View source for Lot in Islam

{{short description|One of the prophets in Islam}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2018}}
{{Infobox person
| honorific_prefix   = {{smaller|[[Prophets and messengers in Islam|Prophet]]}}
| name               = Lūṭ
| honorific_suffix   = [[Islamic honorifics|Alayhi as-Salam]]
| native_name        = {{lang|ar|{{Script|Arab|لوط}}}}<br>[[Lot (biblical person)|Lot]]
| image              = Lut and his daughters with Jibril near Sodom.jpg
| caption            = Lut and his daughters sit in conversation with the angel Jibril while the background is littered with the ruins of the towns and corpses of their inhabitants.
| birth_name         = Lut ibn Haran
| birth_date         = 
| birth_place        = [[Ur Kasdim]]{{efn|name=IfAssumingLot|Assuming Lut is identical with Lot.}}
| death_date         = 
| death_place        = [[Bani Na'im]]
| resting_place      = 
| predecessor        = [[Abraham in Islam|Ibrahim]]
| successor          = [[Ishmael in Islam|Ismail]]
| children           = [[Lot's daughters]]
| parents            = [[Haran]]
| relatives          = [[Abraham in Islam|Ibrāhīm]] (uncle)<br>[[Ishmael in Islam|Ismā’īl]] (cousin)<br>[[Isaac in Islam|Ishāq]] (cousin)
}}

{{Islamic prophets|Prophets in the Quran}}
'''Lut ibn Haran''' ({{langx|ar|لوط|Lūṭ}}, {{IPA|ar|luːtˁ|}}) is a [[Prophets in Islam|prophet and messenger]] of [[God in Islam|God]] who was mentioned in the [[Quran|Qur'an]].<ref>{{qref|26|161|b=y}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last= Wheeler |first= Brannon M. |title= Prophets in the Quran: an introduction to the Quran and Muslim exegesis |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=qIDZIep-GIQC&pg=PA8 |series= Comparative Islamic studies |publisher= Continuum International Publishing Group |year= 2002 |isbn= 978-0-8264-4957-3 |page= 8 }}</ref> According to Islamic tradition, Lut was born to [[Haran]] and spent his younger years in [[Ur of the Chaldees|Ur]], later migrating to [[Canaan]] with his uncle [[Abraham in Islam|Abraham]].<ref name="referenceC">{{cite encyclopedia |last1=Noegel |first1=Scott B. |last2=Wheeler |first2=Brannon M. |title=Lot |encyclopedia=The A to Z of Prophets in Islam and Judaism |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Lo9jAavEHdIC&q=Lot+stones+clay&pg=PA118 |access-date=26 June 2013 |year=2010 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Incorporated |isbn=978-0810876033 |pages=118–126 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160426204352/https://books.google.com/books?id=Lo9jAavEHdIC&pg=PA118#v=onepage&q=Lot%20stones%20clay&f=false |archive-date=26 April 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref> He was sent to the cities of [[Sodom and Gomorrah]] as a prophet,<ref>Hasan, Masudul. ''History of Islam''.</ref> and was commanded to preach to their inhabitants on [[Tawhid|monotheism]].

Though Lut was not born among the people he'd been sent to preach to, the people of Sodom are still regarded as his "brethren" ({{Langx|ar|إِخْوَٰن|translit=ikhwān}}) in the Qur'an.<ref>{{qref|50|13|b=y}}</ref> Like the [[Biblical and Quranic narratives|Biblical narrative]], the Qur'an states that Lut's messages were ignored by the inhabitants of the cities, and Sodom and Gomorrah were subsequently [[Sodom and Gomorrah#The Judgment upon Sodom and Gomorrah|destroyed]]. The destruction of the cities is traditionally presented as a warning against [[homosexuality in Islam]] as well as other things.

