Who were Harut and Marut?

Harut and Marut were two angels sent by Allah to the city of Babylon (Babel) as a test for its people. They are mentioned in Surah Al-Baqarah (2:102). Their role was to teach people the knowledge of magic while explicitly warning them that learning and practicing it constituted disbelief. They served as a divine trial to distinguish those who would heed the warning from those who would pursue forbidden knowledge.

Were Harut and Marut angels?

Yes, according to the majority of Islamic scholars and the apparent meaning of the Quran, Harut and Marut were angels (malaikah). The Quran explicitly uses the word 'malakayni' (two angels) in Surah Al-Baqarah (2:102). Some scholars have proposed alternative interpretations, but the dominant view in classical tafsir, held by scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, is that they were indeed angels sent down by Allah as a test.

What did they teach people?

Harut and Marut taught people the knowledge of magic (sihr), including spells that could cause separation between a husband and his wife. However, they could not harm anyone through this magic except by Allah's permission. The Quran emphasizes that before teaching anyone, they would warn: 'We are only a trial, so do not disbelieve' (Quran 2:102). Those who learned and misused this knowledge chose misguidance over guidance.

Harut and Marut were sent as a fitnah (trial/test) from Allah. During this period, devils (shayateen) were spreading magic among the people and falsely attributing it to Prophet Sulayman (Solomon). Allah sent the two angels to clarify the distinction between divine knowledge and dark magic, and to test whether people would heed the warning against disbelief or pursue forbidden knowledge despite knowing its consequences.

What is the lesson of Harut and Marut?

The story teaches several key lessons: magic is real but absolutely forbidden in Islam; knowledge can be used for good or evil, and the choice defines one's faith; receiving a clear warning does not guarantee people will make the right choice; and no magic can harm anyone without Allah's permission. It also demonstrates that the devils, not Prophet Sulayman, were the source of sorcery — clearing the prophet's name from false accusations.

Story of Harut and Marut - Angels Who Taught Magic in Babylon

In a time long past, during the reign of Solomon, peace be upon him... a great mystery unfolded that would forever change the course of magic and belief.

It was said that during Solomon's lifetime, the devils — ever cunning and deceptive — whispered false secrets into the ears of men.

They introduced magic... a dark art that sowed discord and strife among people, even driving a wedge between husbands and wives!

Although Solomon himself never strayed from the path of truth, the forces of misguidance found a way to influence those around him.

When Solomon's kingdom faltered, a period of rebellion and lust for worldly desires gripped both men and jinn alike.

In the midst of this turmoil, Solomon's wisdom prevailed once more... and order was eventually restored.

In a bold and secretive act, Solomon gathered the sacred scriptures and hid them beneath his throne.

Yet, as fate would have it... these concealed words were later unearthed by those who had long forgotten the true message of divine guidance.

Instead of embracing the revelation, many people turned away — favoring instead the alluring, dangerous allure of magic.

Over time, the devil's influence deepened.

They crafted tales, and even forged writings, that claimed Solomon had mastered magic through hidden, forbidden books!

These mysterious texts were said to contain the secrets of spells and incantations — knowledge that could separate families and ruin lives.

[whispers] Whispered rumors spread among the people that Solomon had used this sorcery to command the winds, control the jinn, and even charm birds.

Such claims — born of the devil's deception — led many to see the revered king not as a prophet, but as a mere sorcerer.

Amidst this atmosphere of confusion and betrayal... two angels descended from the heavens.

Their names were Harut and Marut, and they were sent by Allah to the ancient city of Babylon — not to spread corruption, but to serve as a test for its people. They came bearing a dangerous knowledge: the knowledge of magic. But unlike the devils who taught sorcery in secret and without restraint, Harut and Marut carried a divine mandate — a warning that they were obligated to deliver before teaching anyone a single spell.

To every person who came seeking this knowledge, the two angels would say clearly: "We are only a trial, so do not disbelieve" (Quran 2:102). This was not a casual disclaimer. It was a direct, explicit warning from beings who had descended from the heavens — a line drawn in the sand between curiosity and transgression, between testing the limits of knowledge and crossing into disbelief.

Yet despite this warning — delivered by angels, no less — many people chose to proceed. They learned the spells and incantations, driven by desire, jealousy, or the lust for power over others. Among the most devastating applications of this magic was the ability to cause separation between a husband and his wife — to sow discord in the most intimate of human bonds, to turn love into hatred and trust into suspicion.

The Quran, however, makes a critical clarification: "But they could not thus harm anyone except by Allah's permission" (Quran 2:102). No spell, no incantation, no sorcery of any kind can take effect unless Allah allows it. This is a foundational principle in Islamic belief — that all power belongs to Allah alone, and that magic, for all its apparent influence, operates only within the boundaries He has set.

Those who chose to learn this forbidden knowledge did so at the cost of their own souls. The Quran states plainly that "they learned what harmed them and did not benefit them" (Quran 2:102). They traded the guidance of Allah for the whispers of devils, exchanged the light of revelation for the darkness of sorcery. And they did so knowing full well that "whoever purchased it would have no share in the Hereafter."

