Surah Al-Baqara Verse 102 - English Translation by Shabbir Ahmed
Surah Al-Baqaraوَٱتَّبَعُواْ مَا تَتۡلُواْ ٱلشَّيَٰطِينُ عَلَىٰ مُلۡكِ سُلَيۡمَٰنَۖ وَمَا كَفَرَ سُلَيۡمَٰنُ وَلَٰكِنَّ ٱلشَّيَٰطِينَ كَفَرُواْ يُعَلِّمُونَ ٱلنَّاسَ ٱلسِّحۡرَ وَمَآ أُنزِلَ عَلَى ٱلۡمَلَكَيۡنِ بِبَابِلَ هَٰرُوتَ وَمَٰرُوتَۚ وَمَا يُعَلِّمَانِ مِنۡ أَحَدٍ حَتَّىٰ يَقُولَآ إِنَّمَا نَحۡنُ فِتۡنَةٞ فَلَا تَكۡفُرۡۖ فَيَتَعَلَّمُونَ مِنۡهُمَا مَا يُفَرِّقُونَ بِهِۦ بَيۡنَ ٱلۡمَرۡءِ وَزَوۡجِهِۦۚ وَمَا هُم بِضَآرِّينَ بِهِۦ مِنۡ أَحَدٍ إِلَّا بِإِذۡنِ ٱللَّهِۚ وَيَتَعَلَّمُونَ مَا يَضُرُّهُمۡ وَلَا يَنفَعُهُمۡۚ وَلَقَدۡ عَلِمُواْ لَمَنِ ٱشۡتَرَىٰهُ مَا لَهُۥ فِي ٱلۡأٓخِرَةِ مِنۡ خَلَٰقٖۚ وَلَبِئۡسَ مَا شَرَوۡاْ بِهِۦٓ أَنفُسَهُمۡۚ لَوۡ كَانُواْ يَعۡلَمُونَ
(They followed conjecture in the past as well.) Some rebellious people spread a rumor in the Kingdom of Solomon. Solomon never disbelieved in the Divine Laws, but the rebellious ones did. They fabricated a story that two angels Harut and Marut had descended in Babylon and taught magic to people. That they used to warn people, "We are only a temptation, therefore be not oblivious to the rational Divine Laws." The rumor further stated that people learned magic from these two angels how to create discord between a man and his wife. (This entire story is nothing but falsehood. Magic, amulets, ghoul, demon-possession, exorcism, witchcraft, evil eye, fortune telling, astrology, palm reading, clairvoyance, voodoo are nothing but conjecture). These things can neither harm nor benefit anyone since they are contrary to the Divine Laws in Nature ((3:123-127), (6:73), (7:54), (45:22)). (Superstitions can harm people by becoming self-fulfilling prophecies). And that which they try to learn only harms them and profits not. They are well aware that any person indulging in this trade (of the so-called "Occult sciences") will be a loser in the long run, and shall have no portion in the Hereafter. And surely, evil is the price for which they (magicians, diviners, clairvoyants, fortunetellers and claimants to witchcraft) sell their humanity, if they but knew better