Verses 77–83

Examining Narrations

(1) In al-Kāfī, al-Kulaynī narrates from Zakariyā b. Muḥammad (from his father), from ʿAmr, from Imām al-Bāqir: ‘The people of Lot were some of the best people that God had created, so Satan pursued them vigorously. One of their virtuous practices was that the men would go out to work and leave their womenfolk behind. But Satan would not give up his hostility to them and, when they returned, he ruined what they had accomplished.

So the people of Lot said to one another: “Let us keep watch for the one who is ruining our belongings.” So they kept watch and found that it was a young boy who was extremely handsome. They asked him, “Are you the one who keeps ruining our belongings?” They agreed among themselves to kill him, so they kept him overnight with a guard. At night, the boy cried out, “What’s wrong with you?” the guard asked, “I can only sleep when I’m lying on my father’s belly.” The man responded, “Come, sleep on my belly.”

20:190The boy kept caressing the man until he taught him how to commit a sinful act. Firstly, Satan had taught the boy, and secondly, the boy taught the man. Afterward, the boy escaped. The next morning, the man began to speak about what he had done with the boy. This was met with astonishment by the people who did not know about the act that the boy had committed, and they became curious about it. This led to the men satisfying themselves with each other. Then, they then began to ambush travellers in order to commit sinful acts with them. This caused people to abandon their city. Eventually, they also abandoned their women and turned entirely towards boys.

When Satan saw that he had successfully corrupted the men, he went to the women, transforming himself into a woman. He asked them, “Are your men satisfying themselves with each other?” They responded, “Yes, we have seen it.” All the while, Lot was admonishing them and preaching to them, but Satan kept tempting them until the women began satisfying themselves with other women. When the guilt against them was established, God sent Gabriel, Michael, and Raphael disguised as young boys, each wearing a turban. They passed by Lot while he was working the fields. He asked them, “Where are you going? I have never seen anyone more handsome than you!” They said, “We are the messengers of our master to the lord of this town.” He asked, “Has your master not informed you about what the people of this town are doing? By God, they take men and abuse them until they are bloody.” They replied, “Our lord master ordered us to pass through it.” He said, “I have a request for you.” They asked, “What is it?” He said, “Wait for me here until dusk.”

So they sat and waited. He then sent his daughter with bread and water for them in a gourd, and a cloak to protect them from the cold. But when his daughter left, it began to rain and the valley flooded. Lot said, “The flood will sweep away the boys.” He said to them, “Let’s get moving.” Lot began walking along the base of the wall, while Gabriel, Michael, and Raphael walked in the middle of the road. Lot told them, “Walk over here, my sons.” But they replied, “Our master commanded us to walk in the middle of the road.” Lot was trying to make use of the cover of dark.

20:191Satan passed by and stole a baby boy from a woman, then threw him in the well. The entire town started yelling at Lot’s door. When they saw the boys in Lot’s house, they said, “Lot, are you partaking in our deeds now?” He replied, “These are my guests, don’t dishonor me in their regard.” They said, “There are three of them, keep one and give us two.” Lot took them into a room and said, “If only I had a household to protect me from you!” They battered on the door until they broke in and threw Lot out. Then Gabriel said to him, “We are messengers of your Lord, they will not reach you.” Gabriel took a handful of gravel, hit them in the faces and said, “Blind are the countenances.” All the people of the town went blind. Lot then said to the angels, “O messengers of my Lord, what is your Lord’s command concerning them?” They replied, “We were commanded to seize them for punishment at dawn.” He said, “I have a request.” They asked, “What is it?” He said, ‘Take them now, for I fear that their sin might be exposed to my Lord.” They said, “Indeed their tryst is the dawn. Is not the dawn near for those about to be taken? Take your daughters and go, leave your wife behind.”’

