The migration of Lot (peace be upon him) with his uncle Abraham (peace be upon him)
Selections from the Book Lot (peace be upon him) and his Mission in Confronting Corruption and Sexual Deviance …
Written by Dr. Ali Muhammad al-Sallabi...
Episode (5)
Lot (peace be upon him) believed in the prophethood of his uncle Abraham (peace be upon him), embraced his call, and followed his guidance. He migrated with him for the same reasons that led Abraham to migrate from his homeland and birthplace in Iraq to the Levant.
1- {And We delivered him and Lot to the land which We had blessed for the worlds [i.e., peoples]} [Al-Anbya: 71]:
His place of migration was the Holy Land, which Allah blessed for all the worlds with complete and comprehensive blessings, encompassing all aspects of blessing in terms of faith, economy, politics, science, civilization, and jihad. The Holy Quran confirms that this comprehensive divine blessing is in Palestine; {for the worlds}.
2- {And Lot believed him. [Abraham] said, "Indeed, I will emigrate to [the service of] my Lord. Indeed, He is the Exalted in Might, the Wise"} [Al-'Ankabut: 26]:
Lot (peace be upon him) believed in the prophethood of Abraham (peace be upon him) after witnessing the miracle of the fire that did not burn Khalilullah Abraham. He became certain that Abraham was a prophet sent by Allah, and that what had happened was not a passing event, but rather a miracle crafted by the hand of the Almighty Creator. This serves as a sign for both the general populace and the believers specifically, indicating that Allah, the Exalted, brings relief from the depths of distress. At that time, the people of Iraq sought to burn the Prophet Abraham, but Abraham (peace be upon him) gained new support from a new believer after his wife Sarah.
Imam Al-Qurtubi (may Allah have mercy on him) said regarding the verse {And Lot believed him}: Lot was the first to believe in Abraham when he saw the fire upon him being cool and safe.
Sheikh Al-Shaarawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: {And Lot believed him}: This phrase came as a parenthetical statement in the story of Abraham (peace be upon him) because the conclusion ultimately revolves around Abraham's call to his people. Therefore, the context returns once again to Abraham (peace be upon him).
The Almighty's saying: {[Abraham] said, "Indeed, I will emigrate to [the service of] my Lord"}: This means that he is migrating to a place where he can worship his Lord freely and find solace in obeying Him, without feeling alienated by seeing their idols and statues, and without suffering from their harm.
And {to [the service of] my Lord} and none other, meaning to His worship, establishing the rituals of His religion, and calling people to the truth of His law and His Oneness. He migrated to his Lord to draw nearer to Him, seeking refuge in His protection. He migrated to Him with his heart and belief before he migrated with his flesh and blood. He migrated to Him to dedicate his worship entirely to Him, to dedicate his heart to Him, and to devote his entire being to Him in his place of migration, far from the places of disbelief and misguidance, after losing hope that the people would return to guidance and faith.
The migration of a caller to Allah to a place where they can freely worship Allah is one of the greatest means for the success of their mission. Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him), the father of the prophets and one of the greatest callers after our Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), was the first to use this method for the success of his mission. He migrated from his homeland, leaving his country behind, all for the sake of calling people to Allah. He left Iraq, migrating to the Levant, along with his nephew Lot and his wife Sarah (peace be upon them). This migration was to enable him to worship his Lord and invite people to Him. Abraham then moved from the Levant to Egypt, returned to the Levant, and later went to Mecca, where he left his son Ishmael and his mother Hajar, as is well known. I have elaborated on this in my book "Abraham Khalilullah, Caller of Monotheism and the True Religion, and a Role Model". After making this migration, Allah blessed him with righteous children and made prophethood and scripture in his lineage.
Lot (peace be upon him) benefited from his migration with his uncle Abraham (peace be upon him), learning from him and absorbing the call to monotheism. Allah chose Lot for prophethood and to call the people of Sodom, as will be explained later. Historical and biographical sources mention what Ya'qub ibn Sufyan (may Allah have mercy on him) narrated from Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said regarding the migration of Uthman ibn Affan and his wife Ruqayyah, the daughter of the Messenger of Allah, to Abyssinia: "Indeed, Uthman is the first to migrate with his family after Lot".
- Ali Muhammad al-Sallabi, Lot (peace be upon him) and his Mission in Confronting Corruption and Sexual Deviance, pp. 40-43.
- Migration in the Holy Qur’an, Ahzmi Samoun, p. 197.
- Tafsir Al-Qurtubi, 13/339.
- Tafsir Al-Shaarawi, 18/11132.
- Objective Interpretation of Surahs of the Holy Qur’an, 6/383.
- The virtues of interpretation, Muhammad Jamal al-Din al-Qasimi, 13/147.
- In the shadows of the Qur’an, 5/2732.
- The call to Allah in Surah Ibrahim, Muhammad Sidi bin Al-Habib, p. 465.
- The Path of Guidance and Righteousness in the Biography of the Best of Servants, Imam Mujammad bin Yusuf al-Salihi, 2/485, Sunnah by Abu Asim, p. 592, Encyclopedia of the Parts of the Noble Prophet’s Hadith, Abu Hajar Muhammad Basyouni Zaghloul, 3/348.
For further information and review of the sources for the article, see:
The Book of ‘’Lot (peace be upon him) and his Mission in Confronting Corruption and Sexual Deviance’’ on the official website of Sheikh Dr. Ali Muhammad al-Sallabi:
