لُوط
Lut (Lot)
A warning to a people committing what no nation had before, and a household saved by night
Lut was sent to a people whose specific transgression the Quran names directly and repeatedly: turning to men instead of women, an act it says no nation before them had committed. His story follows a shape shared with several other warner-prophets — a clear rebuke, a people who answer only by threatening to expel him, angelic messengers arriving as guests, and a destruction that spares his household by night, except for his own wife, who stayed behind under the same judgment as those she lived among.
As no one has preceded you with
Lut confronted his people directly: do you commit such immorality as no one has preceded you with among the worlds? You approach men with desire instead of women — you are a transgressing people. Elsewhere the same charge is repeated, adding that they obstruct the road and commit evil openly in their gatherings. Their answer was not repentance but a demand: bring us the punishment of God, if you are truthful.
وَلُوطًا إِذْ قَالَ لِقَوْمِهِۦٓ أَتَأْتُونَ ٱلْفَٰحِشَةَ مَا سَبَقَكُم بِهَا مِنْ أَحَدٍۢ مِّنَ ٱلْعَٰلَمِينَ
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?
إِنَّكُمْ لَتَأْتُونَ ٱلرِّجَالَ شَهْوَةًۭ مِّن دُونِ ٱلنِّسَآءِ ۚ بَلْ أَنتُمْ قَوْمٌۭ مُّسْرِفُونَ
Indeed, you approach men with desire, instead of women. Rather, you are a transgressing people."
أَتَأْتُونَ ٱلذُّكْرَانَ مِنَ ٱلْعَٰلَمِينَ
Do you approach males among the worlds
وَتَذَرُونَ مَا خَلَقَ لَكُمْ رَبُّكُم مِّنْ أَزْوَٰجِكُم ۚ بَلْ أَنتُمْ قَوْمٌ عَادُونَ
And leave what your Lord has created for you as mates? But you are a people transgressing."
وَلُوطًا إِذْ قَالَ لِقَوْمِهِۦٓ إِنَّكُمْ لَتَأْتُونَ ٱلْفَٰحِشَةَ مَا سَبَقَكُم بِهَا مِنْ أَحَدٍۢ مِّنَ ٱلْعَٰلَمِينَ
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.
أَئِنَّكُمْ لَتَأْتُونَ ٱلرِّجَالَ وَتَقْطَعُونَ ٱلسَّبِيلَ وَتَأْتُونَ فِى نَادِيكُمُ ٱلْمُنكَرَ ۖ فَمَا كَانَ جَوَابَ قَوْمِهِۦٓ إِلَّآ أَن قَالُوا۟ ٱئْتِنَا بِعَذَابِ ٱللَّهِ إِن كُنتَ مِنَ ٱلصَّٰدِقِينَ
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."
A trying day
When angelic messengers arrived at Lut's house as guests, he was distressed for them and said, this is a trying day. His people came rushing, as they had long been doing evil — Lut appealed to them to fear God and not disgrace him before his guests, but they told him plainly they had no interest in what he offered and knew exactly what they wanted. His people's own answer to his rebuke was a threat: if you do not desist, Lut, you will surely be evicted.
وَلَمَّا جَآءَتْ رُسُلُنَا لُوطًۭا سِىٓءَ بِهِمْ وَضَاقَ بِهِمْ ذَرْعًۭا وَقَالَ هَٰذَا يَوْمٌ عَصِيبٌۭ
And when Our messengers, [the angels], came to Lot, he was anguished for them and felt for them great discomfort and said, "This is a trying day."
وَجَآءَهُۥ قَوْمُهُۥ يُهْرَعُونَ إِلَيْهِ وَمِن قَبْلُ كَانُوا۟ يَعْمَلُونَ ٱلسَّيِّـَٔاتِ ۚ قَالَ يَٰقَوْمِ هَٰٓؤُلَآءِ بَنَاتِى هُنَّ أَطْهَرُ لَكُمْ ۖ فَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ وَلَا تُخْزُونِ فِى ضَيْفِىٓ ۖ أَلَيْسَ مِنكُمْ رَجُلٌۭ رَّشِيدٌۭ
And his people came hastening to him, and before [this] they had been doing evil deeds. He said, "O my people, these are my daughters; they are purer for you. So fear Allah and do not disgrace me concerning my guests. Is there not among you a man of reason?"
قَالُوا۟ لَقَدْ عَلِمْتَ مَا لَنَا فِى بَنَاتِكَ مِنْ حَقٍّۢ وَإِنَّكَ لَتَعْلَمُ مَا نُرِيدُ
They said, "You have already known that we have not concerning your daughters any claim, and indeed, you know what we want."
