The People of Lut and The City which was Turned Upside Down
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| The Lake of Lut, or Dead Sea |
Lut
lived at the same time as Ibrahim. The Old Testament says that Lut was
Ibrahim's nephew and that they travelled some distance together in
Ibrahim's long journeys.
Lut
was sent as a messenger to one of Ibrahim's neighbouring communities.
These people, as the Qur’an tells us, practiced a perversion unknown to
the world up to then, namely sodomy. When Lut told them to give up this
perversion and brought them Allah's warning, they denied him, refused
his prophethood, and carried on with their perversion. In the end, these
people were destroyed by a dreadful disaster.
The
city where Lut resided is referred to as Sodom in the Old Testament.
Being situated at the north of the Red Sea, this community is understood
to have been destroyed just as it is written in the Qur’an.
Archaeological studies reveal that the city is located in the area of
the Dead Sea which stretches along the Israel-Jordan border.
Before
examining the remains of this disaster, let’s see why the people of Lut
were punished in this fashion. The Qur’an tells how Lut warned his
people and what they said in reply;
- The
people of Lut rejected the messengers. Behold, their brother Lut said
to them: “Will ye not fear (Allah)? I am to you a messenger worthy of
all trust. So fear Allah and obey me. No reward do I ask of you for
it: my reward is only from the lord of the Worlds. Of all the
creatures in the world, will ye approach males, And leave those whom
Allah has created for you to be your mates? Nay, ye are a people
transgressing (all limits)!” They said: “If thou desist not, O Lut! thou wilt assuredly be cast out!” He said: “I do detest your doings.” (Surat ash-Shuara: 160-168)
The
people of Lut threatened him in response to his inviting them to the
right way. His people detested him because of his showing them the right
way, and wanted to banish both him and the other believers beside him.
In other verses, the event is told as follows;
- We
also (sent) Lut: He said to his people: “Do ye commit lewdness such as
no people in creation (ever) committed before you? For ye practise
your lusts on men in preference to women : ye are indeed a people
transgressing beyond bounds.”And his people gave no answer but
this: they said, “Drive them out of your city: these are indeed men
who want to be clean and pure!” (Surat al-Araf: 80-82)
Lut
called his people to an obvious truth and warned them explicitly, but
his people did not heed any warnings whatsoever and continued to reject
Lut and to deny the penalty of which he told them.
- And
(remember) Lut: behold, he said to his people: “Ye do commit lewdness,
such as no people in Creation (ever) committed before you. Do ye
indeed approach men, and cut off the highway?- and practise wickedness
(even) in your councils?” But his people gave no answer but this:
they said: “Bring us the Wrath of Allah if thou tellest the truth.” (Surat al-Ankaboot: 28-29)
Receiving the above answer from his people, Lut asked for the help of Allah,
- He said: “O my Lord! help Thou me against people who do mischief!” (Surat al-Ankaboot: 30) “O my Lord! deliver me and my family from such things as they do!” (Surat ash-Shuara: 169)
Upon
Lut’s prayer, Allah sent two angels in the form of men. These angels
visited Ibrahim before coming to Lut. Giving Ibrahim the good news that
his wife would give birth to an infant, the messengers explained the
reason of their being sent: the insolent people of Lut were to be
destroyed.
- (Ibrahim)
said: “And what, O ye Messengers, is your errand (now)?” They said,
“We have been sent to a people (deep) in sin; To bring on, on them, (a
shower of) stones of clay (brimstone), Marked as from thy Lord for
those who trespass beyond bounds.” (Surat adh-Dhariyat: 31-34) Excepting
the adherents of Lut: them we are certainly (charged) to save (from
harm),- All - Except his wife, who, We have ascertained, will be among
those who will lag behind. (Surat al-Hijr: 59-60)
After
leaving Ibrahim’s company, the angels, who were sent as messengers,
came to Lut. Not having met the messengers before, Lut first became
anxious, but then calmed down after talking to them;
- When
Our messengers came to Lut, he was grieved on their account and felt
himself powerless (to protect) them. He said: “This is a distressful
day.” (Surah Hud: 77) He said: “Ye appear to be uncommon
folk.” They said: “Yea, we have come to thee to accomplish that of
which they doubt. We have brought to thee that which is inevitably
due, and assuredly we tell the truth. Then travel by night with thy
household, when a portion of the night (yet remains), and do thou
bring up the rear: let no one amongst you look back, but pass on
whither ye are ordered.” And We made known this decree to him, that
the last remnants of those (sinners) should be cut off by the morning.
