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Wife of Lot
Wife of Prophet Lot (a)
Well-known AsWalihah • Wahilah • Wali'ah
Well-known RelativesProphet Lot (a) (Husband)
Place of BirthSodom
Places of ResidenceSodom
DeathDuring the punishment of the People of Lot
Cause of DeathDivine punishment


The Wife of Lot was the spouse of Prophet Lot (a), cited in the Qur'an as a paradigmatic example of disbelief. According to Qur'an 66:10, she betrayed her husband, a prophet of God. Exegetes interpret this betrayal as the disclosure of the Prophet's secrets and collaboration with disbelievers. Shi'a exegetes, along with some Sunni scholars, posit that this Quranic reference served as a divine warning to 'A'isha and Hafsa, two wives of Prophet Muhammad (s), against betraying him.

Due to her disbelief and betrayal, the Wife of Lot was subjected to divine punishment alongside the People of Lot; meanwhile, Lot (a) and his daughters departed the city and were salvaged from the torment. The Torah narrates that Lot's wife was transformed into a pillar of salt for looking back, making no mention of betrayal or disbelief. Certain contemporary studies have refuted the attribution of specific stone or salt formations to Lot's wife.

Introduction and Status

The Wife of Lot (a) was the spouse of a divine prophet, referred to in the Qur'an as "imra'at Lut" (wife of Lot) and in some verses as an "old woman" (ajuz) who perished with the People of Lot.[1] Despite her marital bond to a prophet, she is categorized among the disbelievers.[2] Some have characterized her as a hypocrite who feigned faith while harboring disbelief.[3] It is said that she was not a disbeliever initially but went astray following Lot's appointment to Prophethood.[4]

Various names have been recorded for her, including Walihah, Wali'ah,[5] Wahilah,[6] and Waghalah.[7] She was a native of Sodom, marrying Lot (a) after his arrival in the city.[8] This city and its environs, which constituted the territory of Lot's mission, are collectively termed the Mu'tafikat in the Qur'an.[9]

Example of Disbelief

The Qur'an mentions the Wife of Lot seven times. In Qur'an 66:10, she is presented as a prime example of disbelief; despite living under the guardianship of a prophet, she succumbed to disbelief and hypocrisy. Consequently, her familial connection availed her nothing, and she was ultimately consigned to Hell.[10]

Betrayal

The Holy Qur'an identifies Lot's wife as a betrayer in Qur'an 66:10.[11] According to exegetes—with some claiming consensus—her betrayal consisted of collaboration with enemies, disbelief, and the disclosure of secrets, rather than acts of unchastity.[12]

'Abd Allah b. 'Abbas interpreted her betrayal as informing the People of Lot about the presence of guests in the Prophet's home.[13] As stated in al-Tibyan, Ibn 'Abbas regarded the wives of Noah and Lot as hypocrites; their hypocrisy manifested in calling Noah "mad" and exposing Lot's guests (angels appearing as handsome youths) to the people.[14]

Exegetes maintain that this reference served to warn two wives of Prophet Muhammad (s) who had disclosed his secrets, implying that being a prophet's wife does not grant immunity from punishment.[15] Muqatil b. Sulayman (d. 150/767) and several other Sunni exegetes explicitly state that through these verses, God warned 'A'isha and Hafsa regarding their conduct toward the Prophet (s) and the potential for Divine punishment.[16]

Divine Punishment

Narrations indicate that when the angels of punishment arrived at Lot's house as young men, his wife alerted the townsfolk to the presence of handsome guests.[17] The people rushed the house to assault the guests. Upon their entry, Gabriel, by divine command, blinded them.[18] Lot (a) departed the city with his wife and daughters. En route, his wife, realizing the destruction of her people and overcome with sorrow, turned back toward them and was instantly killed by a falling stone.[19] Others posit that she remained in the city and perished there.[20]

A report, whose narrators are accused of fabrication, claims that Abu l-Jald, a Tabi'i, saw a stone statue of Lot's wife that menstruated monthly.[21] Conversely, scientific research suggests that rock or salt formations popularly attributed to Lot's wife are geological structures dating back millions of years.[22]