Imām al-Bāqir added: ‘May God have mercy on Lot. If he had known who was with him in the room, he would have known that he was destined to be victorious. He said, “If only I had some power through you, or could take refuge in a mighty support!” (11:80) But what support could be stronger than having Gabriel right there in the room with him? Then God told Muḥammad, ‘… never far from the wrongdoers.’ (11:83) Meaning: ‘The wrongdoers of your nation if they do what the people of Lot did.’ The Prophet, said, ‘Whoever pursues men will not die until men are called to him.’ Author’s comment: The account in this narration is somewhat confused. It says three angels were sent, but other narrations—such as the one we cited from Abū Yazīd al-Ḥammār, from Imām al-Ṣādiq, in the previous section—says that there were four including Kerubiel. Some Sunni narrations state they were three: Gabriel, Michael, and Raphael. The narration also suggests that Lot’s words ‘If only I had some power through you…’, were addressed to the angels, not the people, whereas it is clear from our analysis of the verses that Lot was speaking to his people.

20:192As for his saying, ‘May God have mercy on Lot. If he had known…’, this is similar in meaning to the narration attributed to the Prophet: ‘May God have mercy on Lot, he would have taken refuge in a mighty support…’

As for his saying, ‘Then God told Muḥammad’, this correlates with what we said earlier about the possibility of the phrase never far from the wrongdoers being intended as a warning to the Quraysh.

(2) In Tafsīr al-Qummī, it is narrated via a chain from Abū Baṣīr, from Imām al-Ṣādiq, about the verse, ‘and We rained on it stones of laminar shale, marked …’ (11:82–83): ‘There is no servant who leaves this world who considers the behavior of Lot’s people permissible save that God will pelt him with one of those stones, and it will be his final end, but no one will see it.’

Author’s comment: It is also narrated in al-Kāfī, via a chain of narrators from Maymūn al-Bān, from the Imām: ‘Whoever persists in the sin of Lot’s people will not die until he is pelted by one of those stones, and it will be his final end, but no one will see it.’

Both of these traditions suggest that the verse, never far from the wrongdoers, is not specific to the Quraysh, and that this punishment is spiritual rather than physical.

(3) In al-Kāfī, al-Kulaynī narrates from Yaʿqūb b. Shuʿayb, from Imām al-Ṣādiq, about Lot’s saying, ‘… these are my daughters: they are purer for you’: ‘He proposed that they should marry them.’ (4) In al-Tahdhīb, al-Ṭūsī narrates from Imām al-Riḍā: Regarding a man approaching a woman from behind, he said: ‘It is made permissible by a verse from the book of God when Lot says, these are my daughters: they are purer for you, when He knew that they did not desire vaginal intercourse.’

(5) In al-Durr al-Manthūr, Abū al-Shaykh reports that ʿAlī delivered a sermon in which he said: ‘A man’s clan’s support for him is better than a man’s support for his clan, for if he withholds his hand from them, he holds back only one hand, while a clan can keep many hands away from a man, along with their love, protection, and support. Perhaps one man becomes angry with another, and he does not know him except by his lineage (and that is all that prevents him from doing harm to him). I will recite to you from that verses of the Book of God.’ Then he recited this verse: ‘If only I had some power through you, or could take refuge in a mighty support!’

20:193Ali continued: ‘The mighty support mentioned in this verse is the clan, but Lot did not have a clan. I swear by the one there is no God but Him, God did not send a prophet after Lot, except amongst an abundance of his own people.’

Author’s comment: The end of the narration is reported through Sunni and Shia chains of narration.

