Harut and Marut
Published in February 12, 2019
Translated by: Ahmed Fathy
Introduction:
We quote this email message we have received, followed by our reply to the questions it contains; we thank its male sender and we implore the Lord God to bless him and to make him, and our person, among those accepted in Paradise within His mercy: (... Dear Dr. Mansour, ... I admire you and your writings very much; may the Lord God reward you in Paradise and make you among the witnesses on the Last Day. Indeed, if it had not been for you, Real Islam would not be known to me and to the other Quranists. I hate to disturb you or to take too much from your valuable time, but these two persistent questions make me feel in a muddle: (1) How would I know that the Lord God accepts my acts of worship and my good deeds? I'm trying to be sincere in my repentance since my conversion to Quranism. (2) I do not understand the Quranic story of Harut and Marut mentioned in the Quranic verse 2:102; I've read your entire archive of writing, but you have not written any article about it, I think. Why do not you write about this topic soon? I tried to rely on myself to understand 2:102, but I could not. I rely still on your great Quranist writings to understand the Quran ... Thank you for your time, and I hope very much to meet with you in Paradise in the Hereafter. Thank you again for being what you are and I wish you all the best ...).
OUR REPLY:
Firstly: we assert the following points:
1- Since one is making sure of the quality and quantity of one's good deeds within piety and monotheism, one must rest assured that the Lord God will accept one's good deeds: "As for those who believe and lead a righteous life - We will not waste the reward of those who work righteousness." (18:30); "...God will not waste the reward of the believers." (3:171); "...God does not waste the reward of the righteous." (9:120); "...God will not waste the reward of the charitable ones." (11:115); "...God has been gracious to us. He who practices piety and patience - God never fails to reward the righteous ones." (12:90).
2- If human beings adhere to piety within fear of their Lord God, He will not torment them: "What would God accomplish by your torment, if you have given thanks, and have believed? God is Appreciative and Cognizant." (4:147)
3- Human beings are free agents who can choose to (dis)believe and to (dis)obey; yet, they cannot control or evade the four fates preordained by the Lord God (i.e., birth, death, provisions, and the adversity/prosperity test). Human beings will not be judged by their Lord God regarding such fates. This means human beings can control their (re)actions, choices, and stances and are responsible for their own deeds; this freedom is the basis of Judgment on the Last Day. Thus, people choose (by their deeds and choices) their destination in the Hereafter either in Hell or in Paradise. Thus, those monotheists who make sure of the quality and quantity of their good deeds within piety will enter into Paradise as per the Lord God's promise. The Lord God never breaks His promise: "But as for those who believe and do righteous deeds, We will admit them into gardens beneath which rivers flow, where they will abide forever. The promise of God is true-and who is more truthful in speech than God?" (4:122); "God promises the believers, men and women, gardens beneath which rivers flow, abiding therein forever, and fine homes in the Gardens of Eden. But approval from God is even greater. That is the greatest victory." (9:72).
Secondly: about Harut and Marut in a Quranist vision:
1- The Lord God says the following about the misguided ones among the Israelites in Arabia during the time when the Quran was being revealed: "And when there came to them a messenger from God, confirming what they had, a faction of those who were given the Book threw the Book of God behind their backs, as if they do not know." (2:101). This means that the misguided ones who rejected the Divine Revelation followed the devilish narratives/hadiths/revelations of Satan which contradict the Discourse of God in the Quran; this is the meaning we find in the very next two verses: "And they followed what the devils taught during the reign of Solomon. It was not Solomon who disbelieved, but it was the devils who disbelieved. They taught the people magic and what was revealed in Babylon to the two angels Harut and Marut. They did not teach anybody until they had said, "We are a test, so do not lose faith." But they learned from them the means to cause separation between man and his wife. But they cannot harm anyone except with God's permission. And they learned what would harm them and not benefit them. Yet they knew that whoever deals in it will have no share in the Hereafter. Miserable is what they sold their souls for, if they only knew. Had they believed and been pious, the reward from God would have been better, if they only knew." (2:102-103).
2- Those misguided ones followed and repeated the revelations of Satan; this is typical of all misguided persons in all eras: "Likewise, We have assigned for every prophet an enemy - human and jinn devils - inspiring one another with fancy words in order to deceive. But had your Lord willed, they would not have done it. So leave them to their fabrications. So that the hearts of those who do not believe in the Hereafter may incline to it, and be content with it, and that they may perpetrate whatever they perpetrate." (6:112-113); "...The devils inspire their followers to argue with you; but if you obey them, you would be polytheists." (6:121).
3- The devilish revelations of Satan include teaching his allies about magic (i.e., influencing souls and eyes of people by suggestion). This magic was typical of the magicians of Pharaonic Egypt who were linked with the religious life at the time all over Egyptian cities. This is why the signs/miracles granted to Moses included defeating such magicians in the challenge organized by Pharaoh: "..."Delay him and his brother, and send recruiters to the cities. To bring you every experienced magician." (26:36-37).
