Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) asked Jibra'il: "In what manner was the destruction of the people of Lut?" Jibra'il said: "The people of Lut were from a town whose people would not cleanse themselves after relieving themselves, nor perform the ritual bath after major impurity; they were miserly and greedy for food." Lut (peace be upon him) was among them for thirty years; he had entered their town but was not one of them, and he had no clan or kin among them. He constantly called them to Allah, to belief in Him, and to following His commands, and he forbade them from indecent and vile acts. He called his people to obedience to Allah, but they did not respond to him and did not obey Allah the Exalted. And when Allah, Blessed and Exalted, willed to punish this people, He sent messengers who were proofs and warners to turn them back from their vile and ugly conduct, but they continued in their rebellion and transgression. And since that people did not obey the command of their Lord and defied it, the Exalted One sent angels to that people to bring the believers out of their town. But in that whole town they did not find any other believer besides one family of Muslims and believers. The angels brought that family out as well and said to Lut (peace be upon him): "When a portion of the night has passed, take your family out, and follow behind them, and none of you must look back. Go wherever you are commanded." (al-Hijr/65) When midnight came, Lut (peace be upon him) set out with his daughters, but his wife turned back and went to her relatives and informed them that Lut (peace be upon him) had taken his daughters out of the town." Jibra'il continued: "When dawn broke, a call came to me from the Throne of Allah: 'O Jibra'il! The punishment of the people of Lut has been decreed, so descend upon this people and uproot their town and its surroundings from beneath the seven earths, and lift it up to the sky, then hold it there until the command of the Almighty Creator reaches you and He orders you to overturn it. But you must not uproot the dwelling of Lut (peace be upon him); leave it in its place as a lesson for the passers-by.' I descended to the earth and reached the town of the oppressors, and then I struck the eastern side of that town with my right wing, and then I struck its western side with my left wing, and I uprooted the town with its surroundings from the very foundation. I left only the dwelling of Lut (peace be upon him) as a lesson for the passers-by, and after that I held the town upon my wings, to the extent that the inhabitants of the sky could hear the crowing of its roosters and the howling of its dogs. In the morning, at the time of sunrise, a call came to me from the Throne of Allah: 'O Jibra'il! Overturn the town upon its people!' I overturned the town upon its people so that I turned it upside down. Then Allah the Exalted rained down upon them stones of affliction that were marked and designated by Allah's command. Indeed, O Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family), such affliction and destruction is not far from the oppressors of your community either!" The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) said: "O Jibra'il! In which land was their town?" Jibra'il said: "The location of their town was in a place of the lake which today is called Tabariyya, and it lies in the region of Sham." The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) said to Jibra'il: "When you overturned the town upon them, at which point on the earth did it come down?" Jibra'il said: "O Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family)! It fell between the Sea of Sham towards Egypt, and it lay like mounds upon the surface of the water."