وَاتَّبَعُوا مَا تَتْلُو الشَّيَاطِينُ عَلَى مُلْكِ سُلَيْمَانَ وَمَا كَفَرَ سُلَيْمَانُ وَلَكِنَّ الشَّيَاطِينَ كَفَرُوا يُعَلِّمُونَ النَّاسَ السِّحْرَ وَمَا أُنْزِلَ عَلَى الْمَلَكَيْنِ بِبَابِلَ هَارُوتَ وَمَارُوتَ وَمَا يُعَلِّمَانِ مِنْ أَحَدٍ حَتَّى يَقُولَا إِنَّمَا نَحْنُ فِتْنَةٌ فَلَا تَكْفُرْ فَيَتَعَلَّمُونَ مِنْهُمَا مَا يُفَرِّقُونَ بِهِ بَيْنَ الْمَرْءِ وَزَوْجِهِ وَمَا هُمْ بِضَارِّينَ بِهِ مِنْ أَحَدٍ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ وَيَتَعَلَّمُونَ مَا يَضُرُّهُمْ وَلَا يَنْفَعُهُمْ وَلَقَدْ عَلِمُوا لَمَنِ اشْتَرَاهُ مَا لَهُ فِي الْآخِرَةِ مِنْ خَلَاقٍ وَلَبِئْسَ مَا شَرَوْا بِهِ أَنْفُسَهُمْ لَوْ كَانُوا يَعْلَمُونَ ﴿102﴾ وَلَوْ أَنَّهُمْ آمَنُوا وَاتَّقَوْا لَمَثُوبَةٌ مِنْ عِنْدِ اللَّهِ خَيْرٌ لَوْ كَانُوا يَعْلَمُونَ ﴿103﴾

﴾102﴿ a maa kafara Sulaimaanu wa laakinnash Shayatteena kafaroo yu'al limoonan naasas sihra wa maaa unzila 'alal malakaini bi Baabila Haaroota wa Maaroot; wa maa yu'allimaani min ahadin hattaa yaqoolaaa innamaa nahnu fitnatun falaa takfur fayata'al lamoona minhumaa maa yufarriqoona bihee bainal mar'i wa zawjih; wa maa hum bidaaarreena bihee min ahadin illaa bi-iznillah; wa yata'allamoona maa yadurruhum wa laa yanfa'uhum; wa laqad 'alimoo lamanish taraahu maa lahoo fil Aakhirati min khalaaq; wa labi'sa maa sharaw
﴾103﴿ And if they had believed and guarded themselves (from shirk and sorcery), surely the reward from Allah would be better, if they only knew.

﴾102﴿ And they followed what the devils (both jinn and human) used to recite during the reign of Solomon (peace be upon him), and Solomon did not disbelieve, but the devils disbelieved; they taught people sorcery and what had been sent down to the two angels in the city of Babylon, Harut and Marut. Yet they did not teach anyone until they had said (as a warning), “We are only a trial, so do not disbelieve (by practicing magic).” So they learned from them that by which they caused separation between a man and his wife, but they could not harm anyone with it except by the permission of Allah. And they learned what would harm them and not benefit them. And indeed they knew that whoever acquired this (magic), he would have no share in the Hereafter. And surely evil is what they sold themselves for, if only they knew.
﴾103﴿ And if they had believed and guarded themselves (from shirk and sorcery), surely the reward from Allah would be better, if they only knew.

[102] In this verse, the answers to the second and third questions are given.
The first question was about Solomon (peace be upon him).
The question was: “You, the Prophet, mention Solomon (peace be upon him) among the prophets, while he was a sorcerer—so you affirm the trait of sorcery. That means you are not a prophet?”
The answer is that Solomon (peace be upon him) was not a sorcerer, rather it was the devils who practiced sorcery.
The explanation is that Solomon (peace be upon him) collected books of sorcery and chained the devils, then buried those books in a special room beneath his throne so that sorcery would be eradicated.
When Solomon (peace be upon him) passed away, the devils told the people that he had ruled through magic and they dug up those books, and people began practicing the knowledge of sorcery.
“What the devils recited” refers to both human and jinn devils, or only human ones—because jinn cannot teach humans.
“During the reign of Solomon” either means in his time or in opposition to his rule.
“They taught the people” is proof that teaching sorcery is a means of promoting disbelief.
“And what was sent down to the two angels” is the answer to the third question.
The question was: “You have declared magic to be disbelief, while this is heavenly knowledge taught by Allah to the angels.
How can you call it disbelief?”
The answer is that this knowledge was given to the angels only as a test for people, not as something lawful.
They used to tell people that certain words or methods result in magic and warned them to avoid it.
But the people learned it and practiced it.
This is the chosen interpretation.
Other views are mentioned in the tafsir Ahsan al-Kalam, but the story written by some commentators involving an immoral act with Zuhrah and making her a star and punishing them in the well of Babylon is entirely from Israelite traditions.
“And they would not teach anyone until they had said” means they would first advise the person that “We are a test for you,” i.e., do not learn this or act on it.
“They used to separate” refers to one meaning: they caused conflict and division between husband and wife using magic.
Another meaning is that by learning magic, people became disbelievers and polytheists, so their marriages became invalid.
“They could not harm anyone with it except by Allah’s permission” – these two verses are proof that Allah allows effects to occur through magic.
The effect only happens by Allah’s command.
It can block someone’s vision or speech, confuse their thoughts, or disturb their mind.
Yet, magic is unlawful, false, and disbelief.
“They learned what harms them” – this also refers to other practices that harm one’s religion, like philosophy, astrology, fortune-telling, and so on.
[103] This is a call for them to believe and repent from all sins under two conditions: first, true faith, and second, piety by abstaining from disbelief, shirk, sorcery, and the like.