The story in short
- Arabic name
- لوط
- English name
- Lot
- Named in the Quran
- 27 times
- Sent to
- The people of the cities near the Dead Sea (Sodom, in the books of history)
- In the list of 25
- 7 of 25
In short: Lut was one of the first to believe in Ibrahim (29:26). Allah sent him to a people who approached men with desire instead of women, robbed travellers and committed evil openly in their gatherings. He warned them for years and they threatened to expel him. Angels came to him as guests, told him to leave by night with his family, and the cities were overturned and struck with stones of baked clay. His wife, who did not believe, was left behind.
The story of Lut
Lut and his call
"And Lot believed him" (29:26), that is, he believed Ibrahim, and he left with him when Ibrahim emigrated. He was then sent to a people and said to them: "Do you commit such immorality as no one has preceded you with from among the worlds? Indeed, you approach men with desire, instead of women. Rather, you are a transgressing people" (7:80-81). He also warned them about cutting off the road and committing evil in their meetings (29:29). Their only answer was: "Evict them from your city. Indeed, they are men who keep themselves pure" (7:82).
The guests
The angels who gave Ibrahim the glad tidings of Ishaq went on to Lut, appearing as handsome young men. Lut was distressed for them, knowing his people (11:77). The men of the city came rushing to his house. Lut said: "O my people, these are my daughters; they are purer for you", meaning, as many scholars explain, the women of the nation whom they could marry lawfully, and he asked: "Is there not among you a man of reason?" (11:78). He said he wished he had strength, or a strong support to turn to (11:80). The Prophet ﷺ said: "May Allah have mercy on Lut. He used to seek refuge with a strong support", meaning Allah.1
Leaving by night
The angels revealed who they were: "O Lut, indeed we are messengers of your Lord; they will never reach you. So set out with your family during a portion of the night and let not any among you look back, except your wife. Indeed, she will be struck by that which strikes them" (11:81). At sunrise "We made the highest part of the city its lowest and rained upon them stones of layered hard clay" (11:82). The Quran gives Lut's wife, with Nuh's wife, as an example of those who betrayed their husbands in faith (66:10). Ibn Abbas explained that this betrayal was in belief, not in chastity.
Key verses
وَلُوطًا إِذْ قَالَ لِقَوْمِهِۦٓ أَتَأْتُونَ ٱلْفَٰحِشَةَ مَا سَبَقَكُم بِهَا مِنْ أَحَدٍۢ مِّنَ ٱلْعَٰلَمِينَ ﴿٨٠﴾ إِنَّكُمْ لَتَأْتُونَ ٱلرِّجَالَ شَهْوَةًۭ مِّن دُونِ ٱلنِّسَآءِ ۚ بَلْ أَنتُمْ قَوْمٌۭ مُّسْرِفُونَ ﴿٨١﴾
Wa Lootan iz qaala liqawmiheee ataatoonal faahishata maa sabaqakum bihaa min ahadim minal 'aalameen Innakum lataatoonar rijaala shahwatam min doonin nisaaa'; bal antumqawmum musrifoon
(80) And [We had sent] Lot when he said to his people, "Do you commit such immorality as no one has preceded you with from among the worlds? (81) Indeed, you approach men with desire, instead of women. Rather, you are a transgressing people."
Quran 7:80-81 · Sahih International · Read in Surah Al-Araf
قَالُوا۟ يَٰلُوطُ إِنَّا رُسُلُ رَبِّكَ لَن يَصِلُوٓا۟ إِلَيْكَ ۖ فَأَسْرِ بِأَهْلِكَ بِقِطْعٍۢ مِّنَ ٱلَّيْلِ وَلَا يَلْتَفِتْ مِنكُمْ أَحَدٌ إِلَّا ٱمْرَأَتَكَ ۖ إِنَّهُۥ مُصِيبُهَا مَآ أَصَابَهُمْ ۚ إِنَّ مَوْعِدَهُمُ ٱلصُّبْحُ ۚ أَلَيْسَ ٱلصُّبْحُ بِقَرِيبٍۢ ﴿٨١﴾ فَلَمَّا جَآءَ أَمْرُنَا جَعَلْنَا عَٰلِيَهَا سَافِلَهَا وَأَمْطَرْنَا عَلَيْهَا حِجَارَةًۭ مِّن سِجِّيلٍۢ مَّنضُودٍۢ ﴿٨٢﴾
Qaaloo yaa Lootu innaa Rusulu Rabbika lai yasiloo ilaika fa asri bi ahlika biqit 'im minal laili wa laa yaltafit minkum ahadun illam ra ataka innahoo museebuhaa maaa asaabahum; inna maw'i dahumus subh; alaisas subhu biqareeb Falammaa jaaa'a amrunaa ja'alnaa 'aaliyahaa saafilahaa wa amtamaa 'alaihaa hijaaratam min sijjeelim mandood
