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Unfortunately, the world of the west has formally accepted the hideous act of sodomy, and in some European countries the action has become legal.

The Qur'anic phrase " their brother" has been used for Hud, Salih, and Shu'ayb (Jethro) (a.s.), but it has not been applied for Lut. Perhaps, this difference is for the sake that Lut (a.s.) migrated from another zone for divine messengership.

Explanations :

1- A great part of Lut's preaching was upon the struggle against the indecencies and sexual prohibitions, since the most important problem of his society was indecency.

2- Idol worshippers had the pretext of the belief of their ancestors in idolatry, but followers of indecency had not this pretext, either. They themselves initiated this crime and sin. The verse says :

" And (We sent) Lut when he said to his people: ' What ! Do you commit an indecency which none in the world has ever done before you ? ' "

3- He who abandons the way of nature, is counted as an extravagant person.

The verse says :

" Verily you come to men in lust instead of women! Nnay, you are an extravagant people."

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(82) وَ ما كانَ جَوابَ قَوْمِهِ إِلاَّ أَنْ قالُوا أَخْرِجُوهُمْ مِنْ قَرْيَتِكُمْ إِنَّهُمْ أُناسٌ يَتَطَهَّرُونَ‏

82. " And the answer of his people was no other than that they said: ' Expel them from your town; verily they are a people (who seek) to purify (themselves) '."

Commentary :

This verse contains a hint to the illogical obstinate answer of those people of Lut. It implies that they had no answer in response to the invitation of this benevolent and sympathetic prophet, save that they angrily ordered their men to expel Lut and his followers from their town. What was their fault ? Their fault was that they were some pure people who did not use to commit sin.

Those people of Lut accused these pure believers that they not only did not have the same opinion of theirs, but also made trouble for them.

The verse says :

" And the answer of his people was no other than that they said: ' Expel them from your town; verily they are a people (who seek) to purify (themselves) '."

Explanations :

1- Sinners are illogical. " And the answer of his people was no other than that they said : 'Expel them from your town; ..."

2- Whenever corruption of a society increases, the purified and sincere persons will be deserted, and purity is counted a crime therein. It will be like the state that criminals maintain no right in the society for the pure ones. " Expel them from your town; ..."

Thus, in the path of 'forbidding the wrong', we should be prepared to be banished, and for accepting other hardships.

3- At the same time when the people of Lut were accustomed to sins, they knew Lut and his followers as some purified perons.

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(83) فَأَنْجَيْناهُ وَ أَهْلَهُ إِلاَّ امْرَأَتَهُ كانَتْ مِنَ الْغابِرِينَ

83. " So We delivered him and his family, except his wife; she was of those who remained behind (in the ashes of punishment)."

Commentary :

Regarding what was stated in the three above-mentioned holy verses, any just arbitrator can issue the command of condemnation of this mischievous nation. That is why the Qur'anin this verse implies that since they did thus,

Allah saved Lut and his true followers and his family, who were pious, except his wife, whom He left among the mischievous people, because, from the point of belief and creed, she was the same as the people of Lut were.

The verse says :

" So we delivered him and his family, except his wife; she was of those who remained behind (in the ashes of punishment)."

* * * *

(84) وَ أَمْطَرْنا عَلَيْهِمْ مَطَراً فَانْظُرْ كَيْفَ كانَ عاقِبَةُ الْمُجْرِمِينَ

84. " And We rained down on them a rain (of punishment). Consider then how the end of the guilty was ! "

Commentary :

The destruction of the people of Lut was done by means of raining aerolites over them. They were some aerolites like clay which were marked with the Lord. Or, every stone was particularized to destroy a definite person. This meaning is taken from Sura Hud, No. 11, Verses 82-83 which say : "... and rained down upon them stones, of what had been decreed, one after another." "Marked (for punishment) with your Lord ..."

The current verse itself is recited as follows :

" And We rained down on them a rain (of punishment). Consider then how the end of the guilty was ! "

Besides committing sodomy, the people of Lut used to do some other indecencies. They used to gamble, to talk idle, to asperse, to throw stones at wayfarers, and to uncover the privity parts before public eyes. (Safinat-ul-Bihar, Vol. 2, P. 517).

Upon the philosophy of prohibition of sodomy, Imam Sadiq (a.s.) has said :" Sodomy decreases the family affection between wife and husband and ceases generation. It destroys the natural sexual intercourse and brings up many other corruptions." (Wasa'il-ush-Shi'ah, Vol. 14, P. 252).

In Islam, the retribution of homosexuality and sodomy is execution, whether for the active sodomy or the passive sodomy. As a tradition narrated from Imam Sadiq (a.s.) denotes, at the moment of performing homosexuality the throne of Heaven shakes, and on Resurrection Day its doer will be mustered in a state of major ritual impurity. The one will be involved in the Wrath of Allah and will be abide in Hell." (Wasa'il-ush-Shi'ah, Vol. 14, P. 249).

The Messenger of Allah (p.b.u.h.) said that the curse of Allah will be upon those men who make themselves like women and go to sensual men.(1)

Explanation :

The Wrath of Allah is not particular only to one group of criminals, but all criminals must be careful.

(... Consider then how the end of the guilty was ! ")

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(1) Wasa'il-ush-Shiah, Vol. 14, P. 255

Section 11

The Ministry of Shu'ayb

Shu'ayb exhorts his people to believe in and stick to the Unity of Allah - His rejection and thepunishment.