(6) In al-Kāfī, al-Kulaynī narrates a tradition from Abū Yazīd al-Ḥammār from Imām al-Bāqir, which we cited in the previous section. In it, we read: ‘The angels came to Lot while he was farming near the town. They greeted him while they were disguised. When he saw their handsome appearance—they wore white clothes and white turbans—he asked them: “Will you stay in my home?” They replied: “Yes.” So, he led them and they walked behind him. He regretted inviting them to his home and said: “What have I done? I brought them to my people, knowing full well what they are like.” He told them: “Indeed, you have come to the worst of God’s creation.” Gabriel said to the other angels: “We will not hasten God’s punishment upon them until he testifies against them three times.” Then he said: “This makes one.” He walked for a while, then turned to them and said: “Indeed, you come to the worst of God’s creation.” Gabriel said: “That makes two.” Then he walked until he reached the city gate, he turned to them and said: “Indeed, you come to the worst of God’s creation.” Gabriel said: “That is the third.” Then he entered and they entered with him until they reached his house.

When his wife saw them, she beheld their handsome appearance and climbed onto the roof. She clapped, but the people didn’t hear her. So, she started a fire, and when they saw the smoke, they rushed to the door until they reached it. She came down to them and said: “We have people, I have never seen people with a more handsome appearance.” They came to the door to enter.

20:194When Lot saw them, he stood up and said to them: “Be wary of Allah and do not humiliate me with regard to my guests. Is there not a right-minded man among you?” (11:78) Then he said: “these are my daughters: they are purer for you.” He called them all to what is lawful. They said: “You certainly know that we have no interest in your daughters, and indeed you know what we want.” He said to them: “If only I had some power through you, or could take refuge in a mighty support!’” Gabriel said: “If only he knew the power he has!”

The people massed until they forced their way in through the door. Gabriel shouted at them and said: ‘O Lot, let them in.’ When they entered, Gabriel pointed his finger at them and their eyes were blinded. This is what God Almighty said: whereat We blotted out their eyes (54:37). Then Gabriel called him and said to him: “we are messengers of your Lord. They will never get at you.” He advised him to leave with his family in a portion of the night. Gabriel said to him: “We have been sent for their destruction.” He said: “O Gabriel, hurry.” He said: “Indeed, their appointment is the morning. Is not the morning near?”

He was commanded to take whoever was with him except his wife. Then he, Gabriel, uprooted the city from the seven earths with his wing. Then he raised it until the inhabitants of the lowest heaven heard the howling of its dogs and the crowing of its roosters. Then he turned it over and rained stones of baked clay upon it and upon those around it.

Author’s comment: The final part of the narration, which includes the city being uprooted from seven earths and then raised to the point where the inhabitants of the lowest heaven could hear the barking of its dogs and the crowing of its roosters, is an extraordinary event. While such an event is not beyond God’s omnipotent power, this type of narration, which is isolated and not widely reported, does not suf ce as proof of its occurrence.

Indeed, the divine norm is that miracles and extraordinary events are meant to serve a purpose. What wisdom could there be in raising them to such an extent, if it had no impact on the people of Lot’s punishment or its severity?

20:195Some theologians have said that such extraordinary and supernatural events could be seen as an act of divine kindness (luṭf), insomuch as the reporting of such events through the infallible prophets can draw believers closer to obedience and deter them from sin. This is a valid point, as the creation of magnificent, awe-inspiring events and phenomena that defy ordinary expectations can strengthen the faith of believers and serve as a lesson for those who heed such warnings. However, such divine kindness only applies when the event is perceived through sensory experience or any other form of empirical knowledge. A solitary or weak narration that lacks authoritative support should not be given any consideration. The occurrence of supernatural events or extraordinary incidents simply to provide a lesson or invoke fear is pointless if it doesn’t reach people, and there is no rationale for intensifying the punishment of one group as a lesson for others except in the practices of ignorant tyrants and oppressors.

In his commentary on the Qurʾan, al-Manār, Rashīd Riḍā writes: ‘One of the mythical accounts that commentators have taken from Judeo-Christian traditions is that Gabriel uprooted the city with his wing from the edge of the earth, and ascended with it to the zenith of the sky until the inhabitants of the heavens heard the sounds of dogs and chickens in it, then he overturned it completely, making the highest part its lowest.