4- Within the Quranic story of Moses' Pharaoh and his magicians, we know that magic is nothing but mere illusions; this is why the Egyptian magicians believed in the Lord God (with Moses) when they saw that the staff/rod of Moses was turned into a real serpent; they prostrated once they witnessed this miracle, and the self-deified tyrannical Pharaoh put them to death. The illusion of magic deceived the eyes of Moses and other people present inside the palace of Pharaoh: "He said, "You throw!" And when they threw, they beguiled the eyes of the people, and intimidated them, and produced a mighty magic." (7:116); "He said, "You throw." And suddenly, their ropes and sticks appeared to him, because of their magic, to be crawling swiftly. So Moses felt apprehensive within himself. We said, "Do not be afraid, you are the uppermost. Now throw down what is in your right hand - it will swallow what they have crafted. What they have crafted is only a magician's trickery. But the magician will not succeed, no matter what he does."" (20:66-69).
5- Moses was not the only one to be negatively influenced by the Pharaonic culture regarding magic (see 20:67); the Israelites were heavily influenced by the Ancient Egyptian religion at the time; not only did they worshiped a golden calf during their exodus, but also they believed in magic; i.e., they wrongly assumed that Solomon used magic to control demons and jinn and that this can be repeated by anyone after the death of Solomon. Their myths are refuted in the Quranic story of Solomon; as per His Divine Will, the Lord God made Solomon control many things: "So We placed the wind at his service, blowing gently by his command, wherever he directed. And the demons - every builder and diver. And others fettered in chains. "This is Our bounty; so give generously, or withhold; without limits."" (38:36-39).
6- When the Israelites lost their State and were captured and enslaved by the Babylonians, many of them became misguided as they rejected the Divine Revelation and followed pagan myths and devilish revelations; this made the misguided ones among them retrieve the former belief in magic; the devilish revelations made them assume that king Solomon controlled jinn and demons using magic. The Lord God refutes their false statements about Solomon here: "And they followed what the devils taught during the reign of Solomon. It was not Solomon who disbelieved, but it was the devils who disbelieved. They taught the people magic..." (2:102).
7- Sadly, many people in the Arab world are ignoramuses who believe in magic; the Lord God has fought against such devilish revelations by making two angels, Harut and Marut, descend on earth (in Babylon, in modern Iraq) while taking the human form (as living human beings cannot see angels in their ethereal form). We do believe that the mission of Harut and Marut was to undeceive people regarding magic: "...But they cannot harm anyone except with God's permission. And they learned what would harm them and not benefit them. Yet they knew that whoever deals in it will have no share in the Hereafter. Miserable is what they sold their souls for, if they only knew." (2:102); "...But the magician will not succeed, no matter what he does." (20:69). Of course, piety is better than being misguided by myths which include magic: "Had they believed and been pious, the reward from God would have been better, if they only knew." (2:103).
8- The focus here should be on the fact that today's Muhammadans believe in magic and they trust magicians, (Sufi) sheikhs, and charlatans who claim to cure and offer remedies/solutions to almost anything! Those polytheistic Muhammadans will never succeed in this world and the next one, as they believe in magic and polytheistic myths and reject the guidance of the Lord God's Word; i.e., the Quran.
Lastly: let us have a good laugh by quoting devilish Sunnite hadiths about Harut and Marut:
We quote these hadiths from the book of 'interpretation'/exegeses of the Quran by the medieval Sunnite author Al-Siyouti who quotes many hadiths/myths in order to supposedly 'explain' and 'interpret' the Quranic verses. We have repeated in our writings and videos the fact that narrators employed (and paid handsomely) by the Umayyads and the Abbasids invented and circulated many hadiths inside mosques to serve the political purposes of rulers; other sermonizers who did not serve rulers fabricated many hadiths out of rivalry and within fierce competition in order to exercise power over more gullible audiences (and to get their money); they had to vie for inventing elaborate stories/myths to captivate the attention of people; such sermonizers aimed at gaining fame, money, and authority in their societies (and they silenced or refuted the claims of their foes) by ascribing hadiths/lies/fabrications to Muhammad and to Islam. At the time, all those people (sheikhs, sermonizers, etc.) who desired to prove their religious views 'right' never hesitated to formulate hundreds of hadiths. Of course, hadiths of all types were written down during the Abbasid Era in books of hadiths, fiqh, exegeses, commentaries, interpretations, fake biographies of Muhammad (and other prophets), and biographies of the so-called companions.