Biblical Account

Researchers note that the Torah mentions neither betrayal nor disbelief regarding Lot's wife, attributing her fate solely to looking back.[23] The biblical narrative states that angels visited Lot in Sodom, prompting the men of the city to surround the house. The angels then escorted Lot, his wife, and his two daughters out of the city.[24] One angel commanded them not to look back. Lot's wife, disregarding this, looked back toward the city and became a pillar of salt.[25] Benjamin of Tudela, a Jewish traveler, recorded that this pillar was situated two leagues from the Sea of Sodom.[26]

Notes

  1. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, 1374 Sh, vol. 15, pp. 325-326.
  2. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, 1374 Sh, vol. 24, p. 313.
  3. ↑ Ibn Abī Zamanīn, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿazīz, 1423 AH, vol. 2, p. 302.
  4. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, 1374 Sh, vol. 14, p. 425.
  5. ↑ Qurṭubī, al-Jāmiʿ li-aḥkām al-Qurʾān, 1384 AH, vol. 18, p. 201.
  6. ↑ Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, 1415 AH, vol. 10, p. 64.
  7. ↑ Nawawī, Tahdhīb al-asmāʾ, vol. 2, p. 73.
  8. ↑ Majlisī, Ḥayāt al-qulūb, 1384 Sh, p. 418.
  9. ↑ Ṭabarī, Jāmiʿ al-bayān, 1422 AH, vol. 12, p. 537.
  10. ↑ Ḥaqqī Burūsawī, Rūḥ al-bayān, vol. 10, pp. 69-70; Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, 1374 Sh, vol. 24, p. 313.
  11. ↑ Ṭūsī, al-Tibyān, 1371 Sh, vol. 10, p. 52.
  12. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, 1374 Sh, vol. 24, p. 301; Qurṭubī, al-Jāmiʿ li-aḥkām al-Qurʾān, 1384 AH, vol. 18, p. 201; Ṭūsī, al-Tibyān, 1371 Sh, vol. 10, p. 52.
  13. ↑ Suyūṭī, al-Durr al-manthūr, vol. 8, p. 228.
  14. ↑ Ṭūsī, al-Tibyān, 1371 Sh, vol. 10, p. 52.
  15. ↑ See: Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, 1374 Sh, vol. 24, pp. 300-301; Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, 1415 AH, vol. 10, p. 64.
  16. ↑ See: Balkhī, Tafsīr-i Muqātil, 1423 AH, vol. 4, p. 379; Fakhr al-Rāzī, al-Tafsīr al-kabīr, 1420 AH, vol. 30, p. 574; Hararī, Tafsīr ḥadāʾiq al-rūḥ, 1421 AH, vol. 29, p. 456; Ṭūsī, al-Tibyān, 1371 Sh, vol. 10, p. 52.
  17. ↑ Ibn ʿĀdil, al-Lubāb, 1419 AH, vol. 11, p. 477; Ṭabarī, Jāmiʿ al-bayān, 1422 AH, vol. 12, p. 520.
  18. ↑ Ḥaqqī Burūsawī, Rūḥ al-bayān, vol. 4, pp. 166-169.
  19. ↑ Abū Ḥayyān, al-Baḥr al-muḥīṭ, 1420 AH, vol. 5, p. 103; Suyūṭī, al-Durr al-manthūr, vol. 4, p. 462; Ṭabarī, Jāmiʿ al-bayān, 1422 AH, vol. 2, p. 516.
  20. ↑ Bayḍāwī, Anwār al-tanzīl, 1418 AH, vol. 4, p. 148; Ibn Kathīr, Qiṣaṣ al-anbiyāʾ, 1388 AH, vol. 1, p. 268.
  21. ↑ Ibn ʿAsākir, Tārīkh madīnat Dimashq, 1415 AH, vol. 50, p. 327; Suyūṭī, al-Durr al-manthūr, vol. 4, p. 462.
  22. ↑ "The alleged statue of Lot's wife...", al-Rai website.
  23. ↑ Manṣūrfūrī, Raḥmat li-l-ʿālamīn, 1418 AH, p. 497.
  24. ↑ "Holy Bible, Genesis...", Tehran Jewish Committee.
  25. ↑ "Holy Bible, Genesis...", Tehran Jewish Committee.
  26. ↑ Taṭīlī, Riḥlat Binyāmīn, 2002, p. 253.

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