This imaginary account is based on the belief that celestial bodies inhabited by living beings are within reach of the inhabitants of earth and its creatures, and that they remain alive. However, it has been scientif cally proven by observation and actual testing in our current era that aircraft and balloons that are created to function in the atmosphere can reach a point where the air pressure is low, and human life becomes impossible there. They are also manufacturing types of these aircraft which are supplied with enough oxygen for breathing and sustaining life in the upper layers of the atmosphere.

The Glorious Book, the Qur’an, has referred to the impact of ascending into the atmosphere on breathing dif culty, as it can cause chest constriction. As stated in the verse: Whomever Allah desires to guide, He opens his breast to Islam, and whomever He desires to lead astray, He makes his breast narrow and straitened as if he were climbing into the heavens (6:125). Now, one might argue that the act attributed to Gabriel in the narrative is rationally possible, and its occurrence is an exception to normal occurrences, then it isn’t appropriate to require belief in it to hinge upon known laws of nature.

20:196To this I would respond: Yes, however, the first condition for accepting a narrative about an event that goes against the norms and laws God has set up to organise the world, concerning both its construction and destruction, is that the narrative must have come from divine revelation and been transmitted either through continuous testimony from an infallible source, or through an authentic chain of narration without anomalies or flaws at the very least. Yet, this has not been mentioned in God’s book, there is no reported tradition from His Prophet about it, and God’s wisdom does not appear in it—it has only been reported by some of the generation of the Successors, not the Companions of the Prophet. Without a doubt, it is taken from Judeo-Christian sources.

Another claim made by people is that the inhabitants of the city were four million in number, yet all of Palestine wouldn’t hold this number of people, so how were these millions of people living among those four towns?’

As for what Rashīd Riḍā says about the tradition being narrated by the Successors rather than the Companions, a tradition with the same meaning is actually narrated from both Ibn ʿAbbās and Hudhayfa b. al-Yamān. In al-Durr al-Manthūr, al-Suyūṭī transmits Ibn ʿAbbās’ narration from Isḥāq b. Bishr and Ibn ʿAsākir, via Juwaybar and Muqātil from al-Ḍaḥḥāk, from him: ‘When dawn broke, Gabriel turned to the towns of Lot—with their men, women, fruits, and birds—enclosed and folded them, then uprooted them from the surface of the earth. He carried them under his wing and raised them to the lowest heaven—so that its inhabitants could hear the barking of dogs and the birds, and the cries of the women and men under Gabriel’s wing—then he overturned the town and cast it down, following it with a rain of stones. The stones were for the shepherds and merchants and anyone else outside their towns.’

Meanwhile, in the narration from Hudhayfa b. al-Yamān, al-Suyūṭī narrates it in al-Durr al-Manthūr from ʿAbd al-Razzāq, Ibn Jarīr, Ibn al-Mundhir, and Ibn Abī al-Ḥātim from him. It reads: ‘Gabriel asked permission to destroy them, and he was granted permission. He carried the ground they were on and hovered with it until the inhabitants of the nearest heaven could hear the barking of their dogs, then he ignited a fire beneath them and turned it over with them. Lot’s wife heard the sound while she was with Lot, so she turned back and the punishment struck her, and those inhabitants of the city who were travelling abroad were pursued by stones.’

20:197As for the Successors, traditions with this meaning were narrated from Saʿīd b. Jubayr, Mujāhid, Abū Ṣāliḥ, Muḥammad b. Kaʿb al-Quraẓī, and something even more intense from al-Sudayy, who recounted: ‘When they awoke, Gabriel descended and uprooted the ground from the seven earths, then carried it until he reached the lowest heaven, then Gabriel cast it down to the earth.’