(Surat al-Hijr: 62-66)
Meanwhile,
his people had learned that Lut had visitors. They did not hesitate to
approach these visitors perversely as they had approached others before.
They encircled the house. Being afraid for his visitors, Lut addressed
his people as follows;
Lut said: “These are my guests: disgrace me not: But fear Allah, and shame me not.” (Surat al-Hijr: 68-69)
The people of Lut retorted;
They said: “Did we not forbid thee (to speak) for all and sundry?” (Surat al-Hijr: 70)
Thinking that he and his visitors subjected to evil treatment, Lut said:
“Would that I had power to suppress you or that I could betake myself to some powerful support.” (Surah Hud: 80)
His “visitors” reminded him that they were the messengers of Allah and said;
(The Messengers) said: “O Lut! We are Messengers from thy Lord! By no means shall they reach thee! now travel with thy family while yet a part of the night remains, and let not any of you look back: but thy wife (will remain behind): To her will happen what happens to the people. Morning is their time appointed: Is not the morning nigh?” (Surah Hud: 81)
When
the perversity of the city people reached its fullest extent, Allah
saved Lut by means of the angels. In the morning, his people were
destroyed by the disaster of which Lut had informed them in advance.
And they even sought to snatch away his guests from him, but We blinded their eyes. (They heard:) “Now taste ye My Wrath and My Warning.” Early on the morrow an abiding Punishment seized them: (Surat al-Qamar: 37-38)
The verses describe the destruction of this people as follows;
But the (mighty) Blast overtook them before morning, And We turned (the cities) upside down, and rained down on them brimstones hard as baked clay. Behold! in this are Signs for those who by tokens do understand. And the (cities were) right on the high-road. (Surat al-Hijr: 73-76)
When Our Decree issued, We turned (the cities) upside down, and rained down on them brimstones hard as baked clay, spread, layer on layer,-Marked as from thy Lord: Nor are they ever far from those who do wrong! (Surah Hud: 82-83)
But the rest We destroyed utterly. We rained down on them a shower (of brimstone): and evil was the shower on those who were admonished (but heeded not)! : Verily in this is a Sign: but most of them do not believe. And verily thy Lord is He, the Exalted in Might, Most Merciful. (Surat ash-Shuara: 172-175)
When
the people were destroyed, only Lut and the believers, who were only as
many as one “household”, were saved. Lut’s wife did not believe either
and she was also destroyed.
We also (sent) Lut: He said to his people: “Do ye commit lewdness such as no people in creation (ever) committed before you?
For ye practise your lusts on men in preference to women : ye are indeed a people transgressing beyond bounds.”
And his people gave no answer but this: they said, “Drive them out of your city: these are indeed men who want to be clean and pure!”
But we saved him and his family, except his wife: she was of those who legged behind.
And we rained down on them a shower (of brimstone): Then see what was the end of those who indulged in sin and crime! (Surat al-Araf: 80-84)
Thus,
Prophet Lut was saved along with the believers and his family with the
exception of his wife. As described in the Old Testament, he emigrated
with Ibrahim. As for the perverted people, they were destroyed and their
dwellings were razed to the ground.
The Obvious Signs” in the Lake of Lut
The 82nd verse of Surah Hud, clearly states the kind of the disaster that befell the people of Lut. “When
Our Decree issued, We turned (the cities) upside down, and rained down
on them brimstones hard as baked clay, spread, layer on layer”
The
statement of “turning (the cities) upside down” implies that the region
was totally destroyed by a violent earthquake. Accordingly, The Lake of
Lut, where the destruction took place, bears “obvious” evidence of such
a disaster.
