my wine, kill my neighbor's son, and prostrate to my idol." They said: "We will not prostrate." Then they drank the wine, then they killed, then they prostrated. The people of the heaven looked down upon them. She said to them: "Tell me the word that, when you say it, you will fly." They told her, so she flew and was metamorphosed into a glowing star (jamra), and it is this Venus (al-Zuhrah). As for the two, Solomon son of David was sent to them, and he gave them the choice between the punishment of the world and the punishment of the hereafter. They chose the punishment of the world, and they are suspended between the heaven and the earth.

1009 - Al-Husayn ibn al-Hasan narrated to us, Ibrahim ibn 'Abd Allah al-Harawi narrated to us, Hajjaj narrated to us, from Ibn Jurayj, who said: Mujahid said: "The affair of Harut and Marut is that the angels were amazed at the sins of the children of Adam despite the messengers having brought them the Scriptures. Their Lord said to them: 'Choose two from among you; I will send them down to judge on earth.' So they were Harut and Marut. They judged and were just until Venus was sent down to them in the form of the most beautiful woman involved in a dispute. They said to her: 'Come to us in the house.' They uncovered their private parts and were seduced. Venus flew away and returned to where she was. They ascended to the heaven, were rebuked, and sought intercession through a man from the children of Adam."

His saying: "And they do not teach anyone"

1010 - 'Isam ibn Rawwad al-'Asqalani narrated to us, Adam narrated to us, Abu Ja'far narrated to us, al-Rabi' ibn Anas narrated to us, from Qays ibn 'Abbad, from Ibn 'Abbas regarding His saying: "And they do not teach anyone until they say: 'We are only a test, so do not disbelieve.'" This is because they knew good and evil, disbelief and faith, and they recognized that magic is part of disbelief.

1011 - Al-Hasan ibn Ahmad narrated to us, Ibrahim ibn 'Abd Allah ibn Bashar narrated to us, Surur ibn al-Mughirah narrated to me, from 'Abbad ibn Mansur, from al-Hasan.

His saying: "And they do not teach anyone until they say: 'We are only a test, so do not disbelieve.'" He said: "Yes, He sent down the two angels with magic so they could teach the people the tribulation with which Allah wanted to test the people. He took from them a covenant that they would not teach anyone until they said: 'We are only a test, so do not disbelieve.' They act accordingly; they do not teach anyone until they say: 'We are only a test, so do not disbelieve.'"

His saying: "Until they say: 'We are only a test, so do not disbelieve.'"

1012 - 'Isam ibn Rawwad narrated to us, Adam narrated to us, Abu Ja'far narrated to us, from Qatadah, who said: "It was taken from them that they would not teach anyone until they said: 'We are only a test,' meaning a tribulation with which we have been tested, 'so do not disbelieve.'"