As for Rashīd Riḍā‘s claim that for a narrative to be accepted, it must have ‘been transmitted either through continuous testimony from an infallible source, or through an authentic chain of narration without anomalies or flaws’, this is a matter of legal theory. The current consensus on the matter is that if a report is continuously transmitted or supported by conclusive evidence, there is no reason to doubt its authoritativeness. However, no other reports are considered authoritative unless they pertain to matters of jurisprudence and law, in which case the report is treated as credible based on specific probable knowledge and, as such, is authoritative.

This is because religious authoritativeness (ḥujjiyya sharʿiyya) is a rational convention, which follows from the practical relevance of topic in which there can be religious legislation and authority. In historical issues and matters of faith, there is no sense in establishing any authority, as they do not have any practical religious impact. There is no sense in the legislator deeming ignorance as knowledge and making people blindly follow it. As for external matters, even if it is possible for them to have a religious impact, their effects are partial and religious legislation can only pertain to generalities. Detailed discussion on this matter should be sought from discussions of legal theory (uṣūl al-fiqh, or ‘the principles of jurisprudence’). (7) In al-Durr al-Manthūr, Ibn Mardawayh cites Ubayy b. Kaʿb, who said: ‘The Messenger of God said: “May God have mercy on Lot, for he would seek refuge in a mighty support.”‘

Author’s comment: Given the circumstances under which Lot was confronting his people and advising them to fear God and abstain from immorality, and the apparent context of the verses describing the argument between him and his people, it seems that Lot only wished for righteous supporters among his people or others. So, when he said, ‘… or could take refuge in a mighty support’, he meant supporters other than his people, such as relatives, allies, or Godly friends who would help him protect his guests. This ‘mighty support’ was, in fact, already with him in his house in the form of the angels Gabriel, Michael, and Raphael. Hence, they comforted him immediately after he uttered these words and said, ‘O Lot, we are messengers of your Lord. They will never get at you.’

20:198Lot would not neglect his Lord under any circumstances or forget that all the assistance that comes to him is from Him, let alone to the point of forgetting Him and wishing for a helper other than Him. Far be it from such a noble prophet to be associated with such reprehensible ignorance. God Almighty has said about him: We gave judgement and knowledge to Lot, … and We admitted him into Our mercy. Indeed he was one of the righteous. (21:75).

So, the Prophet’s statement, ‘… for he would seek refuge in a mighty support’, means that Gabriel and the rest of the angels were already with him, but he was unaware of this. It does not mean that God was with him, and he was ignorant of his Lord’s status.

As for what some narratives report, namely that what the Messenger of God said implied that what he meant by ‘a mighty support’ is God, glorified is He, rather than the angels, is due to how some narrators of the tradition have understood it. This is as reported from Abū Hurayra, who said: ‘The Messenger of God said: “May God have mercy on Lot - he used to seek refuge in a mighty support,” meaning God Almighty.’

Also from him via another route of transmission: ‘The Prophet said: “May God forgive Lot—indeed, he used to seek refuge in a mighty support.”‘ This report might be an instance of transmission of the meaning rather than the wording of a tradition, as the Prophet said, ‘May God have mercy on Lot’, but the narrator altered it to say, ‘May God forgive Lot.’ However, this suggests that Lot had neglected some manners of divine servanthood or committed a sin by misunderstanding his Lord’s status or forgetting something that he should not have forgotten.

A Discourse on the Story of Lot

The story of Lot and his people in the Qurʾan:

20:199Lot was from Chaldea in the land of Babylon and was one of the first to believe in Abraham. He believed in him and said, ‘Indeed I am migrating toward my Lord’ (29:26). So, God saved him along with Abraham and took them to the Holy Land, the land of Palestine (21:71), and Lot settled in one of its regions (which is the city of Sodom, as reported in historical chronicles, the Torah, and some narrations).

The people of the city and its surrounding towns—which God refers to in the Qurʾan as the towns that were overturned (al-muʾtafikāt, 9:70)— worshipped idols and committed immoralities: sodomy, and they were the first people among whom it became widespread (7:80). They committed it in their gatherings without reservation (29:29), and the it persisted among them until it became a social norm, plaguing the majority of them. They abandoned women and engaged in highway robbery (29:29).

