Al-Baqarah 102: They followed the sayings of the devils against the reign of Solomon (The Prophet). Solomon, however, did not become an infidel by doing sorcery. But the devils became infidels. In Babylon, the two angels Hârût and Mârût did not teach anyone sorcery without saying, “Do not ever become deniers by accepting sorcery as permissible; we are only a test”. They (the people) however learned that which separates husband and wife, and which was of no benefit to them but harmful to them. Without the permission of Allah, the sorcery of sorcerers cannot inflict harm. Vow to that they know; for those who buy sorcery, there is no share in the hereafter. What a bad thing it is for which they have sold themselves (sorcery); if only they understood.

We have come to verse 102. This one is rather long. Well, they are talking about magic. Let's see. They followed what the devils recited against the reign of Solomon.

Solomon did not practise magic and become a disbeliever. They said Solomon too practised magic.

But the devils disbelieved.

They followed magic. What was sent down to the two angels in Babylon, Harut and Marut — magic. Beware, do not practise magic, deem it permissible and become disbelievers. Unless they said, 'We are only a trial,' those two angels taught magic to no one.

But they learned things that would bring no benefit, that would harm them, that would come between husband and wife. But without Allah's permission, the sorcerers' spells cause no harm, it says. What does 'without Allah's permission' mean? Everyone has a (?) destiny. If he is to live the event within his destiny, if he is to disbelieve, practise magic and become a disbeliever, or that situation, well, within himself, within destiny, if he is to live it, then of course such people will deal with this magic and, through magic, drag themselves to ruin. Verily, they know that whoever buys magic will have no share in the hereafter. In adopting magic, what they sold themselves for is an evil thing indeed.

If only they understood this. Yes. If only they understood.

The Jews abandoned the book in their hands and, to bring down Solomon's reign, followed the magic taught by the devils.

These are people who defy Allah. How can you try to bring down Allah's messenger and his reign? Who are you taking on? Who? Solomon did not practise magic and become a disbeliever. But the devils and those who dealt with them disbelieved. The two noble angels in Babylon named Harut and Marut — sent by Allah Almighty to earth to test people — the magic sent down to these two angels they followed. Through these two angels, people were taught magic. Magic was taught to people. And these two noble angels would say: if you do not believe wrongly and become disbelievers, we will teach you magic. So the magic that would separate husband and wife, people were learning from these angels.

They left good and turned to dealing with evils. With deeds that would drag people into disaster and make them disbelievers they began to busy themselves. Why? Because the nafs in a person never turns to the truth. The nafs delights in glory, fame, pride, arrogance, egotism, grandeur and worldly desire. A person does not easily abandon these pleasures and turn his nafs towards the truth. And Satan gives this person's nafs (?). And the world, like a zaqqum flower blooming in a swamp, the rosy world looks beautiful to them, and a person can save himself from this swamp only with his willpower. If he uses his will and his pledge, he can save himself.

Otherwise, in this swamp, in this world and the hereafter, making the world his kingdom and turning his back on the hereafter, the place he goes — 'what an evil bed,' it says — that abode of fire in Hell, he will have bought it. Yes.

With deeds that would drag people into disaster and make them disbelievers they began to busy themselves. If only they knew for what an evil thing they sold their souls through those evil deeds. What is this 'if only they knew'? That in exchange for the world, for a fleeting life of a few hours, he turns the eternal abode of bliss into the eternal abode of torment — if only he knew. The person who cannot part from the enjoyment he takes in worldly pleasure, who in this world rebels when the slightest suffering touches him — what, I wonder, will that person do in the hereafter, in that abode of torment?

If he compared this — the small bit of torment he suffered in the world — with his pleasure and enjoyment, the torment of the hereafter, that he would see in the hereafter — he would turn his back on that torment; the affliction our Lord gave him in this world he would make the crown on his head, and in the eternal abode of the hereafter that abode of sovereignty he would buy. These are the senseless, the foolish, and those who cannot use their minds, four-legged creatures roaming the earth.

Those who deal with this magic, those who have magic done and buy it with money, Allah Almighty swears by Himself that they have no share in the hereafter. If only they knew for what an evil thing they sold their souls, that in the hereafter Hell and that torment of Hell is what they bought. Many of the ancient peoples believed in magic. So magic had mixed into religious beliefs, sorcerers had appeared and kept deceiving people. There are many kinds of magic. Those who believe in them are divided into groups. These kinds of magic are as follows.

One, the magic of the Chaldeans; they worship the stars, and that the universe is governed by the stars they believe. They hold that good and evil come from there. Of the celestial powers — Allah Almighty sends Abraham to them. From here — let's do that once more. With celestial powers, it says, with celestial powers. Allah Almighty sent Abraham to them. They split among themselves into three sects. A. Those who say the heavens and the stars are eternal; they are called Sabians. B. Those who believe in the divinity of the heavens; these are idolaters who for each sphere made an idol on earth and served it.

C. Those who say there is someone who created the heavens and the stars and that He gave them the right to govern the earth; these regard the stars as intermediaries. 2. Produced by relying on the power of the spirit: magic. According to this, the human spirit, through purification, gains the power to create, to kill and to revive, and to change constitution and form. Three, magic done by making use of spiritual beings. That is, the forms of magic done by making amulets and getting help from the jinn. Four, done by deceiving the eye: magic. Such as conjuring tricks and sleight of hand. Those who believe in the first and second forms of magic are disbelievers.

However, according to the Holy Quran, knowing that the Creator is Allah Almighty and believing that without Allah's permission no spell will work on anyone, in learning magic for useful things there is no harm. Magic was very widespread among the Jews. They believe that Solomon took his throne by magic, and that over wolves, birds, that is, animals, and over the jinn he ruled by magic.

When Solomon was presented in the Quran as a prophet, 'Muhammad thinks Solomon is a prophet. But he is a sorcerer,' they said. Although Allah Almighty sent the Holy Quran, confirming the Torah in the hands of the Jews, and although they too knew that the Quran was true — their turning to deny the Quran's verses, their saying of Solomon, 'he is a sorcerer', their slandering the prophet Solomon, their turning away from the Quran and the Prophet — this is what made them disbelievers. Yes.