to all the inhabitants like wildfire. The
people rushed towards Luut quickly and
excitedly.

11.  When Luut saw the mob approaching his house, he
shut the door, but they kept on banging on it. He
pleaded with them to leave the visitors alone and fear
Allaah's punishment. He urged them to seek sexual
fulfilment with their wives, for that is what Allaah had
made lawful.
 Luut's people waited until he had finished his short
sermon, and then they roared with laughter. Blinded
by lust, they broke down the door. Luut became very
angry, but he stood powerless before these violent
people. He felt powerless to prevent the abuse of his
guests, but he firmly continued to plead with the mob.

12.  At that terrible moment, he wished he had the
power to push them away from his guests. Seeing
him in a state of helplessness and grief, the guests
said to him: "Do not be anxious or frightened, for
we are angels, and these people will not harm
you."
 On hearing this, the mob was terrified and fled
from Luut's house, hurling threats at him as they
left. The angels warned Prophet Luut to leave his
house before sunrise, taking with him all his
family, except his wife.

13.  Allaah had decreed that the city of Sodom should perish.
An earthquake rocked the town. It was as if a mighty power
had lifted the entire city and flung it down in one jolt. A
storm of stones then rained on the city. Everyone and
everything was destroyed, including Luut's wife.
 The Holy Quran recorded this event; it states (what
means): "So We saved him and his family, all. Except an old
woman [his wife] among those who remained behind. Then
We destroyed the others. And We rained upon them a rain
[of stones], and evil was the rain of those who were warned.
Indeed in that is a sign, but most of them were not to be
believers. And indeed, your Lord – He is the Exalted in
Might, the Merciful." [Quran: 26:170-175]

14.  Thus, the people of Luut were destroyed and their
towns and names have been erased from the face
of the earth.
 Source: Sheikh Muhammad Gemeiah's
translation of 'Stories of the Prophets', by Imaam
Ibn Katheer
 Quoted from the website of:
 www.islamweb.net