قَالُوا۟ لَئِن لَّمْ تَنتَهِ يَٰلُوطُ لَتَكُونَنَّ مِنَ ٱلْمُخْرَجِينَ
They said, "If you do not desist, O Lot, you will surely be of those evicted."
قَالَ إِنِّى لِعَمَلِكُم مِّنَ ٱلْقَالِينَ
He said, "Indeed, I am, toward your deed, of those who detest [it].
Set out with your family during a portion of the night
The angels revealed themselves as messengers of Lut's Lord and told him: they will never reach you. Set out with your family during a portion of the night, and let no one among you look back, except your wife — she will be struck by what strikes them. Their appointed time was the morning, and the morning was near. Lut prayed for his own and his family's rescue, and God saved them all, except an old woman among those who remained behind.
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
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?"
رَبِّ نَجِّنِى وَأَهْلِى مِمَّا يَعْمَلُونَ
My Lord, save me and my family from [the consequence of] what they do."
فَنَجَّيْنَٰهُ وَأَهْلَهُۥٓ أَجْمَعِينَ
So We saved him and his family, all,
إِلَّا عَجُوزًۭا فِى ٱلْغَٰبِرِينَ
Except an old woman among those who remained behind.
We made the highest part its lowest
When God's command came, the city was overturned — its highest part made its lowest — and stones of layered hard clay rained down upon them, marked from their Lord, a punishment never far from the wrongdoers. The Quran draws the same scene into a wider example twice more: God rained upon them a rain of stones, evil was the rain of those who were warned, and Lut's own wife is named alongside Nuh's as an example of those under a righteous servant who nonetheless betrayed him and were told to enter the Fire with the rest.
فَلَمَّا جَآءَ أَمْرُنَا جَعَلْنَا عَٰلِيَهَا سَافِلَهَا وَأَمْطَرْنَا عَلَيْهَا حِجَارَةًۭ مِّن سِجِّيلٍۢ مَّنضُودٍۢ
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]
مُّسَوَّمَةً عِندَ رَبِّكَ ۖ وَمَا هِىَ مِنَ ٱلظَّٰلِمِينَ بِبَعِيدٍۢ
Marked from your Lord. And Allah 's punishment is not from the wrongdoers [very] far.
وَمَا كَانَ جَوَابَ قَوْمِهِۦٓ إِلَّآ أَن قَالُوٓا۟ أَخْرِجُوهُم مِّن قَرْيَتِكُمْ ۖ إِنَّهُمْ أُنَاسٌۭ يَتَطَهَّرُونَ
But the answer of his people was only that they said, "Evict them from your city! Indeed, they are men who keep themselves pure."
فَأَنجَيْنَٰهُ وَأَهْلَهُۥٓ إِلَّا ٱمْرَأَتَهُۥ كَانَتْ مِنَ ٱلْغَٰبِرِينَ
So We saved him and his family, except for his wife; she was of those who remained [with the evildoers].
وَأَمْطَرْنَا عَلَيْهِم مَّطَرًۭا ۖ فَٱنظُرْ كَيْفَ كَانَ عَٰقِبَةُ ٱلْمُجْرِمِينَ
And We rained upon them a rain [of stones]. Then see how was the end of the criminals.
ثُمَّ دَمَّرْنَا ٱلْءَاخَرِينَ
Then We destroyed the others.
وَأَمْطَرْنَا عَلَيْهِم مَّطَرًۭا ۖ فَسَآءَ مَطَرُ ٱلْمُنذَرِينَ
And We rained upon them a rain [of stones], and evil was the rain of those who were warned.
ضَرَبَ ٱللَّهُ مَثَلًۭا لِّلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ ٱمْرَأَتَ نُوحٍۢ وَٱمْرَأَتَ لُوطٍۢ ۖ كَانَتَا تَحْتَ عَبْدَيْنِ مِنْ عِبَادِنَا صَٰلِحَيْنِ فَخَانَتَاهُمَا فَلَمْ يُغْنِيَا عَنْهُمَا مِنَ ٱللَّهِ شَيْـًۭٔا وَقِيلَ ٱدْخُلَا ٱلنَّارَ مَعَ ٱلدَّٰخِلِينَ
Allah presents an example of those who disbelieved: the wife of Noah and the wife of Lot. They were under two of Our righteous servants but betrayed them, so those prophets did not avail them from Allah at all, and it was said, "Enter the Fire with those who enter."