The major portion of Al Qur'an is based on Divine commands, guidance and cautions. Yet there are parables, imageries, metaphors and anecdotes to make readers of Qur'an understand a concept or a passage which some may not otherwise understand easily. We have already shared many such mentions with explanations for the interest and understanding, based on interpretation by some of the eminent scholars of Islam and exegetes of Al Qur'an.
Today, we share the mention of Hārūt and Mārūt in Al Qur'an, given is verse 102 of Surah 2. Al Baqarah (The Cow). Hārūt and Mārūt were in fact two angels sent to people of Babylon during the the time of Prophet Solomon (Sulaymān عليه السلام ), entrusted with a divine test involving knowledge of sorcery (siḥr). They did not invite people to disbelief; rather, they clearly warned anyone who approached them: “We are only a trial, so do not disbelieve.” Yet some people still chose to learn and misuse harmful practices, even causing separation between husband and wife. The passage therefore teaches that knowledge can become a test, that harmful knowledge should not be pursued or misused, and that no magic or unseen force can harm anyone independently of Allah’s permission.
The verse (in part)
“And they followed [instead] what the devils had recited during the reign of Solomon. It was not Solomon who disbelieved, but the devils disbelieved, teaching people magic and that which was revealed to the two angels at Babylon, Hārūt and Mārūt. But they [i.e., the two angels] do not teach anyone unless they say, "We are a trial, so do not disbelieve [by practicing magic]." And [yet] they learn from them that by which they cause separation between a man and his wife. But they do not harm anyone through it except by permission of Allāh. And they [i.e., the people] learn what harms them and does not benefit them. But they [i.e., the Children of Israel] certainly knew that whoever purchased it [i.e., magic] would not have in the Hereafter any share. And wretched is that for which they sold themselves, if they only knew.”
Who were Hārūt and Mārūt?
Let us now understand who were these two angels and why were they sent. According to the straightforward reading adopted by many classical mufassirūn, Hārūt and Mārūt were two angels sent to Babylon as a test for people. Their presence was not an invitation to practice magic. Quite the opposite: whenever someone approached them, they first gave an explicit warning:
إِنَّمَا نَحْنُ فِتْنَةٌ فَلَا تَكْفُرْ “We are only a trial, so do not disbelieve.”
Scholarly Interpretation
1. Ibn Kathīr: they were a test, and people were warned
Ibn Kathīr records several interpretations transmitted from earlier authorities. The most commonly understood reading is that Hārūt and Mārūt were two angels in Babylon, and whoever came to them was first explicitly warned:
إِنَّمَا نَحْنُ فِتْنَةٌ فَلَا تَكْفُرْ “We are only a trial, so do not disbelieve.”
Thus, their role was connected with a divinely permitted fitnah — a test. The sin did not lie in the angels encouraging evil; rather, people knowingly chose to misuse what they encountered despite the warning. Ibn Kathīr also records alternative early interpretations, including reports attributed to al-Ṭabarī and others concerning the grammatical meaning of the verse, showing that the details were debated among early exegetes.
Importantly, the colourful later narrative claiming that the two angels descended, became infatuated with a woman, drank wine, committed murder and were punished should not be treated as part of the Qur’anic account itself. Much of that material comes through disputed reports and Isrā’īliyyāt traditions rather than a clear Qur’anic statement.
2. Al-Ṭabarī: a noteworthy alternative interpretation
Al-Ṭabarī discusses a less common interpretation according to which the verse need not mean that Allah actually sent magic down through two angels. In one line of interpretation preserved in his tafsīr, the reference could be connected with false claims circulating among the Jews about angels and magic. He nevertheless reports the interpretation that Hārūt and Mārūt were angels as well. Ibn Kathīr cites this disagreement and does not hide the exegetical complexity.
This tells us something important: Muslim scholarship distinguished the definite message of the verse from speculative details surrounding the story.
3. Maʿārif al-Qur’an / Ashraf ʿAlī Thanawī: they exposed magic so people could distinguish it from miracles
This interpretation gives a particularly interesting explanation.
According to Maʿārif al-Qur’an, drawing upon Mawlānā Ashraf ʿAlī Thanawī, magic had become widespread in Babylon. People were becoming so impressed by extraordinary magical phenomena that they were beginning to confuse sorcery with prophetic miracles.
- Allah therefore sent Hārūt and Mārūt so that people could understand what magic really was and thereby distinguish: (1) magic from miracle, (2) magicians from prophets, (3) deception from divine signs.
- Before explaining anything, however, they warned the person that this knowledge itself constituted a test. The purpose was therefore protective and educational, not an endorsement of sorcery.
Maʿārif al-Qur’an gives an illuminating analogy: a scholar may explain false doctrines in detail so that students can recognize and refute them. If a student subsequently embraces those doctrines, that does not make the teacher responsible. Similarly, Hārūt and Mārūt warned people beforehand, while some later misused the knowledge.
