During the time of the Prophet Abraham (pbuh), three angels descended to the earth; Gabriel, Michael and Israphael (peace be upon them (pbut)). They came in human shapes and saluted Abraham. In addition to good tidings about the birth of his son Isaac (pbuh), the angels also had some bad tidings for Abraham. The angels came to warn Abraham about the destruction of the city of Sodom. It was a city notorious for its many crimes. So the story continues with Abraham's cousin Lot (pbuh), a righteous man, who lived in the sinful city of Sodom.