Surah Hud, Ayah 83

The Town of Lut's People is overturned and Their Destruction

Allah, the Exalted, says,

فَلَمَّا جَآءَ أَمْرُنَا

(So when Our commandment came,) This happened at sunrise.

جَعَلْنَا عَـلِيَهَا

(We turned it...) The city of Sadum (Sodom)

سَافِلَهَا

(upside down,) This is similar to Allah's statement,

فَغَشَّـهَا مَا غَشَّى

(So there covered them that which did cover (torment with stones).)53:54 This means, "We rained upon it with stones made of Sijjil." Sijjil is a Persian word meaning stones made of clay. This definition has been mentioned by Ibn `Abbas and others. Some of the scholars said that it (Sijjil) derived from the word Sang, which means a stone. Some others said it means Wakil, which is clay. In another verse Allah says,

At the end of the verse (83), after having mentioned the actual punishment that hit the people of Sayyidna Lut (علیہ السلام) was to warn the contemporary peoples of the world that it was said: وَمَا هِيَ مِنَ الظَّالِمِينَ بِبَعِيدٍ (And it is not far from the transgressors). It means that people who insist upon indulging in this shameful act should not consider themselves very far from this punishment. It can come even today. The Holy Prophet said, ` even in my Ummah, some people will do what the people of Lut (علیہ السلام) used to do. When this starts happening, then wait, for they too would be subjected to the same punishment that was inflicted on the people of Lut (علیہ السلام) .'

At first, Lot considered the young men who came to him as human beings. When he became anxious, thinking he was in danger, one of them clarified that they were angels and had been sent by God. In other words, this was not an affair of human beings but a divine matter. As the angels put it, ‘These people will not be able to harm you or us.’ When the townspeople persisted in advancing, one of the angels moved his arm, whereupon all of them became blind and turned back saying, ‘Run away! Lot’s guests appear to be great magicians.’ When God decides to destroy a community because of their arrogance, His will prevails throughout the entire area where they live. On such an occasion, all the living things settled there are affected by God’s retribution. However, by God’s special grace, those who had uttered the truth to these arrogant people, are saved. Conveying the message of God to man provides the best guarantee of avoiding being seized upon by God in this world as well as in the Hereafter. It is recorded in a tradition that, at heart, Lot’s wife was not on his side. But at the last moment, when Lot was leaving the town, saying that by morning God’s punishment would be meted out there, she joined Lot’s caravan. However, while Lot’s people were still on the way, the terrible noise of an earthquake and a storm could be heard from behind. Lot and his trustworthy companions did not pay any attention to what was happening in the rear. But Lot’s wife turned to look behind her. When she saw a dust-storm and heard the noise, she uttered the words, ‘Alas! my community!’ At that moment a stone hit her as a punishment and she dropped dead there and then. This incident has a lesson in it. One who is not really loyal to God and His Prophet will not be safeguarded by joining the caravan of righteous people under the influence of some factor other than the fear of God. His weakness will come to light somewhere or the other and he will be doomed.