(85) وَ إِلى‏ مَدْيَنَ أَخاهُمْ شُعَيْباً قالَ يا قَوْمِ اعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ ما لَكُمْ مِنْ إِلهٍ غَيْرُهُ قَدْ جاءَتْكُمْ بَيِّنَةٌ مِنْ رَبِّكُمْ فَأَوْفُوا الْكَيْلَ وَ الْمِيزانَ وَ لا تَبْخَسُوا النَّاسَ أَشْياءَهُمْ وَ لا تُفْسِدُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ بَعْدَ إِصْلاحِها ذلِكُمْ خَيْرٌ لَكُمْ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ مُؤْمِنِينَ

85. " And (We sent) unto (the people of) Madyan their brother Shu'ayb. He said: ' O' my people ! Serve Allah ! You have no god other than Him. There has come to you a clear proof from your Lord. Therefore give full measure and weight and do not diminish to men their things, and do not make mischief in the earth after its improvement. That is better for you, if you are believers."

Commentary :

Jethro's Messengership in Madyan :

Jethro, whose genealogical tree, according to the history records, with several dynasties reaches Abraham, was missioned to go towards the inhabitants of Madyan. At that time, Madyan was one of the cities of Syria the people of which were mostly merchants. Idolatry, short weighing, defraudation and falsification in social relationships were fully current among them. The explanation of the conflict and dispute between this great prophet (a.s.) and the inhabitants of Madyan is stated in several Suras of the Qur'an, and in Sura Hud, No. 11 and Sura Ash-Shu'ara, No. 26, in particular.

In this current verse, the Qur'an says that Allah sent to the people of Madyan their brother Jethro. The verse says :

" And (We sent) unto (the people of Madyan their brother Shu'ayb. ..."

Then the verse adds that Shu'ayb, like all other prophets, began his invitation with the subject of Monotheism and, as the Qur'an remarks:

"... He said: ' O' my people ! Serve Allah ! You have no god other than Him. ..."

He emphasized that not only the mentioned ordinance was the command of wisdom, but also it was proved by the clear evidences which had come from their Lord for them. The verse says :

"... There has come to you a clear proof from your Lord. ..."

Next to the invitation to monotheism, he tried to struggle against their social, economical, and ethical corruptions.

At first, he restrained them from defraudation, falsification in social relationships which they were polluted with, and told them now that the path of Allah was revealed to them they should pay the right measure and weight so that the due things of people might not be diminished. The verse says:

"... Therefore give full measure and weight and do not diminish to men their things, ..."

Then, he points to one of other wrong actions of those people, and says :

"... and do not make mischief in the earth after its improvement. ..."

It is certain that none may make profit from making mischief, irrespective of ethical mischief, faithlessness, and insecurity. So, at the end of the verse, it adds :

"... That is better for you, if you are believers."

* * * *

(86) وَ لا تَقْعُدُوا بِكُلِّ صِراطٍ تُوعِدُونَ وَ تَصُدُّونَ عَنْ سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ مَنْ آمَنَ بِهِ وَ تَبْغُونَها عِوَجاً وَ اذْكُرُوا إِذْ كُنْتُمْ قَلِيلاً فَكَثَّرَكُمْ وَ انْظُرُوا كَيْفَ كانَ عاقِبَةُ الْمُفْسِدِينَ

86. " And do not sit in every path, threatening and hindering from the path of Allah those who believe in Him, desiring to make it crooked. And remember when you were few, then He multiplied you; and consider how the end of the mischief-makers was."

Commentary :

In this verse, the fourth advice of Shu'ayb has been pointed out, where it says :

" And do not sit in every path, threatening and hindering from the path of Allah those who believe in Him, desiring to make it crooked. ..."

Then, at the end of the verse, the fifth advice of Jethro has been referred to. It reminds them the bounties of Allah in order to stimulate the feeling of gratitude and thanksgiving in them. The verse says :

"... And remember when you were few, then He multiplied you; ..."

It is understood from this phrase of the verse that, in most instances, multiplicity of persons can be the origin of power and greatness of the development of the society.

Finally, the Qur'an advises people to carefully observe the end of the mischief-mongers that how evil was their fate, and that they do not follow the way of makers of mischief.

"... and consider how the end of the mischief-makers was."

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(87) وَ إِنْ كانَ طائِفَةٌ مِنْكُمْ آمَنُوا بِالَّذِي أُرْسِلْتُ بِهِ وَ طائِفَةٌ لَمْ يُؤْمِنُوا فَاصْبِرُوا حَتَّى يَحْكُمَ اللَّهُ بَيْنَنا وَ هُوَ خَيْرُ الْحاكِمِينَ

87. " And if there is a party of you who believe in that with which I have been sent, and a party who do not believe, then wait with patience until Allah judges between us, and He is the best of the judges."

Commentary :

The opponents of Jethro scornfully asked him where the punishment of Allah was. On the other side, the adherents of the Faith were also waiting for the helps of Allah. The content of the verse is something in the middle, so that neither the disbelievers become proud nor the believers lose hope.

Thus, the history of the adherents of both right and wrong should be studied regarding the end of their fates.

However, in the school of thought and philosophy of prophets, the Faith in the goal and their way is important, not those persons themselves.

The verse says :

" And if there is a party of you who believe in that with which I have been sent, and a party who do not believe, then wait with patience until Allah judges between us, and He is the best of the judges."

The apparent seeming uniformity of the lives of this fleeting world of the disbelievers and believers should not disturb you. Do persevere, since the final judge is Allah.

(6)

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