While the Qur'an does not elaborate upon Lut's later life, Islam holds that all prophets were examples of [[Morality in Islam|moral]] and spiritual '[[Righteousness#Islam|righteousness]]'.{{Clarify|reason=What does this have to do with his later life?|date=January 2023}}

==Family==
Muslim tradition is debated about who Abraham's father is. Some maintain that his father was [[Terah]] and his uncle was [[Azar (Quran)|Azar]] ({{langx|ar|آزر|Āzar}}), which could be derived from the Syriac ''Athar''. Other's believe that Azar was Abraham's father and the same person as Terah.<ref>Geiger 1898 [https://archive.org/details/cu31924029170236/page/n118 <!-- pg=101 --> ''Judaism and Islam: A Prize Essay''], p. 100</ref><ref>''[[Tafsir Ibn Kathir]],'' vol. 2, p. 100.</ref><ref>''[[Al-Dur al-Manthur]],'' vol. 3, p. 43.</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Niazi |first=Yama |date=2022-10-06 |title=Will All Believers and Their Non-Muslim Parents Be Forgiven? |url=https://seekersguidance.org/answers/islamic-belief/will-all-believers-and-their-non-muslim-parents-be-forgiven/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230615104746/https://seekersguidance.org/answers/islamic-belief/will-all-believers-and-their-non-muslim-parents-be-forgiven/ |archive-date=2023-06-15 |access-date=2023-06-15 |website=Seekers Guidance |language=en |quote=The Prophet Ibrahim’s actual father was a Muslim. His name is given as Tarakh by historians.}}</ref> Abraham had two children, [[Isaac]] and [[Isma'il (Islamic View of Ishmael)|Ismael]], who both later became prophets. Abraham's nephew is said to have been the prophet [[Lot (biblical person)|Lut]], who was one of the other people who migrated with Abraham out of their community. Abraham himself is said to have been a descendant of [[Noah in Islam|Nuh]] through his son [[Shem]].<ref>"Ibrahim". ''Encyclopedia of Islam'', Online version.</ref>

==Qur'anic narrative==
The Qur'an states that one day, a group of [[Islamic view of angels|angels]] visited Abraham as guests in the guise of men<ref>{{qref|15|51|b=y}}</ref> in order to inform him of the fact that his wife [[Sarah]] was pregnant with [[Isaac in Islam|Isaac]]. While there, they also told him that they had been sent by God to the "guilty people"<ref>{{qref|15|58|b=y}}: "They replied, “We have actually been sent to a wicked people."</ref> of Lut<ref>{{qref|11|70|b=y}}: And when he saw that their hands did not reach for the food, he became suspicious and fearful of them. They reassured ˹him˺, “Do not be afraid! We are ˹angels˺ sent ˹only˺ against the people of Lot.”</ref> to destroy them<ref>{{qref|29|31|b=y}}: When Our messenger-angels came to Abraham with the good news ˹of the birth of Isaac˺, they said, “We are going to destroy the people of this city ˹of Sodom˺, for its people have persisted in wrongdoing.”</ref> with "a shower of stones of clay".<ref>{{qref|51|33|b=y}}: "to send upon them stones of ˹baked˺ clay,"</ref> Lut and those who believed in him, were to be spared, but his wife was to die in the destruction, with the angels stating that "she is of those who lag behind".<ref>{{qref|29|32|b=y}}: He said, “But Lot is there!” They responded, “We know best who is there. We will certainly save him and his family—except his wife, who is one of the doomed.”</ref><ref>{{qref|15|59-60|b=y}}</ref> The Qur'an also draws upon [[Lot's wife#Islamic view|Lot's wife]] as an "example for the [[Kafir|unbelievers]]" as she was [[Marriage in Islam|married]] to a righteous man but refused to believe in his message and was thus [[Divine judgment|condemned]] to [[Jahannam|Hell]].<ref name="referenceC"/><ref>{{qref|66|10|b=y}}</ref>

The people of the twin cities transgressed against the [[Divine law|bounds of God]]. According to the Qur'an, their sins included inhospitality and robbery.<ref name="qref|29|29|b=y">{{qref|29|29|b=y}}</ref> They hated strangers and robbed travellers, apart from other abuses and rape. It was their [[Islamic views on sin|sin]] of [[sexual misconduct]] as well which was seen as particularly egregious, with Lut strongly chiding them for approaching men with sexual desire instead of women.<ref>{{qref|7|80-82|b=y}}</ref><ref name="qref|26|165-166">{{qref|26|165-166|b=y}}</ref> Lut told and tried to help them to abandon their sinful ways, but they ridiculed him<ref name="qref|29|29|b=y"/> and threatened to evict him from the cities.<ref>{{qref|7|82|b=y}}</ref> Lut prayed to God and begged to be saved from the consequences of their sinful acts.<ref name="referenceC" /><ref>{{qref|26|169|b=y}}</ref>

Then three angels, disguised as handsome men, came to Lut as guests. He grieved the men, as he felt powerlessness to protect them from the people of the cities.<ref>{{qref|11|77|b=y}}</ref> The cities' residents becoming aware of the visitors demanded that Lot surrender his guests to them.<ref>{{qref|54|37|b=y}}</ref> Distressed and fearful that they would incur the wrath of God, suggested rather lawful marriage to his daughters<ref>{{qref|11|78|b=y}}</ref> as pious and purer alternatives to their unlawful wishes, and perhaps as a source of guidance.<ref>{{qref|15|71|b=y}}</ref> But they were unrelenting and replied "You certainly know that we have no need for your daughters. You already know what we desire!",<ref>{{qref|11|79|b=y}}</ref> referring to his male guests.