We quote German archaeologist Werner Keller as follows;
- Together
with the base of this mighty fissure, which runs precisely through this
area, the Vale of Siddim, including Sodom and Gomorrah, plunged one
day into the abyss. Their destruction came about through a great
earthquake which was probably accompanied by explosions, lightning,
issue of natural gas and general conflagration.
As
a matter of fact, the Lake of Lut, or the Dead Sea as it is otherwise
known, is located right on the top of an active seismic region, that is,
an earthquake zone:
- The
base of the dead sea is located with a tectonic rooted downfall. This
valley is located in a tension stretching between the Taberiye Lake in
the north, and mid of Arabah Valley in the south.
The event was expressed as “we rained down on them brimstones hard as baked clay, spread, layer on layer”
in the last part of the verse. This is in all probability meant to be
the volcanic explosion that took place on the banks of the Lake of Lut,
and because of which the rocks and stones that erupted were in a “baked form”. (The same event is related in the 173rd verse of Surat ash-Shuara as “We rained down on them a shower (of brimstone): and evil was the shower on those who were admonished (but heeded not)!”)
In relation to this subject, Werner Keller writes;
In relation to this subject, Werner Keller writes;
- The
subsidence released volcanic forces that had been lying dormant deep
down along the whole length of the fracture. In the upper valley of
the Jordan near Bashan there are still towering craters of extinct
volcanoes; great stretches of lava and deep layers of basalt have been
deposited on the limestone surface.
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| A satellite photograph of the region where the people of Lut lived. |
These
lava and basalt layers constitute the greatest evidence that a volcanic
explosion and earthquake had once taken place here. The catastrophe
depicted in the following expression as “we rained down on them
brimstones hard as baked clay, spread, layer on layer” in the Qur’an
most probably points to this volcanic explosion, and Allah knows best.
The expression “When Our Decree issued, We turned (the cities) upside
down” which occurs in the same verse, must be referring to the
earthquake which caused volcanoes to erupt over the surface of the earth
with devastating impact, and to the fissures and debris brought by it,
and only Allah knows the truth of it.
The
“obvious signs” conveyed by the Lake of Lut are indeed very
interesting. In general, the events which are related in the Qur’an take
place in the Middle East, the Arabian Peninsula and Egypt. Right in the
middle of these lands, is the Lake of Lut. The Lake of Lut, as well as
the incidents that have taken place around it, deserves attention
geologically. The Lake is approximately 400 meters below the surface of
the Mediterranean. Since the deepest place in the Lake is 400 meters,
the bottom of the Lake is 800 meters below the surface of the
Mediterranean.
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| The Lake of Lut, or Dead Sea as differently called. |
This
is the lowest point on the earth. In other areas which are lower than
sea level, the depth is at most 100 meters. Another property of the
Lake of Lut is that the salt content of its water is very high, the
density being nearly 30 %. Because of this, no living organism, such
as fish or moss, can survive in this lake. This is why the Lake of
Lut is called the “Dead Sea” in Western literature.
The
incident of Lut’s people, which is recounted in the Qur’an, occurred
around 1800 B.C. according to estimates. Based on his archaeological and
geological researches, the German researcher Werner Keller noted that
the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were in fact located in the Siddim
Valley which was the region at the furthers and lowest end of the Lake
of Lut, and that there were once big and widely inhabited sites in those
regions.
The
most interesting structural characteristic of the Lake of Lut is an
evidence showing how the disaster incidence recounted in the Qur’an took
place;
On the eastern shore of the Dead Sea the peninsula of el-Lisan protrudes like a tongue far into the water. El-Lisan means “the tongue” in Arabic. Unseen from the land the ground falls away here under the surface of the water at a prodigious angle, dividing the sea into two parts. To the right of the peninsula the ground slopes sharply down to a depth of 1200 feet. On the left of the peninsula the water remains remarkably shallow. Soundings taken in the last few years established depths of only fifty to sixty feet. That extraordinary shallow part of the Dead Sea, from the peninsula el-Lisan to the southernmost tip, was the Vale of Siddim.
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| Photographs of the Lake of Lut taken from satellite. |
Werner
Keller noted that this shallow part, which was discovered to have
formed subsequently, was the outcome of the aforementioned earthquake
and the massive collapse this earthquake had caused. This was the place
where Sodom and Gomorrah were situated, that is, where Lut’s people
lived.
Once,
it was possible to cross this region by walking. However, now, the Vale
of Siddim, where Sodom and Gomorrah were once situated, is covered by
the flat surface of the lower part of the Dead Sea. The collapse of the
base as a result of the dreadful catastrophe that came to pass in the
beginning of the 2nd. millennium B.C., caused salt water from the north
to flow into this recently formed cavity and filled the basin with salty
water.
The
traces of the Lake of Lut are visible… When one takes a rowing boat
across the Lake of Lut to the southernmost point, if the sun is shining
in the right direction, one sees something quite fantastic. Some
distance from the shore and clearly visible under the surface of the
water, there are the outlines of the forests which the extraordinarily
high salt content of the Dead Sea preserved.
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| An illustration showing the volcanic eruption and the collapse that followed it, which caused the whole people to disappear. |
The
trunks and roots in the shimmering green water are very ancient. The
Siddim valley, where these trees were once in blossom green foliage
covered their twigs and branches, was one of the most beautiful
locations in the region.
The
mechanical aspect of the disaster that befell people of Lut is
revealed by the researches of the geologists. These reveal that the
earthquake which destroyed the people of Lut, came about in
consequence of quite a long crack in the earth (a fault line), along
the 190 kilometres distance making up the bed of the River
Sheri’at. River Sheri’at makes a fall of 180 meters in total. Both this
and the fact that the Lake of Lut is 400 metres below sea level are
two important pieces of evidence showing that an enormous geological
event has taken place here.
The
interesting structure of River of Sheri’at and the Lake of Lut make
up only a small part of the crack or split passing from this region of
the earth. The condition and length of this crack have only recently
been discovered.
The fault starts from the outskirts of Mount Taurus, stretches to the southern shores of the Lake of Lut and proceeds over the Arabian desert to the Gulf of Aqaba and continues across the Red Sea, ending up in Africa. Along the length of it, strong volcanic activities are observed. Black basalt and lava exist in the Galilee Mountains in Israel, high plain regions of Jordan, the Gulf of Aqaba and other areas nearby.
All
these remains and geographical evidences show that a catastrophic
geological event took place in the Lake of Lut. Werner Keller writes,
Together with the base of this mighty fissure, which runs precisely through this area, the Vale of Siddim, including Sodom and Gomorrah, plunged one day into the abyss. Their destruction came about through a great earthquake which was probably accompanied by explosions, lightning, issue of natural gas and general conflagration. The subsidence released volcanic forces that had been lying dormant deep down along the whole length of the fracture. In the upper valley of the Jordan near Bashan there are still towering craters of extinct volcanoes; great stretches of lava and deep layers of basalt have been deposited on the limestone surface.
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| Overhead view of the mountains around the Lake of Lut |
National Geographic makes the following comment on December 1957;
- The
mount of Sodom, a barren wasteland, rises sharply above the dead sea.
No one has ever found the destroyed cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, but
scholars believe that they stood in the Vale of Siddim across from
these cliffs. Possibly flood waters of the Dead Sea engulfed them
following an earthquake.
Pompeii Had a Similar End
The Qur’an tells us in the following verses that there is no change in Allah’s laws;
- They
swore their strongest oaths by Allah that if a warner came to them,
they would follow his guidance better than any (other) of the Peoples:
But when a warner came to them, it has only increased their flight
(from righteousness),- On account of their arrogance in the land and
their plotting of Evil, but the plotting of Evil will hem in only the
authors thereof. Now are they but looking for the way the ancients were
dealt with? But no change wilt thou find in Allah's way (of dealing):
no turning off wilt thou find in Allah's way (of dealing). (Surat al-Fatir: 42-43)
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| Above is a fresco representing the luxury and prosperity of the city of Pompeii before the disaster. Down are petrified corpses unearthed in excavations made in Pompeii. |
Yes,
“no change will be found in Allah’s way (rules)”. Everybody, who
stands against His laws and rebels against Him, is subject to the same
divine law. Pompeii, the symbol of the degeneration of the Roman
Empire, was also involved in sexual perversity. Its end was similar
to that of the people of Lut.
The destruction of Pompeii came by means of the eruption of the volcano Vesuvius.
The
volcano Vesuvius is the symbol of Italy, primarily the city of Naples.
Remaining silent for the last two millennia, Vesuvius is named the
“Mountain of Warning”. It is not without cause that Vesuvius is
known as such. The disaster that befell Sodom and Gomorrah is very
similar to the disaster that destroyed Pompeii.
To
the right of Vesuvius lies Naples and to the east lies Pompeii. The
lava and ash of a huge volcanic eruption, that happened two
millennia ago, caught the inhabitants of that city. The disaster
happened so suddenly that everything in the town was caught in the
middle of its everyday life and remains today exactly as it was two
millennia ago. It is as if the time had been frozen.
The
removal of Pompeii from the face of the earth by such a disaster was
not purposeless. The historical record shows that the city was exactly a
center of dissipation and perversity. The city was marked by a rise in
prostitution to such an extent that even the number of brothels was not
known. Male organs in their original sizes were hung on the doors of the
brothels. According to this tradition, rooted in Mithraic belief,
sexual organs and sexual intercourse should not be hidden but displayed
openly.
But the lava of
Vesuvius wiped the whole city off the map in a single moment. The most
interesting aspect of the event is that nobody escaped despite the
terrible violence of the eruption of Vesuvius. It is almost like
they did not even notice the catastrophe, as if they were charmed. A
family eating their meal were petrified right at that moment.
Numerous petrified couples were found in the act of intercourse. The
most interesting thing is that there were couples of the same sex
and couples of young boys and girls. The faces of some of the
petrified human corpses unearthed from Pompeii were unharmed. The
general expression on those faces was bewilderment.
Here lies the most incomprehensible aspect of the calamity. How did thousands of people wait to be caught by death without seeing and hearing anything? |
This
aspect of the event shows that the disappearance of Pompeii was similar
to the destructive events mentioned in the Qur’an, because the Qur’an
particularly points to “sudden annihilation” while relating these
events. For example, the “inhabitants of the city” described in Surah
Ya-seen died all at once in a single moment. The situation is told as
follows in the 29th. verse of the surah;
- It was no more than a single mighty Blast, and behold! they were (like ashes) quenched and silent.
In
the 31st verse of Surat al-Qamar, again the “instantaneous
annihilation” is emphasised when the destruction of Thamud is
recounted;
- For We sent against them a single Mighty Blast, and they became like the dry stubble used by one who pens cattle.
The death of the people of Pompeii took place instantaneously as just as the events recounted in the above verses.
Despite
all these, things have not changed much where Pompeii once stood. The
districts of Naples where debauchery prevails do not fall short of those
licentious districts of Pompeii. The Island of Capri is a base where
homosexuals and nudists reside. The Island of Capri is represented as a
“Homosexual paradise” in tourist commercials. Not only on Capri and in
Italy, but in nearly all the world, a similar moral degeneration is at
work and people insist on not learning from the awful experiences of
past peoples.
Source: Islamicity.com
In al-Qassim’s case, however, the problem is not that he cannot be returned to his home country, but that he doesn’t want to go, and is ‘publicly fighting’ the Pentagon’s plans to return him to Libya. Since March 2004, when British Prime Minister Tony Blair –- looking as comfortable as a schoolboy lost in the wrong part of town — was welcomed by Colonel Gaddafi in his Bedouin tent in Tripoli, the Libyan regime –- once an implacable terror-sponsoring enemy –- has become the West’s new best friend in North Africa. Never mind that the State Department reports annually that torture and abuse are still rife in Libya’s prisons, Gaddafi has renounced his Weapons of Mass Destruction, has joined the merry Western World of mega-bucks, oil deals and arms sales, and is a staunch ally in the ‘War on Terror’.