Qatada said: Magic is of two kinds: magic that the devils teach, and magic that Harut and Marut teach.
Al-Hasan said: The two angels are in Babylon until the Day of Resurrection, and whoever is determined to learn magic, then comes to them, hears their speech without seeing them.
Mujahid said: The angels were amazed by the oppression of the Children of Adam, even though the messengers had come to them. Their Lord said to them: Choose two from among yourselves to send down to judge on the earth. So they were Harut and Marut, and they judged and were just, until Venus descended upon them in the form of a most beautiful woman disputing [with her husband]. They were tempted by her and sought her for herself, so Venus flew away and returned to where she had been. They returned to the sky and were rebuked, so they sought intercession from a man of the Children of Adam. They said: We heard your Lord mentioning you favorably, so intercede for us. He said to them: How can the people of the earth intercede for the people of the heaven? Then he set a day for them to pray for them, so he prayed for them, and they were given the choice between the punishment of this world and the punishment of the Hereafter. One of them looked at the other and said: Do you not know that the stages of Allah's punishment in the Hereafter are such and such, and likewise in eternity? So they chose the punishment of this world; thus they are being punished in Babylon.
Muhammad said: Yahya mentioned from someone other than Mujahid that the woman with whom they were tempted was one of the women of the people of this world. And Allah knows best.
قَالَ قَتَادَة: السحر سحران: سحر تعلمه الشَّيَاطِين، وسحر يُعلمهُ هاروت وماروت.
وقَالَ الحَسَن: إِن الْملكَيْنِ بِبَابِل إِلَى يَوْم الْقِيَامَة، وَإِن من عزم عَلَى تعلم السحر، ثمَّ أتاهما سَمِعَ كَلَامهمَا، من غير أَن يراهما.
وقَالَ مُجَاهِد: عجبت الْمَلَائِكَة من ظلم بني آدم؛ وَقد جَاءَتْهُم الرُّسُل، فَقَالَ لَهُم رَبهم: اخْتَارُوا مِنْكُم اثْنَيْنِ أنزلهما يحكمان فِي الأَرْض، فَكَانَا هاروت وماروت، فحكما فعدلا؛ حَتَّى نزلت عَلَيْهِمَا الزهرة فِي صُورَة أحسن امْرَأَة تخاصم [زَوجهَا] فافتتنا بِهَا وأراداها على نَفسهَا فطارت الزهرة؛ فَرَجَعت حَيْثُ كَانَت، ورجعا إِلَى السَّمَاء فزجرا فاستشفعا بِرَجُل من بني آدم، فَقَالَا: سَمِعْنَا رَبك يذكرك بِخَير، فاشفع لَنَا، فَقَالَ لَهما: كَيفَ يشفع أهل الأَرْض لأهل السَّمَاء؟ ثمَّ واعدهما يَوْمًا يَدْعُو لَهما فِيهِ فَدَعَا لَهما فخيرا بَين عَذَاب الدُّنيا، وَعَذَاب الْآخِرَة، فَنظر أَحدهمَا إِلَى الآخر، فَقَالَ: ألم تعلم أَن أَفْوَاج عَذَاب اللَّه فِي الْآخِرَة، كَذَا وَكَذَا، وَفِي الْخلد أَيْضا؟ فاختارا عَذَاب الدُّنيا؛ فهما يعذبان بِبَابِل.
قَالَ مُحَمَّد: وَقد ذكر يَحْيَى عَنْ غير مُجَاهِد؛ أَن الْمَرْأَة الَّتِي افتتنا بِهَا كَانَت من نسَاء أهل الدُّنيا. وَالله أعلم.