The exegetes [[Ibn Kathir]], [[Al-Qurtubi]] and [[Al-Tabari]] do not read 'daughters' to mean Lot's literal daughters. They argue that since a prophet is like a father to his nation, Lot was directing the evildoers to turn away from their sins and engage in healthy and pious relationships with the daughters of the nation, i.e. women in general.<ref>{{Qtaf|en:ibk|11|77}}</ref>

The angels then revealed their true identities to Lot and said to him, “Indeed, we will save you and your family, except your wife; she is to be of those who remain behind".<ref name="referenceC" /> They advised Lot to leave the cities during the night, telling him not to look back.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=C4R_AgAAQBAJ|title=The Qur'an: An Encyclopedia|last=Leaman|first=Oliver|date=2 May 2006|publisher=Routledge|isbn=9781134339747|pages=380|language=en|access-date=5 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180806024732/https://books.google.ca/books?id=C4R_AgAAQBAJ|archive-date=6 August 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> Keeping his faith in God, Lot left the cities in the darkness of night, bringing with him his followers and believing family members. Finally, morning came, and the Decree of God passed whereupon the Qur'an reads, “When Our command came, We turned the cities upside down and rained down on them clustered stones of baked clay,"<ref>{{qref|11|82|b=y}}</ref> And thus was sealed the fate of the twin cities, falling into destruction and despair and marking the end of the civilizations of Sodom and Gomorrah.<ref name="referenceC" />

=={{anchor|Context in the Quran}}Other mentions in the Qur'an==
Lut is referenced a relatively large number of times in the Qur'an.<ref name="referenceC"/> Many of these passages place the narrative of Lut in a line of successive prophets including [[Noah in Islam|Noah]], [[Hud (prophet)|Hud]], [[Salih]] and [[Shuayb]].<ref>{{qref|11|89|b=y}}</ref> [[Islamic studies|Islamic scholars]] have stated that these particular prophets represent the early cycle of [[Prophecy#Islam|prophecy]] as described in the Qur'an.<ref name="referenceC"/> These narratives typically follow similar patterns: a prophet is sent to a community; the community pays no heed to his warnings but instead threatens him with punishment; God asks the prophet to leave with his followers and the community and its people are subsequently [[Divine retribution|destroyed in a punishment]].<ref>{{cite journal|last=Al-Qadi |first=Wadad| year=1988| title=The Term "Khalifa" in Early Exegetical Literature| journal=Die Welt des Islams |volume=28|issue=1|page=400|doi=10.2307/1571186|jstor=1571186}}</ref> Elsewhere in the Qur'an, Lut is mentioned alongside [[Ishmael in Islam|Ismael]], [[Elisha]] and [[Jonah in Islam|Jonah]] as men whom God favored above the nations ({{Langx|ar|ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ|lit=the worlds|translit=al-'aalameen}}).<ref>{{qref|6|86|b=y}}</ref>

==Homosexuality==
{{Main|LGBT in Islam}}
Many [[maddhab|schools of Islamic jurisprudence]] state that homosexual sex is a sin, based in part on the story of Lot.<ref name="BeforeH">{{cite book|title=Before Homosexuality in the Arab-Islamic World, 1500-1800|last1=El-Rouayheb|first1=Khaled|publisher=University of Chicago Press|year=2005|chapter=Sodomites}}</ref> Because the Qur'an states that Lot berated his people for sexually pursuing men, in addition to attempting to assault strangers, the incident is traditionally seen as demonstrating Islam's disapproval of both rape and homosexuality.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Islam and Homosexuality|last=Habib|first=Samar|year=2009|isbn=9780313379000|page=206|publisher=Abc-Clio }}</ref> Lot's struggle with the people of the twin cities is seen as either concerning homosexuality in general or specifically homosexual anal sex. These interpretations have sometimes widened to condemn homosexuality beyond the physical act, including psychological and social dispositions.<ref name="BeforeH" />{{undue weight inline|date=March 2024}}

