The reasons for the destruction of the people of Lot P;2
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 (25)
2- Injustice/Wronging:
Injustice/Wronging: placing something in a position where it does not belong. It is of three types:
1. Associating partners with Allah, the Almighty.
2. A person wronging themselves.
3. A person wronging others.
Allah Almighty said: {And when Our messengers [i.e., angels] came to Abraham with the good tidings, they said, "Indeed, we will destroy the people of that [i.e., Lot's] city. Indeed, its people have been wrongdoers."} [Al-'Ankabut: 31].
The people of Lot fell into all three types of injustice.
Among the verses in which injustice/Wronging is mentioned as a cause of destruction are:
- {And We had already destroyed generations before you when they wronged,} [Yunus: 13].
- {And those cities - We destroyed them when they wronged,} [Al-Kahf: 59].
- {So the people that committed wrong were eliminated. And praise to Allah, Lord of the worlds.} [Al-An'am: 45].
- {And how many a city which was unjust have We shattered and produced after it another people.} [Al-Anbya: 11].
- {And how many a city did We destroy while it was committing wrong - so it is [now] fallen into ruin - and [how many] an abandoned well and [how many] a lofty palace.} [Al-Hajj: 45].
And there are other verses that mention injustice/wronging as a reason for the destruction of the perished nations. The foremost type of injustice mentioned is polytheism. Their destruction was due to this and other sins committed by them.
3- Crime:
It is similar to injustice, encompassing polytheism and other sins. Polytheism is the most heinous and abhorrent type of crime. The polytheist commits a grave offense against his Lord by worshiping someone who does not deserve worship alongside the One who deserves it. He also commits a grave offense against himself by humiliating himself to others besides Allah, leading himself to ruin in this world and condemning himself to the abode of destruction in the Hereafter. Allah Almighty said: {Then see how was the end of the criminals.} [Al-A'raf: 84].
The retribution against the people of Lot was due to their crimes against their Creator through polytheism and against Lot (peace be upon him) through denial and harm.
- Ali Muhammad al-Sallabi, Lot (peace be upon him) and his Mission in Confronting Corruption and Sexual Deviance, pp. 323-325.
- The causes of the destruction of previous nations, p. 113.
- The Story of our Master Lot, Fath al-Rahman Othman, p. 28.
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:
