Their noble prophet thereupon called down a curse upon them. He appealed to the Lord of all worlds—the God of all the messengers—to grant him victory over this corrupt people. The Almighty, jealous for His servant’s honor and angered by his anger, answered the prayer, granted the request, and sent forth His noble envoys, His mighty angels. On their way they passed by Abraham, the Close Friend of Allah, gave him the glad news of “a knowledgeable son,” and informed him of the momentous, all-embracing task for which they had been dispatched.

“He said, ‘What is your business, O messengers?’
They replied, ‘We have been sent to a guilty people, that We may shower upon them stones of baked clay, specially marked by your Lord for the profligate.’” (51:31-34)

Allah the Exalted also says:
“When Our messengers came to Abraham with good tidings, they said, ‘We shall destroy the people of this town; its inhabitants have indeed been wrongdoers.’
He said, ‘But Lot is there!’
They said, ‘We know very well who is there; we shall surely save him and his family—except his wife; she will be among those who stay behind.’” (29:31-32)

And He, sublime is He, says:
“When Abraham’s fear subsided and the glad tidings reached him, he began to plead with Us concerning the people of Lot.” (11:74)

He did so because he hoped they might repent, submit, abandon their sin, and return to the truth. For that reason Allah said:
“Indeed, Abraham is forbearing, tender-hearted, ever turning to Allah.
O Abraham, desist from this. The command of your Lord has come, and upon them will fall a punishment that cannot be averted.” (11:75-76)

That is: turn away from this matter and speak of something else, for their fate has been sealed; their punishment, destruction, and annihilation are now obligatory. “The command of your Lord has come”—decreed by the One whose command cannot be resisted, whose might none can repel, and whose judgment none can overturn—“and upon them is a punishment that will not be turned back.”

Saʿīd ibn Jubayr, al-Suddi, Qatādah, and Muḥammad ibn Isḥāq relate that Abraham, peace be upon him, kept asking: “Will You destroy a town in which there are three hundred believers?” They answered, “No.” He said, “Two hundred believers?” They said, “No.” He said, “Forty believers?” They said, “No.” He said, “Fourteen believers?” They said, “No.” Ibn Isḥāq adds that he continued until he said, “What if there is but a single believer in it?” They replied, “No.” Then came the divine words, “Indeed Lot is in it.” They said, “We know best who is in it …” (29:32).(1)

According to the People of the Book, he said, “My Lord, will You destroy them if fifty righteous men are among them?” Allah answered, “I will not destroy them while fifty righteous men are among them.” He kept bargaining down to ten, and Allah said, “I will not destroy them while ten righteous men are among them.”

Allah the Exalted says:
“When Our messengers came to Lot, he was distressed on their account and felt powerless to protect them, and he said, ‘This is a terrible day.’” (11:77)

The commentators explain that when the angels—Gabriel, Michael, and Isrāfīl—left Abraham, they traveled to the land of Sodom in the forms of handsome youths. This was a test from Allah for the people of Lot and a conclusive proof against them. They sought hospitality from Lot, peace be upon him, at sunset. He feared that if he did not host them, someone else would, and he assumed they were simply human guests. “He was distressed on their account and felt constrained, and he said, ‘This is a terrible day.’” (11:77) Ibn ʿAbbās(2), Mujāhid, Qatādah, and Muḥammad ibn Isḥāq said: it was a day of severe trial—because he knew the struggle that awaited him that night in defending them, just as he used to do for them in