== Monument ==
Many Muslims{{Who|date=April 2025}} believe that [[Bani Na'im]] ({{Langx|ar|بني نعيم|translit=Banī Naʾīm|lit=children of bliss}}) in [[Palestine]] houses the tomb of Lot in the center of the town. The tomb is located within a rectangular [[mosque]] with an inner court and [[minaret]]. The lintel of the mosque's northern gate is built from stones dating to the Byzantine era when a church had possibly stood at the site.  Bani Na'im's association with Lot predates Islam, as the works of the Catholic scholar [[Jerome]]<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |last=Sharon |first=Moshe |title=Bani Na'im |encyclopedia=Corpus Inscriptionum Arabicarum Palaestinae (CIAP) Volume Two: B-C |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EPFDU8POrXIC&q=%22Lot%27s+tomb%22+Jerome&pg=PA12 |access-date=26 June 2013 |year=1999 |publisher=BRILL |isbn=9004110836 |page=12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131011090740/http://books.google.com/books?id=EPFDU8POrXIC&pg=PA12#v=onepage&q=%22Lot's%20tomb%22%20Jerome&f=false |archive-date=11 October 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref> in the 4th century CE state that the tomb is located in a town named Capharbaricha, which is likely the former name of Bani Na'im.<ref>{{cite book | title=Apocrypha, Pseudepigrapha and Armenian Studies. Collected Papers: Volume I | last1=Stone|first1=Michael E. |page=693|year=2006|publisher=Peeters}}</ref>

Tradition holds that the tomb of his daughters is located on a nearby hill.<ref>Finn, 1877, p. [https://archive.org/stream/byewaysinpalesti00finniala#page/291/mode/1up 291] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160412000144/https://archive.org/stream/byewaysinpalesti00finniala#page/291/mode/1up |date=12 April 2016 }}</ref> To the southeast of Bani Na'im is a shrine dedicated to Lot, known as ''[[Maqam (shrine)|Maqam]] an-Nabi Yaqin'' ({{Langx|ar|مقام النبي يقين|lit=Shrine of the Truthful Prophet}}). Local legend claims Lot prayed at the site and that the imprints of his feet are still visible in a rock there.<ref>Sharon, 1999, [https://books.google.com/books?id=EPFDU8POrXIC&pg=PA15 15] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200205154026/https://books.google.com/books?id=EPFDU8POrXIC&pg=PA15 |date=5 February 2020 }}</ref> Similar alleged footprints of prophets and other holy men are found at Islamic shrines throughout the Middle East.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Handy Islam Answer Book|last1=Renard|first1=John|page=173|year=2015|publisher=Visible Ink Press}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Biblical narratives and the Quran|Biblical narratives and the Qur'an]]
* [[Legends and the Quran|Legends and the Qur'an]]
* [[Muhammad in Islam]]
* [[Stories of The Prophets]]

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

'''Books'''
*{{cite encyclopedia |last1=Noegel |first1=Scott B. |last2=Wheeler |first2=Brannon M. |title=Lot |encyclopedia=The A to Z of Prophets in Islam and Judaism |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Lo9jAavEHdIC&q=Lot+stones+clay&pg=PA118 |access-date=26 June 2013 |year=2010 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Incorporated |isbn=978-0810876033 |pages=118–126}}
*{{cite book|title=Before Homosexuality in the Arab-Islamic World, 1500-1800|last1=El-Rouayheb|first1=Khaled|publisher=University of Chicago Press|year=2005|chapter=Sodomites}}
*{{Cite book |last=Kugle |first=Scott Shiraj al-Haqq |date=2010 |title=Homosexuality in Islam: Critical Reflection on Gay. Lesbian. and Transgender Muslims |title-link=Homosexuality in Islam: Critical Reflection on Gay, Lesbian, and Transgender Muslims |location=Oxford |publisher=Oneworld Publications |isbn=978-1-85168-701-5}}
* https://quranx.com/4.16?Context=3

{{Prophets in the Quran}}
{{Characters and names in the Quran}}

[[Category:LGBTQ and Islam]]
[[Category:Medieval LGBTQ history]]
[[Category:Prophets of the Quran]]
[[Category:Hebrew Bible prophets of the Quran]]
[[Category:Lot (biblical person)]]
[[Category:Male homosexuality]]
[[Category:Anal sex]]