The following tale of Islam’s fallen angels Harut and Marut is related in Allamah Al-Majlisi’s work Hayat al-Qulub (Life of the Hearts), Vol. 1, Stories of the Prophets (dating to the late 17th century AD).
The Quran’s surah 2:102 states:
Allah says: And they followed what the Shaitans [Satans] chanted of sorcery in the reign of Sulayman [King Solomon], and Sulayman was not an unbeliever, but the Shaitans disbelieved, they taught men sorcery and that was sent down to the two angels at Babel, Harut and Marut…men learned from these two, magic by which they might cause a separation between a man and his wife; and they cannot hurt with it any one except with Allah’s permission, and they learned what harmed them and did not profit them, and certainly they know that he who bought it should have no share of good in the hereafter and evil was the price for which they sold their souls, had they but known this.
It is related that ‘Ali ibn Ibrahim and Ayyashi have the following in their tafsirs (exegesis) narrated from Imam Muhammad al-Baqir: some discussions ensued between Allah and the angels because “the residents of the heavens began to find fault in the sins being committed by the dwellers of the earth” conversely Angels “have been created sinless…ever obedient” without “the power of sinning.”
Allah told the angels, “Select two beings from your community so that I may send them to the earth and give them the nature of human beings and put in them desire for eating, drinking, etc. and introduce yearnings in their minds like the children of Adam.” They were to be a test of their obedience and worship and are told to not commit the sin of shirk (associating anyone with Allah which would violate his perfect unity), not to commit adultery and to not drink wine.
Harut and Marut were selected and were sent to Earth “in the form of two handsome men” who touched down in Babylon. First, they see a very beautiful woman and discussed what to do about this temptation; deciding to walk away. However, they quickly stopped and “asked her to allow them to have sex with her.” Her reply was “My religion does not allow me to lie with you until you adopt my religion.”
As it turns out, she worshipped “Allah” and yet, this Allah was an idol, “The angels looked at one another and exclaimed: Now two sins (instead of one) confront us viz., one of Polytheism and another adultery”: adultery actually implies that she was married and this “adultery” is later referred to by the angels as “illegal sex.” On top of it a third temptation was introduced as she tells them that part of the worship of the Allah idol is that they must drink wine.
Harut and Marut partake of the hooch and worship the idol but just as “they readied to lie with that woman” a beggar makes a sudden appearance. Cutting to the chase, the beggar concludes, “Surely you are evil fellows” and goes away. The woman tells Harut and Marut that the beggar is going off to “disgrace both you and me” and that they should murder him, “and then come back to me and do whatever you wish.”
Harut and Marut commit murder but the woman was gone and “suddenly their clothes had fallen down and they had become naked” at which time they felt shame and sorrow.
Allah tells them that he had only sent them to Earth for a while but even during this very limited amount of time they sinned on various levels on top of which “You did not feel ashamed before Me.” Yet, moreover, Allah relates that, after all, it was they “who were more than all others against the dwellers of the earth due to their disobedience and wanted that they should be punished.”
Allah also offers a bit of Islamic angelology by noting that he created angels with “such a nature which did not entertain any wish to commit sin and it was I who had protected you from disobeying Me.” Harut and Marut sinned because Allah lifted his protection and thus momentarily rearranged their very nature.
Allah allows them to pick their poison or rather, their punishment, “either a worldly punishment or the other worldly chastisement.” One of the figures that since they are on Earth anyhow, they might as well live it up, keep sinning “enjoy our desires fully” and then get punished later in “the Hereafter.” However, the other one figures that while “worldly punishment is limited” and will thus, “end some day” the “Hereafter is everlasting” and will be “much harsher which” he notes, “we do not prefer.”
Thus, they accept temporary worldly punishment and yet, continued to teach magick to humans “for a long time” to the point that they “perfected that teaching” and ended up being “hung upside down in the air and will remain like that until the Day of the Resurrection Day.” So, somewhere up in the sky you can see Harut and Marut hanging around. Note that since they teach magick they are often referred to as magickians (or, magicians as most people term it).
As per a report by Ayyashi, different version of the story was related by Amir al-Mu’minin ‘Ali when he was asked “about the red star that is Venus.” He relates the same basic story with the inclusion that another thing that angels were forbidden to do was to “never kill anybody wrongfully.”
Amir al-Mu’minin ‘Ali then stated that “This star (Venus) was” once “a very beautiful woman” who “had gone to one of those two angels for obtaining some kind of decision.” The angel fell in love with her and “told her that truth is with you…but only when you give me control over you. The woman promised to do so and fixed a time for them to meet. Then she went to the other angel. The same thing happened with him too and she gave him also the same promise and fixed a time for them to meet.”
