Our Prophet Abraham was waiting for a guest to have food with him. He loved having guests and always welcomed them. He offered them fresh water, good yogurt, and delicious food.
Travelers loved our Prophet Abraham, for he was generous, good, and polite.
One day three stout, young guests came to our Prophet Abraham. He welcomed them, and rejoiced at their coming. He went quickly and brought a calf, slaughtered it, grilled it, and offered it to them. There were some customs at that time, among which was that the guest should cat the food offered to him. If he refused the food, he refused entertainment and bore malice against the entertainer.
If the guest ate the food, friendship would take place between him and the entertainer.
Our Prophet Abraham offered the grilled calf to his guests. Now, a wonderful thing happened.
The guests refrained from eating the food, so Abraham was afraid of those guests.
Did the guests bear malice against Abraham? No, they did not, That is because the guests introduced themselves to him, saying: "We're Allah's angels. Allah's sent us to punish the people of Sadum.
Our Prophet Abraham was sad for them. He tried to push away the punishment from the people of the villages. He thought that the people would come back to their reason.
"Lot is at the villages," explained Abraham.
"We. know that", replied the angels.
To remove the sadness from Abraham's heart, the angels gave him good news of a pious son.
Our Prophet Abraham tried to discuss with the angles about the people of Lot. However, the angles said to him: "Abraham, turn away from this. Surely, the order of your Lord has come."
Abraham kept silent. Then the angels went to the people of Sadum to punish them.
What is the story of the people of Sadum? What is the story of our Prophet Lot (AS). We will mention that in this book.
Our Prophet Abraham lived in the land of Babylon. He summoned his people to believe in Allah and to refrain from worshipping idols, but the people disbelieved in Abraham's message.
No one believed our Prophet Abraham except his wife Sarah, and his cousin Lot (AS).
When our Prophet Abraham left the land of Babylon, Lot accompanied him.
Thus, Lot abandoned his home land. When they arrived in the land of Sadum, our Prophet Abraham ordered Lot to live in that village. He ordered him to summon its people to believe in Allah and to refrain from worshipping idols. The story of Lot (AS) began in the village of Sadum. Our Prophet Lot belonged to the land of Babylon, and he believed in our Prophet Abraham. When the people of Babylon wanted to bum our Prophet Abraham, Lot said: "I'm going to my Lord!" So he emigrated with Abraham to the Holy Land, Palestine.
On their way to Palestine, Abraham ordered Lot to live in the land of Sadum. He ordered him to invite its people to believe in Allah's religion and to return to their nature.
Sadum was a group of villages on the coast of the Dead Sea in Jordan. There lived our Prophet Lot (AS). He married, and Allah gave him believing daughters.
The People Of Sadum
The people of Sadum were farmers. They worked on their farms from morning to night, and then returned to their houses in the village.
No one knows why their morals became bad nor why they became wicked and did bad deeds.
The people of Sadum attacked travelers, robbed them, and abused their women,
Travelers were afraid of the people of Sadum. They did not approach their house, and thought that the people of Sadum were criminals. They knew that no one entertained them except Lot (AS). '
Our Prophet Lot lived in that corrupt society, thus, he led a life full of sufferings.
Our Prophet Lot saw his people committing ugly deeds.
He saw them play gambling and robbing others, These deeds were a part of their customs..
The people of Sadum were all wicked, and were not ashamed of their ugly deeds.
Our Prophet Lot knew the cause of all that corruption they bad deviated from man's pure nature.
Allah, the Glorified, created man pure from wickedness. However, it is man who looks for wickedness, for he listens to Satan and goes away from the path of the Prophets.
Our Prophet Lot advised his people, and said to them: "Return to your nature! Return to your Lord!"
He asked them: "Why don't you lead a good life? Why do you turn away from a clean family life "
The people of Sadum destroyed their own family relationships. Men spent their time with each other. Women spent their time with each other.
Travelers hated the people of Sadum. The people of Sadum were wicked. They broke sacred habits and violated women.
They tried many times to dismiss Lot from their land, and plotted against him many times. Our Prophet Lot lived strange among them. He was good, but his people were bad. He loved guests and entertained strangers. As for his people, they committed robbery and attacked strangers and travelers.
Lot worshipped only Allah, but the people of Sadum worshiped idols. He was good, but they were wicked.
The people of Sadum hated Lot, for he did not do as they did, and be did not remain silent about their deeds. Lot's wife was also an unbeliever. She did not believe in Allah. She worshipped idols. She was satisfied with the ugly deeds of the people of Sadum.
Only Lot and his daughters believed in Allah. They renounced the ugly deeds of the people of Sadum.
Corruption increased day by day. Lot's sufferings also increased day by day. The people of Sadum hurt the feelings of Lot, They lived as pigs did. Rather, they were worse than pigs.
One day a strange man came. The man did not know the oppressive people of Sadum. Fortunately, our Prophet Lot was working on his farm. So be welcomed the strange man. However, he looked left and right. He did not want anyone to see the strange man.
The strange man asked our Prophet Lot: "Why are, you afraid."
"The people of this village attack travelers and commit robbery," answered Lot.
The strange man was full of fear. However, Lot bid him on his farm till it got dark.
When the sun set, Lot took his guest and went home. Lot welcomed his guest again.
Prophet Lot closed the door tightly. He did not want his wife to know that be had a guest. If she knew that she would inform the people of the village about the guest.
Lot offered good food to his guest. He talked with him to make him comfortable.
The strange man felt safe. He had his food, and after an hour be went bed.
When dawn rose, the guest woke, He found Lot waiting for him. He washed his hand and had hot milk. He had to leave the people of Sadum before the sunrise so that they would not attack him.