4. Al-Qurṭubī and other classical scholars: caution about the details
Classical tafsīr literature records more than one grammatical and theological interpretation of this passage. Al-Qurṭubī discusses the view that what was “sent down” should not necessarily be understood as Allah sending magic for people to practise.
The important point remains unchanged: Allah did not command people to become sorcerers. Whatever knowledge was involved, the angels explicitly warned: “We are only a trial, so do not disbelieve.”
That single sentence prevents us from interpreting their mission as promoting magic.
5. The interpretation of many later scholars: knowledge can itself be a moral examination
Later commentators often emphasize the ethical dimension. The significant Qur’anic expression is not merely that people “learned,” but: “They learned what harmed them and did not benefit them.”
This transforms the story into a profound discussion of beneficial versus harmful knowledge. Knowledge is therefore not automatically virtuous merely because it is knowledge. A person may know how to manipulate people, destroy relationships, deceive society, make weapons, steal information or exploit vulnerabilities.
The moral question is: What will you do with what you know?
This is one reason Hārūt and Mārūt remain extraordinarily relevant.
6. Where the scholars substantially agree
Despite their disagreements over historical details, their interpretations converge on several fundamentals:
- Sulaymān عليه السلام was innocent of magic. The Qur’an expressly declares: “Sulaymān did not disbelieve.”
- Magic is associated with the devils and serious spiritual danger.
- Hārūt and Mārūt warned people rather than enticing them.
- Their presence constituted a fitnah — a test.
- Human beings remained responsible for their own choices.
- Some people deliberately pursued knowledge that harmed rather than benefited them.
- No occult power operates independently of Allah.
The interpretation most important for us today The most powerful part of the passage may actually be the contrast between two expressions:
إِنَّمَا نَحْنُ فِتْنَةٌ “We are only a test.” - and وَيَتَعَلَّمُونَ مَا يَضُرُّهُمْ وَلَا يَنفَعُهُمْ “They learned what harmed them and did not benefit them.”
Put together, they establish an extraordinary Qur’anic principle: The ability to acquire knowledge does not automatically give us the moral right to use it.
That applies far beyond ancient Babylon. Modern humanity possesses unprecedented knowledge—AI, biotechnology, surveillance, psychological manipulation, weapons and mass communication. The Qur’anic question remains essentially the same: Will knowledge be used to benefit creation, or will human beings knowingly choose what harms them? In that sense, Hārūt and Mārūt are not merely mysterious figures from antiquity. Their mention becomes a warning for every generation about knowledge, temptation, responsibility and the misuse of power.
Why are they mentioned in the Qur’an?
Their story is very much a lesson for later generations. The Qur’an is not merely recording an unusual event in Babylon. It is demonstrating a permanent principle: knowledge itself can become a test.Hārūt and Mārūt warned people before teaching them. This means that the individual was confronted with a moral choice: You now know that this knowledge can lead you away from Allah—will you still pursue it?
The Qur’an then gives a disturbing example: “…they learned from them that by which they caused separation between a man and his wife…”
Notice the kind of harm highlighted. It is not merely spectacular magic. It is the destruction of human relationships, especially marriage. The Qur’an therefore exposes one of the ugliest uses of knowledge: using it not to heal, reconcile or benefit people, but to manipulate, divide and destroy them.
The deeper lesson: Not everything we can learn should be learned or used. This principle becomes even more relevant in later generations. Human beings continually acquire greater powers: science, technology, psychology, surveillance, artificial intelligence, genetic engineering, weapons, media manipulation and sophisticated methods of influencing other people.
The Qur’anic lesson of Hārūt and Mārūt asks a timeless question: Just because something can be known or done, does that mean it should be done? The people mentioned in 2:102 possessed knowledge, but Allah says: “They learned what harmed them and did not benefit them.”
That is perhaps the central warning of the passage.
Islam therefore does not measure knowledge merely by how fascinating, mysterious or powerful it is. Knowledge is also judged by where it leads. Knowledge that brings a person closer to truth, justice and human welfare is a blessing. Knowledge deliberately used for deception, oppression, manipulation or corruption may become a fitnah—an examination of one's faith and character.
Another crucial lesson: Magic has no independent power. The verse immediately places an important theological restriction upon the subject: “…but they could not harm anyone through it except by Allah’s permission.”
This protects a believer from two opposite errors. (1) One is denying Allah's sovereignty by imagining that sorcerers, spirits, occult practitioners or unseen forces possess autonomous supernatural power. (2) The other is becoming obsessed and terrified by them.
The Qur’an teaches that nothing operates independently of Allah. A believer therefore does not live in superstitious fear of magicians, amulets, fortune-tellers or supposed occult powers.
Why was Prophet Sulaymān mentioned immediately before them?
The verse begins by correcting another misconception: “Sulaymān did not disbelieve, but the devils disbelieved, teaching people magic…” Certain people had apparently associated Sulaymān's extraordinary kingdom with sorcery. The Qur’an categorically clears him:
وَمَا كَفَرَ سُلَيْمَانُ “Sulaymān did not disbelieve.”
