How is Lot portrayed in the Qur'an?

In the Qur'an, Lot (known as Lūṭ) is portrayed as a prophetic messenger (rasūl) sent to the people of Sodom to warn them of their impending destruction.12

He is depicted as a righteous figure who condemns the men of his community for their sexual depravity, specifically for lusting after men rather than women. The Qur'anic account emphasizes this behavior as a novel indecency that merited divine punishment. Similar to the biblical narrative, Lot is shown to be deeply grieved by the fate of his people and attempts to protect his angelic guests by offering his daughters to the mob, though this is done in vain. Ultimately, he is instructed to escape the city at night with his followers, while being warned that his wife will not be spared.23

In Islamic interpretive traditions, Lot’s role as a warner is central to discussions regarding liwāṭ, an Arabic term for sodomy that is derived from his name. While traditional interpretations have focused on the condemnation of homosexual acts, some modern scholars have suggested that the inhabitants' violence, sexual aggression, and inhospitality were the primary causes of their divine punishment.123