When Harut and Marut arrive at the place and time determined by the woman they realize that she had set them up and bowed their heads in shame. But then, on second thought, they realize that since they arrived at the appointment they might as well keep it and “Both asked the woman to allow them to have sex with her.”
The story then picks up as per above with the angels engaging in idolatry, drinking, murdering the beggar, etc. but adds that “she will not be pleased with them until they teach her the way of going up to the heaven.”
Another added element is that Harut and Marut “used to decide people’s disputes during the day and go up to the heaven at night.” Well, they did not teach the woman how to “go to the heaven” so she refused to engage them in carnal concupiscence which, of course, leads the angels to figure that making whoopie was worth showing her how to go to the heavens.
So, they show her the way but she refuses to fulfill her end of the bargain. Now, “In order to experiment she uttered the words taught by them and at once reached the heavens while the two stood wide-eyed. Allah turned the woman into the form of a star” so that explains how a brand new planet was inserted into the solar system with, apparently, no adverse reactions.
Now, Imam Al-Hasan al-‘Askari noted that Imam as-Sadiq noted that after the time of Nuh magick/sorcery became widespread and was employed toward deception. Allah sent two angels, in human form, to Muhammad so through him, people will have magick explained to them and be told by Allah forbade it, “So those two angels were teaching the people magic and the ways of making it ineffective.” But, as it turns out, this was all a big “test and trial for the slaves of Allah so that they may obey Allah and nullify magic by what they learn, but not indulge in magic themselves and not become ‘Kafir’ (unbelievers) by harming others through magic.” So, Allah’s angels are sent to show people how to use the very same magick that they are forbidden to use.
A further aspect of the test and trial is to get the people to believe that the magick teaching angels are actually equal to Allah, committing the condemning to hell sin of shirk, by having the angels murder and also bring people back to life people via magick which, it is noted is kufr which refers to blasphemy and unbelief. For some reason, it is specified that via the very magick taught to the by Allah’s angels “men learned” how “they might cause a separation between a man and his wife”—Honey, you know that I, like, love you and, like, only committed adultery because I was literally bewitched by magick taught to witches by Allah’s angels and stuff.”
Next, in a massive conspiracy theory style claim we are told that “the desirers of magic learned the magic of Satan which they had buried beneath the throne of Solomon (Sulayman) and attributed its magic to Sulayman.” And actually, benefits were obtained via the usage of charms / enchantments that were actually gotten from Harut and Marut.
Actually, it was a conspiracy theory as we are specifically told that via the charms / enchantments, “they started making conspiracies and mischief…separations between people” and “backbiting.” Of course, not surprisingly, people used chants and magick to harm others and “were learning only that which was destroying their religion…they were getting out of the religion of Allah due to that.” Due to this Allah approved teaching of magick by his angels, “evil was the price for which they sold their souls….they gave up their share from Paradise because they believed that there was no Allah, nor Hereafter, nor any life after death” so that backfired like a car with a banana in the tailpipe.
There were narrators of traditions (those who relate them) who told Imam Al-Hasan al-‘Askari of another variety of the story whereby Harut and Marut were actually sent to Earth along with other angels with the two “kept…chastised in Babylon.” So, apparently, we have a more general location from where to view them hanging in midair.
Based on a few quotations from the Qur’an such as surah 66:6, “They do not disobey Allah in what he commands them, and do as they are commanded” the conclusion is reached that it is concluded that “this is an evidence to prove that angels have never been sent on earth as leaders and rulers of men.” This seems to be an argument for Muhammad’s prophet status as it is note that “Rather Allah has sent His (human) Prophets.”
It is then noted that “on this ground of argument, Satan should also not have been an angel…He was also not an angel but was a jinn (genie)…he was from the jinn and at another place He says, And the jinn we created before from intensely hot fire. (15:27).” Interestingly, biblically Satan is not an angel but a Cherub. In any case, we are also told, “Angels are the Messenger of Allah. Just as the Messengers can never disbelieve, the angels too cannot” and yet, a previous statement was that Allah made an exception which allowed the angels disbelieve for tests and trials.
One last option is related via a footnote to the text above which notes that while Sunnis have this basic tale within their traditions, some Sunni and Shi’ah scholars have, as noted above, denied the validity of the very concept of angels acting out in such a manner. To, sort of, soften the blow some have asserted that Harut and Marut were actually sent to teach the difference between magick and miracle and that they did not commit sin.
Other variants are that they remained on earth for a long time and then went back to the heavens and that they were not actually angles but Babylonian residents who were simply called angles due to being virtuous.
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