So God sent Lot to them (26:162). He called on them to fear God, to abandon indecency, and to return to the path of human nature. He warned and admonished them, but it only increased their defiance. Their only response was to say, ‘Bring us God’s punishment if you are truthful,’ and they threatened to expel him from their town. They said to him, ‘Lot, if you do not relinquish, you will surely be banished’ (26:167). They also said, ‘a Expel Lot’s family from your town! They are indeed a puritanical lot.’ (27:56).

The Fate of Lot’s People:

Lot continually called his people to God’s path, to listen to their innate humanity, and to abandon indecency. However, they persisted in committing indecent acts until their rebelliousness became ingrained and the decree of punishment was justified came due for them. So, God sent messengers drawn from the ranks of His noble angels to destroy them. They first came to Abraham and informed him of God’s command to destroy Lot’s people. Abraham argued with them, hoping to spare them the punishment. He reminded them that Lot was among them, but they responded that they knew better about Lot and his family’s situation, that God’s decree had come, and that an irrevocable punishment was coming upon the people (29:32, 11:76).

They proceeded to Lot, appearing in the form of handsome young men. They came to him as guests, which distressed Lot because of what he knew about his people and that they would certainly incline towards his guests. Before long, the people had heard about his visitors and they rushed to him in anticipation, attacking his house. He went out to them and preached intensely, trying to inspire their youth and guide them. He even offered his daughters to them, saying, ‘O my people, these are my daughters: they are purer for you. Be wary of Allah and do not humiliate me with regard to my guests. Is there not a right-minded man among you?’ They replied that they had no interest in his daughters and that they would not be dissuaded his guests. Eventually, Lot despaired and said, , ‘If only I had some power through you, or could take refuge in a mighty support!’ (11:80).

20:200The angels then said to Lot: ‘we are messengers of your Lord, so be at ease, for they will never get at you.’ Then they blinded the people, leaving them groping and scattering (54:37).

After this, the angels commanded Lot to depart the city during the night with his family and follow them. They instructed him not to let anyone among them look back, except for his wife, because what would befall his people would also befall her—then they informed him that they would destroy his people at dawn (11:81, 15:66).

So the punishment seized the people at sunrise. God rained down stones of baked clay upon them, marked by your Lord for the wasteful. He turned their cities upside down and made the highest parts of their cities the lowest. He rescued the believers who were in the city, but found only one household of those who submit to God therein: that of Lot. And He left a sign therein for those who fear the painful punishment (51:37 and others).

The fact that only Lot’s household believed and submitted to God and the fact that the divine punishment encompassed all of their cities indicates, firstly, that Lot’s people were disbelievers, not believers. Secondly, that the immoral acts were not just prevalent among their men, because if that were the case and women were innocent of it, and if Lot was inviting people back to the natural way, some women would have undoubtedly followed him and gathered around him in belief. Yet, nothing about this is mentioned in the text.

This corroborates the narrations that immoral acts were prevalent among them, that men were only interested in other men for sodomy, and women were only interested in other women for tribadism.

20:201Lot’s Moral Character:

Lot was a messenger from God to the people of the towns that were overturned (al-muʾtaf kāt, 9:70), which include Sodom and the cities surrounding it. Some reports say that there were four cities: Sodom, Gomorrah, Zeboim, and Admah. He shared all the spiritual ranks assigned to the noble prophets in the Qurʾan.

Some of the special attributes ascribed to him in God’s words are the following: We gave judgement and knowledge to Lot, and We delivered him from the town which used to commit vicious acts. Indeed they were an evil and profligate lot. And We admitted him into Our mercy. Indeed he was one of the righteous. (21:74).