His extraordinary authority over wind, jinn and other aspects of creation was a miracle and gift from Allah, not magical power obtained through occult practices. So the verse sharply distinguishes between:
- Divine gift and occult manipulation;
- prophethood and sorcery;
- beneficial knowledge and harmful knowledge;
- trust in Allah and pursuit of forbidden powers.
Why does the Qur’an specifically mention husband and wife?
The Qur’an says that people learned something through which they caused:
يُفَرِّقُونَ بِهِ بَيْنَ الْمَرْءِ وَزَوْجِهِ “separation between a man and his wife.”
This is significant. The Qur’an could have chosen many examples of harm, but it points to the destruction of the closest human relationship. Several commentators therefore see the verse as demonstrating the destructive character of sorcery: instead of building society, it breaks trust, affection and families.
And yet the Qur’an immediately places a theological boundary around its power:
وَمَا هُم بِضَارِّينَ بِهِ مِنْ أَحَدٍ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ “They cannot harm anyone through it except by Allah's permission.”
Thus Islam simultaneously acknowledges the danger while denying that magic possesses independent power outside Allah's sovereignty.
What should we learn from Hārūt and Mārūt today?
Their mention teaches at least these lasting lessons:
- Life itself contains tests disguised as opportunities. Something attractive or powerful may actually be a test of obedience.
- A warning removes excuses. Hārūt and Mārūt explicitly said, “Do not disbelieve.” Those who proceeded did so knowingly.
- Knowledge carries moral responsibility. The more power knowledge gives us, the greater our accountability for how we use it.
- Do not seek knowledge whose purpose is harm. The Qur’an condemns people who deliberately learned what harmed rather than benefited them.
- Destroying relationships is a grave evil. The verse specifically mentions separating husband and wife.
- Never attribute independent supernatural power to creation. Harm occurs only within Allah's decree.
- Do not confuse miracles with magic. Sulaymān's powers came from Allah; sorcery belonged to the path of devils.
The most profound message
The story of Hārūt and Mārūt is therefore not principally a mysterious story about two angels. It is a story about human choice. Two people may encounter exactly the same knowledge. One recognizes the warning and walks away. The other says, “I know it is wrong, but I want the power it gives me.”
That is why the verse concludes with such severity:
“…they certainly knew that whoever purchased it would have no share in the Hereafter. Miserable indeed was that for which they sold themselves, if only they knew.”
The expression “sold themselves” is particularly striking. The Qur’an is telling us that sometimes the real price of forbidden power is not money—it is one's own soul and relationship with Allah.
Thus, the mention of Hārūt and Mārūt has a powerful message for every generation: seek knowledge, but never separate knowledge from morality; seek power, but never at the cost of obedience to Allah; and whenever knowledge becomes a choice between benefit and corruption, remember the warning: “We are only a trial, so do not disbelieve.”
May Allāh (سبحانه و تعالى) help us understand Qur'ān and follow the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, which is embodiment of commandments of Allah contained in the Qur'ān. May Allah help us to be like the ones He loves and let our lives be lived helping others and not making others' lives miserable or unlivable. May all our wrong doings, whether intentional or unintentional, be forgiven before the angel of death knocks on our door.
وَمَا عَلَيۡنَاۤ اِلَّا الۡبَلٰغُ الۡمُبِيۡنُ
(36:17) and our duty is no more than to clearly convey the Message.”
That is Our duty is only to convey to you the message that Allah has entrusted us with. Then it is for you to accept it or reject it. We have not been made responsible for making you accept it forcibly, and if you do not accept it, we shall not be seized in consequence of your disbelief, you will yourselves be answerable for your actions on Day of Resurrection.
May Allah forgive me if my posts ever imply a piety far greater than I possess. I am most in need of guidance.
Reading the Qur'ān should be a daily obligation of a Muslim - Reading it with translation will make it meaningful. But reading its Exegesis / Tafsir will make you understand it fully. It will also help the Muslims to have grasp over social issues and their answers discussed in the Qur'an and other matter related to inter faith so that they are able to discuss issues with non-Muslims with authority based on refences from Qur'an.
Note: When we mention God in our posts, we mean One True God, we call Allah in Islam, with no associates. Allah is the Sole Creator of all things, and that Allah is all-powerful and all-knowing. Allah has no offspring, no race, no gender, no body, and is unaffected by the characteristics of human life.
You may refer to more Selected Verses from Surah 2 Al Baqarah (The Cow) already published
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An effort has been made to gather explanation / exegesis of the surahs and selected verses of Al-Qurʾān from authentic sources and then present a least possible condensed explanation of the surah. In that the exegesis of the chapters of the Quran is mainly based on the "Tafhim al-Qur'an - The Meaning of the Qur'an" by one of the most enlightened scholars of the Muslim World Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi.
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