The Honorable Angels, Harut and Marut هاروت و ماروت
Before continuing with telling you about more honorable
Prophets of God, we tell of an event that occurred after the death of
Prophet Solomon. This event is cited in the Qur'an, in Suratul-Baqarah, verse 102.
During the time of Prophet Solomon were a group of the
Children of Israel who gave up
Islam, the
Religion of
Israel (
Jacob) and all the other Prophets.
Instead of following the Torah and the wisdoms of the book given to Prophet
David, Az-Zabur, they became sorcerers. They had books of sorcery from the devils.
The Cunning
Ways of the
Devils
In those days, the devils used to ascend to high points and could eavesdrop on the conversation of the angels. The angels would talk with each other about some things copied from the
Guarded Tablet, concerning what would happen on
Earth that year.
The devils would go, with information they overheard from the angels, to the humans on Earth who were sorcerers. The devils would speak with these human sorcerers and give them information. The sorcerers and those they told would see that what the devils told became true.
Consequently, some people started to trust those sorcerers. The sorcerers would then add false information, making seventy lies along with each truth.
People wrote the statements of the sorcerers and compiled books. It began to be spread that the jinn and the sorcerers knew the entire unknown. Believing that jinn and sorcerers know the unknown is blasphemy.
Prophet Solomon sent some of his soldiers to collect those books of the sorcerers and to put them in a chest. Then Prophet Solomon had that chest buried under his throne.
None of the devils could approach the throne of Solomon for fear of being burnt.
Solomon threatened the devils saying, "
If I hear anyone say that the demons know the unknown, I shall break that person's neck". The devils were enraged because God endowed on Solomon command over the devils, even though the devils did not convert to Islam.
They talked about deaths, disasters and the like. Since the birth of
Prophet Muhammad, the devils could not go up and hear those conversations of the angels. If they attempt to, a flaming comet is thrown at them (Suratul-Mulk, verse 5).
After Prophet Solomon died,
Satan appeared in the form of a man to a group of the Children of Israel. He said, "Shall I show you the way to an never-ending treasure, no matter how much you take from it?" When they said yes, the devil said, "Solomon was not a Prophet. Nay, he was instead a sorcerer!
Dig under his throne and find out!"
The Muslims of the time, when they got word of this, were enraged. They said, "Solomon was truly a Prophet of God, a pious Muslim who never engaged in sorcery!"
Satan came back to those he spoke with and showed them where to dig for the box of books. The men told Satan, "You dig and get this box". Satan told them, "No,
I won't do that, but I am right here, near you. If you do not find the box where I tell you, you may kill me!"
Those fools dug and found the box. They opened it and took out the books of the sorcerers. Then Satan told them, "Solomon used to control the humans, jinn and the birds with this magic". The fools said, "We see and believe that Solomon was a sorcerer. This is the magic with which he commanded and subdued us!"
Then Satan flew away and continued to spread the lie that Prophet Solomon was a sorcerer. Satan added that the righteous follower of Prophet Solomon, Asaf Ibn Barkhiya, also was a sorcerer.
Remember that he was the one who brought the throne of
Bilqis to Prophet Solomon, by
God's will.
Hence, those blasphemers among the Children of Israel started to practice what they read in those books. These human sorcerers would be tutored by devils. They claimed to be Prophets and challenged the people with their witchcraft.
God then sent two angels to the Earth named
Harut and Marut. These two angels were sent to teach the people the
difference between the tricks of the sorcerers and real miracles of Prophets of God.
The angels taught that those sorcerers were not really Prophets, so that they would not fool people.
Witchcraft can be opposed by more powerful witchcraft, and a sorcerer can defeat another sorcerer.
In sorcery there is a lot of delusion. Sorcerers call on devils to work for them with their evil directives. Since humans do not see the jinn, much harm is done.
Miracles of Prophets, on the other hand, are not the work of devils. God created those extraordinary events without devils being involved. When a Prophet confronted a blasphemer with a miracle, the blasphemer never could duplicate the miracle. This proves to the people that God supports a Prophet, and the blasphemer is not.
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