Lot and His People in the Torah:

The Torah says that Lot was the son of Abram (Abraham)’s brother Haran, the son of Terah. Both Abram and Lot lived in Terah’s house in Ur of the Chaldeans. Terah later migrated from Ur, heading for the land of the Canaanites, and settled in the town of Haran, where he lived with Abram and Lot until his death.

Subsequently, by God’s command, Abram left Haran, taking Lot with him. Both of them had amassed substantial wealth and servants during their time in Haran. They then journeyed to the land of Canaan. Abram continually travelled towards the south, then he went to Egypt, and afterwards ascended from there southwards to Bethel where he settled.

Lot, who also journeyed with Abram, had his own sheep, cattle, and tents. However, the land was not capable of supporting them both, leading to a dispute between their herdsmen. Consequently, they decided to separate in order to prevent any further discord and disputes. Lot chose the Jordan valley and settled in the cities of the plain, moving his tents as far as Sodom. The inhabitants of Sodom were extremely wicked and sinful in the eyes of God. Abram, on the other hand, moved his tents and lived near the oaks of Mamre, which are in Hebron.

A war later ensued between the kings of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboim, and Bela on one side, and four of their neighbors on the other. The king of Sodom and his allies were defeated in this war, with the enemy seizing all the possessions of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their provisions. Lot was taken captive along with all his possessions. When Abram heard of this, he went out with his servants, numbering over three hundred, fought against them, and defeated them. He rescued Lot and all his possessions from captivity, restoring him to his former residence. This is a summary of what is in the Torah at the beginning of the story of Lot in the Torah.¹

20:202The Torah then recounts[^20_202-2]: ‘God appeared to Abram by the oaks of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance of his tent during the heat of the day. He lifted his eyes and saw three men standing in front of him. When he saw them, he ran from the entrance of his tent to meet them, and bowed down to the ground. He said: “My lord, if I have found favor in your eyes, please do not pass by your servant. Let a little water be brought so you may wash your feet and rest under this tree. Let me fetch a morsel of bread so you may refresh yourselves, then you may continue on since you have come to your servant.” They responded, “Do as you have said.”

Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah and said, “Quick, prepare three seahs of fine flour, knead it and make some bread.” Then Abraham ran to the herd and selected a choice, tender calf and gave it to a servant, who hurried to prepare it. He then brought curds and milk and the calf that had been prepared and set these before them. While they ate, he stood near them under the tree.

They asked him, “Where is your wife Sarah?” He replied, “Here, in the tent.” Then one said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son.” Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, which was behind him. Abraham and Sarah were already very old, and Sarah was past the age of childbearing. So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, “After I am worn out and my lord is old, will I now have this pleasure?” Then the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really have a child, now that I am old?’ Is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return to you at the appointed time next year, and Sarah will have a son.” Sarah was afraid, so she lied and said, “I did not laugh.” But he said, “Yes, you did laugh.”

When the men got up to leave, they looked down toward Sodom, and Abraham walked along with them to see them on their way. Then the Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him. For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just, so that the Lord will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him.”

20:203Then the Lord said, “The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know.” The men turned away and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the Lord. Then Abraham approached him and said: “Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it? Far be it from you to do such a thing—to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?” The Lord said, “If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake.”

Then Abraham spoke up again: “Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, though I am nothing but dust and ashes, what if the number of the righteous is five less than fifty? Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five people?” He said, “If I find forty-five there, I will not destroy it.” Once again he spoke to him, “What if only forty are found there?” He said, “For the sake of forty, I will not do it.” Then he said, “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak. What if only thirty can be found there?” He answered, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.” He said, “Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, what if only twenty can be found there?” He said, “For the sake of twenty, I will not destroy it.”

He said, “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more. What if only ten can be found there?” God answered, “For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it.” When the Lord had finished speaking with Abraham, he left, and Abraham returned home.

