The reasons for the destruction of the people of Lot P;4
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 (27)
8- Their disbelief in Allah’s blessings upon them:
Lot (peace be upon him) reminded his people of one of the greatest blessings upon all humanity, which is the blessing of creating males and females, and making each inclined towards the other, finding comfort with one another. This leads to marriage, bringing with it affection and mercy, followed by reproduction and multiplication. From this arise many worldly and otherworldly benefits and advantages. This blessing, like others, must be appreciated, following what Allah Almighty has ordained and observing its limits. However, Lot's people deviated in their nature and their instincts became corrupted. They exceeded the limits of this blessing to what Allah had prohibited. They invented the abomination of approaching males with desire instead of females. Lot (peace be upon him) condemned this deviation and perversion, reminding them of the blessing mentioned earlier. He said, as Allah recounted about him: {Do you approach males among the worlds (165) And leave what your Lord has created for you as mates? But you are a people transgressing." (166)} [Ash-Shu'ara: 165-166]. However, their love for immorality had taken root, and neither admonition nor reminders benefited them. Thus, they were destroyed like others who were destroyed.
9- Publicly displaying sins, transgressions, and immoralities:
The emergence of sin from individual actions to collective behavior, and then openly flaunting it, warns of a dire outcome. The people of Lot were gave the worst example in committing immorality; they deviated from pure, natural disposition and exceeded the limits set by Allah Almighty. Their prophet Lot (peace be upon him) described them as a transgressing people in the verses: {Rather, you are a transgressing people."} [Al-A'raf: 81], and: {But you are a people transgressing} [Ash-Shu'ara: 166], and he described them as ignorant as stated: {Rather, you are a people behaving ignorantly."} [An-Naml: 55], and corrupt as Allah described their town as one that practiced wicked deeds: {And to Lot We gave judgement and knowledge, and We saved him from the city that was committing wicked deeds. Indeed, they were a people of evil, defiantly disobedient.} [Al-Anbya: 74]; referring to its inhabitants.
The angels described them as disobedient in the verse: {Indeed, we will bring down on the people of this city punishment from the sky because they have been defiantly disobedient."} [Al-'Ankabut: 34]. Among the people of Lot, all righteous values became distorted, and their pure nature was corrupted due to their evil deeds.
Thus, that society became characterized by obscenity, aggression, disobedience, evil, corruption, extravagance, injustice, wickedness, ignorance, criminality, shame, disgrace, and scandal, among other traits.
And thus, openly displaying sins and disobedience became natural for them, surpassing the bounds of modesty to the realm of commonality, even pride. They made the reason for seeking the departure of Lot and his family that they were people who sought purity, viewing them as deviants from their society who did not conform to prevailing norms and values, no matter how strange or base these might appear to the discerning eye. Divine punishment was imminent and the decree of Allah for their destruction was manifest. Moreover, the punishment inflicted upon the people of Lot was severer than that upon others. Allah annihilated them with various forms of punishment:
- Rain: {And We rained upon them a rain [of stones]. Then see how was the end of the criminals.} [Al-A'raf: 84].
- Stones marked from layered hard clay: {So when Our command came, We made the highest part [of the city] its lowest and rained upon them stones of layered hard clay, [which were] (82) Marked from your Lord. And it [i.e., Allah's punishment] is not from the wrongdoers [very] far. (83)} [Hud: 82-83].
- The shriek: {So the shriek seized them at sunrise.} [Al-Hijr: 73].
- Overturning their cities by making the high ones the lowest ones: {And We made the highest part [of the city] its lowest and rained upon them stones of hard clay.} [Al-Hijr: 74].
- A storm of stones: {Indeed, We sent upon them a storm of stones, except the family of Lot - We saved them before dawn.} [Al-Qamar: 34].
The people of Lot disobeyed Allah and openly committed sins to the extent that their actions became a challenge to Allah and His Messenger. They mocked their prophet and transgressed against his household. As a punishment, Allah inflicted various types of punishment upon them, unlike any other people before them. Allah has mentioned their story in the Holy Quran and detailed it in different surahs as a lesson for those who reflect and a reminder for those who heed.
The punishment inflicted upon the people of Lot was a swift retribution for their indulgence in and persistence upon obscenity. It served as a deterrent and warning for those who would follow in their footsteps. However, what Allah has prepared for them in the Hereafter is more severe and disgraceful. Allah Almighty does not decree anything except by His wisdom, whether we understand it or not. There are various forms of punishment with Allah, different from what was inflicted upon the people of Lot, and He decrees for those who choose their path as He wills, whether in this world or the Hereafter.
And Allah, after mentioning the destruction of the people of Lot and describing their deeds, said: {And it [i.e., Allah's punishment] is not from the wrongdoers [very] far.} [Hud: 83]. Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him) commented: "And this punishment is not far from those who resemble them in their wrongdoing."
- Ali Muhammad al-Sallabi, Lot (peace be upon him) and his Mission in Confronting Corruption and Sexual Deviance, pp. 328-331.
- Cultural circulation in the Holy Qur’an, Dr. Faraj Allam, p. 178.
- The spirit of meanings, 27/90.
- Tafsir Ibn Kathir, 2/471.
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:
