This article introduces the profile of Prophet Luth and narrates his preaching to the people of Sadum whose morals were corrupted, who loved to plunder the wealth of travelers, and were accustomed to engaging in same-sex relations.
The Story of Prophet Luth: Prophet Luth and the People of Sadum
Lūth (Arabic: لُوطٌ, Hebrew: לוֹט, Bible: Lot) (c. 1950-1870 BC) was one of the prophets sent to the land of Sadum and Gomorrah.[1] He was appointed as a prophet in 1900 BC. He was tasked with preaching to the people who lived in the land of Sadum, Sham, Palestine. His name is mentioned 27 times in the Qur'an. He died in the village of Shafrah in Sham, Palestine.
Prophet Luth was a cousin of Prophet Ibrahim. His father, who was named Haran (Abara'an) bin Tareh, was the brother of Ibrahim, and was a twin with his uncle named Nahor. His complete lineage is Luth bin Haran bin Azara bin Nahur bin Suruj bin Ra'u bin Falij bin 'Abir bin Syalih bin Arfahsad bin Syam bin Nuh.
He married a girl named Ado, though another opinion says her name was Walihah. Luth had two daughters named Raitsa and Zaghrata.
The story of Prophet Luth in the Qur'an is found in 85 verses in 12 surahs, among them the surah "Al-Anbiyaa" verses 74 and 75, the surah "Asy-Syu'ara" verses 160 to 175, the surah "Hud" verses 77 to 83, the surah "Al-Qamar" verses 33 to 39, and the surah "At-Tahrim" verse 10.
Prophet Luth was the cousin of Prophet Ibrahim. His father, named Hasan bin Tareh, was the full brother of Prophet Ibrahim. He believed in and accompanied his cousin Prophet Ibrahim in all his journeys, and when they were in Egypt, they worked together in animal husbandry which went well—his livestock multiplied so much that in a short time the numbers had doubled and could not fit in the place that had been prepared.
Finally, the partnership between Ibrahim and Luth was dissolved, and the livestock and property of their business were divided, and Luth separated from Ibrahim, moved to Jordan, and settled in a place named Sadum.
The Story of Prophet Luth: Prophet Luth and the People of Sadum
The people of Sadum were a people of low moral level, corrupt in mind, without any religious foundation or civilized human values. Sin and wrongdoing flourished in their daily lives. Theft and plunder of property were daily occurrences where the strong had power while the weak became victims of oppression and tyranny.
The sin most prominent and characteristic of their way of life was the act of homosexuality (lewat) among the males and lesbianism among the females. Both types of this wrongdoing were so rampant in society that they became a culture for the people of Sadum.
A traveler who entered Sadum would not be safe from their harassment. If he carried valuable goods, they would plunder them, and if he resisted or refused to hand them over, his life would not be spared.
But if the traveler was a handsome man with a beautiful face, he would become the object of contention among them and would become a victim of the vile acts of the males, and conversely if the traveler was a young woman, she would become prey to the females as well.
The Story of Prophet Luth: Prophet Luth and the People of Sadum
To a society whose morals had fallen to such a state and whose social sickness was so severe was sent the prophet Luth as a messenger and apostle of Allah to lift them from the depths of depravity, ignorance, and misguidance, and to bring them to a pure realm of good morals and noble character.
Prophet Luth called them to believe and worship Allah, to abandon the habit of wrongdoing, to distance themselves from the sins and evils inspired by the devil and Satan. He gave them light that Allah had created them and their surroundings and would not be pleased with deeds that approached animal nature and were incompatible with human values, and that Allah would give a reward commensurate with their righteous deeds.
Those who do good and perform righteous acts will be rewarded with Paradise in the Hereafter, while those who commit wrongdoing will be repaid by entering the Fire of Jahannam.
The Story of Prophet Luth: Prophet Luth and the People of Sadum
Prophet Luth called upon them to abandon their customs and the practice of homosexuality and lesbianism because such acts were contrary to human nature and conscience and violated the wisdom contained in the creation of mankind in two sexes—male and female. He also advised and urged them to respect each other's rights and property by abandoning the plunder, robbery, and theft that they constantly committed among themselves and especially toward visitors who came to Sadum.
