Harut and Marut () are a pair of angels mentioned in the Quran Surah 2:102. They are said to have been located in Babylon and teach humans magic.
Quranic narrative
In the Quran, the two angels are briefly mentioned as follows:
History
The Quran mentiones a pair of angels teaching sorcery. This reflects a belief within apocalyptic literature that fallen angels descend to earth in human form, resulting in sexual transgression and teaching sorcery. The names Hārūt and Mārūt, however, do not originate from Semitic beliefs, but appear to be etymologically related to Haurvatat and Ameretat, two Amesha Spenta from Zoroastrianism. Their fall from heaven is not mentioned by the Quran, in contrast to apocalyptic literature, they are "sent down" by God. However, it is assumed by mufassirs (authorized exegetes of the Quran) that they were sent down as a form of punishment, and explain the story behind their fall.
The story of angels descending to earth in human form to be later punished for sexual transgression parallels the story of a group of angels in the Book of Jubilees, Book of Enoch, and Book of Watchers. Furthermore, fallen angels teaching magic reflects an early Christian belief.
For this reason, some Muslim scholars argue that the story derives from Judeo-Christian sources (Israʼiliyyat). According Ansar al-'Adl, the additional interpretation of this verse entered tafsir from Judaism or Christianity. The English Quran translator Abdullah Yusuf Ali states this story develops from Jewish midrashim, particularly Midrash Abkir. However, Midrash Akbir is not dated earlier than the eleventh century. John C. Reeves concludes that, although the Quran integrates previous material, the midrashim is shaped by Muslim beliefs, not the other way around. Similarly, Patricia Crone argues that Jews adopted the Islamic story, especially since stories regarding fallen angels were considered unauthentic by Rabbinic Judaism. Rejecting a Jewish origin of the story also comes from Muslim scholars. Kürşad Demirci points out that there are no similarities between the story of Harut and Marut and the angels from ancient Jewish lore.
Tale of Harut and Marut
Although the Quran doesn't call this pair of angels fallen explicitly, the context assumes this to be true. The tale of Harut and Marut (qiṣṣat Hārūt wa-Mārūt) is a reoccurring story throughout Quranic exegesis (Tabari, ibn Hanbal, Rumi, Maqdisi, Tha'labi, Kisa'i, Suyuti) to explain the fall of these angelic pair. In short, this story contains a prolegomenon in heaven, resulting in an angelic mission to earth, followed by a corruption of these angels, and consequent punishment by God. Although this bears some resemblance to the story of the Watchers, the most dominant components of this motif are unique to Islamic tradition and do not reflect either biblical or Second Temple traditions. The core feature of this story is the angels' amazement at human wickedness. Unlike in the Book of Watchers and Christian tradition, the story is not about angelic revolt or original sin, but about how tough it is to be a human.
Ibn Kathir considers at least details of the story to be fabricated (mawḍūʿ) by Ka'b al-Ahbar. Al-Suyuti traces the story back as ḥadīṯ attributed to Muhammad (marfūʿ). Tabari narrates the story as follows:The angels were astonished at the acts of disobedience committed by the human beings on earth, claiming they would do better than them. Therefore, God challenged the angels to choose two representatives among them, who would descend to earth and be endowed with bodily desires. During their stay on earth, they fell in love with a woman named Zohra (often identified with the planet Venus). She told them she would become intimate with them if they joined her in idolatry and told her how to ascend to heaven. The angels refused and remained pious. Later they met her again and the woman this time stated she would become intimate with them if they drank alcohol. The angels thought that alcohol could not cause great harm and therefore, they accepted the condition. After they were drunk, they became intimate with her and after noticing a witness, they were killed them. The next day, Harut and Marut regretted their deeds but could not ascend to heaven anymore due to their sins, as their link to the angels was broken. Thereupon, God asked them, whether their punishment shall be in this world or in the hereafter. They chose to be punished on earth and therefore were sent to Babel as a test, teaching humans magic but not without warning them that they were just a temptation.