Allah the Exalted states that the people of Lut defied and denied their
Messenger and committed sodomy, the awful immoral sin that no people in the
history of mankind had committed before. This is why Allah destroyed them with a
type of torment that He never inflicted upon any nation before them. Allah the
Exalted commanded Jibril, peace be upon him, to raise their cities to the sky
and then turn them upside down over them, followed by stones made of marked
Sijjil. So He said here:
[إِنَّآ أَرْسَلْنَا
عَلَيْهِمْ حَـصِباً إِلاَّ آلَ لُوطٍ نَّجَّيْنَـهُم بِسَحَرٍ ]
(Verily, We sent against them Hasib (a violent storm of stones) except the
family of Lut, them We saved in the last hour of the night.) They left the city
in the last part of the night and were saved from the torment that struck their
people, none of whom believed in Lut. And even Lut's wife suffered the same end
as her people. Allah's Prophet Lut left Sodom with his daughters in safety,
unharmed. Allah said,
[كَذَلِكَ نَجْزِى
مَن شَكَرَوَلَقَدْ أَنذَرَهُمْ بَطْشَتَنَا]
(Thus do We reward him who gives thanks. And he indeed had warned them of Our
punishment,) meaning, before the torment struck his people, he warned them of
Allah's torment and punishment. They did not heed the warning, nor listen to
Lut, but instead doubted and disputed the warning.
[وَلَقَدْ رَاوَدُوهُ
عَن ضَيْفِهِ]
(And they indeed sought to shame his guests) that is the night the angels
Jibril, Mika'il and Israfil came to him in the shape of handsome young men, as a
test from Allah for Lut's people. Lut hosted his guests, while his wife, the
evil old one, sent a message to her people informing them of Lut's guests. They
came to him in haste from every direction, and Lut had to close the door in
their faces. They came during the night and tried to break the door; Lut tried
to fend them off, while shielding his guests from them, saying,
[هَـؤُلآءِ بَنَاتِى
إِن كُنْتُمْ فَـعِلِينَ]
(These are my daughters, if you must act (so).) (15:71), in reference to
their women,
[قَالُواْ لَقَدْ
عَلِمْتَ مَا لَنَا فِى بَنَاتِكَ مِنْ حَقٍّ]
(They said: "Surely, you know that we have neither any desire nor need of
your daughters!'')(11:79), meaning, `we do not have any desire for women,'
[وَإِنَّكَ
لَتَعْلَمُ مَا نُرِيدُ]
(and indeed you know well what we want!)(11:79) When the situation became
serious and they insisted on coming in, Jibril went out to them and struck their
eyes with the tip of his wing, causing them to lose their sight. They went back
feeling for the walls to guide them, threatening Lut with what would befall him
in the morning. Allah the Exalted said,
[وَلَقَدْ صَبَّحَهُم
بُكْرَةً عَذَابٌ مُّسْتَقِرٌّ ]
(And verily, an abiding torment seized them early in the morning.) meaning, a
torment that they had no way of escaping or avoiding,
[فَذُوقُواْ عَذَابِى
وَنُذُرِ وَلَقَدْ يَسَّرْنَا الْقُرْءَانَ لِلذِّكْرِ فَهَلْ مِن مُّدَّكِرٍ
]
(Then taste you My torment and My warnings. And indeed, We have made the
Qur'an easy to understand and remember; then is there any that will remember)
[وَلَقَدْ جَآءَ
ءَالَ فِرْعَوْنَ النُّذُرُ - كَذَّبُواْ بِـَايَـتِنَا كُلِّهَا فَأَخَذْنَـهُمْ
أَخْذَ عِزِيزٍ مُّقْتَدِرٍ - أَكُفَّـرُكُمْ خَيْرٌ مِّنْ أُوْلَـئِكُمْ أَمْ
لَكُم بَرَآءَةٌ فِى الزُّبُرِ - أَمْ يَقُولُونَ نَحْنُ جَمِيعٌ مُّنتَصِرٌ -
سَيُهْزَمُ الْجَمْعُ وَيُوَلُّونَ الدُّبُرَ - بَلِ السَّاعَةُ مَوْعِدُهُمْ
وَالسَّاعَةُ أَدْهَى وَأَمَرُّ ]
(41. And indeed, warnings came to the people of Fir`awn.) (42. (They) denied
all Our signs, so We seized them with a punishment of the Almighty,
All-Capable.) (43. Are your disbelievers better than these Or have you immunity
in the Divine Scriptures) (44.Or say they: "We are a great multitude,
victorious'') (45. Their multitude will be put to flight, and they will show
their backs.) (46. Nay, but the Hour is their appointed time, and the Hour will
be more grievous and more bitter.)