1- (... The narrator Ibn Jarir said that a series of narrators: ..., ..., ..., ..., ..., ..., ... said that the Holy Prophet Muhammad (may the peace, blessings, and salutations of God descend upon him) noticed at one time that his companions (may God bless them all) are staring and admiring the bright, reddish star of Venus at night, and when he told them to stop that, they asked for the reason, since all stars obey and prostrate to God, and he cursed the star and narrated to his companions (may God bless them all) this story: Within the Upper Realm, the angels held a conversation with God, and they asked Him about His patience regarding the sins committed by human beings; He told the angels that He tests human beings and preordains many things on human bodies, including lust; the angels told God that if they were in the place of human beings, they would never disobey Him. God made a bet with the angels and told them to choose two amongst them; the angels chose Harut and Marut. God made them descend on earth and take the human form; their human bodies included all desires of human flesh, including lust. While they ate and drink, they saw a very pretty prostitute known as Al-Zahra (i.e., Venus) and both of them were aroused and desired to have their way with her. At first, Harut and Marut hid their desire for her for few days, until they confessed to each other that they must have this woman in bed to satisfy their carnal lust. When they went to Al-Zahra to convince her to offer her services to both them, she told them they would have their way with her all night long only on one condition: instead of taking money, she must know from them the magic words they use to fly into the sky and to descend on earth like all angels. Harut and Marut refused to tell her anything at first, but eventually, their lust drove them to tell her what she needed to know and she graced their beds all night long. The very next day, she uttered the magic words and wings grew from her body; she flew up into the sky; God punished her by removing her wings and turning her into a bright star. God told Harut and Marut that they will be punished for their sins of fornication and for telling the woman the magic words. Both Harut and Marut felt deep remorse and implored God for pardon and mercy; God told them that they have to choose between two things: either to remain in the human form and lead a life of pleasure until the Last Day and then enter into Hell forever, or to be tormented on earth until the Last Day when their torment will stop and they will retrieve their ethereal form forever. They chose to be tormented momentarily on earth instead of being tormented in Hell forever in the Hereafter. Their location of torment is a remote, deserted area in Babylon; they are tormented while being suspended, with chains, between the sky and the earth ...).
2- (... The narrator Saeed said that a series of narrators: ..., ..., ..., ..., ..., ..., ... said that the Holy Prophet Muhammad (may the peace, blessings, and salutations of God descend upon him) at one night commanded his companions (may God bless them all) to stare at the bright star of Venus and to curse it, and when asked about the reason for this, he told them that this star was originally a prostitute of the Israelites who seduced and tempted the two angels, Harut and Marut, when they assumed the human form and they are tormented until the Hour comes because of yielding to her temptations; God punished her by turning her into a bright star, as a reminder of avoiding the grave sin of fornication ...).
3- (... The narrator Al-Bayhaqi said that a series of narrators: ..., ..., ..., ..., ..., ..., ... said that the Holy Prophet Muhammad (may the peace and salutations of God descend upon him) said that when at one time, the angels of the Upper Realm expressed their wonder at how ignorant human beings disobey God so easily while being heedless of the glory of God and oblivious of the Hereafter and God's punishment and curse which might befall them. God told the angels that they themselves will disobey Him if they had human bodies which experience hunger, thirst, and lust. The angels declared that they will never disobey God even if they wore human flesh. The bet was arranged: the angels choose Harut and Marut from amongst them and God made them descend on earth while taking a human form; they ate and drank and felt the desire for sex like all members of the progeny of Adam. A known whore in Babylon known as Al-Zahra (i.e., Venus) seduced and tempted Harut and Marut with her rare beauty and irresistible physical charms; she knew that both of them desired her body but they had no money about them; she offered herself to their enjoyment for free, amused by having these two angels as her lovers and by managing to seduce them. Having sinned, both Harut and Marut wept and felt deep remorse. God told them that they have to choose between two things: either to remain in the human form and lead a life of pleasure until the Last Day and then enter into Hell forever, or to be tormented on earth until the Last Day when their torment will stop and they will retrieve their ethereal form forever. They choose to be tormented momentarily on earth instead of being tormented in Hell forever in the Hereafter. Their location of torment is a remote, deserted area in Babylon, as we know from the Quranic verse 2:102, but some wicked people typically come to visit Harut and Marut to learn from them secrets of magic which causes harm to people ...).
4- Other hadiths/narratives about Harut and Marut are more or less very similar to the ones we have quoted in the above points, linking both angels to the planet Venus (which also refers to a pagan goddess and hence the influence of paganism on the polytheistic Sunnites) while assuming that both angels are disobedient ones who are being tormented; sadly, the Sunnite fabricators of such myths/lies ascribe them to the Lord God's Religion and pretend as if they knew all about the metaphysical realm of the past.
5- May the curses of the Lord God, all angels, and all people descend upon all of authors of hadiths in all eras!