They had first passed by Abraham and given him the glad tidings of Isaac and, after Isaac, Jacob. Abraham then asked them where they intended to go. They informed him that they intended to destroy the people of Lot, whereupon he continued to appeal to them, saying, “Lot is indeed there.” They replied, “We will surely save him and his family, except his wife; she will be among those who remain behind.”

They then proceeded until they came to Lot. Their arrival distressed him, and he felt powerless to protect them, for he did not recognize them and assumed that they were travelers seeking hospitality. He therefore feared for them because of his people. They said to him, “Do not be afraid or grieve,” and informed him that they were messengers of Allah.

“We will surely save you and your family, except your wife; she will be among those who remain behind. We will indeed bring down upon the people of this town a punishment”—that is, a torment—“from the sky because of their defiant disobedience.”

They instructed him to depart with his family by night. When morning came, Allah overturned their dwellings upon them, making their uppermost parts their lowermost, and rained down upon them successive stones of baked clay until they were utterly annihilated and destroyed. Thus they became a tale recounted in evening gatherings and a lesson from which to take heed.

“And We certainly left of it a clear sign for people who understand.” That is, We left clear traces of the dwellings of Lot’s people for those who take lessons to heart [and thereby benefit from them], as Allah Most High says, “And indeed, you pass by them in the morning and at night. Will you not then understand?”