What a wretched exchange it was — to sell one's eternal soul for temporary power over others, to abandon the promise of Paradise for the ability to cause harm in this fleeting world. The Quran laments: "And wretched is that for which they sold themselves, if they only knew" (Quran 2:102).

The story of Harut and Marut also serves to exonerate Prophet Sulayman (Solomon), peace be upon him, from the false accusation that he practiced magic. The Quran states at the beginning of the verse: "Sulayman did not disbelieve, but the devils disbelieved, teaching people magic" (Quran 2:102). The devils had spread the lie that Sulayman's extraordinary kingdom — his control over the wind, the jinn, and the animals — was achieved through sorcery rather than through Allah's blessing. This was a calculated slander designed to discredit a prophet and normalize the practice of magic among the people.

By clarifying that Sulayman never practiced magic and that it was the devils who spread this corruption, the Quran restores the honor of one of Allah's greatest prophets while simultaneously condemning those who follow the path of sorcery. The lesson is unmistakable: the source of Sulayman's power was Allah's favor, not dark arts — and anyone who attributes prophetic miracles to magic has been deceived by Shaytan.

The people of Babylon thus faced a choice that echoes through the ages: they could accept the warning of the angels and preserve their faith, or they could pursue forbidden knowledge and lose everything that truly mattered. Many chose poorly. They preferred the temporary power of magic over the eternal reward of obedience to Allah — a choice that the Quran records not as an ancient curiosity, but as a warning for every generation that follows.

For magic did not end with Babylon. Its practice has persisted across cultures and centuries, and Islam's condemnation of it has remained absolute. The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, counted magic among the seven destructive sins (al-sab' al-mubiqat), alongside shirk (associating partners with Allah) and murder. The story of Harut and Marut is thus not merely historical — it is a living warning against a sin that continues to tempt humanity to this day. Explore more of these profound narratives among the stories of the Quran.

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About This Story

Quran Reference

Surah Al-Baqarah (2:102)

Key Themes

MagicTrialFree WillWarning

Audio Duration

10 min of professional narration

Available In

English, Arabic, German, Dutch, French, Turkish

Key Lessons from This Story

Magic is real but absolutely forbidden — The Quran confirms the reality of magic while categorically prohibiting its practice. Harut and Marut taught real magic with real effects, but the Quran classifies learning and practicing it as an act of disbelief (kufr). The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) listed magic among the seven destructive sins, placing it alongside shirk and murder in severity.
A clear warning does not guarantee obedience — Despite being told directly by angels that learning magic was a test and that proceeding would constitute disbelief, many people still chose to learn. This demonstrates that the human capacity for self-deception is immense — even the clearest divine warning can be ignored when desire overtakes reason.
No harm occurs without Allah's permission — The Quran explicitly states that the magicians "could not thus harm anyone except by Allah's permission." This is a profound theological principle: no force in creation — whether magic, disease, or any other trial — can affect a person unless Allah wills it. This should give the believer both comfort and perspective.
Knowledge carries moral responsibility — The same knowledge can be used for benefit or destruction. The people of Babylon were given a choice about how to use what they learned, and many chose to harm others. This teaches that every form of knowledge — from science to technology to spiritual matters — comes with an ethical obligation to use it righteously.
The prophets are innocent of what is falsely attributed to them — The verse begins by clearing Sulayman (Solomon) of the accusation that he practiced magic. The devils, not the prophets, were the source of sorcery. This teaches Muslims to reject any claim that diminishes the honor of Allah's messengers and to recognize that slander against prophets often serves to normalize sin.

Historical and Theological Context

The story of Harut and Marut is contained entirely within a single verse — Surah Al-Baqarah (2:102) — yet it is one of the most theologically rich passages in the Quran. The verse addresses multiple interconnected themes: the innocence of Prophet Sulayman from accusations of sorcery, the role of devils (shayateen) in spreading magic, the sending of two angels as a divine test, the misuse of knowledge, and the ultimate consequences of choosing forbidden practices over divine guidance. Classical scholars of tafsir, including Al-Tabari, Ibn Kathir, and Al-Qurtubi, have written extensively on this verse.

Babylon (Babel), the setting of this story, was one of the most significant cities of the ancient world, located in present-day Iraq. It was known throughout antiquity as a center of learning, astronomy, and — according to both Islamic and non-Islamic sources — the practice of magic and divination. The Quran's choice of Babylon as the setting for this trial is theologically significant: it was a place where the boundary between legitimate knowledge and forbidden sorcery was being deliberately blurred by the forces of Shaytan.

The scholarly discussion around Harut and Marut also intersects with broader Islamic jurisprudence on magic (sihr). The four major Sunni schools of thought unanimously classify the practice of magic as haram (forbidden), with many scholars considering it an act of kufr (disbelief) that takes a person outside the fold of Islam. This ruling draws heavily from the verse about Harut and Marut, which explicitly links the learning of harmful magic to the loss of one's share in the Hereafter. The hadith literature reinforces this position, with the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) including magic among the seven most destructive sins in a hadith narrated in Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim.

Harut and Marut