Assalamualaikum, my question is in regards to Prophet Lut's wife. It says in the Quran that she was of "of those who lagged behind" (7:83). How can we know if we are of those who lag behind? It suggest she was off those who were deceived by sin and wickedness. How could it be so as she was the wife of a Prophet? Did she secretly accept lewd acts as okay in her heart? Many thanks for any clarification. May Allah bless your heart. Ameen.
Alaikumassalam wa rahmatullah,
May Allah bless you too. We do not have much information about Lot’s wife, but the reason the punishment also included her was that she was just like the rest of the Lot’s people who deserved punishment. We do not know whether she was like that openly or secretly, Quran exegetes such as al-Baydawi say she was so secretly. The Quran also mentions Noah’s wife as being a wicked person.
As for why a Prophet would stay with a wicked wife, we do not know.
If you believe and do good deeds, then you can be sure not to be of those who “lagged behind” since this refers to her choosing to stay with the wicked people rather than take Lot’s advice to leave their town.