The two angels arrived at Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gateway of the city. When he saw them, he got up to meet them and bowed down with his face to the ground. “My lords,” he said, “please turn aside to your servant’s house. You can wash your feet and spend the night and then go on your way early in the morning.” “No,” they answered, “we will spend the night in the square.” But he insisted so strongly that they did go with him and entered his house. He prepared a meal for them, baking bread without yeast, and they ate.

20:204Before they had gone to bed, all the men from every part of the city of Sodom—both young and old—surrounded the house. They called to Lot, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we might know them.” Lot went outside to meet them and shut the door behind him and said, “No, my friends. Don’t do this wicked thing. Look, I have two daughters who have never slept with a man. Let me bring them out to you, and you can do what you like with them. But don’t do anything to these men, for they have come under the protection of my roof.”

“Get out of our way,” they replied. “This fellow came here as a foreigner, and now he wants to play the judge! We’ll treat you worse than them.” They kept bringing pressure on Lot and moved forward to break down the door. But the men inside reached out and pulled Lot back into the house and shut the door. Then they struck the men who were at the door of the house, young and old, with blindness so that they could not find the door.

The two men said to Lot, “Do you have anyone else here—sons-inlaw, sons or daughters, or anyone else in the city who belongs to you? Get them out of here, because we are going to destroy this place. The outcry to the Lord against its people is so great that he has sent us to destroy it.” So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were pledged to marry his daughters. He said, “Hurry and get out of this place, because the Lord is about to destroy the city!” But his sons-in-law thought he was joking.

At dawn, the angels hurried Lot along, saying, “Get up! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away when the city is punished.” When Lot hesitated, the men grabbed his hand and the hands of his wife and of his two daughters and led them safely out of the city, for the Lord was merciful to them. As soon as they had brought them out, one of them said, “Flee for your lives! Don’t look back, and don’t stop anywhere in the plain! Flee to the mountains or you will be swept away!” But Lot said to them, “No, my lords, please! Your servant has found favor in your eyes, and you have shown great kindness to me in sparing my life. But I can’t flee to the mountains; this disaster will overtake me, and I’ll die. Look, there is a town near enough to run to, and it is small. Let me flee to it—it is very small, isn’t it? Then my life will be spared.” He said to him, “Very well, I will grant this request too; I will not overthrow the town you speak of. But flee there quickly, because I can’t do anything until you reach it.” (That is why the town was called Zoara.)²

20:205By the time Lot reached Zoar, the sun had risen over the land. Then the Lord rained down burning sulphur on Sodom and Gomorrah—from the Lord out of the heavens. He overthrew those cities and the entire plain, destroying all those living in the cities—and also the vegetation in the land. But Lot’s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.

Early the next morning Abraham got up and returned to the place where he had stood before the Lord. He looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah, toward all the land of the plain, and he saw dense smoke rising from the land, like smoke from a furnace. So when God destroyed the cities of the plain, he remembered Abraham, and he brought Lot out of the catastrophe that overthrew the cities where Lot had lived.³

Author’s comment: This is the account given in the Torah about Lot and his people. We have presented it in full to highlight its differences with the account in the Qurʾan in several aspects.

For example, in this account, the angel sent with both good news and punishment are two, while the Qur’an refers to the messengers in plural, indicating at least three.

It also depicts Abraham’s guests eating what he prepared and offered them, while the Qurʾan denies that this took place, recounting that Abraham felt fear when he saw that their hands did not reach for the food.

In the Torah, Lot is explicitly given two daughters, while the Qur’an refers to them simply as ‘daughters’ in the plural. The Torah also details how the angels led Lot out of the city, the punishment of the people, and the transformation of Lot’s wife into a pillar of salt, among other things that are not mentioned in the Qurʾan.

The Torah’s account attributes physicality directly to God, which is in contrast to the Qurʾan’s emphasis on the divine transcendence. The Torah also depicts Lot laying with his daughters while drunk, while the Qur’an maintains the sanctity of its prophets and messengers, af rming they would not commit such acts that are not befitting of their holy status.