(81) The angels said, "O Lot, indeed we are messengers of your Lord; [therefore], they will never reach you. So set out with your family during a portion of the night and let not any among you look back - except your wife; indeed, she will be struck by that which strikes them. Indeed, their appointment is [for] the morning. Is not the morning near?" (82) 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]
Quran 11:81-82 · Sahih International · Read in Surah Hud
وَلُوطًا إِذْ قَالَ لِقَوْمِهِۦٓ إِنَّكُمْ لَتَأْتُونَ ٱلْفَٰحِشَةَ مَا سَبَقَكُم بِهَا مِنْ أَحَدٍۢ مِّنَ ٱلْعَٰلَمِينَ ﴿٢٨﴾ أَئِنَّكُمْ لَتَأْتُونَ ٱلرِّجَالَ وَتَقْطَعُونَ ٱلسَّبِيلَ وَتَأْتُونَ فِى نَادِيكُمُ ٱلْمُنكَرَ ۖ فَمَا كَانَ جَوَابَ قَوْمِهِۦٓ إِلَّآ أَن قَالُوا۟ ٱئْتِنَا بِعَذَابِ ٱللَّهِ إِن كُنتَ مِنَ ٱلصَّٰدِقِينَ ﴿٢٩﴾
Wa Lootan iz qaala liqawmiheee innakum laatoonal faahishata maa sabaqakum bihaa min ahadim minal 'aalameen A'innakum lataatoonar rijaala wa taqta'oonas sabeela wa taatoona fee naadekumul munkara famaa kaana jawaaba qawmiheee illaaa an qaalu' tinaaa bi'azaabil laahi in kunta minas saadiqeen
(28) And [mention] Lot, when he said to his people, "Indeed, you commit such immorality as no one has preceded you with from among the worlds. (29) Indeed, you approach men and obstruct the road and commit in your meetings [every] evil." And the answer of his people was not but they said, "Bring us the punishment of Allah, if you should be of the truthful."
Quran 29:28-29 · Sahih International · Read in Surah Al-Ankabut
Lessons from the story
- A believer keeps calling to good even when almost no one listens.
- Allah is the strong support. Lut's real refuge was never his tribe.
- Sins that become public and proud bring a heavier consequence.
- Faith is personal. Being a prophet's wife did not save her, as being Pharaoh's wife did not harm Asiyah (66:10-11).
Where it is in the Quran
The main passages about Lut, with links to read and listen to each surah:
- Surah Al-Araf 7:80-84
- Surah Hud 11:77-83
- Surah Al-Hijr 15:57-77
- Surah Ash-Shuara 26:160-175
- Surah An-Naml 27:54-58
- Surah Al-Ankabut 29:26-35
- Surah Al-Qamar 54:33-39
What is authentic, and what is not
The Quran does not name the cities. They are known as Sodom and Gomorrah in the books of history, and the Quran speaks of them as "the overturned cities" (9:70, 53:53). Their usual placement near the Dead Sea comes from historians. The Quran tells the people of Makkah: "you pass by them in the morning and at night" (37:137), a reference to the trade route to Syria. Detailed numbers of the people and of the angel's actions found in some books come from Isra'iliyyat.
We follow Ibn Kathir's Qasas al-Anbiya only where it rests on the Quran and sound hadith. Isra'iliyyat are reports taken from earlier scriptures and storytellers. Scholars allow mentioning them only when they do not contradict the Quran and Sunnah, and they are never treated as certain.
Questions
What was the sin of the people of Lut?
The Quran says they approached men with desire instead of women (7:81), and also robbed travellers and committed evil openly in their gatherings (29:29).
Was Lut Ibrahim's nephew?
The books of history say he was the son of Ibrahim's brother. The Quran says he believed in Ibrahim and emigrated with him (29:26, 21:71).
Why was Lut's wife punished?
She did not believe and sided with her people. The Quran gives her as an example of disbelief despite being married to a prophet (66:10).
Where were the cities of Lut?
Historians place them near the Dead Sea. The Quran calls them the overturned cities and says the Arabs passed by them on their journeys (37:137).
Sources
- Sahih al-Bukhari 3372; Sahih Muslim 151.
- Ibn Kathir, Qasas al-Anbiya, chapter on Lut, and his tafsir of 11:77-83 and 66:10.
- Quran: Arabic from the Tanzil Uthmani text, English by Sahih International. In quotations within the text, the prophets' names are given in their Arabic form (Musa for Moses, Ibrahim for Abraham).
The rulings on this page are pending review by the scholars on our team.