The story of the prophet Lot

The story of the prophet Lot (Lut) appears in several places throughout the Qur’an. To make the narrative easier to follow, the passages have been gathered and arranged here in a continuous story order. The text below uses the public-domain English translation of Marmaduke Pickthall. Verse groups are presented with their reference numbers above each passage.

LOT WARNS HIS PEOPLE.
Lot is sent to a corrupt people and calls them to abandon their wrongdoing.
7:80–81 And Lot! (Remember) when he said unto his folk: Will ye commit abomination such as no creature ever did before you? Lo! ye come with lust unto men instead of women. Nay, but ye are wanton folk.
27:54–55 And Lot! when he said unto his folk: Will ye commit abomination while ye see? Must ye needs lust after men instead of women? Nay, but ye are folk who act senselessly.
29:28–29 And Lot! when he said unto his folk: Lo! ye commit lewdness such as no creature did before you. For come ye not in unto males, and cut ye not the road, and commit ye not abomination in your meetings?

THE ANGELS ARE SENT
Angels are sent to announce judgment upon Lot’s people.
11:69–70 And verily Our messengers came unto Abraham with glad tidings. They said: Peace. He answered: Peace. And delayed not to bring a roasted calf. And when he saw their hands reached not to it, he mistrusted them and conceived a fear of them. They said: Fear not. Lo! we are sent unto the folk of Lot.
51:31–33 He said: And what, O messengers, is your errand? They said: Lo! we are sent unto a guilty folk, that we may send upon them stones of clay.

THE ANGELS ARRIVE AT LOT’S HOUSE
The angels come to Lot as guests, and he fears for their safety
11:77–79 And when Our messengers came unto Lot, he was distressed for them and felt himself powerless for their protection. He said: This is a distressful day. And his people came hurrying unto him, and before they used to commit abominations. He said: O my people! These are my daughters; they are purer for you. Beware of Allah, and shame me not in the person of my guests. Is there not among you any upright man? They said: Well knowest thou that we have no right to thy daughters, and lo! thou knowest what we want.
15:61–62 And when the messengers came unto the family of Lot, he said: Lo! ye are folk unknown to me.

THE PEOPLE DEMAND THE GUESTS
The men of the city demand Lot’s visitors.
15:67–70 The people of the city came rejoicing. He said: Lo! these are my guests, so shame me not. And keep your duty to Allah, and disgrace me not. They said: Have we not forbidden thee from entertaining anyone?

THE COMMAND TO ESCAPE
The angels reveal themselves and order Lot to flee.
11:81 They said: O Lot! Lo! we are messengers of thy Lord; they shall not reach thee. So travel with thy household in a portion of the night, and let not one of you turn back, save thy wife; lo! that which smiteth them will smite her. Lo! their tryst is the time of morning. Is not the morning nigh?
15:65–66 So travel with thy household in a portion of the night, and follow thou their backs. Let not one of you turn back, but go whither ye are commanded. And We made plain the case to him, that the root of them would be cut at early morn.

LOT IS SAVED, HIS WIFE LEFT BEHIND
God saves Lot’s household except his wife.
7:83 And We rescued him and his household, save his wife, who was of those who stayed behind.
26:170–171 So We delivered him and his household, every one, save an old woman among those who stayed behind.
27:57 So We saved him and his household, save his wife; We destined her to be of those who stayed behind.

THE DESTRUCTION OF THE CITY
Divine punishment falls upon the town.
11:82 So when Our commandment came to pass We overthrew that township and rained upon it stones of clay, one after another.
15:73–74 Then the Awful Cry overtook them at the sunrise. And We utterly destroyed them, and We rained upon them stones of heated clay.26:172–173
Then afterward We destroyed the others. And We rained on them a rain. And dreadful is the rain of those who have been warned.
54:33–39 The folk of Lot denied warnings. Lo! We sent a storm of stones upon them save the household of Lot, whom We rescued at dawn, a grace from Us. Thus We reward him who giveth thanks. And he had warned them of Our blow, but they doubted the warnings. They demanded his guests. Then We blinded their eyes. So taste My punishment and warnings! And verily warnings came unto them early.

THE RUINS AS A SIGN
The destroyed place remains as a lesson.
29:35 And verily We have left thereof a clear sign for people who have sense.
37:137–138 And lo! ye pass by the ruins in the morning, and at night. Will ye not then understand?

PRAISE OF LOT
Lot is declared righteous.
21:74–75 And Lot! We gave him judgment and knowledge, and We delivered him from the township that wrought abominations. Lo! they were evil folk, rebellious. And We brought him in unto Our mercy. Lo! he was of the righteous.

LOT’S WIFE AS A WARNING
Lot’s wife is given as an example.
66:10 Allah citeth an example of those who disbelieve: the wife of Noah and the wife of Lot. They were under two of Our righteous slaves, yet they betrayed them, so they availed them naught against Allah, and it was said: Enter the Fire with those who enter.

BIBLICAL PERSPECTIVE AND DIFFERENCES FROM THE QUR’AN ACCOUNT

In the Bible, the story of Lot appears in Genesis chapters 18 and 19. Unlike the Qur’an, the Bible does not present Lot as a prophet. He is described as a righteous man living in a corrupt city, but never as a messenger sent by God to preach to the people. This is the first major difference between the two traditions.
Another key difference concerns Lot’s wife. In the Qur’an, she is described as remaining behind with the condemned people. In the Bible, however, she leaves the city with Lot but looks back at the destruction and is turned into a pillar of salt on the road. The place of her punishment and the reason given are therefore different in the two accounts.
The nature of Lot’s role also differs. In the Qur’an, Lot is portrayed as a prophet who openly preaches and warns his people over time. In the Bible, there is no extended preaching mission. The focus is instead on hospitality, the arrival of the angels, and the immediate crisis at Lot’s house.
There is also a difference in how the angels interact with Lot. In the Bible, they arrive as strangers whom Lot hosts, and the men of the city attempt to assault them. In the Qur’an, similar elements appear, but within a prophetic narrative framework absent from Genesis.

The final major difference appears after the destruction of the city. The Bible records that Lot’s daughters later intoxicate him and sleep with him, resulting in the birth of Moab and Ammon. This episode is not found in the Qur’an. It is one of the most striking and morally disturbing passages in Genesis, and yet it is preserved in the Biblical text.
From the Biblical perspective, this story is presented without embellishment or concealment. The Bible describes both righteousness and moral failure openly, even when the events are uncomfortable or shocking. The episode of Lot and his daughters is not portrayed as admirable, but as part of the historical record from which later nations descended.
Because of this, many readers understand the Biblical account as a frank historical narrative that does not attempt to protect the reputation of its characters. The presence of difficult or immoral episodes does not indicate corruption of the text, but rather reflects the Bible’s consistent practice of recording events as they are presented in its tradition.