It was explained to them that these acts would harm themselves, because they would cause chaos and lack of security in the land so that each of them would not feel safe and at peace in their lives.
"The people of Luth rejected the messengers. When their brother Luth said to them: 'Will you not fear Allah? Indeed, I am to you a trustworthy messenger, so fear Allah and obey me.' (QS. asy-Syu'ara: 160-163)
The Story of Prophet Luth: Prophet Luth and the People of Sadum
Thus did Prophet Luth carry out his preaching in accordance with his mission. He never ceased to use every opportunity and at every meeting with his people, in groups or individually, to call them to believe and trust in Allah, to worship Him, to perform righteous deeds, and to abandon sins and wrongdoing.
But the moral collapse and corruption of character had taken such deep root in their way of life and the influence of desires and the misguidance of Satan had become so powerful in controlling their actions, so the preaching and calls of Prophet Luth, carried out with patience and perseverance, found no fertile ground in their hearts and minds and passed like the sound of a cry in the middle of a desert.
Their ears had become deaf to the teachings of Prophet Luth while their hearts and minds had been tightly sealed with the teachings of Satan and the devil.
Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) says:
"And (remember) Luth, when he said to his people: 'Do you commit lewdness such as no people in creation (ever) committed before you? For you practice your lusts on men in preference to women: you are indeed a people transgressing beyond bounds.' (QS. an-Naml: 54-55)
Prophet Luth conveyed the message to them with sincerity and honesty, but what was the answer from his people:
"And his people gave no answer but this: they said, 'Expel the family of Luth from your city; these are indeed men who want to be clean and pure!' (QS. an-Naml: 56)
Why did they make something worthy of praise into something blameworthy that should then be expelled and banished? It is evident that the souls of Prophet Luth's people were truly sick and they were actually harming themselves and taking an arrogant stance against the truth. In the end, the men were inclined toward people of their own kind, rather than toward women. It is strange indeed when they considered purity and cleanliness as evil that must be eradicated. They are sick people who rejected the cure and fought against it.
The Story of Prophet Luth: Prophet Luth and the People of Sadum
The actions of Prophet Luth's people caused him great sorrow. They committed their evil openly in their places. When they saw a stranger or a traveler or a guest entering the city, they would seize him. They said to Prophet Luth, 'Welcome female guests and leave the men for us.' His vile behavior began to become famous.
Prophet Luth struggled against them in great jihad. Prophet Luth presented arguments. Day after day, month after month, and year after year passed, and Prophet Luth continued to preach. But not a single person followed him and no one believed in him except his family, but even his family did not all believe. The wife of Prophet Luth was a disbeliever like the wife of Prophet Nuh:
'Allah sets forth an example for the Unbelievers: the wife of Nuh and the wife of Luth: they were under two of our righteous servants, but they betrayed them, and they profited nothing before Allah on their account, but were told: 'Enter ye the Fire along with (others) that enter!' (QS. at-Tahrim: 10)
The Story of Prophet Luth: Prophet Luth and the People of Sadum
If a home is a place of rest where one finds peace, then Prophet Luth was tormented both outside and inside his home. The life of Prophet Luth was filled with a chain of severe suffering, yet he remained patient with his people. Year after year passed but not a single person believed in him, and they even began to mock his teaching and say whatever they wanted:
'Bring upon us the Wrath of Allah, if thou tellest the truth.' (QS. al-'Ankabut: 29)
The people of Luth felt upset hearing the continuous preaching and advice of Prophet Luth and asked him to stop his preaching activities or face expulsion from Sadum along with his entire family. From the side of Prophet Luth there was also no more hope that the people of Sadum could be lifted from the depths of misguidance and moral corruption, and that continuing to preach to those whose hearts and minds had become blind and deaf and wasting time.
The only remedy, in the opinion of Prophet Luth, to prevent this severe moral disease from spreading to his nearby neighbors, was to eliminate them from the earth as retribution for their stubborn refusal and also to serve as a lesson and warning to the peoples around them. He pleaded with Allah that His punishment be brought upon the people of Sadum as a lesson in this world before the punishment that awaited them in the Hereafter.
Loading the full version…