Why were Lot and his family told not to look back while fleeing Sodom?

In the biblical account of Sodom and Gomorrah, two angels—disguised as men—instructed Lot and his family to flee the city immediately to escape its impending destruction by fire and sulfur. They were explicitly warned not to look back or stop anywhere in the plain to ensure their survival, as lingering or turning back would result in them being consumed by the divine judgment falling upon the cities.12

When Lot’s wife disobeyed this command and glanced back at the destruction, she was transformed into a pillar of salt. In religious tradition, this act is often interpreted as a symbol of disbelief or a warning against clinging to one's former, worldly life in the face of divine intervention.13