Thus, Prophet Lot received his guests and saw them off, thus, Lot lived at that oppressive village.
However, did the life there continue in this manner? Certainly, no. We have mentioned in the beginning of the book that strange guests came to Prophet Abraham. They came to give him good news of the birth of a pious son. They told him that the son would be of great importance.
At that time Abraham was an old man. His wife Sarah was old and barren. Prophet Abraham rejoiced at the good news. Sarah wondered at it.
So the angels said to them: "Do not wonder at Allah's order."
The angels were wearing strangers' clothes. When they wanted to go to the village of Sadum, Abraham said to them: "Lot is in it."
Prophet Abraham wanted to save the people of Sadum from the punishment. He thought that they would turn to Allah in repentance and return to their clean nature. However, the angels said to him: "Allah's order has come!"
The angels headed for the land of Sadum. Our Prophet Abraham was sad for the fate awaiting the people of Sadum.
Yes, the angels set out to the land of Sadum. They entered its villages wearing strangers' clothes. Nobody saw them when they knocked on the door of Lot 's house.
It was evening. Our Prophet Lot opened the door. He saw three stout young men.
Lot faced a critical moment. He asked himself"Will I refuse their entertainment?"
However, he answered himself "This is not an act of politeness nor is it of religion. It is not an act of politeness to close the door in the face of the strangers. It is not an act of religion to dismiss them. Perhaps they're hungry or thirsty or travelers."
What did Lot do? He welcomed his guests, made them to enter quickly, and closed the door.
The wife of Prophet Lot saw the guests. She was filled with wickedness. She decided to inform the people of the village of the guests. However, the door was closed.
The Satan whispered into her ear: "Light a fire. The people of the village will see the fire. So they'll know that some guests have stopped at Lot's house."
She went up on the roof of the house. Then she gathered some wood and burnt it. The flames and smoke of the fire rose high in the sky.
All the people of the village saw this sign, so they ran towards Lot's house. They gathered together at the house, and knocked the door forcefully.
They all had stones in their hands. Their custom was to throw stones at guests. Whoever was the first to hit a guest, the guest would be his share.
Prophet Lot heard knocks at the door, thus, he understood that his people had come to attack his guests.
Lot was perplexed, not knowing what to do. His people went on knocking the door forcefully. They shouted at the top of their voices: "If you don't open the door, we'll break it!"
Prophet Lot opened the door. He went out by himself. Then be closed the door. He looked at his people. He was full of sorrow and sadness, thus, he asked them: "Isn't there a wise person among you? Why don't you refrain from bad deeds and robbery? You should be ashamed of what you have done! I will not allow you to attack my guests!
"Go back to your houses. Return to your family life. Return to your nature. Surely, Allah will punish you.
However, the people of Sadum were laughing. One of them shouted at Lot: "If you don't give us your guests, we'll break into your house and take them by force
Lot turned left and right. No one supported him. He was alone, but the people of Sadum were many. They surrounded his house like wolves.
At those exciting moments, the three guests opened the door and said to Lot: "Lot, don't be afraid. We're not guests. We're Allah's messengers. Allah's ordered us to destroy this village. We'll turn it into ruins before the sunrise.
"Lot, take your family and leave the village quickly. Go far away from it. Be careful not to turn back."
At that moment, the guests pointed with fingers towards the people of Sadum, and wonderful rays came out of their fingers.
All the men of the village lost their sight, and became blind. They were unable to see anything, so they lived in chaos that night.
The last hours of that night came. Prophet Lot bad to leave the land of Sadum before the punishment began.
Lot ordered his family to leave the village in those hours.
Lot had to guide his family and his cattle. He had to go far away. Chaos overtook the people of Sadum, so Lot and his family left the village quickly.
Lot's wife was walking behind the cattle looking at the village. Lot disappeared beyond the hills.
Lot's wife was looking at the fire she burnt on the top of her house. The fire went out. Silence settled over everything. Lot's wife wanted to return to the village. Dawn was about to break.
Suddenly, a fearful thing happened. A sound as strong as thunder covered the sky of Sadum. It was a volcano. The volcano exploded at a certain place. It began throwing burning lava into the air.
The fire covered the sky of Sadum. They sky rained meteors on the people there.
Lot's wife fell to the ground and turned into a piece of salt!
That is because she hurt her husband Lot. She was an unbeliever. She betrayed her husband when she supported the people of Sadum against him. Allah punished her because of her treason.
Ruins and Lessons
Morning broke. Then the sun rose. However, the village of Sadum had turned into ruins. That is because its people spread corruption all over the land. They destroyed all beautiful things, family relationships, and pure nature. They abandoned good manners and became like pigs.
Their life was full of ugly deeds. Such deeds became customs among them. So Allah was angry with them. He ordered the sky to rain meteors and hot stones on them.
The ruins of Sadum are still standing. They are salt and burnt stones.
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
The people of Lot gave lie to the apostles* When their brother Lot said to them: Will you not guard (against evil)? Surely I am a faithful apostle to you* Therefore guard against (the punishment of) Allah and obey me* And I do not ask you any reward for it; my reward is only with the Lord of the worlds* What! Do you come to the males from among the creatures And leave what has your Lord created for you of your wives? Nay, you are a people exceeding limits* They said: If you desist not, 0 Lot, you shall surely be of those who are expelled* He said: Surely I am of those who utterly abhor your doing* My Lord, deliver me and my followers from what they do*
So We delivered him and his followers all* Except an old woman, among those who remained behind* Then We utterly destroyed the others* And We rained down upon them a rain, and evil was the rain on those (who were) warned* Most surely there is a sign in this, but most of them do not believe* And most surely your Lord is the Mighty, the Merciful'.
Koran, 26, 160 175
source : sibtayn
