In Islamic belief, angels have no free will and are the perfect servants of the God. There is however a debated narrative of two angels who came to earth and taught humanity forbidden knowledge.

A thread on the angels Harut and Marut and the knowledge of astrology and magic-
Referenced in the Qur’an (2:102), Harut and Marut were two angels who came among the people of Babylon and the Kingdom of Solomon.

While the Qur’an makes clear they were sent as a test for humanity, later exegesis offer various accounts of what they were up to.
Al-Tabari relates a narration in which the two angels were sent down among humanity. There they met a beautiful woman who tempted them with idolatry.

They rejected.

Later she tempted them again this time with alcohol.

They gave in and while drunk they slept with her.
When they awoke, they realized another had witnessed their act and so killed him. Horrified by how quickly they had given into temptation they remained on earth as a test for humanity and were sent to Babylon.
The narration is also told in the commentary of Ali ibn Ibrahim al Qummi with further explanation:
Angels carry the deeds and prayers of humanity up to the heavens. At one time they complained to Allah about the disbelief and misdeeds of humans so to teach the angels, the Creator asked that they select two angels to send among the mortals.
Haurt and Marut were chosen and given human natures, appetites, and desires.

They promptly were tempted as in the narration from Tabari.
For their penance though they chose to remain on earth, hung upside down until the end of days.

(image from al Qazwini’s Ajāʾib al-makhlūqāt, Walters Ms. W.659)
One of the oldest strata of the narration though, has some interesting details.
The 10th C al-Balkhi relates when Harut and Marut were sent among humans they met a beautiful woman hungry for wisdom. She asked to be taught the things the angels knew

Taken by her beauty they taught her secret knowledge and sacred sciences; astrology and the magic of Names
Her knowledge and wisdom was so great that Allah decided she could not remain among humans and so elevated her to the stars.

Her name was Zohara, Venus.
The relationship to magic and astrology becomes a controversial and debated one.

The Qur’an seems to imply that the devils taught evil sorcery while the angels taught something else, but the interpretation of the verse varies.
Many reject the idea that angels can be tempted and so Harut and Marut were humans, not angels in their account. Others parse the wording of the Qur’an to imply Harut and Marut taught something else, while it was the shaiytan which taught sorcery.
Some scholars like, the 14th century Taftazani would affirm that Harut and Marut did indeed teach astrology and magic to humanity.
As such Harut and Marut would come to be related to both the Prophet Idris and the Prophet Sulayman (Solomon) both of whom would become the prototype for the wise man in occult circles.
Because of the connection to Harut and Marut al-Tabari differentiates between the types of magic. He states:

There are two kinds of magic. One taught by shaiytan and one taught by the angels sent down.
In this distinction magic that separate marriages, causes harm, and which reaps for the self with no profit for the others is evil and from shaiytan. Where as sacred sciences like the science of letters, the science of the sands, the science of stars, and medicine are from angels
The view would remain contested in orthodox circles.
For historians the story of Harut and Marut offer many interesting points of inquiry.
Firstly, there may be quite a strong thread of cross-cultural exchange and ideas shared through confessional communities.

The story of Harut and Marut share many hallmarks with the Enochian narratives: angels, temptation, secret knowledge.
This gestures to the circuits of exchange and learning in late antique and medieval near eastern culture.
We can also see a clear gendered dynamic at play in the narrations. In some, the angels are tempted by a woman who is cast in the role of seductress.

Yet other narrations cast the same woman as a wise woman whose thirst for wisdom lands her among the stars.
And of course, there is the grappling of the boundaries of knowledge itself.

What is considered forbidden knowledge and what is acceptable?
Is *all* magic forbidden? Are there demarcations between the permissible and illicit? Could some occult knowledge be angelic in nature, which uplifts the spirit of humanity to reach for the heavens? And could some knowledge be devilish causing tribulation and separation?
I shall continue exploring the esoteric side of Islamic history in future threads!

(Image in first tweet: Nakir and Munkir from al Qazwini’s Ajāʾib al-makhlūqāt, Walters Ms. W.659)
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