The Quran

102

وَاتَّبَعوا ما تَتلُو الشَّياطينُ عَلىٰ مُلكِ سُلَيمانَ ۖ وَما كَفَرَ سُلَيمانُ وَلٰكِنَّ الشَّياطينَ كَفَروا يُعَلِّمونَ النّاسَ السِّحرَ وَما أُنزِلَ عَلَى المَلَكَينِ بِبابِلَ هاروتَ وَماروتَ ۚ وَما يُعَلِّمانِ مِن أَحَدٍ حَتّىٰ يَقولا إِنَّما نَحنُ فِتنَةٌ فَلا تَكفُر ۖ فَيَتَعَلَّمونَ مِنهُما ما يُفَرِّقونَ بِهِ بَينَ المَرءِ وَزَوجِهِ ۚ وَما هُم بِضارّينَ بِهِ مِن أَحَدٍ إِلّا بِإِذنِ اللَّهِ ۚ وَيَتَعَلَّمونَ ما يَضُرُّهُم وَلا يَنفَعُهُم ۚ وَلَقَد عَلِموا لَمَنِ اشتَراهُ ما لَهُ فِي الآخِرَةِ مِن خَلاقٍ ۚ وَلَبِئسَ ما شَرَوا بِهِ أَنفُسَهُم ۚ لَو كانوا يَعلَمونَ

J. M. Rodwell

And they followed what the Satans read¹ in the reign of Solomon: not that Solomon was unbelieving, but the Satans were unbelieving. Sorcery did they teach to men, and what had been revealed to the two angels, Harut and Marut, at Babel. Yet no man did these two teach until they had said, "We are only a temptation. Be not then an unbeliever." From these two did men learn how to cause division between man and wife: but unless by leave of God, no man did they harm thereby. They learned, indeed, what would harm and not profit them; and yet they knew that he who bought that art should have no part in the life to come! And vile the price for which they have sold themselves, - if they had but known it!

In Solomon's Books of Magic. This story has been supposed to be of Persian origin. See Hyde de Rel. Vet. Pers. ch. xii. But from a passage in the Midr. Abhkhir quoted in the Midr. Jalkut, ch. 44, and from a quotation in Maracci's Prodr. iv. 82, Geiger infers that Muhammad has transferred to the time of Solomon, the Rabbinic traditions concerning the influence of angels upon men at the time of the Deluge. p. 106. "Babel is regarded by the Muslims as the fountain head of the science of magic. They suppose Haroot and Maroot to be two angels who, in consequence of their want of compassion for the frailties of mankind, were sent down to earth to be tempted. They both sinned; and being permitted to choose whether they would be punished now or hereafter, chose the former, and are still suspended by the feet at Babel in a rocky pit, and are the great teachers of magic." (Lane on ch. iii. note 14 of the 1001 Nights.)