Hadith 27-2

حَدَّثَنا تَمِيمُ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّه بْنِ تَمِيمُ القُرَشِي رَضِىَ اللهُ عَنْهُ قالَ: حَدَّثَني أَبي، عَن أَحْمَدِ بْنِ عَلِى الأَنْصارِي، عَن عَلِيِّ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ الْجَهْمِ قالَ: سَمِعتُ الْمَأْمُونَ يَسْأَلُ الرِّضَا عَلِيَّ بْنَ مُوسَى‏ عَلَيْهِ السَّلامُ عَمَّا يَرْوِيهِ النَّاسُ مِنْ أَمْرِ الزُّهَرَةِ وَأَنَّهَا كَانَتِ امْرَأَةً فُتِنَ بِهَا هَارُوتُ وَمَارُوتُ وَمَا يَرْوُونَهُ مِنْ أَمْرِ سُهَيْلٍ وَأَنَّهُ كَانَ عَشَّاراً بِالَْيمَنِ فَقَالَ كَذَبُوا فِي قَوْلِهِمْ إِنَّهُمَا كَوْكَبَانِ وَإِنَّمَا كَانَتَا دَابَّتَيْنِ مِنْ دَوَابِّ الْبَحْرِ فَغَلِطَ النَّاسُ وَظَنُّوا أَنَّهُمَا كَوْكَبَانِ وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ لَِيمْسَخَ أَعْدَاءَهُ أَنْوَاراً مُضِيئَةً ثُمَّ يُبْقِيَهَا مَا بَقِيَتِ السَّمَاءُ وَالأَرْضُ وَإِنَّ الْمُسُوخَ لَمْ يَبْقَ أَكْثَرَ مِنْ ثَلاثَةِ أَيَّامٍ حَتَّى مَاتَتْ وَمَا تَنَاسَلَ مِنْهَا شَيْ‏ءٌ وَمَا عَلَى وَجْهِ الأَرْضِ الْيَوْمَ مَسْخٌ وَإِنَّ الَّتِي وَقَعَ عَلَيْهَا اسْمُ الْمُسُوخِيَّةِ مِثْلُ الْقِرَدَةِ وَالْخِنْزِيرِ وَالدُّبِّ وَأَشْبَاهِهَا إِنَّمَا هِيَ مِثْلُ مَا مَسَخَ اللَّهُ عَلَى صُوَرِهَا قَوْماً غَضِبَ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَعَنَهُمْ بِإِنْكَارِهِمْ تَوْحِيدَ اللَّهِ وَتَكْذِيبِهِمْ رُسُلَهُ. وَأَمَّا هَارُوتُ وَمَارُوتُ فَكَانَا مَلَكَيْنِ عَلَّمَا النَّاسَ السِّحْرَ لِيَتَحَرَّزُوا بِهِ مِنْ سِحْرِ السَّحَرَةِ وَيُبْطِلُوا بِهِ كَيْدَهُمْ، وَمَا عَلَّمَا أَحَداً مِنْ ذَلِكَ إِلا قَالا لَهُ إِنَّما نَحْنُ فِتْنَةٌ فَلا تَكْفُرْ، فَكَفَرَ قَوْمٌ بِاسْتِعْمَالِهِمْ لِمَا أُمِرُوا بِالاحْتِرَازِ مِنْهُ وَجَعَلُوا يُفَرِّقُونَ بِمَا يَعْرِفُونَهُ بَيْنَ الْمَرْءِ وَزَوْجِهِ. قَالَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ: (وَما هُمْ بِضارِّينَ بِهِ مِنْ أَحَدٍ إِلا بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ) يَعْنِي بِعِلْمِهِ.

Tamim ibn Abdullah ibn Tamim al-Qurashi - may God be pleased with him - narrated that Ahmad ibn Ali Al-Ansari quoted on the authority of Muhammad ibn Al-Jahm, “I heard that Al-Ma’mun asked Al-Ridha’ Ali ibn Musa (a.s.) about the following which the people say, “Venus is the perverted form of a woman with whom Harut and Marut practiced black witchcraft and Canopus [24] is the perverted form of the tax collector in Yemen.” Al-Ridha’ (a.s.) said, “No. They lie when they say that those two were perverted into Venus and Canopus stars. They were perverted into two aqueous creatures. The people are mistaken when they say that those two were perverted into two stars. God would not distort His enemies into the form of bright stars which would illuminate forever. The perverted would not live for more than three days. They will not reproduce either. There are no perverted creatures on the Earth these days. Animals like monkeys, pigs, bears or other similar animals are not perverted themselves, but are similar to those who were cursed and perverted by God for denying the Unity of God and denouncing the Prophets. However, Harut and Marut were two angels who taught the people magic so that they could escape the magic of the magicians and cancel the effect of their magic. They told whomever they taught magic, ‘…We are only for trial; so do not blaspheme…’ [25] However, there were some people who blasphemed via what they had learned and used what they had learned to cause discord and separation between husband and wife. The Honorable the Exalted God says, ‘… But they could not thus harm anyone except by Allah’s permission…’ [26] meaning with His Knowledge.”